I passed my driving test 3 weeks ago. I now want to buy a car, what are the essential things I need to do?

Question

I have saved up

Answer 1

Find out what insurance is going to cost you of the vehicle your interested in. You might find something you like and can afford until you get the insurance quot.

Answer 2

Firstly, congratulations on passing your test.

Now you realy start to learn how to drive.

Continue your lessons, to include motorway driving, night and poor weather driving.

Then look at learning advanced driving - it could save your life.

When buying a car you need to consider

1, you will dent it - so buy a cheap one you don't mind getting damaged.

2, Insurance, road tax, fuel and maintenance costs will probably be higher than the purchase price.

3, Only buy a car if you have sufficient disposable income to run it. Outside of buying a house, this is probably the most expensive (to run and own) thing that you will buy.

If your anticipated mileage is low, don't buy a diesel, the maintenance costs are much higher and the damage that you can do by putting the wrong fuel in is very costly.

Ask you local garage for advice as to what is reliable and fixable (by them). In my area, the local garage I have used for 10 years gave me some sound advise on buying a car - they even offered to look it over for me before purchase.

Once you are down to three of four models, get some insurance quotes. Look at magazines such as Autocar etc. these give insurance groups for cars, the lower the group number the lower the insurance cost. These magazines can also give data on running costs, mpg etc. and CO2 emissions.
In the Uk newer cars are taxed according to the levels of CO2 emissions.

Ask the insurance company a few what if questions such as:
How much cheaper for higher excess, no courtesy car, no legal fee cover, lower annual milage, keeping car in garage etc. as these can affect the premium.

One you are ready to look at a car, take a knowlegeable friend with you. Ask to have it inspected by AA or RAC.

Don't pay cash, always get the V5. Be prepared to walk away if something doesn't feel right.

Get a check done on the car for outstanding Hire Purchase or stolen car - (HMI check I think). If it still has a hire purchase agreement or was stolen - it won't belong to you and you will be wasting your money as the car can be taken back by the owner and you will have no way of getting your money back.

If in doubt, buy from a reputable dealer as you will have some comeback in law if there is a problem. If you can, pay with a credit card (not a debit card) as the credit card company are jointly liable in the consumer credit transaction. Ensure you pay off the card balance imediately to avoid paying interest.

Answer 3

Get some insurance quotes if you are considering buying a car - you'd be surprised at the difference just a few hundred cc. in engine size can make to the size of the premium. Also consider the cost of annual road tax - again, engine size makes a difference.
For your first car, I'd look at something small and fuel-efficient - probably something like a Fiat Uno 1100cc - it will be in a cheap insurance band, cheaper road tax band and is a good all-round vehicle. If you can find one that's been well looked after then the cost of spares and servicing is quite low too. Certainly I wouldn't consider anything bigger as you want to get your first year of proper road miles under your belt before you venture to anything larger - there's a lot to learn out there about driving without the protection of the 'L' plates.
Good luck, start small and carry on learning about driving and then, when you are confident and have a few years of no-claims under your belt, you can buy new or larger.

Answer 4

Insurance as a newly qualified driver is going to hurt and there is no way around it. Even a group 1 car such as a Fiat 500 or a Mini 850 is going to be in the hundred of pound region. Something like a Corsa 1.4 could be as much as a thousand! And don't even think about something sporty, I am 35 with full No Claims, no points and the insurance on my group 16 is still £800 a year I don't even want to think what that would be for you.

My advice is look for something small, like an older Mini or Nova/Corsa or Fiesta with an engine size no more than 1.1litre and try to avoid something with all the extras as that will increase the premium. Take the time to look around and speak to an insurance broker to find out what sort of insurance premium you would be paying. If you go for an older car worth less than £1500 consider getting 3rd party, fire and theft only rather than fully comprehensive (just check if windscreen cover is included) as this will drop the insurance cost. If you insure the car in your own name you can start building up some no claims discount - assuming you don't make any - and within a few years you can think about getting something newer, better etc.

