Yes, another car topic! Unfortunately you’ll have to forgive me if this has been discussed a million times, ‘first’ and ‘car’ were too common search terms.
Anyways, I finally, after much procrastination, passed my practical not too long ago so now need to go about the painful business of actually buying (and insuring, etc) a car of my own. Trouble is I’m pretty clueless; I’ve never paid all that much attention to the business of cars, so I’ve no idea where to start.
My main priorities are;
Efficiency - I don’t want to be spending more than I need to on fuel.
Reliability - Again, if the think is prone to falling to bits then the cost’ll add up.
Safety - Just in case.
Any advice, caveats, tips to share? I learned on a manual gearbox and am in the UK, if it makes a difference. Thanks in advance.
After her Mini Cooper turned into a huge money sink, my mom got a Toyota Yaris. (Which is what I’d been looking into as a potential first car if I ever bother to learn how to drive.) She’s been happy with it so far, and I’d heard good things about fuel efficiency, reliability, etc.
I don’t know if they’re available over there, but the Scion line sounds right up your alley. They’re made by Toyota, so they’re generally reliable little cars, and although they’re inexpensive, the base price includes things like anti-lock brakes and airbags and such.
Are we talking about a new car or a second-hand car? If the latter, you should consider a Kia. They’re surprisingly well built, cheap to buy (because they do not hold their initial value well), and cheap to service.
Thanks for the replies guys. Seems that the consensus seems to be a Japanese car, I’ll try to have a look at one.
@ Quartz - probably a second-hand, simply for the money.
@ Mean Old Lady - I looked up how much Civics were are the nearest Honda dealer and even the used ones are quite a bit out of my price range, I was looking to spend around a grand or two, the cheapest Civic is about 7 grand. The Toyota dealer also puts used Yarises…Yarii? slightly out of my price range, unless I can get one privately.
Anyone had any experience with a Ka? There’s one in my price range, but I’ve read mixed reviews.
I have no experiences with a Kia; but I really don’t think anything you can buy for a grand or two (pounds I assume) could really be called reliable. Unless the UK used car market is very different than the Canadian one.
You might have trouble finding a reliable car for 1,000-2,000. If you want a reliable car you should be looking to spend $4000 or more. At the very least, I’d look into $3,000. The difference between a $2000 and $3000 car can be that the more expensive one is 2-3 years newer and has 50,000 fewer miles. Finding a car model that has a good reliability rating that isn’t 15 years old and/or has under 200,000 miles for under $2,000 is hard. For $3,000 you can get a 1998 car with 120,000 miles. For $1500-2000 you are going to get a 1994 car with 200,000 miles.
Good places to check are craigslist, autotrader and cars.com for used cars. Craigslist usually has them cheapest in my experience.
What may work if you are not able to scrounge up more than 1-2G is to look at mid/late 90s honda civics and toyota corollas.
The ford ranger is also a reliable and affordable vehicle (the late 90s models go for as low as $2000 with 160k or so miles), but gas mileage is not too good, it is only about 16/25. But I drive a 1999 that I got in 2001 and it has been great.
I read in a paper about peak oil that the average car lasts about 17 years. So if you go older than mid 90s you are probably pushing it.
My understanding of the Kia is they have reliability problems.
On edit I see you are in the UK. Nevermind, my figures are in USD. Plus I do not know if the websites I listed cover the UK.
Buying from a private party will get you a better deal than going to a dealer. Craigslist is good for that in the States, but I don’t know how big it is in Britain. A private-party sale also lets you see who the previous owner was, so you can judge whether you think they may have taken good care of it. You might not want to buy from a teenage or college-age male because they’re more likely to drive fast and abuse the car. Also, look for an owner that has records to show they’ve had the proper maintenance (oil changes, etc) performed.
Before you buy, take the car to a mechanic to have it checked for any hidden problems. It’s called a pre-purchase inspection and while it may cost 50 or 100 pounds, it’s worth it because it could save you from thousands of pounds if you’re sold a lemon.
You first need to sit down and decide how the car is going to be used, and what sort of features are important to you. The list you have given is pretty generic and doesn’t say too much.
How many passengers (if any) will be regularly carried
What sort of driving will your commute be like (highway, city, B roads, mountains)
How do you like to drive (are you sporty, slow etc)
Are there any features around you (eg - stock route, lots of potholes, snow) that mitigate for a particular type of car
Will the car be used for anything else or by anyone else (eg - are you into gardening, or any sports that need you to carry large / bulky equipment)
I would suggest that you get a friend to drive you and spend a day doing a tour of the second hand dealerships (they are normally clustered) and drive multiple cars in your price range first to get ideas of what you want, and what you like.
