[Travel] New (Used) Car Advice

KZNSeagull said:

Hi all

We need to upgrade our used car. Due to the crazy prices of used cars at the moment we have a half decent budget (£8k) but need something with low milage (under 40000) as we do at least 15000 miles a year and would want to keep this car for at least 5 years. Have started looking online and I have found a nice 2016 Nissan Note (we have one at the moment) but it is in Hertfordshire and I don't fancy a 500 mile round trip, so a few questions:

Anyone used carzam.co.uk? Are they any good? Similarly with any other online only trader.
Dacia Sandero - cheap but are they cheerful?

Any recommendations and advice will be gratefully received. Thanks awfully!

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Gabbafella said:

I'm looking at buying my first car. 44yrs old and only just learning to drive, kind of pathetic really.
It's all new to me though, how do I register the car? How do I go about taxing it? How much is it realistically going to cost to run? When will I have my first accident and will it put me off driving afterwards?
Budget of about £7k and too many options to make a solid decision about what I want. All very confusing, scary and exciting all at the same time.

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Elbow750 said:

My advice is buy the newest car you can afford to have. Think about size and how far you'll drive. Ask your friends what cars they have, are they happy, is it more expensive, or cheaper than expected to run? Has anything gone wrong and would they buy the same car again. I love my Fiat panda (brought new) and would buy it again in flash.

These days small cars are really comfy, much easier to park, use less fuel and are cheaper than bigger ones. Never go for old low mileage cars for a first car and always go to buy a car with a good friend who knows cars.

For a first car I'd always buy from a dealer and keep it ' a boring, mainstream manufacturer like peugeot, nissan , ford, etc. Kia and Hyundai offer brilliant guarantees and have great reliability. Independent dealers that have a selection of different cars are probably better than a single make dealer. Look at several before you decide and never be pressured.

Insist on a full service history, 12 months MOT and a full service as part of the price and always go for a car with original paint and wheels. Probably best buy from somewhere local and something you like the look and color of. Avoid BMW, Mini, Audi, Renault and VW for a first car, unless you really want one of them and have a mechanic friend as they tend to be more expensive to buy and maintain. I've heard horrors about Minis burning a lot of expensive oil.

Taxing a car is easy, on line. Insurance is a nightmare as so many companies to choose from. Running costs depend on how old it is, how many miles it has done and fuel consumption. Tyres are at least £100 each, brake pads and discs several hundred pounds. Most cars need a cambelt, water pump and tensioner every 6 or so years/ 80,000 mikles, so ask the dealer how much that will cost if its due in the next 3 years.

Check out the prices on Auto trader and read a review of the test drives on Autocar etc. Best of luck and enjoy it.

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Gabbafella said:

I'm looking at buying my first car. 44yrs old and only just learning to drive, kind of pathetic really.
It's all new to me though, how do I register the car? How do I go about taxing it? How much is it realistically going to cost to run? When will I have my first accident and will it put me off driving afterwards?
Budget of about £7k and too many options to make a solid decision about what I want. All very confusing, scary and exciting all at the same time.

Click to expand...

schmunk said:

Bollocks to all that. Buy an old MX5, have fun.

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schmunk said:

Bollocks to all that. Buy an old MX5, have fun.

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Since1982 said:

Be brave, have even more fun (and four seats) - get an RX8!

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spongy said:

They were a great car. But they're ageing and unless immaculately maintained their Wankle engines are awful. There's a reason they're so cheap!

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Since1982 said:

I know, I own one

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Since1982 said:

Be brave, have even more fun (and four seats) - get an RX8!

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Elbow750 said:

My advice is buy the newest car you can afford to have. Think about size and how far you'll drive. Ask your friends what cars they have, are they happy, is it more expensive, or cheaper than expected to run? Has anything gone wrong and would they buy the same car again. I love my Fiat panda (brought new) and would buy it again in flash.

These days small cars are really comfy, much easier to park, use less fuel and are cheaper than bigger ones. Never go for old low mileage cars for a first car and always go to buy a car with a good friend who knows cars.

For a first car I'd always buy from a dealer and keep it ' a boring, mainstream manufacturer like peugeot, nissan , ford, etc. Kia and Hyundai offer brilliant guarantees and have great reliability. Independent dealers that have a selection of different cars are probably better than a single make dealer. Look at several before you decide and never be pressured.

Insist on a full service history, 12 months MOT and a full service as part of the price and always go for a car with original paint and wheels. Make sure it has plenty of life left in the tyres , or get a reduction if they need changing soon new tyres are a great sign the seller has looked after the car and saves you buying them for a couple of years.

Probably best buy from somewhere local and something you like the look and color of. Avoid BMW, Mini, Audi, Renault and VW for a first car, unless you really want one of them and have a mechanic friend as they tend to be more expensive to buy and maintain. I've heard horrors about Minis burning a lot of expensive oil.

Taxing a car is easy, on line. Insurance is a nightmare as so many companies to choose from. Running costs depend on how old it is, how many miles it has done and fuel consumption. Tyres are at least £100 each and last 20,000 - 30,000 miles depending on use and car, brake pads and discs several hundred pounds and last 50,000 miles. Most cars need a cambelt, water pump and tensioner every 6 or so years/ 80,000 mikles, so ask the dealer how much that will cost if its due in the next 3 years. Other than that a good car will need an annual full service at £300 - £400 including the MOT. The older the car the more it will go wrong.

Check out the prices on Auto trader and read a review of the test drives on Autocar etc. Best of luck and enjoy it.

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Coxovi said:

So I saw this thread and thought I would use it to seek advice from the hive experience of NSC. My son (15) and I have a project in mind that part of me thinks is too likely to fail, but still would like to try. The idea is to buy an old car/SUV and retrofit with an electric engine. Quite a common retrofit these days, but the issue is that I am not mechanically inclined, and since owning a 1972 Beetle that I was able fix myself (quite often) I have not worked on my own cars. My son is relatively good at such things, but has never worked on cars either.
Reality is I do not really mind if it does not work our perfectly, most of the attraction is for us to share such a project. However is those with actual automotive skills tell me its like climbing Everest before ever going hiking then I will refocus on something a bit more achievable. Thanks for any feedback or advice. Ridicule is completely expected.

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KZNSeagull said:

Hi all

We need to upgrade our used car. Due to the crazy prices of used cars at the moment we have a half decent budget (£8k) but need something with low milage (under 40000) as we do at least 15000 miles a year and would want to keep this car for at least 5 years. Have started looking online and I have found a nice 2016 Nissan Note (we have one at the moment) but it is in Hertfordshire and I don't fancy a 500 mile round trip, so a few questions:

Anyone used carzam.co.uk? Are they any good? Similarly with any other online only trader.
Dacia Sandero - cheap but are they cheerful?

Any recommendations and advice will be gratefully received. Thanks awfully!

Click to expand...

Gabbafella said:

Way too many horror stories to even consider. I don't know enough about car maintenance to babysit a Wankel engine or the funds to constantly have it looked at. Lovely car, but far too fragile.

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