The Student Room Group

Buying an automatic car

Hi,

I haven’t passed my test yet but it’s booked for July time and my instructor is confident I’ll pass. I’m learning to drive a manual but I hate it and don’t feel comfortable driving. I do actually own my own car (a 2001 plate petrol Mini) but I’m too scared to go out in it as every time I try I just end up in tears from repeatedly stalling and getting beeped at etc. So much so I don’t drive it anymore and just lie to my instructor about practising...

If it’s worth mentioning, I’ve had over 30 hours of driving lessons :/

I was wondering if it would be sensible to sell my mini and buy an automatic as it would save a lot of the stress driving causes me. My mini is worth about £1000 and I could potentially raise enough to make this up to a £2k total from work. Could I buy an old auto with that or is it not enough? I haven’t done any research as I don’t know anything about cars particularly... Any advice? X

**edit**
Okay so maybe my car isn’t worth that much~ I genuinely don’t know or care tbh
All I wanted to know was whether £2k could buy me an old automatic but I gather that it can’t get me one half decent which is kinda what I was expecting...
(edited 5 years ago)
*ignore
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by megan.louiseeee
Hi,

I haven’t passed my test yet but it’s booked for July time and my instructor is confident I’ll pass. I’m learning to drive a manual but I hate it and don’t feel comfortable driving. I do actually own my own car (a 2001 plate petrol Mini) but I’m too scared to go out in it as every time I try I just end up in tears from repeatedly stalling and getting beeped at etc. So much so I don’t drive it anymore and just lie to my instructor about practising...

If it’s worth mentioning, I’ve had over 30 hours of driving lessons :/

I was wondering if it would be sensible to sell my mini and buy an automatic as it would save a lot of the stress driving causes me. My mini is worth about £1000 and I could potentially raise enough to make this up to a £2k total from work. Could I buy an old auto with that or is it not enough? I haven’t done any research as I don’t know anything about cars particularly... Any advice? X


Add more revs than you need is the trick with petrols, when finding the biting point add around 2000 revs and bring the clutch up slowly. Then you're guaranteed not to stall!

Anyone can drive a manual, it's just the biting point which is making you feel nervous. Once you've got the hang of it, you'll be laughing :smile:

@AngryJellyfish C&M please.
"My mini is worth about £1000"

Where did you get that valuation from?

And it's possible to find an auto for 2k yea, but I'd probably never buy one at that price since they're volatile ticking timebombs. Soon as the gearbox goes (which for 2k, the car will be almost as old as that mini) it's game over.
Original post by nevershear
"My mini is worth about £1000"

Where did you get that valuation from?

And it's possible to find an auto for 2k yea, but I'd probably never buy one at that price since they're volatile ticking timebombs. Soon as the gearbox goes (which for 2k, the car will be almost as old as that mini) it's game over.


I bought it for just over £1k that’s how I know lol

And thanks for that, I thought that might be the case unfortunately...
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by megan.louiseeee
I bought it for just over £1k that’s how I know lol


Heard of depreciation?
Original post by RoyalSheepy
Heard of depreciation?


I literally bought it like six months ago so I doubt it will have depreciated that much, hence why I said ‘worth about £1000’ since I payed just over.
Reply 7
Original post by megan.louiseeee
I literally bought it like six months ago so I doubt it will have depreciated that much, hence why I said ‘worth about £1000’ since I payed just over.


Considering you've added another registered keeper to its history, I think you'll find it's much lower.
Original post by megan.louiseeee
I bought it for just over £1k that’s how I know lol

And thanks for that, I thought that might be the case unfortunately...


+ Another registered keeper
+ Relatively undesirable car, the next person to buy it will be someone looking for a pool car for a few hundred bob.
+ When a car is already 17 years old and not particularly considered one for the future or unique (like for example, certain performance spec cars / hot hatches) - 6 months is a long time. In fact 6 months is enough to knock a few grand off a brand new car lol.
+ You paid the bottom of the food chain price, which means it wasn't even worth £1000 when you bought it.

If your instructor is that confident you'll pass, then you'll be fine in a manual, you're just dealing with an underpowered car compared to what you probably learn with.. You'll get used to it, and in time, buy a better one.
(edited 5 years ago)

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