[1992LP]

(Original post by megan.c)
I need to get a car to be able to commute to work and to my friends houses - what sort of things should I be looking for on used car ads so I don't end up getting ripped off, and whats the average insurance for say, a Nisan Micra or those sorts of cars? Oh and what sort of car prices are suspiciously good, like if there was a Micra for 350 is that standard price second hand or will it fall apart on me?

Also, me and my brother will quite possibly be sharing so how would this affect costs of insurance?

I'm completely clueless, I would ask my friends but typically, all of the ones who own cars are on holiday!

Basic things to know about buying a used car:

Buy on condition, not mileage. Average mileage a year is 10 - 12k. Low mileage doesn't always mean better car!

Service history is very important, oil should be changed once a year, not by mileage. E.g. a 2002 car with 50k on it should have had 10 services, not 5.

Try to buy a car with a full MOT, and check the advisories. Long tax is always a plus, and can be used as a bargaining point.

Check all the levels (oil, coolant etc) under the bonnet, and look under the oil filler cap. It should be clear and free from sludge.

Check all the tyres for uneven wear, and just wear in general. Also try to avoid cars with crap tyres on them (i.e. £20 specials) as they don't grip well in the wet and is a sign that the last owner has skimped on maintenance. Can also be used as a bargaining point though.

Listen for knocks and bangs on the test drive, and pay attention to the clutch - does it slip? How high up the pedal is the biting point?

Look for smoke - blue smoke is oil, white is water, and black is fuel. Black soot is normal for diesel cars without a diesel particulate filter.

Check for rust in the wheel arches and under the boot carpet. Look at the panel gaps - if they are uneven then the car may have been in a crash at some point. Also look for mis matched colour and overspray as well.

Then look for the common problems associated with the car you are looking at - www.honestjohn.co.uk is good for highlighting these, and so are some of us on here!

An old Micra (the K11 is the one you want) is a fairly safe bet. Very reliable, very cheap, and cheap to fix if it goes wrong. At £350 condition is everything. If the car is tidy and drives fine then it is not the end of the world if the service history is missing.

Hope that helps you a bit - any more questions, fire away

[megan.c]

(Original post by 1992LP)
Basic things to know about buying a used car:

Buy on condition, not mileage. Average mileage a year is 10 - 12k. Low mileage doesn't always mean better car!

Service history is very important, oil should be changed once a year, not by mileage. E.g. a 2002 car with 50k on it should have had 10 services, not 5.

Try to buy a car with a full MOT, and check the advisories. Long tax is always a plus, and can be used as a bargaining point.

Check all the levels (oil, coolant etc) under the bonnet, and look under the oil filler cap. It should be clear and free from sludge.

Check all the tyres for uneven wear, and just wear in general. Also try to avoid cars with crap tyres on them (i.e. £20 specials) as they don't grip well in the wet and is a sign that the last owner has skimped on maintenance. Can also be used as a bargaining point though.

Listen for knocks and bangs on the test drive, and pay attention to the clutch - does it slip? How high up the pedal is the biting point?

Look for smoke - blue smoke is oil, white is water, and black is fuel. Black soot is normal for diesel cars without a diesel particulate filter.

Check for rust in the wheel arches and under the boot carpet. Look at the panel gaps - if they are uneven then the car may have been in a crash at some point. Also look for mis matched colour and overspray as well.

Then look for the common problems associated with the car you are looking at - www.honestjohn.co.uk is good for highlighting these, and so are some of us on here!

An old Micra (the K11 is the one you want) is a fairly safe bet. Very reliable, very cheap, and cheap to fix if it goes wrong. At £350 condition is everything. If the car is tidy and drives fine then it is not the end of the world if the service history is missing.

Hope that helps you a bit - any more questions, fire away

That's loads of help - thank you!
Do you know what it could be to insure two new drivers?

[hypercaine.]

Seems impossible to find decent used cars, I dont want to buy private and will only buy from a local garage; all of the cars are priced too good to be true - you test drive to find out theres something wrong with it or just doesnt feel right or theyre priced too high. I want to buy one in the next week or so (as soon as possible really) but it just seems like im never gonna get one. Plus, if the price of the car itself isnt too much the insurance is which makes it financially unviable anyway. I have about £3000 and want to buy something fairly new (not more than 10 years old) with a low mileage and cheap insurance, ive been looking for the past few weeks and nothing has came up and then when it does its sold before I can even view it or test drive it. Rant over!

[insignificant]

(Original post by 1992LP)
Thats a shame, you will unfortunately find some dealers are like that. It certainly looked ok in the photos, goes to show what can be hidden! Well done for walking away, a lot of people would have probably just gone for it anyway which is what the dealer is probably banking on.

