Newbie Questions: Mileage, Budget etc

SimonTemplar

I'm in my early 30s and have decided to finally learn to drive and get a car.

I've only just started researching cars and it probably won't be until summer that I'll buy one but I'd appreciate a little guidance as this is completely new to me.

I'll be mostly using it for city driving / daily commuting with occasional trips down the country. Sole driver not family. Safety and fuel economy would be my two highest considerations when choosing a car. Looking for a tried and tested reliable model. A few obvious questions have occurred to me:

- I'd probably be looking at a car around €5,000 - €6,000. What type of year/mileage should I be looking at within the budget. This is probably my most important question because it'll give me a benchmark of where to start looking. Any recommended makes/models given my criteria above?

- What is considered low, medium, high, very high mileage for a used car?

- Should I purchase independently or from a dealer? Dealer seems to be the safest from my (newbie) point of view but I'm aware loads of cars are sold independently too.

Thanks a lot.

colm_mcm

I'd get a VW up based on what you've said there.

bazz26

I'd get some insurance quotes first. Ultimately what you buy and how much you have to spend will be based on what you can afford to pay for insurance.