How to Actually Buy a First Car?

Reactor

Hi, what is the best way to do this please? I thought Id just pick a nice 1L in bangernomics and take a chance on that but talking to people here and Chill insurance on the phone it seems like a non-runner, they wont give a quote until Ive bought the car and I cant move the car until I have a quote.

Does anyone know a way out of this? I was thinking buy a car from one of the garages that do secondhand cars and ask them to deliver it to my house where I can then do the insurance over the next couple of days if I give the guy taxi fare back to work or something like that. The guy on Chill was fairly sure Id get insurance on a Micra as Im 32 so I was going to chance that.

Open to suggestions on a better way to do it? Thanks.

Toyotafanboi

seeing as you don't own a car, you'l have to pick it first. garages own insurance policies usually covers you for test drives.

for the purposes of getting quotes, just lie, say you own the car, it's pretty much the only way. use websites to get initial quotes just to see what ballpark you are in.

buy the car, if you are confident to, you can insure it over the phone and drive it home yourself. the garage would usually not mind dropping it to your house if you are local-ish to them.

Reactor

Would that mean sitting in the persons driveway for hours sorting out insurance though? Thanks for your help, I just feel like Im missing something really obvious here, is this just the way it is on a first car?

Toyotafanboi

it's a little messy but not incredibly so.

generally speaking, if buying a car privately, you will see it twice.

you will make the first arrangement to go and view the car to have a look around it and test drive it and if you are getting a mechanic to look over it, you will do it then. then you will either decide you want to disregard that car or that you like it. if you like it, you leave a deposit and make an arrangement to come back and take it.

now, you're gone from the sellers home and you have space to breathe. you know the car is yours as it's deposited. you can now ring the insurance company and sort out a policy over the phone (takes around 10 mins) and arrange for the policy to start from the time you agreed to go back and pick up the car.

it is possible to do it all in one viewing, but as a novice you might prefer the slower pace outlined above. many's a time i've went to view a car and bought it on the spot and after the dealings are done i just give the insurance company a quick call to transfer the paperwork, but this is much easier done when you have an existing policy rather than starting from new.

if you are buying privately make sure you understand your obligations re: paperwork and that the seller understands theirs. getting a photo of the logbook is a good idea and doing a cartell/ motorcheck before you buy is a must imo.

feel free to post links to particular cars here if you'd like advice on them.

Toyotafanboi

the timeline should be something like

- see suitable car advertised

- do online insurance quote (making note of quote reference number)

- make arrangement for first viewing (if quote seems reasonable)

- carry out cartell/ motorcheck report (can save you driving 100 miles to see a shed)

- test drive car, have a mechanic inspect it if necessary, if happy, leave a deposit and make arrangement to come back

- call to arrange insurance for agreed future time

- return to car, sign and photograph the paperwork, handover cash (but paperwork first!)

- car is now yours to drive

- tax and other stuff.

grogi

And don't drive further than 50 miles to see a car. Plenty of them around - unless you're looking for something particular and rare of course.

Reactor

Thanks a lot, one related question though, why are there so many learner 98/99 Micras like the kind I want to buy driving around if insurance companies wont do 15 year old cars anymore?

Toyotafanboi

Reactor wrote: »

Thanks a lot, one related question though, why are there so many learner 98/99 Micras like the kind I want to buy driving around if insurance companies wont do 15 year old cars anymore?

that's a massive can of worms to open and really there is no simple answer, but to summaries things a bit; they are popular cars for use in fraudulent cases, so insurers aren't too fond of them. despite this, only i think 3 main insurers won't insure them, most insurers will still insure them with a premium "loading" but from what i can see, premiums are being loaded across the board anyway regardless of a cars age. if you are an existing owner of a 15+ year old car, you will be offered a renewal, which is easier to accept than looking for a new policy.

what's your budget for the car?

Reactor

No idea really its just the actual doing it thats proving impossible

Id like to pay less than a grand as I dont really care what my first car is as long as it drives and I can get insurance...

Toyotafanboi

keep an eye out for Fiat Puntos and Pandas

people spend a lot of time talking **** about Fiats but they are actually really good cars. for a learner car, they are hard to beat. they are reasonably insurance friendly, cheap to buy (allowing you to buy a more modern car, keeping you away from the 15 year rule), cheap to tax and easy on fuel. servicing is cheap and easy too if you fancy doing it DIY and the pedals and controls are nice and light.

these types of cars.
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/fiat-panda-1-1/11278654
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/02-fiat-punto-n-c-t-till-09-16/11223962