Buying a Car: Advice for Young Drivers

Whether you're buying your first car or fifth car, it's always a good idea to follow these steps

There are plenty of bargains out there but you do need to be careful.

  • Buy with your head. No matter what your first impressions are, ALWAYS give the car a good looking over. The car may look mint, but there could be some nasty surprises hiding under the bonnet
  • Get an HPI check. This will check to see if the car is stolen, has been written off or is still on hire purchase. The sad fact is that if you buy a stolen car and the police find out, they will take the car off you and there's nothing you can do about it
  • Go see the car in daylight...

...Why should you arrange to view the car during the day? Simple, it's easier to spot any issues in daylight than in the dark. If you can only arrange to view the car at night, make sure to take a torch with you.

  • Haggle...

...If you find something wrong with the car, use it to your advantage. Look for any cracked lights, used window wipers and any other small issues which you can use to your advantage to get a fairer price! 
  • Always ask them how much they want for the car. There's a chance that they may have dropped the price and you saw an old advert. This way you won't pay more than they're asking
  • Never "make do". If there's something you're not happy about with the car, walk away, there's plenty more cars out there
  • Never take the sellers "word for it"...

...Taking a seller at face value could easily cost you  more than you think. For example, if a seller shows you an issue with the car that will "only cost £20" to fix, do the research. The part to fix the issue might cost only £20, but does that include the mechanics labour costs to fix the issue, pushing the cost to an excess of £200?
  • Get an insurance quote before you buy...

...It's a sad fact, car insurance is likely to be the biggest cost after buying the car. Make sure you can afford the insurance, before purchase.