first car - where to start?

Random · 23-10-2007 6:42pm #1

Right .. I'm looking at getting a car. At the moment I'm a named driver in my mams car but of course that's not a great setup as I don't have the car all the time.

I don't have the money for a car so I'd be looking for a loan.
I don't want any sort of special car, fancy car, or anything. I'm happy with something basic that ain't a pink Ford Ka .. you know?

Where do I start? Do I ask the bank how much they'll give me? Do i find a car I'd like? Do I get insurance quotes, but what car do I tell them?

Any advice is welcomed.

Thanks

peasant · 23-10-2007 6:49pm

My advice would be to spend as little as you can get awauy with, seenashow you don't have any money.

Cars cost a lot ...not just to buy but also to keep and run ...a lot more than you initially think.

You don't want to cripple yourself with debt ...so keep the budget for the purchase within "banger territory" ...unless of course you've got generous relatives

chris85 · 23-10-2007 6:49pm

I think you are best going to the bank first to see how much they will give you. That way you know how much you have.

Next see what type of car you want. By this i mean what litre size. Then pick a few cars you like in that class and get a quote for them. This will give you an idea of the insurance prices for the type of car you want.

So now you can see how much you actually have to spend on the car.

Carefull with buying, if the place looks dodgy, dont even think bout it. Give the car a test drive and never buy it on the spot, give it a day to make sure you like it. You may love the look of the car and all but after thinking bout it it may not seem as good

cantdecide · 23-10-2007 6:57pm

How experienced a driver are you? License?

I presume you want something cheap- you have every chance of getting a very good modern reliable car from about €1500, but in this range, if you're unlucky or not careful enough it could be a sh*tbox.

Likes of this are great value
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=793198

Random · 23-10-2007 7:05pm

I'm 22 years old. I've had my full license since June this year.

gyppo · 23-10-2007 7:16pm

OP,

Seeing as you're starting out something along the lines of a cheapie 1L car is going to be the least to insure, tax, and run.
My advice is something like this:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=793897

Forget about the years, buy on condition, and in the case of something like the one above, make sure the car is NCT'd as a condition of sale.

cornbb · 23-10-2007 7:17pm

Make up a random car that would be something like the one linked above (eg 99 Primera, 1.6l engine) and ring tons of insurance companies to get an idea of what you'll need to pay. Prepare to be hit hard. Mention your time as a named driver as a few companies might give you a discount for it.

Then decide upon your budget for the car. You should probably limit yourself to 1.4 litre or less. Bring someone who knows what they're doing along when you're viewing cars. There are a ton of factors to take into account, eg age, mileage, NCT, engine size, the reputation of the make/model for reliability etc.

Once you've picked out the car you want to buy make sure you ring the insurance people back to find out exactly how much you'll be paying first.

And be prepared to pay a fortune for petrol and maintenance

Good luck with it.

pete4130 · 23-10-2007 7:17pm

As said above, first see how much everything will cost and add it up.

- Buying car (see what cars suit your price range & insurance premiums!)
- Insurance
- When is tax due & how much?
- NCT due?
- Running costs

then see if you can get a loan to cover this amount.

Once you get the loan go looking at cars you think might be the one for you.

The Ka is cheap to buy,run and maintain (even if it is pink!). I'm actually thinking of looking to get a cheap one for the other half.

Ford Escorts can be got for dirt cheap these days too, bigger than a Ka and the insurnace shouldnt be too crippling either? If you're interested check out www.whatcar.co.uk It does reviews of most cars new and 2nd hand.

colm_mcm · 23-10-2007 7:20pm

Spend as little as possible on everything.
something small and Japanese is ideal. Ideally a bigger car would be nice, but if you want tiny tax, insurance and fuel costs, something like an old Micra or Starlet Swift should do the job.

gobby · 23-10-2007 8:08pm

I think something small and cheap would be best for a first car. You want something that you can use without having to pump loads of cash into (insurance/tax/petrol).

I started with a 1 litre corsa. Looked terrible as the paint had oxidised and rather than red it had turned a shade of pink (common problem with old corsa's) but it drove (with a stiff clutch and accellerator mind you)

Drove it until I got my licence and then I picked up something a bit nicer (Honda CRX)

Random · 23-10-2007 8:12pm

Something nice and cheap but ideally something that would survive a trip to Limerick or Mayo aswell - car would be mainly for getting to/from work and around Dublin.

Insurance would ideally be cheap.

colm_mcm · 23-10-2007 9:28pm

1.0 superminis will easily handle going to Limerick or Mayo

cantdecide · 23-10-2007 9:53pm

gobby wrote: »

I think something small and cheap would be best for a first car.

OP, small and cheap in Ireland is a contradiction- the smallies are fundamentally overpriced.

For insurance give them a few sample cars 1.6 saloon, 1.4 hatch/ family saloon and a 1.1 hatch- most people find the premiums these days are pretty much the same (unless it's 1.8 hatch for example- think power to weight).

You will probably find running costs for all cars are simlar 1.6 or under are very comparable too (realistically, difference between 35 mpg and 40 mpg is insignificant, all things considered).

If you have lots of driving to do- it doesn't make sense to buy a 10 yr old hatch IMO when you can have a car that was originally the equivalent of a €30k car. Smaller cars will make you stop more often to stretch your legs that's personal experience.

In a nutshell, OP- If I wanted value, comfort, relibility, spec, economy, practicality, I wouldn't be looking for a corsa.

cue colm_mcm

colm_mcm · 23-10-2007 9:54pm

you're wrong, etc. etc.