That one looks nice and clean, more sensible mileage which is good. A fresh MOT is a good sign, did it get any advisories?

From that photo, I would hazard a guess that it is a more basic model, possibly a "Life"? Doesn't mean very much - just less toys than the SXI and possibly cheaper insurance.

I see it is a 53 plate and has smoked rear lights - that means it is a facelift model which is good. Check the footwells for damp (forgot to mention that the first time round, sorry!) as there was an issue with water getting in that affected the later pre facelift models and some facelift models. It is a dashboard off job to sort, so a right PITA. Doesn't happen to all of them of course, our one is totally fine.

I know I keep harping on about service history, but it is important to check. Seems a good price too, and a nice colour. Hope that one turns out better for you!

Yep its a Life model, and we checked everything and it all seems fine I'm just now really wary of buying it, as its my first massive big purchase and a big responsibility, I've got some thinking to do!

[SionR25]

Hi everyone,

Looking to get a car this summer with my pay and have been looking at some of the choices. I will have about £700-1000 to spend on the car with the rest being saved for insurance and petrol.

What car would you recommend? I have mainly been looking at Ford Kas and Vauxhall corsas, my thinking being they are cheap, good on fuel and if anything goes wrong parts would probably be cheap to get. I am only looking at cars with long MOTs so I know it should be in good condition.

Thanks in advance.

Sion

[UniMastermindBOSS]

(Original post by hypercaine.)
Seems impossible to find decent used cars, I dont want to buy private and will only buy from a local garage; all of the cars are priced too good to be true - you test drive to find out theres something wrong with it or just doesnt feel right or theyre priced too high. I want to buy one in the next week or so (as soon as possible really) but it just seems like im never gonna get one. Plus, if the price of the car itself isnt too much the insurance is which makes it financially unviable anyway. I have about £3000 and want to buy something fairly new (not more than 10 years old) with a low mileage and cheap insurance, ive been looking for the past few weeks and nothing has came up and then when it does its sold before I can even view it or test drive it. Rant over!

I'm exactly the same

Sometimes it will take me about a month to decide on which coat I like, nevermind choosing a car!

I dread to think what will happen when I need to look for a house...

[1992LP]

(Original post by hypercaine.)
Seems impossible to find decent used cars, I dont want to buy private and will only buy from a local garage; all of the cars are priced too good to be true - you test drive to find out theres something wrong with it or just doesnt feel right or theyre priced too high. I want to buy one in the next week or so (as soon as possible really) but it just seems like im never gonna get one. Plus, if the price of the car itself isnt too much the insurance is which makes it financially unviable anyway. I have about £3000 and want to buy something fairly new (not more than 10 years old) with a low mileage and cheap insurance, ive been looking for the past few weeks and nothing has came up and then when it does its sold before I can even view it or test drive it. Rant over!

Why don't you want to buy private? If you do your research and know what you are doing then it is much easier and considerably cheaper! Local garages are, generally, rip offs. Don't worry about mileage or age - I would rather a 12 year old car with 130k in good condition than a 6 year old car with 40k that has lived in town it's entire life! You can use this to your advantage, most people go for low mileage under the false assumption that it will be a better car, so quite often a superior car with higher mileage will actually be cheaper.

Gumtree is quite good if you are willing to sift through all the rubbish, and PistonHeads is a good place to look as well. Occasionally, some good cars pop up on eBay too. It is just a case of coming up with criteria and trawling the classifieds.

Does your £3k include insurance too? What sort of mileage do you do? I am happy to give you a hand if you want

(Original post by insignificant)
Yep its a Life model, and we checked everything and it all seems fine I'm just now really wary of buying it, as its my first massive big purchase and a big responsibility, I've got some thinking to do!

Thats good news! I know the feeling, I always get slightly nervous when I am actually going to buy the car with the wad of cash in my hand! How is the insurance on it for you? When you take your first drive in your very own car you will see it is all worth it

(Original post by SionR25)
Hi everyone,

Looking to get a car this summer with my pay and have been looking at some of the choices. I will have about £700-1000 to spend on the car with the rest being saved for insurance and petrol.

What car would you recommend? I have mainly been looking at Ford Kas and Vauxhall corsas, my thinking being they are cheap, good on fuel and if anything goes wrong parts would probably be cheap to get. I am only looking at cars with long MOTs so I know it should be in good condition.

Thanks in advance.

Sion

For that price, buy a petrol car. If you want properly basic motoring then a K11 Nissan Micra will be very cheap and reliable.

Long MOT does not always mean good condition, you should give it a proper going over before you buy anything, but buying a car with a long MOT is a good idea!