If you want to get something a little bigger or with a slightly bigger engine speak to your folks about being a named driver on the insurance with one of them. You won't get the NCD but it will bring the insurance down if there is an experienced driver as well.

When you go looking at cars try to go in daylight as it is much easier to spot problems. Always start the engine and give it a rev, any blue smoke and theres problems with burning oil, any funny rattles could be tappits (easy) or big end bearings (difficult and expensive). Check the body panel fit and look carefully for any overspray as these will indicate previous damage. Check the little things like lights, tyres, switches, window seals as these can give you clues to how the car has been treated. If you can take a test drive do and check the brakes don't pull, check the car runs true (a slight drift to the left is not a problem as that is just the camber pulling you in to the edge), listen for any rattles, squeaks or noises as you accellerate, corner and just drive. As a final check if you really like the car get the AA to do a full vehicle check, a genuine seller won't mind at all but a cowboy will try to fob you off. No AA no sale.

Good luck, happy shopping and safe driving

Answer 5

Congrats on passing your driving test! It's a thrilling moment.

You'll need a reliable car, but you'll also need insurance. If you live with your parents, ask them if they can add you to their vehicle insurance. You'll receive many discounts by doing this. Once you have established that, you can go car hunting.

Car hunting: since your a new driver, I'd go with an older but very reliable vehicle. Try a reputable used car dealership or ebay.com or autotrader.com. The second two you'll need cash. The dealership, if you've had a job for a while, may finance. That also helps build, or ruin, credit.

My requirements on vehicles are they don't have to be new, but they can't be an eyesore. Primarily, they have to be reliable. They can't burn oil, leak oil, have a good gas mileage, and the transmission must shift smoothly. the front end must be good (no accidents). As long as the engine, transmission and front end are good, it's a consideration for me. Anything else can be fixed at a reasonable price. It can also be fixed "eventually", like when I can afford to get it fixed. That's cheaper than monthly car payments.

Maybe your dad, mom or a car savvy friend can go car shopping with you. When test driving, turn the radio off so you can listen to the vehicle itself.

Answer 6

I would do as follows:
- decide what you need a car for - just getting from A to B or do you want your car to be a bit more special in any way?
- decide how big your car has to be (how many people, how much luggage) and whether you want mainly a city car or a car for long distances
- set your budget, incl. insurance and maintenance - decide whether you need to buy, maybe a car club is all you need and will be much cheaper => in the UK check out the map on www.carplus.org.uk/carplus/Car_club_map.html
- start looking around for the right model
- decide whether you want new or second hand - most cars these days are very reliable so a second-hand car can save you a bundle
- etc...

Good luck

Answer 7

I'd buy a small, second hand car from a local well-known dealer. Build up your no-claims discounts on that for a year or two and then when you are over the age limit (25 in the UK) you can get a proper insurance quote that you can actually pay for. Under 25, you'll be considered a risk and the premium will be higher.

Answer 8

Get a car with cheap insurance otherwise it will cost u a fortune. Generally the smaller the engine size the cheaper the insurance, so dont look for a car with an engine above 1.4cc. Also a small car hatchback will make it easier to get used to driving and parking and take into account safety features such as airbags.

Answer 9

First ask yourself or find out if its a state law to be required to carry insurance,if so get quotes and compare them to other quotes and find the best deal then when you've found a vechile you like remember to check out everthing on the vechile,you ll want to check things like,how bad is it rusted underneath the vechile, how bad are the tires-belts-radiator hoses-spark plug wires,get in and start the vechile how does it sound when its cranking over ,let it warm up and check to see if heat and air work if things aren't as they appear stay away or use these as bargaining chips on wheeling and dealing,good luck and keep the greasy side down.

Answer 10

Take out a massive loan to run the damn thing:- car tax, petrol tax, congestion charges, insurance( hidden tax) VAT on car repairs and parts!! and they call motoring a luxury?? Sorry i got wound up answering another question a short time ago!!
Research your car in mind on the net, What will the insurance cost,
Running costs etc. Best a luck!