Buying your first car

My guide to help you buy your first car

So you’ve done it, passed your driving test, freedom awaits, well once you’ve bought your first car anyways.

This is the daunting task that now awaits with so many possible things that can go wrong so that you end up with a lemon on a car. A car that brakes down and the garage that you purchased it from not really wanting to help you much.

Don’t worry follow my guide and it will help prevent you from doing so, although I can’t guarantee anything it will help you identify a few tricks to help your first purchase go as smoothly as possible.

Choose which car

The first part of buying your first car is to think about what car you would like.

When deciding budget is key, its not just about buying the car but insurance, road tax, fuel and repair costs that need to form a basis of this decision.

Do you want to be cool and trendy in it, does power mean something to you, what about comfort?

It really depends on what you are planning to use the car for, is it just to work and back, long journeys on the motorway or just something to ferry the kids around in?

Once you have decided on a car, or a couple of options then you need to think about trim levels. What do you want in it, a good sound system, heated seats, a load exhaust or just the basic to keep costs down.

Now these decisions have been made it’s time to look at what’s out there, I advise Auto trader to search on as it can get you to a car, the trim, the year, millage and lots of other options.

Great now you’ve found a couple of cars to go and look at, but wait don’t do it just yet, you’ve got home work to do.

You need to do some research on the cars you have decided to look at, I advise looking at ‘what car’ as they review cars and go through the good the bad and the ugly, it will detail common faults to look for in that brand.

Insurance

Once this piece of homework is done it will give you some idea of the budget that you will have to purchase the car.

On ‘Auto trader’ I would look for a couple of examples that interest you, get the reg number and then use one of the comparison websites to get some quotes

At no point do I advise you to not be truthful but there are ways to get your quote lower, for instance your job title, as long as it describes what you do, I would google ‘the jobs for lowest insurance quotes’ you would be surprised at how you can save on insurance.

Some people find putting their parents on brings it down, unfortunately for my family as an automatic driving instructor here in Bolton and Bury insurance companies think we are high risk.

I would always advice people to get insurance quotes before deciding on a car and spec, it could save you thousands in todays market.

Test drive

So you’ve decided on the car and spec, armed with your homework on common faults and know you can afford the insurance, its time to go and look at some cars.

Always try and take someone with you when buying your first car as a sales person can sniff out an inexperienced buyer.

Now I’m not being negative towards car sales people, I’ve dealt with some really good ones over the years but have dealt with some not so nice ones.

This is why you have done your homework so you have an idea of what your talking about and looking at.

Weather can be a big factor in buying your first car such as rain,  you may end up rushing looking around it, clearly don’t go when it’s snowing, but even when its clear blue skies and lovely and warm, believe it or not it would affect your mood.

So you are standing in front of the car you have come to see. While you are on your own(no sales person) start some basic checks

1, Tyres, check tread depth and condition

2, Check the body panels for scratches or dents, also are any a slightly different colour or out of line.

3, Check the window screen for scratches or chips.

4, Check underneath and around the wheel arches for rust.

5, Check underneath the engine bay for leaks.

When you get the keys don’t start the engine yet, check under the bonnet,

1, Check fluid levers such as oil, coolant, hydraulic fluid.

If there is a cream like substance around the dip stick or oil filler cap, RUN. It probably means the head gasket has gone and can cost a fair bit to fix.

When this is done start the car up and listen,

1, Did it start first time and smoothly.

2, Is there any rattles coming from the engine.

3, Is the white or blue smoke coming from the tail pipe.

Next I would check all the lights, wipers and heater switches are all working.

Then check the carpets for damp, it could show there is a leak in the car, don’t forget to check the boot out as well.

Ask the sales person, does it have 2 keys, a wheel locking nut?

What about service history, you want to see evidence don’t just take their work

How long is the MOT, what advisories did it have, easy to find out on the gov.uk website

So now your ready to take it for a drive, DON’T have the radio on you can listen to music when your at the dealer, your listening for rattles, squeaks.

In a safe place you want to test the brakes and make sure they don’t pull to one side, loosen your grip on the steering wheel to see if it pulls to one side while you brake and accelerate.

You need to be out for a good 15 minutes, the sales person is only letting you drive around the block then I would ask for longer or question why if they don’t want to, I wouldn’t accept their busy today either, that’s not giving you the service you deserve.

If you find anything then its time to start negotiating on the price, if they agree to fix things make sure its all written down on the order form or don’t sign it.

What kind of a warranty are they giving on it and is it parts and labour?

If your buying your first car on finance make sure you ask the interest rate as they vary massively from dealer to dealer.

So in conclusion be prepared to go through the car with a fine tooth comb and find the issues otherwise one you have taken delivery it would be difficult to get then to sort it.

Also when picking it up I would check over everything that you have asked the to do before accepting delivery, plus have they cleaned it properly.

I hope this helps you stay away from a lemon and enjoy your first car purchase.

Good luck

Automatic driving lessons Bolton and Bury