Thinking about getting a car

Mrs Garth Brooks

I may have to end up spending about €40 on buses, either a couple of short enough trips a few times a week or one very long trip with a connecting bus which may take 5 hours weekly. The thought of this.

Anyway i can afford 40 from what im getting. Im getting the BTEA as im a student. Im very good a budgeting so i can live on very little. But if i can spend 40 on buses, would i be better spending it on petrol instead and get the comfort and warmth of a car?

Anyway i still have some savings, so i can afford a cheap enough car. I have about 4k but i dont want to spend all that on a car. I'd like to get a cheap enough car with nct so i wouldn't have to worry about that for another 2 years. Also like to keep some savings as if anything was to happen. And i would have to get insurance out of that too, which probably wouldn't be much as i have 4 years no claims bonus.

Is this a good idea? A car maybe for about 1000? Can this be done with what im on and my savings?

Any suggestions on good enough cars?

Matthewjohn

Hi,i think that a toyota yaris or a vw polo would suit both are reliable and comfortable and would cost about €1000-€1500 for a 00 or 01

Celly Smunt

Matthewjohn wrote: »

Hi,i think that a toyota yaris or a vw polo would suit both are reliable and comfortable and would cost about €1000-€1500 for a 00 or 01

you find me a yaris for €1000-€1500

sleepysniper

pmcmahon wrote: »

you find me a yaris for €1000-€1500

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2624425

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2614324

Bigus

A pre 02 micra would be a good bet , but look at a good few of them and you might get lucky with a one or two owner one with test for less than a grand. Maybe top up your earnings by using the saved 5 hours in the car ie take away delivery etc


Here's an honest looking one without test, if you are putting one through test just chance it and do any remedial work apart from bulbs afterwards, don't spend any money before test
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2625033
.
http://photos2.donedeal.ie/View2-8336386.jpeg

barura

you can get vw polo's tested for around 400euro with the 999cc engine. The three door is especially spacious and the engine is pokey for it's size. It only costs 172eur a year to tax and I've seen them advertised with well into 150k miles plus, so they can get to a pretty high mileage.

Don't spend all your savings on a car, you should be able to get something suitable for the short hops you're doing for well under a grand.

Mrs Garth Brooks

I have been thinking more about my budget. And wondering just how far can i get on 40 euro petrol a week. Would it get me halfway across the country and back again?

HardLuckWoman

HardLuckWoman wrote: »

.... And wondering just how far can i get on 40 euro petrol a week. ........

About 200 to 250 miles if the car averages 35 to 43 ish mpg.

You also need to budget for tyres, annual service etc etc, say €500 minimum really, that's presuming nothing major goes wrong on the car.

slimjimmc

and parking fees, annual NCT for a +10yr old car and repairing anything that entails which shouldn't be much but should be factored in. Over all you''ll probably spend more than €40pw simply because you'll end up using the car more often as it's convenient.

challengemaster

When was the last time you insured a private vehicle? You could have 0 NCB if it's been longer than 2 years ago.

Mrs Garth Brooks

The last time i insured a car was jan 2010. But i cancelled it in july 2010. So would that mean that might lose my nct in jan 2012? Or would it be july 2012?

Anan1

HardLuckWoman wrote: »

I have been thinking more about my budget. And wondering just how far can i get on 40 euro petrol a week. Would it get me halfway across the country and back again?

Unless you're doing massive mileage, petrol is only a smallish proportion of the cost of running a car. You also need to budget for insurance, tax, maintenance and repairs. In short, a car may offer you added convenience but it's going to cost a lot more than the bus.

166man

But it's just SO much better then the bus!

RE the OP somebody just posted a VW Polo on the Bangernomics thread here with near two years test and looking clean for about 900 notes.

Just a thought..

Mr Benevolent

HardLuckWoman wrote: »

The last time i insured a car was jan 2010. But i cancelled it in july 2010. So would that mean that might lose my nct in jan 2012? Or would it be july 2012?

If you cancelled you insurance before the year was up you won't get the NCB for that year. Also, any NCB you do have may expire after a certain amount of time. €40 in my 1L Corsa will get me 200 miles in urban traffic, on a motorway/dual carriageway it'd get me 230. If you're running on a very tight budget a car can be more of a hindrance then a help.

slimjimmc

HardLuckWoman wrote: »

The last time i insured a car was jan 2010. But i cancelled it in july 2010. So would that mean that might lose my nct in jan 2012? Or would it be july 2012?

