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Buying your first car?

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Buying your first car?

If you’re thinking about buying your first car, you’re completely overwhelmed at all the choices you can make. You might be torn between new or used, petrol or diesel, manual or auto, what bodystyle to go for – along with exactly which make and model to go for.

Your budget will probably dictate what you buy, as a new car may be out of reach financially. However, if you’ve got an income and it’s realistic to sign up to an ongoing deal, paying a monthly fee and running a new car (on some sort of finance scheme) is well worth considering. It will be in warranty, should be cheap to run and it will also have an efficient engine plus lots of tech to keep you safe.

Buying basics

Although there’s a huge array of makes and models to choose from, you can discount most of them as they’ll cost too much to buy or run. You don’t want to be bankrupted by insurance costs or fuel and servicing bills, so you’ll have to home in on a city car or supermini (a compact hatchback) with a small engine; a bigger car with more performance will have to come later.

Which make and model?

There’s so much choice here that it’s easy to be overwhelmed by it all. Ask your friends what they drive but as a general rule, if you stick with the mainstream models you shouldn’t go far wrong. Insurance companies like these (which means lower premiums for you), so focus on models such as:

  • Citroen C1, C2
  • Fiat 500, Punto
  • Ford Fiesta or Ka
  • Peugeot 107, 206, 207, 208
  • Renault Clio or Twingo
  • Seat Mii, Ibiza
  • Skoda Fabia, Citigo
  • Toyota Aygo, Yaris
  • Vauxhall Corsa, Adam
  • Volkswagen Polo, Up

There are lots of review websites to help you work out which cars will best suit your needs; start with www.carbuyer.co.uk and www.whatcar.com. Create a shortlist of suitable models, focusing on things like reliability, running costs, value and safety tech – don’t get too hung up on performance or the driving experience.

Once you’ve got your shortlist, see what’s available in classifieds such as www.ebay.co.uk/motors and www.parkers.co.uk. What’s on the market this week isn’t necessarily what’ll be available next week or the week after. So while the perfect used buy right now might be a Citroen C1 or Volkswagen Polo, in a fortnight the perfect Skoda Fabia or Vauxhall Corsa might be available.

Petrol or diesel?

Diesel-engined cars cost more to buy, the fuel itself is more expensive and there’s more to go wrong, but they’re more economical and the road tax is often cheaper. Most small cars have a petrol engine though. For more, read our blog on whether you should opt for petrol or diesel

Automatic or manual?

Self-shifting gears can be a real bonus with today’s traffic levels, but such cars are usually less economical, are often less pleasant to drive outside of an urban environment, and most small cars come with a manual gearbox. They also tend to be less reliable and while your choices will be more limited there are small autos out there. Just expect the search for your perfect car to be less straightforward than if you opt for a manual gearbox.

Do your research

Before you buy any car, get an insurance quote to make sure you can afford the premiums. It’s common for new drivers to buy an ultra-cheap old banger, only to find they can’t get insurance cover for less than £6000 per year.

Some cars are safer than others; to find out which cars protect you the best, take a look at the Euro NCAP website at euroncap.com, which allows you to check how safe (or otherwise) any potential purchase will be.

Peace of mind

Warranties: You don’t have to buy a car – new or used – from a dealer to enjoy a warranty as you can take out your own. It’s effectively an insurance policy, separate from your regular car insurance, that pays up if a major part fails. Taking out a warranty can help you to budget, but you’re also committed to paying out each month for something that you might not use. There’s much more on this in our blog on car warranties.

History check: HPI can tell you whether or not a car has been crashed, stolen, has outstanding finance on it or has ever been the subject of a registration change. One in three cars checked by HPI has something in its history which is why it’s essential that you invest in a check before buying. It could be the best £19.99 that you ever spend.

Professional inspections: Cars are complicated, which is why it’s worth calling in a qualified engineer with the right tools and test equipment to thoroughly inspect any potential purchase. Such checks are usually over £100, but you could end up saving a lot more than that if you’re considering buying what turns out to be a heap. A cheap alternative which looks at all the key areas is an MoT. You can put a car through an MoT at any time, and for relatively little money you can establish if there are any serious faults with it.

Do your homework

Buying your first car will be as daunting as it is exciting and your head is probably already spinning from all the things to think about on this page. But planning and research are essential if you’re not to land yourself with a lemon and to help you buy a great car rather than a liability we’ve got lots of other handy guides for you:

Richard Dredge

March 2016