Buying a car

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Emp_FabEmp_Fab Frets: 24208
edited May 2019 in Off Topic
It only occurred to me tonight that I'm going to have to buy a bloody car !  I've had a company car since 1993 and now I've been given the boot, they're going to want their car back!

I have no idea where to start - what's crap these days, what's good etc.

The last car I owned was a 1986 Toyota Corolla !

I'm pretty good mechanically, so I'm confident at checking out potential purchases - I just have no idea what car to look for to begin with.  I haven't even considered a budget - I have no idea of how much they are these days!  Help!!
Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
Also chips are "Plant-based" no matter how you cook them.
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Comments

  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    More information required.
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  • Emp_FabEmp_Fab Frets: 24208
    I would like a car with 4 wheels that will cost me under £4,000 and won't cost me tons in tax, fuel or insurance but equally isn't a Ford Ka or other tin scooter.

    Better ?  :grin: 
    Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
    Also chips are "Plant-based" no matter how you cook them.
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  • RaymondLinRaymondLin Frets: 11799
    You need to know

    1 - how many miles you do

    This lead to whether you go petrol or diesel

    2 - what kind of journey is it

    Similar to Q1

    3 - how many seats and space do you need

    This will determined the style of car

    4 - what tech do you want

    self explanatory 

    5 - how much you want to spend or afford to spend

    Buy outright, lease? PCP? Bank loan?

    6 - do you want it to be fun or purely practical


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  • GoldenEraGuitarsGoldenEraGuitars Frets: 8820
    tFB Trader
    We have a 2007 vw Passat sport. Unreal car, moves like greased shit, looks great, very very reliable and the perfect size for us. A few grand would buy one or similar in the range 
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  • RaymondLinRaymondLin Frets: 11799
    edited March 2019
    My suggestion.


    5L, V8, 2doors, 4 seats and a boot, only £2k. :trollface: 

    https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201903045518347
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  • Emp_FabEmp_Fab Frets: 24208
    You need to know

    1 - how many miles you do
    A: Dunno yet !  I was clocking up 30K+ annually but I've been made redundant and have no idea what my future mileage might be.

    2 - what kind of journey is it
    A: Similar to Q1's answer!

    3 - how many seats and space do you need
    A: 4 doors, 4/5 seats.  Space is not that important other than I don't want to drive a tiny hatchback.

    4 - what tech do you want
    A: Don't care.  Air con would be nice, as would LED headlights (but these aren't essential)

    5 - how much you want to spend or afford to spend
    A: Dunno !  I'm hoping under £4K might get me something that hasn't got ripped seats, 100K on the clock and an unidentifiable smell.  Cash purchase.

    6 - do you want it to be fun or purely practical
    A. Practical.  It's a machine for getting from A to B.

    Additionally, reliability is important, but equally the cost of replacement parts (even non OEM).  I don't want to be under the bloody thing every weekend.  For that reason, I'm looking for full service history - ideally from a main dealer.  Mileage is less of a concern if it's had regular main dealer services.  I will inevitably be doing any work on it myself, so serviceability is very important too.
    Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
    Also chips are "Plant-based" no matter how you cook them.
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  • RaymondLinRaymondLin Frets: 11799
    My suggestion then...serious one.

    Honda Civic, Toyota Auris (it is like a Corolla), old Lexus too are good value.

    stay away way from French personally and Vauxhalls too.  Cars like VW comes with a scene tax and it’s no more realisable than a Japanese. Korean cars in the last few years are good value.  Kia or Hyundai.

    btw, a lot of modern cars are nothing like the old ones, you will need a laptop these days to diagnose some faults when the engine throws a wobble, like to clear a light etc.  Gone are the days where you can do it all yourself.

    if you don’t know how many miles you do (less than 10k) then get a petrol.

    before you buy any car, put the plate through this link and see it’s MOT history.  

    https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/


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  • steveledzepsteveledzep Frets: 1172
    My suggestion then...serious one.

    Honda Civic, Toyota Auris (it is like a Corolla), old Lexus too are good value.

    stay away way from French personally and Vauxhalls too.  Cars like VW comes with a scene tax and it’s no more realisable than a Japanese. Korean cars in the last few years are good value.  Kia or Hyundai.

    btw, a lot of modern cars are nothing like the old ones, you will need a laptop these days to diagnose some faults when the engine throws a wobble, like to clear a light etc.  Gone are the days where you can do it all yourself.

    if you don’t know how many miles you do (less than 10k) then get a petrol.

    before you buy any car, put the plate through this link and see it’s MOT history.  

    https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/


    Excellent advice, agree with everything said.
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  • olafgartenolafgarten Frets: 1648
    I'd recommend an Auris, you can get a good 2009 one for around £4000.

