How much to spend on a car

[ohthejoy21]

Hoping from some advise from drivers.
I am going to buy my first car very soon, if I pass my impending test!
I am an older (50's) and probably won't drive a lot as I live and work in the same area but nonetheless I am very excited to finally do this.
I have a healthy budget but I cannot decide whether to buy an old cheap car (6-7k) or a newer one (10-12k).
Would you advise being a new driver to buy the cheaper one until I get more experience and then in a couple of years buy the car I really like or just buy the car I want straight away and keep it for a long time?

Personally, I would pitch at the upper end of your lower range (if that makes sense!)

In the used car market right now there won't be a huge difference between a 7k car and a 10k car. So I'd be inclined to hold onto the three grand at this point. Given that pretty much any car will depreciate, you're going to lose less money if you buy slightly cheaper.

(It would be different if you were looking to spend up to 15 or 20 grand, then you'd probably notice a substantive difference in age, condition and spec versus a 7k car.)

The important thing is to look for something that has been looked after. Personally, I would prioritise Japanese and Korean brands (Toyota, Honda, Kia, Hyundai) and look for something that has a solid service and MOT history.

Unless you get a brand new car the chance of either 7K or 10K car breaking down are equal.
I would personally go for the cheaper option

I wouldn't class 6-7K as an old cheap car!

I am also on the hunt at the moment and for the small car I want, 2-3 year old models seem to be anywhere between 8.5K and 10K. I've never spent that much on a car ever but looks like I will have to this time.

For a first car, I would go cheaper if poss. Many new drivers have knocks and scrapes initially so I wouldn't want those on a new car.

Thank you both.
The car I would really like, Fiat 500, the difference between the price brackets is the cheaper cars are 10+ years old and the newer around 4 years. The newer versions include the screen (for music/maps etc).
I am worried about breaking down in an old car and repairs.

If you don't want to break down, avoid fiats all together....

Fiat 500, I take it you've never been in one

I'm surprised Lidl don't sell them in the middle aisle

Wow, £6 - £7k for a 10 year old Fiat 500, really? :o

for a car like that which perhaps doesn’t have the reputation for reliability as other marques I’d get a newer one :)

It's the mileage that draws me. We paid (a few years ago), 7k for a 5yo Focus with about 40k on the clock. It's still going strong now, so reliable and cheap to repair as parts are ten a penny - not that we've had much to repair beyond an indicator barrel and refixing the exhaust sheild back on.

If and when it goes to the scrapyard, we will look for another one with under 50k on the clock.

Go down to your local independent garage (one that doesn't sell cars) and ask the owner which car he'd recommend for his mum.

You'll get an honest answer from a person that knows their cars.

Safety. That is the very first thing I check when I am buying a car. It may look pretty but how badly injured would I be in this car compared to another in a crash? So first things first Euro NCAP safety crash tests. For your Fiat 500 it is a 3 star out of 5 and I wouldn't touch it.

www.euroncap.com/en/results/fiat/500/26307

Especially alarming is the red driver head which means serious injury. That is where I would start.

I've heard rumours about fiats but have spoken to lots who own and love theirs. I have always loved these cars so that's what I am going to get.
I know 7k for a 10 year old car seems a lot, I was surprised too but I understand used cars are particularly expensive right now.
Now trying to work out year v mileage ... it's a minefield!

Ds has just passed his test so I upgraded my car for one with a lot of additional safety features although my car is more expensive than your budget but is only 2 years old. It has blind spot collision warning, lane keep assist which alerts you if you drift out of your lane, it has a forward camera that reads the speed limit sign for the road so if you miss it as you turn in it will display this on the dash board, mine also has a distance indicator ie how many seconds you are behind the car in front, so green if more than 2 seconds. It has a reversing camera plus rear and forward sensors. I have been driving for 25 years and I want to be safe.

There are lots of car review videos on YouTube, we like Car Wow and Car Buyer. Also for your upcoming test there are lots of mock test videos on YouTube that are narrated by the instructor like Clearview driving which may help you with your test. And to see what kind of people are on the road with you, all dash cam videos that show lots of near misses. You can predict most of them.

10k miles per year is assumed the average (if I recall). Anything less than that is a bonus. We insure our cars to 10k miles pa but never do more than about 6k.

Thank you everyone, I'm sorry I can't reply individually to all.
I understand the safety concerns, I live in london and can't see me going on any motorways soon so won't often be driving at speed. Maybe I am just being ridiculously naive at the moment and will change my mind once I have experience.
The poster who upgraded, all sounds great, it's amazing what modern cars can do, I have a lot to learn! I also imagine that your car was ££££

You want a low mileage model with full service history, however even new cars can break down. Fiat's are not known for their reliability (Fix it again tomorrow).

I wouldn't class 6-7K as an old cheap car!

this ^

I would start with a 1 litre Japanese car, for a lot less than £7K......nissan, toyota, hyundia, honda, or maybe a skoda, they are good, too.

My daughter has a fiat 500. It's brilliant. Hers is a 2017 plate, low mileage with all the gadgets. She bought it last year.

Don't get a Fiat 500 they are always going wrong. The mileage of the car is more important than the age. We have always gone for one about 6 thousand pounds with as low mileage as possible. Stick with a Ford Fiesta you won't go wrong

Unlike some, I'm not totally averse to a Fiat 500. My mum's had three on the bounce since 2012, and never had any major problems.

I'd still plump for Japanese/Korean, personally, but if you like the 500 I don't think it'd be a disaster if you really want one. My mum has loved hers.

There are loads around so you can afford to be picky. You definitely don't need to be paying 10k to get a newer car.

OK this is national, but here are all the Fiat 500s on Autotrader right now priced between 6k and 7k, ranked newest first and excluding Cat S, C, D and N.

As you can see, you can certainly find a decent 2015/2016/2017 model for 6 or 7k.

www.autotrader.co.uk/car-search?sort=year-desc&postcode=sw1a2aa&radius=1500&make=Fiat&model=500&include-delivery-option=on&price-from=6000&price-to=7000&exclude-writeoff-categories=on

(I put the 10 Downing Street postcode in there so as not to out myself! I figured it didn't matter since I was doing a national search anyway.)

@FuckabethFuckor thank you but I need automatic. They appear much rarer and much more expensive!

I'm on my 2nd 500 and have had no problems whatsoever.

The first was a brand new 500C in 2009, then I traded that in in 2016 for a new model one as I wanted the parking beeps. I paid about £8.5k for a 6m old ex demo car from the mai dealer with 1000 miles on the clock. Tax is zero and it meets the ULEZ criteria.

We tend to travel for our cars, this one came from East Yorks. I chose the exact model, colour and price I was looking for and waited for it to turn up anywhere.

That is still a lot though for a Fiat. You can get an automatic Volvo v40 7 years old for £10 - £11k. I have one and it’s a lovely car

6-7k isn't a cheap car.

I would say either go for something really cheap (<2k) or for 10k. That way it should either be fairly new and last a long time or is on the way to being an old banger, so if anything goes wrong it won't be too painful to get rid.

Going for something in the middle is the worst of both worlds - you are still spending a lot of money for something that you don't really want and as it's middle aged things will start to need replacing.

@karalimed thank you.
Looking online I think 6/7k is cheap at the moment although it is a huge amount of money for sure. That amount would get me a 10+ year old version of the car that I want.
I think you're right and that I'd be better off spending more and getting a newer car that will last. No wonder so many people lease cars nowadays!