(apart from the whole Corsa thing)

cantdecide · 23-10-2007 9:57pm

I bet if you were in the OPs position, you wouldn't buy a fiesta. Lots of people tell other people a supermini is a car that would be good for them.

Random · 23-10-2007 9:58pm

I'm driving around my mams Toyota yaris at the moment and in terms of size I find it just about comfortable to sit in.

Random · 23-10-2007 10:02pm

cantdecide wrote: »

I bet if you were in the OPs position, you wouldn't buy a fiesta. Lots of people tell other people a supermini is a car that would be good for them.

Forgive me, is a supermini actually a type of car? Or do you use it to describe a particular class?

cantdecide · 23-10-2007 10:03pm

ciaranfo wrote: »

a particular class

Smallies!

colm_mcm · 23-10-2007 10:04pm

I started out diving superminis as I was on a budget. When you're dealing in cheap cars, the difference od €250 a year in road tax is significant, so is a difference 10-15mpg. The OP says he's only had a full license for a few months and wants to spend small money. I don't see how buying a 1.6 family saloon fits into this.

Random · 23-10-2007 10:08pm

Trying to work out some of the costs then ... some sample figures, maybe someone could correct me if I'm wrong?

NCT (every 2 yrs) - €50
Tax (every yr) - €150
AA checkup if buying from a private person - €100
car itself - €1500
insurance (every yr) - €2000

Anything I'm missing beyond petrol?

colm_mcm · 23-10-2007 10:11pm

ciaranfo wrote: »

Trying to work out some of the costs then ... some sample figures, maybe someone could correct me if I'm wrong?

NCT (every 2 yrs) - €50
Tax (every yr) - €150
AA checkup if buying from a private person - €100
car itself - €1500
insurance (every yr) - €2000

Anything I'm missing beyond petrol?

That's €151 tax for a 1.0

1.6 will cost you €391

factor in tyres servicing petrol

Random · 23-10-2007 10:16pm

So, one year, I'm looking at a minimum of 4k?

colm_mcm · 23-10-2007 10:30pm

yeah, but €1500 is the car!

cantdecide · 23-10-2007 10:53pm

Difference in tax is only a small price to pay in order to release the VALUE of having a car that cost twice as much when new-

OP, buying a car is going to be a shock to the current account and motoring doesn't have to be an exercise in economy- you can get a pair of jeans in tesco for €7 but that isn't a good reason to wear them to the pub.

You're car is going to knock you back €4k/ €5k/ €6k annually because motoring is a multi-faceted affair. What if it turns out to be a wreck? What if you have an accident? If you thought like this you wouldn't get out of bed in the morning.

Over the course of the year, if the difference of a couple of ton on tax in order for you to buy a far superior, safe, stable, comfortable car is going to put you under, you shouldn't be buying a car.

You are going to buy a fiesta, we all know it but trust me, for maybe 5% more overall expenditure, you could have had FAR superior motoring experience. I can demonstrate this all day long but go ahead, enjoy your fiesta.

Random · 23-10-2007 10:57pm

Please demonstrate. I'm here as someone who's knowing nothing and is trying to work this stuff out. I appreciate all the comments and advice so far.

colm_mcm · 23-10-2007 11:01pm

Buy a suzuki swift 1.0 for €1500
Get 50mpg easy.
Pay €151 per year to tax it,

Buy an Nissan Primera 1.6
Get 35mpg
pay €391 to tax it
pay aorund €600 more(guess, at 22 years old) to insure it

I'm not anti bigger cars by the way, I average 23mpg and pay over €500 a year road tax, this is through choice though.

dubambman · 23-10-2007 11:09pm

Id go for the bigger car.

I bought a 1.6 passat after only doing a few driving lessons, definitely the best choice i made. The bigger cars depreciate quicker so you'll get one for about the same price as the smaller cars.
I find they are great if you are the designated driver a lot, as if their are guys messing in the car they are that bit farther away from you so you can concentrate on the road unperturbed. The running costs arent mad and the only place you really feel it is the tax, €394. They're great for long journeys and you get used to the bigger size when parking really quickly.

Anyway, thats just my two cents.
Oh yeah, and if you play golf you can get the clubs in, without taking out the drivers.

colm_mcm · 23-10-2007 11:16pm

best thing would be to get insurance quotes and figure out things like annual mileage, what car will actually be used for etc.

cantdecide · 23-10-2007 11:16pm

colm_mcm wrote: »

Buy a suzuki swift 1.0 for €1500
Get 50mpg easy.
Pay €151 per year to tax it,

Buy an Nissan Primera 1.6
Get 35mpg
pay €391 to tax it
pay aorund €600 more(guess, at 22 years old) to insure it

I'm not anti bigger cars by the way, I average 23mpg and pay over €500 a year road tax, this is through choice though.

Surely optimistic mpg for a 10 year old car

You can't make assumptions like that about insurance any more- the days of bigger engines automatically meaning bigger premiums despite body type are gone.

You're talking marginal differences here in OVERALL costs between a swift and a Primera- I know which one I'd want.

colm_mcm · 23-10-2007 11:20pm

reL differences in costs: That's why I'm saying the OP should work out mileage and usage, If he's just looking for the chapest ownership (which I thought he was) then I stand by my choice.

re: insurance: With no no-claims bonus for a 22 year old guy, engine size is still a big factor in getting affordable insurance.

gyppo · 23-10-2007 11:31pm

I'm with Colm on this.

I earlier suggested something like a 92/93 starlet for around the 1000E mark. Something like this with an nct can be sold 18 months down the line for much the same money as you pay for it. There is always a buyer for these cars.

Its going to be a different story with a 1.6l car though.

first car - where to start?

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