New car help!!
Discussion
Hi, passed my automatic driving test last month - buzzing!
I'm looking for an automatic under £4,500. It'll be for my commute to work (twice a week- 40 mile round trip ) and general daily bits and bobs. Reliability and running costs are key.
Any recommendations for specific models that are good for new drivers and fall into this budget?
Also, what kind of mileage should I be aiming for in this price range? I've heard conflicting advice on high vs. low mileage for older automatics, so any clarity or red flags to look out for would be a huge help.
Any other general advice for a new driver buying their first car would be brilliant. Thanks a lot!
On an older car, second hand, do not focus on a specific make, model or even specification. I also am not that bothered by mpg - because one maintenance bill and any savings on mpg are wiped out for a few years.
Instead, look to the previous owner, the condition and history of the car. How do they come across when you first message them? Do they take pride in the vehicle? If at a dealer, is the logbook all neat and present, maybe a few receipts, is the paint and general condition inside good or 'meh'
Get searching locally, be prepared to see half a dozen utter dogs before you start to spot better cars. Keep hunting until one day the one pops up...
I did the above and recently bought a 2006, 70k miles, full service history, clean and tidy Honda Civic - for £1400..
Instead, look to the previous owner, the condition and history of the car. How do they come across when you first message them? Do they take pride in the vehicle? If at a dealer, is the logbook all neat and present, maybe a few receipts, is the paint and general condition inside good or 'meh'
Get searching locally, be prepared to see half a dozen utter dogs before you start to spot better cars. Keep hunting until one day the one pops up...
I did the above and recently bought a 2006, 70k miles, full service history, clean and tidy Honda Civic - for £1400..
Scootersp said:
Research the autoboxs of any cars you consider, auto's are not all the same and some are known to be problematic.
If you are old enough to insure higher capacity cars then you'll get better value as the low cc, cheap to insure autos, are at a premium.
To be fair, my lad has insured a 1.8 140bhp Civic for less than the quote for a 1.25 75bhp Fiesta...There are so many factors beyond engine size, the biggest one it seems is the 'grandparents' factor - as is if that is a car that few young people drive and many grandparents do, it gets cheaper....If you are old enough to insure higher capacity cars then you'll get better value as the low cc, cheap to insure autos, are at a premium.
Your usage case to me suggests a petrol engined car is probably better than a diesel. Use the Autotrader tools to filter for petrol, road tax up to £ 200, remove written off cars and then you can filter years and mileage.
Of a shortlist it produces I'd probably want to remove all the cars with a "wet belt" engine which rules out Citroen/Peugeot 1.2 Puretech, Ford Ecoboost and probably a number of others. A Toyota Yaris would probably be high on my shopping list.
You'll have a rough idea of what sort of sized car you'll want or need.
Of a shortlist it produces I'd probably want to remove all the cars with a "wet belt" engine which rules out Citroen/Peugeot 1.2 Puretech, Ford Ecoboost and probably a number of others. A Toyota Yaris would probably be high on my shopping list.
You'll have a rough idea of what sort of sized car you'll want or need.
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