First car / how do people afford cars when in low paid work?

[hash tag]

You might want to look at how VW ranks in reliability these days... Maybe a 15 year old one with a good service record, but the newer ones rate quite poorly. Stick with Japanese and you can't go wrong. The Koreans rate well in holding up, but they're famously quite difficult to get fixed if something does break.

Mrs Tags very old Micra went on forever. Many told her it was a tin can and was not safe in the event of an accident.
Do you need to check for ulez compliance?

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

a few thoughts -

I pay something around £ 450 a year for insurance and breakdown cover. That's with being in what's considered a low risk job, somewhere outer suburban / rural-ish, and with maximum no claims discount. With no licence history / no claims it's potentially going to be a fair bit more, and I've no idea where you live - where I live is ranked a B on this list (A is lowest risk / price, F is highest, 'refer' means it's going to be bloody expensive.)

The breakdown bit is maybe 100 of that, but in theory avoids the risk of being stranded in the middle of nowhere. (although with previous provider who were RAC, that turned out to be a possible.)

Insurance will be slightly lower for an older / lower value car (mine is worth maybe about 5 grand), but the damage you can (potentially) do with one is similar so it's not going to be half that for a car worth half as much. Going comprehensive with a reasonable excess (the amount of any claim you pay) can come out cheaper than going for 'fire, theft + third party', for reasons I don't fully understand.

Annual MOT and repairs / maintenance is going to be at least somewhere round £ 150 a year, more if they find anything dubious. Last year, I probably spent too much on an old car hoping that each repair would be the end of problems for a year or so. In the end I had to scrap it, which got me about £ 200 in scrap value. Generally speaking, any car is losing value all the time it's on the road (although car before that was old enough to have started going up in value again.)

Car tax varies according to CO2 emission banding.

This banding is not the same as what triggers Ultra Low Emission Zone charges - these apply in some city centres,. and generally, older cars (especially older diesels) don't meet the ULEZ standards and you have to pay a daily charge for going in to the zone (don't know if that might be an issue for you.)

Some places are trying to implement higher parking charges for non ULEZ compliant cars.

Is having something cheap and potentially unreliable going to be an issue with new job?

Eek!


"M Manchester

1-9, 11-24, 40, 60 . . . . . . . . . Refer

25-29, 32, 34-35, 38, 43, 45-46 . . F *

30-31, 33, 41, 44 . . . . . . . . . . . . E *"


I'm in one of the 'refer' postcodes. I already figured insurance would be the most expensive thing. I think some of my neighbours register their cars to their parents or partners address. (And I know the risks involved in that, if they get caught it would void their insurance, and they might even get done for insurance fraud or something.) When I was thinking of bringing my car back from where I lived and worked abroad, I was quoted £4-5k for insurance and that was about 15 years ago, (hence why I didn't do it), so gawd knows how much it would be to insure a Saab 9-3 1.8T in my neighbourhood now! And hence why I'd need to be realistic and get a little run-around with a small engine, to keep insurance costs down.

There isn't a ULEZ in Manchester... yet. It's been threatened previously, but they keep capitulating to the car-owning masses, sadly. (I live next to two main roads with 'killer levels' of air pollution.)

And yes, buying a lemon that's cheap but unreliable is a big fear. I think it would be an issue.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

I stl remember that number plate from my first car that I had 34 years ago. Yet I forget my Pin all the time.

B939UKL

Hahaha! I've just remembered the registration plate from my childhood, from my father's Ford... Cortina or Corsair. RTB 131C. It was purple.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

You might want to look at how VW ranks in reliability these days... Maybe a 15 year old one with a good service record, but the newer ones rate quite poorly. Stick with Japanese and you can't go wrong. The Koreans rate well in holding up, but they're famously quite difficult to get fixed if something does break.

Yes. And also I don't like the racist vibes of VW's advertising in recent years, so I was planning to try to avoid them. There's been some controversy in Germany a few years ago.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Mrs Tags very old Micra went on forever. Many told her it was a tin can and was not safe in the event of an accident.
Do you need to check for ulez compliance?

5* safety performance in tests was one of the reasons I liked my Saab 9-3, given how appalling the driving was in Qatar. I literally saw someone have a crash in the driving test centre and the instructors/security guards wrenched the two cars apart (the bumpers had become entangled) and then she - a Qatari woman - continued!

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Thank you all very much, your comments and insights are very helpful and very much appreciated. I've got a lot to think about and research... providing I get the job!

