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brum brums!

i am buying my first ever car next month/september :yippe:

not sure what im doing though.

im just thinking a KA or something. its my first car and its super cheap on insurance. my boyfriend agrees. i'll probably crash my first car :blush:

thing is, when i look online, for example, on autotrader, i have no idea what im looking for? my boyfriend seems to but im being stubborn and want to do it myself :razz: i just look at the pictures, haha.

ive not got too much to spend - probably about £800 max - will i be able to get an ok-ish one for that? :nervous: i can't afford too much as im in the middle of buying a house :(

im gonna be using the car to commute to and from work on a daily basis (a 40 mile round trip) on motorways so i can't have it breaking down or owt. are KA's reliable? obviously i'll get breakdown cover because i can't expect a cheap car to not break down but generally, how reliable are they?

oooo, i need one that is nice with petrol too :)
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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If you're going to be depending on the car to do commuting you probably need to spend more than a grand on it. Otherwise you'll be driving around in a POS that will break down more often than it runs.

    Could you maybe get something a bit more expensive from one of the car supermarkets by using your 800 as a deposit and paying something a month?

    I'd try to overcome your stubbornness if your bf knows about cars and what he is doing. It could save you buying an utter lemon.
  • littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    I have a yaris. I heart it. Teeny engine, cheap insurance, very reliable. It's good :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think you can get good cars for less than £1000, but it depends what kind of car you look at. I heartily recommend the Nissan Micra as its a fairly reliable car.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    mist, i don't want to do the whole repayment thing. i just want it to be paid for upfront. i could possibly extend my budget by a few hundred pounds but tbh, i can't afford too much because of the house move. i realise that im not going to get something great for my budget...i only intend on having this car for a year or something until i can afford something a bit better and have built up a years ncd (so my insurance will be cheaper!).

    i dont think its always the case that if you get a cheap car, it will break down lots. my brother's first car was £450 and never broke down. his current car was £2k and he's had SO many problems with it.

    are KA's reliable then?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    KA's are okay i know a few people with them but they do have a tendency to rust easily.

    My bf had a ford fiesta zetec as my first car. It was 10 years old and cost £650 and was cheap to insure and cheap to run! Me and my bf shared it and he used to trive to Doncaster and Crewe alot and had no problems with it! It was good for me as just nipping to mates and the Traford Centre when I wanted. We've upgraded now and he's bought an 06 plate zetec that we share.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Mist wrote: »
    If you're going to be depending on the car to do commuting you probably need to spend more than a grand on it. Otherwise you'll be driving around in a POS that will break down more often than it runs.

    Not true at all. My car was £820, and it hasn't let me down once. My favourite car cost £500, and that never let me down either. Actually, I lie; it refused to turn over once. Turning off the ignition and flicking it back sorted it, and it never did it again. And after investigating, I couldn't find a reason for it at all...

    But having said that, it's very easy to buy a car with problems for £800. At that kind of money, cars are often near the end of their life, and the little jobs have been overlooked, and can lead on to bigger problems.

    Given the budget, and lack of knowledge, I'd suggest looking for a car of any colour, but trying to find one that someone has owned for 4+ years and with a full MOT, and plenty of receipts for work done during their ownership(don't let early service history fool you; the fact that the car saw a Ford dealer twice per year when it was less than 3 years old is largely irrelevant now). They tend to be cared for very differently compared to something someone only planned to keep for a year. :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I got a VW Polo as my first car, took my boyfriend at the time with me to have a look as he knows about cars.

    I would suggest taking someone that knows what kind of things to check as when buying privately there are people that will want to rip you off and once youve handed over the cash you don't have any back up if something is wrong.

    Things to think about with older cars: maintainance costs! My car went through his MOT earlier tis month and it cost me £400 to get him back to being road worthy :( gonan scrap him and get something shiny and new in a few months though :D

    You can get really lucky and pick up a decent car that will run for a few years and cost even less than £800 but anything car of the kind of age where you can buy it for less than a grand will have risks.

    Driving is fun though :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I've had my KA for five years and it is fantastic!

    It has been so reliable, it is cheap to run, everything about it is perfect for me.

    When I buy a new car I am going to get another KA but one of the new style ones. I would definately recommend a KA.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Sorry to generalise and hijack this thread, but I will be getting my driving license (pink one) in march/april next year.

    Due to disposable income (not saying to rub it in), I would probly be able to afford a slightly better car than Id expect, and the insurance to go with it.

    What Im not interested in is something super fricking duper charged with a v8 engine. Though on the other hand I also dont want a car that takes 3 weeks to get from 0-60. Big enough to be able to put a big bag or two in the boot. 5 doors simply for the point of not having to get out of the fecking car everytime someone needs to get out of the back.

    Something midsized, and if it were the case, Id be rather happy with something in a low band of tax/emissions etc.

    As while I watch top gear, Im not a car geek, and yeah its 6 and a bit months off, but im maybe starting to look around now and get some ideas.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Focus is good. Early TDCI models aren't proving to be the most reliable, and the early petrol models often suffered from problems with the inlet manifold. But aside from that, they're good cars and there's heaps of choice. :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Id probly be aiming for a diesel! Oh and would be a new car, or recently newish.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Fruit Loop wrote: »
    I've had my KA for five years and it is fantastic!

    It has been so reliable, it is cheap to run, everything about it is perfect for me.