It's based on a full year's continuous cover. If you were insured from Jan 09-Jan-10, that's the last full year so it will end in Jan 2012. That's not a law or anything, just the way the insurers operate so there may be the rare exception.

Jimmy Bottlehead

If you're wondering how far €40 of petrol will get you, it seriously sounds like you can't afford the car.
I'm not being nasty, but a car can throw up problems and extra expense, and if things are genuinely THAT tight for you, it might be best off to stick to public transport.

Mrs Garth Brooks

It was a good idea. What might be better if i was to finish college next year, get work and spend the whole lot on a better car. I dont know yet. I dont like buses.

coolbeans

Here's a car that'll meet your needs perfectly. They're cheaper than a Yaris as they're not very well known but will be every bit as reliable and probably more economical than a Yaris. I'd forget a Polo, they're simply not in the same league in terms of dependability as the old school Jap small cars.

Anan1

166man wrote: »

But it's just SO much better then the bus!

It all depends on the drive/bus route. The Irish are a bit backward with the whole 'car is always better' outlook. If you live in the sticks then a car generally is better, but if the right infrastructure is there then public transport can be cheaper, faster, and more pleasant.

166man

Actually what might be perfect for you would be a 1999/2000 VW Polo saloon. You can pick up a low mileage example in good condition for around 900-1000 quid. They have always been cheaper than the hatchback but I think that's because more younger people want the hatchback version.

This one looks nice alright!

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2611128

Mrs Garth Brooks

166man wrote: »

Actually what might be perfect for you would be a 1999/2000 VW Polo saloon. You can pick up a low mileage example in good condition for around 900-1000 quid. They have always been cheaper than the hatchback but I think that's because more younger people want the hatchback version.

This one looks nice alright!

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2611128

Thats alright.

challengemaster

Anan1 wrote: »

It all depends on the drive/bus route. The Irish are a bit backward with the whole 'car is always better' outlook. If you live in the sticks then a car generally is better, but if the right infrastructure is there then public transport can be cheaper, faster, and more pleasant.

Clearly you've never used public transport if you think the infrastructure is there, it's cheaper, faster, or more pleasant.

CianRyan

Anan1 wrote: »

166man wrote: »

But it's just SO much better then the bus!

It all depends on the drive/bus route. The Irish are a bit backward with the whole 'car is always better' outlook. If you live in the sticks then a car generally is better, but if the right infrastructure is there then public transport can be cheaper, faster, and more pleasant.

What?
Since when is sharing a loud, bouncy, spine shattering, cold and squashes box with drunks getting drunker, smokers huffing away and thenodd junky shooting up?
Not to mention the school time rush and grumpy office workers that think their bags need a seat more than anyone and everyone.

Buses smell, people fall on me on the Luas and they're both over prices.
If it's raining you're getting wet on the way to the bus stop and at the bus stop while you wait for the bus that was meant to arrive a half hour ago.


**** man, I could go on and on but I think you get the idea.
I live in a city and public transport is ****ing crap!

Del2005

HardLuckWoman wrote: »

I may have to end up spending about €40 on buses, either a couple of short enough trips a few times a week or one very long trip with a connecting bus which may take 5 hours weekly. The thought of this.

Anyway i can afford 40 from what im getting. Im getting the BTEA as im a student. Im very good a budgeting so i can live on very little. But if i can spend 40 on buses, would i be better spending it on petrol instead and get the comfort and warmth of a car?

Anyway i still have some savings, so i can afford a cheap enough car. I have about 4k but i dont want to spend all that on a car. I'd like to get a cheap enough car with nct so i wouldn't have to worry about that for another 2 years. Also like to keep some savings as if anything was to happen. And i would have to get insurance out of that too, which probably wouldn't be much as i have 4 years no claims bonus.

Is this a good idea? A car maybe for about 1000? Can this be done with what im on and my savings?

Any suggestions on good enough cars?

Stick your details and a random car posted into some Insurance companies web sites to see how much insurance will be, or better yet call to make sure you have your NCB. But with way insurance is going it'll be at least an extra €10 a week for insurance. Then basic maintenance will be about €100 a year for the cars being posted.

If you do buy a car make sure it has 4 GOOD tyres. A lot of places are sticking cheap Chinese hollow black thinks onto cars that can't be called tyres. If it's got cheap tyres you're looking at about €40 a corner for decent tyres.

Don't forget that there's no DUI on a bus and you can have a bit of a snooze while someone else drives!! Just don't go upstairs.