 

[Elpenor]

Yes to back up what Looby said it’s pre-booked pool cars for business travel here for most people

 

[Looby]

Also, adding business miles to lease or PCP can really bump up the price or you could end up paying excess mileage if you under declare how many miles you’ll be doing.

 

[baldrick]

You may want to look at cars that are not "traditional young driver cars" and maybe consider something that isn't a 1.0

It can be more expensive to insure a small runaround compared to something more family car sized

 

[nogojones]

Yeah, I think I'd be torn between this option, crossing my fingers and hoping I don't get sold a lemon, and the lease option.

Do you have a mate you can call on who knows anything about cars to check them out with you?

you can check a cars MOT history, which might give you some clues here Check the MOT history of a vehicle

and read up online about common faults and costs for any car you're going to view before you see it

 

[hash tag]

Do you have a mate you can call on who knows anything about cars to check them out with you?

you can check a cars MOT history, which might give you some clues here Check the MOT history of a vehicle

and read up online about common faults and costs for any car you're going to view before you see it

Also be wary of any loans that might be outstanding on a car.

 

[sojourner]

I paid £600 for a very old Ford Focus, 4 years ago. It's like a tank, love it.

Check MOT histories online (for free) using the reg, and always insist that the timing belt has been replaced recently before buying. My top tips, given to me by my ex who is a mechanic. Ford Focus cars are strong as fuck, aim for one of them.

 

[geminisnake]

Will check that out, thanks.

My licence isn't transferrable so I'll have to start from scratch, albeit with a head-start in terms of having some driving experience, and albeit not recent.

You'll need to tell any potential instructor that you have held a foreign licence I think. I remember being told only learners and the instructor were insured to drive the car yrs ago and once you pass the instructor has to drive you home
VWs and Skodas 10/15 yrs old are still reliable. I have an 11 plate Scirocco and he passes the MOT no bother most yrs. Occasional needs something done to the brakes/shocks but that's just wear and tear on any car imo

 

[Chz]

I paid £600 for a very old Ford Focus, 4 years ago. It's like a tank, love it.

Check MOT histories online (for free) using the reg, and always insist that the timing belt has been replaced recently before buying. My top tips, given to me by my ex who is a mechanic. Ford Focus cars are strong as fuck, aim for one of them.

Except for the 2011-2016 ones with the exploding EcoBoost engines. Probably better to avoid all itsy-bitsy turbocharged-out-the-wazoo engines for long term use.

 

[sojourner]

Except for the 2011-2016 ones with the exploding EcoBoost engines. Probably better to avoid all itsy-bitsy turbocharged-out-the-wazoo engines for long term use.

Mine's 2005

 

[Puddy_Tat]

I'm in one of the 'refer' postcodes. I already figured insurance would be the most expensive thing.

if it comes to it, may be worth seeing if there's an old fashioned broker anywhere local to you - there are still a few around, and they will know the local circumstances. the online price comparison sites (some of which are owned by one holding company and only compare their subsidiaries' products) tend to go for the higher volume, lower risk stuff.

although i'm starting to think that this job isn't going to be worth running a car for...

I remember being told only learners and the instructor were insured to drive the car yrs ago and once you pass the instructor has to drive you home

think i got told by the instructor that he would drive back after the test, whether i passed or not on the basis i'd be knackered after doing the test (think that happened with both car and bus tests)

 

[weltweit]

It is possible to run a car on benefits. Helps if you are lucky and don't incur any expensive repairs.

You have to spread the costs like insurance, road tax and the like, (save for them) and then keep your expenses low by not driving far or often. I was on JSA for a while and managed to run a small car. It helped that I already had the car when I went on benefits. I couldn't have afforded to buy it while on JSA.

 

[weltweit]

Mind you I had to save to buy a raincoat for interviews which cost my weekly income.

 

[OneStrike]

I have a Renault Mégane coupe for sale. It doesn't technically start but the roof works. I'll give you £20 to take it away. It has a new air freshener (apple).

In a more serious note, shop around for insurance, the gulf between them is shocking. Also, smaller engine cars are streets ahead of what they were way back when. I'm rolling around in a Honda Civic, 1.6 litre and it flies like it is off a shovel (not that I drive aggressively).

