First car buying tips

[Mr.Q]

Hi all,
Looking for my first car and a total novice at this.
Any tips to make sure I don't come home with a doorstop?

 

[BinnsY]

Lots of this depends on the car you are buying but a few basic tips I've always stuck to are the below;

• Never buy from a roadside / layby, if your buying privately make sure your actually at the persons house
• Dont buy a car in the wet, rain hides a multitude of sins in terms of body work / damage and makes it much harder to have a good hunt around
• Get a good look around the car including underneath. Keep an eye out for any odd panel gaps or things that dont line up (signs of accident damage) and have a good look at any usual spots for potential rust.
  
• Make sure you give the car a test drive, it baffles my mind but some people actually buy cars without so much as one! On a test drive make sure the engine / car is cold before you turn the key to start the engine, listen for any odd noises / rattles or any unusual smoke as the car starts up, these are all bad signs and all things that can be hidden when a car is already warm.
• Try all your electrical bits, if your picking a car because it has heated seats / air con make sure they work! Turning all of these on on the test drive is a good idea imo.
  
• Prioritise condition over mileage, just because a car has done 30,000 miles it doesn't neceassirely mean it will be in better condition than one that has done 60,000 miles. Obviously if you get a perfect one with low mileage thats a bonus.
  
• Check over the service history, any receipts etc, if a cars been serviced on time as it should be it's a good sign it's been looked after.
• Combine this with checking the cars MOT history. https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history A good check I do is to look at the advisories. If you see that a car has had the same advisory fault noticed for multiple MOT's in a row it could be a sign the car isn't being looked after and is being ran to a budget. If you do see a failure / advisory but theres service history / a receipt to show they had it fixed it's a good sign someone was willing to spend money on keeping the car running well.
• I also use the logic for the above on checking the cars tyres. The best case is matching premium tyres on all four corners. In my opinion it's still ok if you have matching premiums on the front, and different matching premiums on the back (say bridgestones up front / michelens up back as it could simply be that only one pair needed changing at that last time) but if you find chinese ditchfinders of a different make on each corner again this is a sign the car is being ran on a shoe string budget. If the owner can't be bothered to spend money on tyres, the chances of them fixing anything more serious is also slim.

I'm sure there are other things I'm forgetting whilst typing this up, but the aboive is certainly all points I've used in the past.

 

[ultralaser]

First tip: Insurance is more important that the cost of the car when it's your first, so make friends with comparison sites and see what you can afford to insure first.
Second tip: Buy something cheap. Even if you can afford a much nicer car, you're very likely to crash it or bash it to pieces and that feels much less painful when it's a, say Fiesta, than an A3.
Third Tip: When you're actually looking at cars, take a friend who knows their way around motors.
Fourth Tip: Enjoy it

 

[Maccapacca]

Use an rac or aa type checking service. Had a couple when I've sold cars come and have a look, all been very thorough and will check far more than you will or your mate who knows a bit about cars.

 

[Lopéz]

A lot of this depends on your budget. Did you have a rough number in mind?

 

[tamzzy]

First tip: Insurance is more important that the cost of the car when it's your first, so make friends with comparison sites and see what you can afford to insure first.

Totally this...

 

[Meaker]

Lots of this depends on the car you are buying but a few basic tips I've always stuck to are the below;

• Never buy from a roadside / layby, if your buying privately make sure your actually at the persons house
• Dont buy a car in the wet, rain hides a multitude of sins in terms of body work / damage and makes it much harder to have a good hunt around
• Get a good look around the car including underneath. Keep an eye out for any odd panel gaps or things that dont line up (signs of accident damage) and have a good look at any usual spots for potential rust.
  
• Make sure you give the car a test drive, it baffles my mind but some people actually buy cars without so much as one! On a test drive make sure the engine / car is cold before you turn the key to start the engine, listen for any odd noises / rattles or any unusual smoke as the car starts up, these are all bad signs and all things that can be hidden when a car is already warm.
• Try all your electrical bits, if your picking a car because it has heated seats / air con make sure they work! Turning all of these on on the test drive is a good idea imo.
  
• Prioritise condition over mileage, just because a car has done 30,000 miles it doesn't neceassirely mean it will be in better condition than one that has done 60,000 miles. Obviously if you get a perfect one with low mileage thats a bonus.
  
• Check over the service history, any receipts etc, if a cars been serviced on time as it should be it's a good sign it's been looked after.
• Combine this with checking the cars MOT history. https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history A good check I do is to look at the advisories. If you see that a car has had the same advisory fault noticed for multiple MOT's in a row it could be a sign the car isn't being looked after and is being ran to a budget. If you do see a failure / advisory but theres service history / a receipt to show they had it fixed it's a good sign someone was willing to spend money on keeping the car running well.
• I also use the logic for the above on checking the cars tyres. The best case is matching premium tyres on all four corners. In my opinion it's still ok if you have matching premiums on the front, and different matching premiums on the back (say bridgestones up front / michelens up back as it could simply be that only one pair needed changing at that last time) but if you find chinese ditchfinders of a different make on each corner again this is a sign the car is being ran on a shoe string budget. If the owner can't be bothered to spend money on tyres, the chances of them fixing anything more serious is also slim.

I'm sure there are other things I'm forgetting whilst typing this up, but the aboive is certainly all points I've used in the past.