    When I buy a new car I am going to get another KA but one of the new style ones. I would definately recommend a KA.

    sounds good! i really do think im going to go for a KA but i think i might try and spend a little more on one thats a bit newer!

    whats it like for doing an MOT and stuff? expensive? how old and expensive was your KA when you bought it if you dont mind me asking?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hey blah blah blah,

    Exciting news about buying your first car :D Just to let you know we have some info on TheSite about buying a second-hand car that you might find useful, things to look out for...
    Hope it helps :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Older Ford Ka models don't always have power steering. It's something you need to check, even a Ford Ka is pretty hard to park without power steering.

    Take advice from people who know what they're doing with cars. I don't really know one end of an exhaust from another so I bought a new one.
  • littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    When I bought my car what we did was go to a giant car supermarket and sat in lots of different cars to see which ones I liked. I narrowed it down to a couple of different models and then went on a research mission - prices, insurance, test drive etc etc. That's how I ended up with the yaris. I would do the same again. Although you may like the KA from the outside you shouldn't just go with that one straightaway. I found the KA really claustrophobic, but others find it really good. So test a few and then find a good deal. If that makes sense.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i'd definately need power steering kermit!

    i learnt in a KA for a while and didn't find it too hard to drive.

    im gonna have to test drive a few though i reckon :)

    i might go to that car craft place!
  • littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    i'd definately need power steering kermit!

    i learnt in a KA for a while and didn't find it too hard to drive.

    im gonna have to test drive a few though i reckon :)

    i might go to that car craft place!

    don't buy from carcraft, but it is interesting to see lots of different cars in one place, to just get a feel for many of them :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Also, take your boyfriend along when you actually go to buy it, or even better your dad.

    Anyone selling a car knows that women are easy targets because most of them don't know what they're talking about, and as you fall into that category you're much more likely to pay a fair price if you have some company.

    You say you want it for motorway communting. There's no way I'd touch a KA with a barge pole if that was going to be my regular driving, just because they are so damn small. There's naff all around you in a KA to crumple if you end up in an accident and it's going to be you that gets a fair amount of the impact. Something bigger will give you much more protection, and you don't need to get much bigger, Corsa's and Clios and the like all put a lot more between you and the extremities of the car than a KA does.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    when i was looking for a new car a couple of months ago i really wanted a ford Ka, and i only had £1000 to spend, i looked for aaaages and i could not find one with power steering. all the ones that were a grand and under were the older ones without it. it might be different now obviously cos new cars come on the market all the time but i ended up not being able to get one. no power steering would be a nightmare!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    thats odd! ive found loads on autotrader!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ka - cheap to run and cheap parts, very reliable engine (one of the few that will actually run for a while without oil although I do NOT reccomendend testing this out on your own car :P), as with all cheaper model Fords are very prone to rust

    For an old-ish ka with PAS in good nick expect to pay £1300-2000, they're popular little cars

    Also I would reccomend getting one with the black bumpers, some say they're not as stylish but you can reverse into whatever you like and they don't even scratch! Yes this is from experience, walls, gates, fenceposts, multi story car park pillers - you just bounce right off :D

    For those who say they're a little small, I actually find them to be quite roomy inside for front seat passangers, only midgets can fit in the back though, and don't expect to fit more than 3 bags of shopping in the boot

    I love mine, I think it's fab :heart:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'd reccomend getting the AA out to check over any car you potentialy want to buy or at the very least telling the people your buying off of that your planning on getting them round - that way you will get someone who knows loads about cars looking at it especially if you don't.

    Also definatly take a bloke with you when you go and look at cars and get them to sound knowledgeable and do all the negotiating unless you really know what your talking about.

    I would be far to scared to regularly drive a KA on the motorway as well incase of crashes!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The main problem with the ka is like kangoo said they're fairly 'fashionable' and so you pay over the odds for what you get imo. I'm hoping to get something like a Honda Civic when I start my *career* as they are amongst the most reliable cars out there (although servicing isn't cheap).

    Currently got a Ford Fiesta hatchback on the drive, it's a good little car, diesel, and cost £700. A similar spec and condition Ka you would pay more for just becuase it's more popular. And don't even go near a BMW mini because people will happily spend half their live savings on one just for the looks. (the iPod effect :D)

    I'm not a car guru by any means though, just think it's good to keep your options open!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    im not that fussed on how it looks tbh. im only going to have it for a year or so until ive got a bit more free cash and have earnt a years ncd.

    so what cars would you suggest shyboy knowing my budget?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Fiesta 1.25 is good fun. :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    so what cars would you suggest shyboy knowing my budget?

    Unfortunately... as I said "I'm not a car guru by any means though" but Click seems to know a lot as does g_angel :p. My recommendation would be a nissan micra just because i know you can get cheap reliable ones of those.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I understand most of it, but I've a very limited interest in modern cars, and don't work within the industry, so I'm really not the best choice for this kind of question. :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Just wanted to defend my KA a little! Think it's worth pointing out that while they aren't the best on safety, they're not THAT bad. And if you are on a tight budget, you are going to be able to afford a newer KA than any other car, cause they're cheap as muck. And newer cars are generally much safer than old cars.

    I drive my car about 12,000 miles a year, mostly on the motorway, and i haven't died... yet!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    KA = perfectly fine little car. My old one is still running perfectly under the ownership of my ex-girlfriend's mum and dad.

    For the money, you can do a LOT worse.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I know a few people with KA's (not sure about the apostrophe?!) and they all seem quite happy with them. A lot of my friends were students at the time of getting them, so I guess they are a good choice for something when you've got a small budget. I've got a Toyota Yaris, which I highly recommend, Toyota's are generally reliable, and not expensive. Mine is 1L (or just less, I don't know much about cars, or pay much attention to specifics like that) but isn't slow by any means.
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