First car?

Hi everyone,

I don't have a budget yet, but am thinking of buying a cheap first car (that said, I've been able to drive for ages so have cheaper insurance).

What do you think is the best route to go down - is it better to do the monthly car rental on new cars, or buy second hand, or simple get a new cheap car with interest free if I can?

I don't want to spend loads but also don't want a banger :-/

Thanks!
Jack

Fairly hard to say without a budget, but I'd suggest that getting a second hand car would be a pretty good way to go... Having no idea what your budget is, but I got a Ford Fiesta Zetec, with a 12 plate, for ~£8500... Obviously, if your budget were at £1000, it'd be harder to find a great second hand car...! My sister's boyfriend managed to get a Fiesta Zetec as well, for about £5000-6000 (can't remember exact price), with a slightly higher mileage, but was kept in great condition, and runs very well!

I know so little about cars so do you think for a decent second hand car it would cost £5,000 upwards? Are new cars about £7-8,000?

I know so little about cars so do you think for a decent second hand car it would cost £5,000 upwards? Are new cars about £7-8,000?

I know so little about cars so do you think for a decent second hand car it would cost £5,000 upwards? Are new cars about £7-8,000?

I know so little about cars so do you think for a decent second hand car it would cost £5,000 upwards? Are new cars about £7-8,000?

Just buy a Moped. It's like a car but less expensive and more dangerous.

I got shot at once while driving a Moped. This was in GTA V, though, and I heard the American who, presumably, shot at me on on the microphone saying "He on a Moped!"

Did you survive though...

Yep, I drove down a ramp to the lower level of the road as they spotted me and started shooting at me and they didn't pursue.

Fairs xD And definitely not, because age and mileage can have a big influence on price, yet, if someone kept the car in a good condition, it won't necessarily be much/any worse than a car a year or two newer...! When you've got a bit of time, it's worth going on autotrader, and putting in a few different variables - I've put some in here but you'll need to change the postcode as that's giving cars in my area... I found that was a good way of seeing what kind of car I'd want to go for, and then you can also look around at showrooms near you if you wanted to go down that route... New cars can get pretty damn pricey...again, depends on make/model, but easily upwards of what you said... for example, a new fiesta is upwards of £10,000... a new polo upwards of £11,000 and these are just the basic. Whereas with a used, the price will be a lot cheaper, and depending on what you go for, will be better models/engine size/extras...

Not necessarily, my first car costed just under £2000, and it was as you say 'decent. Never had any problems with it. It all depends on the car. You can get a good second hand car for 1-2 thousand if you look carefully and get a bit lucky. And you could get a lemon of a car for 7-8 thousand. It all depends on the actual car itself and how well it has been maintained.

You can get good second hand cars for around £3k (obviously means older models) however around the £5k range is perfect for a second hand car.

In my opinion, once you near the £10k mark you're better putting a healthy deposit down and getting a brand new car. Simply because I don't believe it's worth getting a used car for £10k when you can get some very good new cars for around £20k. Put a deposit down and the bigger the deposit the less you will pay per month.

Of course you can get new cars like Dacia's for £8k, however I'm sure you're more interested in your Ford's, Volkswagen's etc.

Thanks guys, I will take a look at Autotrader tonight.

I've rented VW golfs before and really like them but thought they were quite expensive. Guess I need something with fairly good transporting size too for furniture and stuff at some point.

Thanks guys, I will take a look at Autotrader tonight.

I've rented VW golfs before and really like them but thought they were quite expensive. Guess I need something with fairly good transporting size too for furniture and stuff at some point.

Hi everyone,

I don't have a budget yet, but am thinking of buying a cheap first car (that said, I've been able to drive for ages so have cheaper insurance).

What do you think is the best route to go down - is it better to do the monthly car rental on new cars, or buy second hand, or simple get a new cheap car with interest free if I can?

I don't want to spend loads but also don't want a banger :-/

Thanks!
Jack

hi jack do you want a big or small car
because i have a VOLVO XC90 and i love it

Can anyone recommend a couple of specific car models I can look at to start?

Thanks for the recommendations so far, I've been looking at Ford, Volkswagen, Fiat Panda and Nissan Qashqai.



I think about small medium really. Needs to be small enough to nip around London, but solid enough for motorway trips up to my family in Yorkshire and back, and for carrying stuff in the boot / with charis folded down like suitcases, odd bits of furniture and I have an allotment so need space for gardening equipment, bags of compost etc.

Nothing major, but do need boot space.

Thanks everyone, this is really helpful as I've never bought a car before, I'm a total newby to this but hoping to understand it better as I go