    Toyota build their cars like tanks, it's quite common for them to run for over a million miles. 
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    edited March 2019
    Honda Civic.
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  • BellycasterBellycaster Frets: 5833
    Ironically, a 1986 Toyota Corolla with decent mileage and one careful owner will probably still be your best bet :)
    Only a Fool Would Say That.
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  • HAL9000HAL9000 Frets: 9549
    • +1 for Japanese. Had four Toyotas (including an Auris). Not very exciting cars, but utterly reliable. Nothing ever went wrong. Currently driving a Civic, but haven’t had it long enough yet to comment on reliability. Nicer to drive than the Toyotas though, and a more pleasant cockpit. Boot is huge.
    I play guitar because I enjoy it rather than because I’m any good at it
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  • skunkwerxskunkwerx Frets: 6838
    Don't buy a Nissan, cos the staff at the dealership on the end of my road are wee pricks and always park over my drive. 

    Mark Wahlberg reckons driving a Prius is like riding around inside a vagina. 

    German cars don't come with indicators.

    French ones appear to be biodegradable, but they do run on hopes and dreams for a bit. 



    No, buy something sensible, like a Trabant or a Sierra Cosworth. 


    The only easy day, was yesterday...
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26743
    I’m pretty sure the answer is a Mazda MX5. 
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • vizviz Frets: 10643
    stay away way from French personally


    Their cars are rubbish too. 




    Couldn’t resist it :)
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    My suggestion then...serious one.

    Honda Civic, Toyota Auris (it is like a Corolla), old Lexus too are good value.

    stay away way from French personally and Vauxhalls too.  Cars like VW comes with a scene tax and it’s no more realisable than a Japanese. Korean cars in the last few years are good value.  Kia or Hyundai.

    btw, a lot of modern cars are nothing like the old ones, you will need a laptop these days to diagnose some faults when the engine throws a wobble, like to clear a light etc.  Gone are the days where you can do it all yourself.

    if you don’t know how many miles you do (less than 10k) then get a petrol.

    before you buy any car, put the plate through this link and see it’s MOT history.  

    https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/



     octatonic said:
    Honda Civic.

    HAL9000 said:
    • +1 for Japanese. Had four Toyotas (including an Auris). Not very exciting cars, but utterly reliable. Nothing ever went wrong. Currently driving a Civic, but haven’t had it long enough yet to comment on reliability. Nicer to drive than the Toyotas though, and a more pleasant cockpit. Boot is huge.

    My old Civic is probably the best car I’ve ever owned (although the competition in this category isn’t particularly strong). Quite low on gadgets but fairly practical and easy to drive. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • IamnobodyIamnobody Frets: 6887
    I’m pretty sure the answer is a Mazda MX5. 
    Assuming the question was - I’m a hairdresser what car shall I buy?

    Someone had to.  ;)
    Previously known as stevebrum
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  • IamnobodyIamnobody Frets: 6887
    edited March 2019
    It’s a shame you don’t know what mileage you’ll be doing as a lease might suit you better - if you’re accustomed to a company car I don’t think you’ll be happy about owning an old car and the associated hassle.

    Not many folk seem to agreee with me but leasing is the way forward. No worries fixed cost motoring driving a brand new motor that is much less likely to break down, won’t cost a penny in repairs, won’t need an MOT, and if you pay a bit more per month included servicing/tyres.

    Oh and the other bonus is you don’t own a car so when the time comes you don’t have to sell one either.

    Selling cars is one of my most hated activities. Chop in with a dealer you lose a load of money - stick it in the autotrader and you have to deal with some right idiots trying to buy. 
    Previously known as stevebrum
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11411
    I'd go Japanese.  We bought our Toyota four and half years ago with 60k miles on it.  Apart from MOTs and routine servicing, the only money I've had to spend is wiper blades, tyres and maybe a light bulb or two.  Total contrast to the Citroen I had before.

    Unless you know for sure what kind of driving you will be doing, I'd go petrol.  Unless you are certain that you will regularly be doing reasonably long motorway journeys, then you run the risk of a DPF on a diesel clogging up and costing a fortune.  Also, if you are planning to keep it a while, then a diesel might fall foul of the anti-pollution charges that are coming in to drive into cities.  London is leading the way on that, but other cities will follow.  Even if you don't personally drive into those cities, the charges will affect resale value on a diesel.
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  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12313
    You can do routine servicing as a DIY job... oil changes, filters, brake pads and discs are all do-able at home so I wouldn’t discount that side. More modern cars end up in the scrapyard because of electronic and electrical problems than anything else as some are a nightmare to diagnose and/or hugely expensive to repair. Rust seems to be the least of the problems now.

    I agree on the Civic or a Focus can be had cheap and are pretty decent value for money. 

     
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