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

You may want to look at cars that are not "traditional young driver cars" and maybe consider something that isn't a 1.0

It can be more expensive to insure a small runaround compared to something more family car sized

Ah, I didn't know that. I thought that the smaller the engine, the lower the insurance. Will look into this further, thanks.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Also, adding business miles to lease or PCP can really bump up the price or you could end up paying excess mileage if you under declare how many miles you’ll be doing.

Ah, that's something to bear in mind/look into further, thank you.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

You'll need to tell any potential instructor that you have held a foreign licence I think. I remember being told only learners and the instructor were insured to drive the car yrs ago and once you pass the instructor has to drive you home
VWs and Skodas 10/15 yrs old are still reliable. I have an 11 plate Scirocco and he passes the MOT no bother most yrs. Occasional needs something done to the brakes/shocks but that's just wear and tear on any car imo

Good idea, thanks, it wouldn't have occurred to me that I ought to tell them for possible insurance purposes, although I suppose I might've mentioned it in the context of 'I don't think I'll need that many lessons because I can drive/used to drive and had a licence in a foreign country.'

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Mine's 2005

Phew!

 

[sojourner]

Phew!

I pay my road tax and insurance in monthly instalments too, so no big cash layouts.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Good idea, thanks, it wouldn't have occurred to me that I ought to tell them for possible insurance purposes, although I suppose I might've mentioned it in the context of 'I don't think I'll need that many lessons because I can drive/used to drive and had a licence in a foreign country.'

would have thought that if you don't have a current UK licence, then as far as the law is concerned, you're a 'learner' as far as driving in the UK is concerned - but no harm in telling them.

I pay my road tax and insurance in monthly instalments too, so no big cash layouts.

indeed, although both cost you more that way.

 

[Chz]

Ah, I didn't know that. I thought that the smaller the engine, the lower the insurance. Will look into this further, thanks.

A lot of the smallest engines are turbocharged now. Which adds cost and complexity to repairs and maintenance, and has a somewhat dubious reputation once you get into 12+ year old cars.

Unfortunately, due to the way the EU regs work, most new cars have them here. A 1.0 turbo and a regular 1.4 have similar power and - under real world conditions - similar economy. But the turbo can be tuned to game the MPG and CO2 tests better and thus avoids charges for not meeting fleet benchmarks. Fiat had a tiny 875cc turbo that used more fuel in Real World use than the 1.5L it replaced because it had to work so hard. But it was brilliant on the standard EU test cycle.

 

[sojourner]

indeed, although both cost you more that way.

Yeh but way easier to manage.

 

[circleline]

You buy a cheap car because you have to.. been driving for 35 years and never spent more than a grand on a car. The last one was a 2010 Vauxhall Astra in 2018 on 75k miles that I paid a grand for, that is now on 125k miles and will definitely not go through another MOT in December.

This will have to change because I need a decent car fairly soon and I will have to look at bank and finance options that will last me through for a bit. Am in better financial circumstances now but the search is proving more troublesome than you might think from having more spending power.

My searches:
Vauxhall or Ford are reliable and cheap for parts and repairs. Personally, i don't like Ford and models from 2012, I believe, will have a wet belt, that seems problematic to me.
MOT history, as others have said - 'oil leak' that is mentioned in every MOT advisory for last 5 years; engine noise that appeared as an advisory 2 years ago..etc
Volvo - cause you get the mileage out of them - bit gutted writing this, as just missed out on a decent 2018 plate with low miles and FVSH

I am looking for value for money and longevity and shy away from Renault, Citroen, Fiat as a given. Honda and Toyota seem difficult to get a bargain. Also Skoda. Can't really afford Audi or BMW due to cost of parts and maintenance.

It's a hard business running a decent car if you're not a mechanic and on your own. Part of the reason I've always been skint.

Am still looking; got 4 weeks to find a replacement.

Also, to the OP - if there is a backlog in London for driving tests, you can look further afield to book in for a test, that may have lesser queues. Will take some organisation but still doable as an option.

 

[Dogsauce]

If you buy something bigger with a diesel engine, particularly a high mileage one, check that there aren’t screw holes in the bumper from having a taxi plate fitted. Have made that mistake…

 

[Chz]

Volvo - cause you get the mileage out of them - bit gutted writing this, as just missed out on a decent 2018 plate with low miles and FVSH

Volvo ain't what it was since becoming Chinese. The change has been slow, rather than catastrophic, but the newer the model the more the problems, it seems.
They're not bad, but considering what Volvo parts and service cost anything less than bulletproof is a cause for concern.