Check the tyres are in good shape with decent tread/no cracking. If they are from a no-name brand/,in poor condition factor in the cost of replacements.

Good tyres can save your life.

 

[MissChief]

Check the tyres are in good shape with decent tread/no cracking. If they are from a no-name brand/,in poor condition factor in the cost of replacements.

Good tyres can save your life.

Regarding point one, check the address on the V5 matches where you are. I’ve heard of people meeting outside houses when they don’t even live there! Ask if you can use the toilet or ‘let’s go inside and discuss the price’ and if they immediately start to look uncomfortable then they may have something to hide.

 

[Nasher]

A roadworthy banger for the first few years.

No matter how much you can afford, don't get anything nice as a first car because it's likely to get damaged. You need to focus on building experience (and no claims) first.

 

[4K8KW10]

14 Cars That Are Notorious Rust Buckets (And 15 That Never Rust)
https://www.hotcars.com/cars-that-a...95IMKkThK55ZBpOe5oLcIYYOMDAzrc17ifIw65lPjZBqk

Those that rust, AVOID at any cost:

CHEVROLET VEGA
RANGE ROVER SPORT
JEEP WRANGLER
MINI COOPER
TOYOTA RAV4
NISSAN ALTIMA
PONTIAC G5
SUZUKI XL7
SATURN VUE
BUICK RENDEZ-VOUS
CHEVROLET COBALT
CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY
FORD FIESTA
MAZDA 3

Don't rust, safer to go for them:

MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS ????
BMW 3-SERIES
AUDI A3
ACURA TL
TOYOTA CAMRY
VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT
HONDA CIVIC
HYUNDAI SONATA
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
VOLVO S60
HYUNDAI ELANTRA
TOYOTA LAND CRUISER
KIA FORTE
VOLVO V70
AUDI A4

 

[Clarkey]

Don't pay any attention to that list lol, what a load of nonsense. American cars on there anyway.

 

[4K8KW10]

Don't pay any attention to that list lol, what a load of nonsense. American cars on there anyway.

I can confirm for Mazda 3. There are 2 of them in front of my house now, and they are covered with rust all over. It is so bad, that the cars will be gone in several years. The rust literally eats them away.

 

[iaind]

I can confirm for Mazda 3. There are 2 of them in front of my house now, and they are covered with rust all over. It is so bad, that the cars will be gone in several years. The rust literally eats them away.

Gen1s were bad for this but are really old now. Gen2 and 3 are fine

The list is complete drivel. Fiesta a rust bucket? Brb, off to buy a Kia Forte

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Having had some minis (personally and in the family) I never saw any rust issues and thats starting with Gen 1

Problem comes in lists like that when models are around a long time. I mean RAV4s going rusty may relate to those from 20 years ago

Worst case is Ford Fiesta, introduced in .... 1976, I mean yeah I had an early 80s Ford and they competed with Alfas to see which could rust the fastest, I don't see any modern cars to be honest that have significant rust issues now

 

[4K8KW10]

Gen1s were bad for this but are really old now. Gen2 and 3 are fine

I disagree with you. How would you trust the manufacturer if they first allowed extremely bad corrosion to happen on all of their bodywork surfaces, and then suddenly, out of thin air, somehow magically, fixed their methods of protection?!?
I assure you I won't trust them.

At the very least, because their protection might still be relatively weaker than other cars'.

Cars should be made with 100% stainless metals, they must be spotless.

Look at this:



We should sue the Mazda CEO for crimes against the human race!

 

[Hades]

Don't rust, safer to go for them:

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF

Mk5 and mk6 quite well known for rusty lip on the rear hatch and front wings. Source: My mk6 had it on the tailgate twice. Luckily the engine died unexpectedly so I saved a fortune on not getting it fixed a second time Oh wait...

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Problem is, once compromised even the best rust proofing will fail. Bottom of door sills, inner wheel arches etc are the known weak points as people often damage these parts.
Cars that have spent plenty of time by the seaside etc are all notably worse than the same model that hasn't.

Making them out of stainless would be rather expensive. A lot of stainless actually rusts now as well, as its recycled and its partly contaminated.
If you go decent virgin metal its notably more costly.

 

[Clarkey]

Stainless is heavier and more expensive, nobody is about to start making cars out of it.

 

[4K8KW10]

Stainless is heavier and more expensive, nobody is about to start making cars out of it.

It's much more expensive for the people to replace their cars every two-three years because rust spots develop everywhere on the bodywork.

Chemistry is a very wide area and the manufacturers are obliged to research solutions - elements which don't react with water/salt.

 

[kurosagi01]

Budget about 500-3k(if you can only drive auto you may need budget bit more) for first car depending how much you want spend.
-1.0-1.6l petrol engine with 60-110bhp, you don't want anything too powerful for first car(if you do more than 50 miles a day then maybe look at diesels)
-Buy a hatchback and get comfortable with driving on your own, learn how to manoeuvre in tricky situations and parking it on your own in different scenarios. If you struggle to park a hatchback or manoeuvre around tricky situations then you might struggle with anything bigger like saloon/coupe/SUVs as they have wider body
-Service History
-Check tyre tread
Cars id probably recommend:
-Mazda2 2007-2010
-Volkswagen Polo
-Skoda Fabia
-Toyota Corolla or Yaris
-Ford Fiesta
-Vauxhall Corsa
-Peugeot 107/108/206/207/208