I posted a rough buying guide on the previous page of this thread (I think) so take a look at that.

Ford Ka's are meant to be quite good, watch out for rust. Corsas are good too - again read my last few posts on this thread as the girl above me was looking at them

Take a look at Fiestas, you might be able to get a nice 1.25 for that money. If your insurance allows then take a look at the Ford Focus too - they are fantastic. Lots of nice cars available at that money, will need a few more criteria to come up with a better list! Have you got any NCD? What mileage do you do? What sort of driving do you do (town / motorway)?

[SionR25]

Thanks for the reply and the guide you wrote . I passed my test back in February so this will be my first car so no no claims . I will be doing a bit of town driving but the majority is on a dual carriageway to school and the trip is about 30 miles a day. I won't be doing much weekend driving so roughly 6-7000 miles a year.

Sion

[Emmanuel321]

(Original post by 1992LP)
Really, really crap advert. Can't see half the car! Also no mention of service history which is essential on a diesel.

How many miles do you do a year? Unless you do over circa 14k then don't bother with a diesel, especially if you do a lot of town driving. Lots of expensive things to go wrong, more so if it is used for short trips and town use.

Look at the 1.25 (NOT the 1.3) ones instead, they are fantastic little cars.

What do you think of this?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...ge/2?logcode=p

[insignificant]

(Original post by 1992LP)



Thats good news! I know the feeling, I always get slightly nervous when I am actually going to buy the car with the wad of cash in my hand! How is the insurance on it for you? When you take your first drive in your very own car you will see it is all worth it

I just went and got the money out , going to go get the car tomorrow!

Theres just £1400 sat chilling on my bedside table haha. I feel like making a video and throwing it all over my room.

[Leavemyarcelona]

(Original post by insignificant)
I just went and got the money out , going to go get the car tomorrow!

Theres just £1400 sat chilling on my bedside table haha. I feel like making a video and throwing it all over my room.

[insignificant]

(Original post by Leavemyarcelona)

My savings have err.. taken a hit haha.

[SAF1234]

I Need some help on insurance


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[Leavemyarcelona]

Any good finance deals for a supermini anyone can let me in on? Mate of mine has a clio at a decent monthly rate, not sure what the deposit was mind you.

[Leavemyarcelona]

(Original post by insignificant)
My savings have err.. taken a hit haha.

Haha I laughed out loud when I read that, so I see That's why we save up in the first place though, so when the opportunity arises the money is there to buy stuff like a car. Congrats on the new purchase

[karimgilani]

Hi all,

Im looking to buy a 1999 Golf 1.6s 5dr auto soon.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi.../30?logcode=p#

I have enquired about getting the vehicle inspected by the RAC.

Is the mileage too good to be true?

What are golfs like to run?

Apart from insruance, tax, mot, petrol what other costs should I budget for?

Thanks

[karimgilani]

Hi all,

Im looking to buy a 1999 Golf 1.6s 5dr auto soon.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...s/60?logcode=p

I have enquired about getting the vehicle inspected by the RAC.

Is the mileage too good to be true?

What are golfs like to run?

Apart from insruance, tax, mot, petrol what other costs should I budget for?

Thanks

[MrWhosane]

It looks okay to me. In the interior view, you can make out it has 22??? miles.

Having said that, they can be rolled back. It only costs around £30 to have your car clocked back around here, and it doesn't work on newer cars.

It says that it's all documented, but it could be a genius who's got rid of future receipts and kept all up to 22000. Obviously that's all theory, and it might well be genuine.

If it is genuine, ask yourself, why is it so low? Was it stored or kept off road, so the parts weren't in regular use, which might be a bad thing!

As for the choice of car, I think you should get a manual. It's your first car and you will one day have to drive a manual, so why not get used to it now, and you'll grow to enjoy it. If you've got an Auto license, then fair enough. The fuel consumption is only 2 mpg less than the manual so it isn't too bad.

Insurance is quiet cheap on Golfs I've found. I've had cheaper quotes on Golfs than Corsas. The insurance group only plays one role in the overall quote. There's other factors as well, so the Golf is not too bad.

Tax will be £230 for a year because it is registered before 2001 and is above 1.5.

MOT will be around £40.

[KCLeblanc]

Just bare in mind it has to be in really good condition to justify that price. My personal view is paying loads just

The same seller has another Golf two years newer for £700 less.

Also try and have a proper go in an auto before buying one. They're great for town driving and fine on the motorway but on fast twisty roads where you're often changing gear they're rubbish.

[JC.]

I wouldn't worry about the mileage.
My '75 MGB GT V8 had 36k on the clock when I bought it last april!