What should I look for in a first car?

[Radioactive Snowman]

So I’m getting my tax return pretty soon and I’m planning on using the money to buy my first car. What should I be looking for though because while I’ve done a couple of lessons I’ve never bought a car before and I don’t know what I should be looking for. 

 

My budget is around €2000, I don’t want to spend much more because I just want something basic to start off. 

[PlayStation 2]

Frankly, it might be best to start with "what do you plan on needing?"

In a broad sense, look for cars with known reliability, cars that are known to be easy and cheap to repair and cars that suit your needs. For example, here in the States a popular first car is the Toyota Corolla. It fits the reliable and cheap criteria well, but depending on if you need something bigger, it might not be the best choice for you.

[Drak3]

Look for something stupid simple and inexpensive to work on.

 

Take the car to a trustworthy mechanic before you buy. They'll tell you if you're missing a crucial subsystem or component, like a catalytic converter.

 

Look for something that isn't modified much, if at all. Tons of monkeys that think they're mechanics because they can turn a wrench and buy a "performance" metal pipe online.

[dalekphalm]

1 hour ago, Radioactive Snowman said:

So I’m getting my tax return pretty soon and I’m planning on using the money to buy my first car. What should I be looking for though because while I’ve done a couple of lessons I’ve never bought a car before and I don’t know what I should be looking for. 

 

My budget is around €2000, I don’t want to spend much more because I just want something basic to start off. 

Good advice so far.

 

Don't buy anything fancy. Get reliable - ideally with good gas mileage too. Look for low mileage (well, compared to similarly priced cars - for $2000 euro you’re not getting a car with low mileage). 

 

Make sure to get the car inspected before buying it.

 

Also make sure to get an insurance quote before buying too, so you can estimate monthly insurance premiums. 

 

Tip for owning it: follow the manufacturers maintenance guide - at least for oil changes if nothing else. Get the car inspected when you get an oil change - many mechanics will do an inspection as part of the oil change package. 

 

Get a more thorough inspection at least once per year. 

 

If you live in a winter climate, get snow tires - even if the car is AWD. 

 

Rotate the tires every oil change (or as recommended). 

 

And always remember: owning a car is expensive. Make sure you can afford it (not just the purchase price). 

[Tsuki]

decent on gas mileage

reliable

easy to work on

 

toyota corolla or honda accord are pretty good options

[Radioactive Snowman]

9 hours ago, Dan Castellaneta said:

Frankly, it might be best to start with "what do you plan on needing?"

In a broad sense, look for cars with known reliability, cars that are known to be easy and cheap to repair and cars that suit your needs. For example, here in the States a popular first car is the Toyota Corolla. It fits the reliable and cheap criteria well, but depending on if you need something bigger, it might not be the best choice for you.

 

9 hours ago, Drak3 said:

Look for something stupid simple and inexpensive to work on.

 

Take the car to a trustworthy mechanic before you buy. They'll tell you if you're missing a crucial subsystem or component, like a catalytic converter.

 

Look for something that isn't modified much, if at all. Tons of monkeys that think they're mechanics because they can turn a wrench and buy a "performance" metal pipe online.

 

9 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

Good advice so far.

 

Don't buy anything fancy. Get reliable - ideally with good gas mileage too. Look for low mileage (well, compared to similarly priced cars - for $2000 euro you’re not getting a car with low mileage). 

 

Make sure to get the car inspected before buying it.

 

Also make sure to get an insurance quote before buying too, so you can estimate monthly insurance premiums. 

 

Tip for owning it: follow the manufacturers maintenance guide - at least for oil changes if nothing else. Get the car inspected when you get an oil change - many mechanics will do an inspection as part of the oil change package. 

 

Get a more thorough inspection at least once per year. 

 

If you live in a winter climate, get snow tires - even if the car is AWD. 

 

Rotate the tires every oil change (or as recommended). 

 

And always remember: owning a car is expensive. Make sure you can afford it (not just the purchase price). 

 

7 hours ago, Tsuki said:

decent on gas mileage

reliable

easy to work on

 

toyota corolla or honda accord are pretty good options

I know its hard to say without actually looking at the car but would this be worth considering? 

 

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/vw-golf-1-4-petrol-2003/22689597

[cluelessgenius]

well in no way an expert but you should look around at what kind of cars are most common in your area. for example in case of germany id suggest a golf 4 for a first car. getting the most common care within your budget means parts will be cheaper and more readily available. then obviously you should see if it meets your needs like trunk space and stuff. when checking an actual car for 2000 bucks you cant be too picky. dont harass the seller about every bit of rust or something but you should make sure the technical side of it works well. depending on the car here a couple things i would check:

- open the hood and feel if the engine is warm when you arrive there

  - that means it has been running right before you came and could mean the seller is trying to cover up any weird noises during a cold start  that could indicate engine degradation

- while youre in there look for how "wet" the engine looks. i dont mean clean. a completly clean engine bay (although at 200 bucks i doubt someone would go through the trouble) again could indicate the seller is trying to hide something. dont get freaked out about some oil smears in there but it just shouldnt be covered in it 

- also have a quick look at the front frame of the car while you can. if you see some part of the frame that makes you think "i dont know if the manufacturer would deliver them like that" it might had a crash that got repaired. not necessarily bad but is a major point espicially if the seller didnt tell you about it.

- the check can be done in the back. dont hessitate pulling up the trunk carpet till youre looking at bare metal. obviously im not saying rip out glued in pieces but usually its removable.

- then of course do a test drive. and try getting a feel for how loose the clutch is and how give is in the gear box. and engine noises of course.

- then all the formalities. check if tires are still good and not too old. if they are you usually argue on budget for new tires. 

- oh yeah and the timing belt should be replaced roughly every 100k km modern cares claim longer but thats the rule of thumb. that can get expensive. worst case id say almost 1000€ or so depending on the car. so on a 2k car thats not good. thats why most people sell their cars just before the 100k km threshhold. so check when and at what kilometer value the swap has been done so you know how long till its gotta be changed again.

 

[dalekphalm]

16 hours ago, Radioactive Snowman said:

 

 

 

I know its hard to say without actually looking at the car but would this be worth considering? 

 

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/vw-golf-1-4-petrol-2003/22689597

For your budget, it’s definitely worth considering. A car that old will almost certainly require some upkeep as parts start to fail, but that’s unavoidable in your budget range. 

 

If you’re interested in it, get the full car history check done, and get the car inspected (arrange to test drive the car, and arrange at the same time for a mechanic to look at it). Take the mechanic with you for a quick test drive. 

 

Do. Not. Buy. Without an inspection. 

 

But a Golf is definitely a good starter car. 

[DildorTheDecent]

18 hours ago, Radioactive Snowman said:

I know its hard to say without actually looking at the car but would this be worth considering? 

 

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/vw-golf-1-4-petrol-2003/22689597

I'd go 1.9 TDi for the economy + tax might be cheaper.

 

€385 sounds like a lot.

[Bananasplit_00]

Some reliable thing that you don't mind bashing the living shit out of. My first car was waaaaay to nice, I wanted to hoon but I couldn't bring myself to do it because it was low miles and barely worn in any way...

[zassou]

imo　for a first car you should go for an automatic, learn how the rules of the road works before doing handling stuff.

secondly a common, easy to fix car with good fuel economy is recommended. if you can get a second hand one with known history would be ideal.

japanese brands except mitsubishi has a reputation for reliable.

 

this is especially true if you live in the cities. urban driving is substentially more dangerous than subburbs.