Buying Your First Car

Buying a used car is a tricky business. Check out www.parkers.co.uk for a full guide. But here are some things to think about...

Most people reckon you shouldn’t get something too fancy for your first car. Most new drivers get the odd scratch or minor dent in the first few months, so it might be better to get something not too new and shiney. Remember too that the newer the car the more expensive it is likely to be to insure. Having said that you don’t want an old banger that’s going wrong every 5 minutes!

For brand new and nearly new cars, main dealers will be the safest bet. You will get a warranty that’s worth more than the paper it’s written on and you will be dealing with people who have a reputation (usually good) to uphold! The downside is that you will be paying top money for the privilege.

Other car dealers who are not main dealers for a particular make can have the same good reputation. But look out for the odd Arthur Daley!

If you buy from a Private seller, you will have little or no redress if the vehicle isn’t up to standard. Caveat Emptor is the latin phrase that applies here. It means BUYER BEWARE! Having said that private sales are usually the cheapest and thousands of people buy cars this way and are totally happy.

When buying a car here are a few guidelines:

How many owners has it had?
Has the owner got the old MoT’s
Has he got the Registration Document (if not steer clear!), if so ask to look at it
If you can, get someone knowledgable (preferably a mechanic) to look at the car with you
Don’t be pressurized into a hasty decision. Take your time to have a good look all around the car, inside and out. Ask to take it for a test drive.
Get an HPI check done to see if it is a repaired write off. Try the AA’s car checking service advertised below
Check the value of the car in a Car Price Guide