Thinking of getting my first car. What is "Cheap" and what is a traffichazard?

dMaN24

So. without posting up any specific demands i was just curious on the prices on cars in this country.

I have a motorcycle so i have some fair knowledge price-wise in that area, but cars are totally out of my ballpark.

Seeing that i would only use it fairly rarely as the weather gets better, i don't feel like digging too much money in it. But then again i would want it to work to get me to work now and then. :P

In my hunt on various websites i see cars from 150€ and up.
I am no good at fixing major issues, and i have no real interest in plowing through the engine to find 3 loose springs needing to be replaced "-The parts were 2.50 and it takes some elbowgrease to change them, but boy did i get the car cheap"

Would 400 be a fair pointer?

I am also aware that it has to be tested, taxed and insured.
Only thing is i have never driven a car since i moved to Ireland.
All this shifting with "the wrong hand" has deterred me.

Any advice here?

cantdecide

You're probably aware that there's no such thing as a 'good' bike for three figures. The good news is that the same isn't true of cheap cars. If you're main priority is cheap and reliable, look for something Japanese, around 1.6-2.0. If you spend something approaching €1,000 and you are careful, you should get something dull but functional.

Something like this http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1735111 You'd never get to the end of it if you mind it.

dMaN24

Good point. Thanks. I had my eyes on a small jap 1.6'er on donedeal.

feelites

what size of engine r u considering?
have u got any NCB?

fine cars going around 1000e

u can buy many of them for less but most of them has got many issues
from mechanical thru electricial to the body
so better spend few 100s more and avoid gettin frustrated every time u get in to it

dMaN24

Well, any size really. No current NCB. Had the motorcycle less than a year, and as i understand NCB is'nt transferrable from other countries.

Yeah. My first motorcycle i got cost me 800€.

Then i had to add 1200 or so in repairs along the way. Live and learn, i guess. :rolleyes:

cantdecide

dMaN24 wrote: »

...i understand NCB is'nt transferrable from other countries....

For a car?

Where are you from? If you have NCB from elsewhere (or at least from the EU), as far as I know, you'll just need proof from your previous insurer and you're sorted. I know a few Polish lads at work that had Polish NCB applied to their insurance here, for example.

Timmaay

If you have no ncb then you will get fleeced on anything on 1.6l or bigger, also the road tax will be higher. But yep as most have said, you are better off spending up to a grand. Any car you can afford will more then likely be over 10years old, so be careful about the makes you go after (likes of fiats and alfas will most likely give trouble). Also the big thing is make sure the car has a good length nct, at least a year long, last thing you want is to have to spend another grand in a few months putting the car through an nct!