If you have a “family mechanic” ask him if he does pre purchase inspections - if you don’t have a trusted one us the AA service (the one in New Zealand was a pretty comprehensive service, I assume UK has something similiar)
Given you budget I don’t think you want to look for a specific car or model, but rather features (engine size, number of doors etc) so if you are not familiar with cars, get a “car” friend to go through the classifieds for you - tell him / her what you want and get them to draw up an 8 or 10 car shortlist for you to go look at.
Don’t be shy about test driving to see if you like - many cars will have lots of quirks. I remember many moons ago when all my wife wanted was a classic beetle, upon test driving she realised just how tempermental the gearshift was.
I also test drove an old Commodore, only to realise how underpowered this particular model was (it also had a gearbox problem, but that’s another matter), which made it totally unsuitable for me.
Given your price range, don’t be too picky about body style - unless the specific feature is really important to you.
found myself in a similar situation 2 years ago. went vintage volvo and i don’t think i’d ever go back (well eventually i’ll have to). it was one of the safest cars i could afford, and has lasted me over 2 years with only minor annoyances. (fyi i bought a 1997 volvo 850 with 119,000mi)
When I found myself in the situation (circa 1991) I bought a 1969 Morris 1100, not sure how many miles were on the clock, cost me NZD$410 - it lasted 6 months before one of the axels was used for a trailer and the rest of the car went to the great car graveyard
I keep thinking that my next car will be Hyundai. Anyone I know who has one thinks well of it, they are relatively inexpensive and they have a great warranty.
If you’re going for a used car, sometimes you can get a much better deal on a newer vehicle if it has some slight body damage. And by “slight” I mean a minor dent or two, some paint flaws, very slight rust, etc. It can knock a significant amount of money off the value of a car.
Obviously you wouldn’t want anything that’s going to compromise the safety or operation of the car…which is why I said “slight”.
Good luck. In your price range that you mentioned, you’re going to have to ignore anything made by Honda, as they hold their value too well. Unless you want one with a lot of mileage, in which case you risk one of the problems you stated you wished to avoid, which is maintenance costs. The newer the car you can get for your money the better.
Not a lot of dealerships sell cars for under $2,000. You’re most likely going to have to buy from a private seller, or head down to Joe Bob’s Fiesta Sales. For $2,000, you’re probably looking at a Corolla with 150,000 miles on it.
Does body work cause a car to have a salvage title? I noticed those are dirt cheap, but I always figured it means there was severe mechanical or structural damage.
Thanks for the advice bengangmo (and everyone else, you’re helping combat my ignorance most handily), if it helps, you answers to your questions;
One. Maybe two every now and again.
Mostly motorway/city.
Right now I’m slow in urban areas and sporty when the road opens up a bit.
None that I can think of.
If I can fit my bike in there it’d be a bonus, but just getting from A-B safely and cheaply is my main focus.
Spending in Stirling, not Dollars; so my upper limit would be $3,324.82. I have no illusions about getting a brilliant car on my budget, rather I perhaps should have asked for the safest, most reliable and efficient car for that budget (obviously these qualities become greater with the most money you put in…but that’s how everything works!) - an area I’m pretty clueless about.
Oh, I should have expanded on my rider question above - I meant Ka, as in the Ford Ka, not a Kia - I could acquire one fairly cheaply, but I’m not sure if it’d be a good punt.
First of all: Get one with a manual transmission. Automatics are more prone to break and cost you money. Besides, you’re in the UK; automatic transmissions are few and far between from what I’ve heard.
In your price range, lower mileage (kilometrage?) is more important than sheer age. My first car was thirteen years old when I bought it, but only 48,000 miles on the clock. Only problem I ever had with that car was an alternator that died.
Related to point two: Try to find a grandma car. That’s what the aforementioned thirteen year old car was. They’re likelier to be low-mileage, and probably not the sportiest thing around which means they tend to be cheaper. Older folks also tend to maintain their vehicles better than your average Mustang driver.
Don’t get too hung up on brand. Ford vs. Toyota vs. Kia matters more when they’re on an even playing field, i.e. when they’re brand new, than once the ravages of time and use have sunk their teeth in. A well-maintained, cautiously-driven Kia is going to outlast a rode-hard-and-put-away-wet Toyota any day.
Finally, don’t let a salesman rush you into a purchase. Make sure you’re getting the car you want at the price you want before you hand over your well-earned cash.