Car advice & mental health

[MammaMia0]

Hi all, I’m looking to get a new car and was wondering if anyone has any websites or good cheap cars they’d personally recommend. Also is it bad to buy from a private seller as their prices can be cheaper and eye catching however there’s probably issues with the car that they’re not telling you 🤔

I was previously driving for 5 years however had to scrap my car last May as I couldn’t afford the repairs it needed and due to my financial struggle I’ve had no car for the past year. This has worsened my mental health as I live just outside of London in the countryside where a cars kinda needed especially as I suffer with severe mental health such as anxiety that prevents me being able to get on public transport, so having a car helped a lot. I’ve spent the last year at home every single day (other than the odd occasion) as I no longer have my car so it’s effecting my life and mental state massively.

I’ve been trying to save for the past year however it’s been rather hard as I live by myself and I’m currently on universal credit as I’m unable to work, due to health reasons, most my money goes towards bills, food etc and I have little to save afterwards. I currently have £2,000 in savings there’s probably a few cars I could buy with that however I’d really like something reliable. Should I wait longer and try to save some more?

If finances are a concern OP I would really advise waiting until you can afford a reliable car. With only £2000 to spend you could easily end up buying a car that breaks a few weeks later and needs £1000 repairs so you’d be no better off.

Also, I’d really recommend buying from a mainstream garage, the warranties can be worth their weight in gold.

Also, I’d really recommend buying from a mainstream garage, the warranties can be worth their weight in gold

Down the lower end of the market the warranties aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.

It’s something to look properly at but the last two cars we have bought the warranties have ended up savings us literally thousands of pounds.

One of our cars the warranty for 3 years was about £1100, big issue picked up about 3 months later not the garage’s fault or mine but covered under warranty so fixed for free. The cost my garage would have charged to fix it £2300, so straight away I was better off. There was then another minor thing the following year, minor but still quoted £370 by my garage, was covered under warranty so again was sorted for free.

Parents car warranty was £1300 for I think 4 years, various issues in that time, most recent one an issue with a £4000 price tag, all covered under warranty.

I don’t think £2k is anywhere near enough. You’ll need to get a reliable car, and have enough for service, MOTs and repairs. You didn’t have enough last year for repairs what has changed now?

And were these third party warranties on £2-3k cars bought from independent dealers? I’m guessing not.

I already clearly stated that I would not advise buying a £2k car, and also advised to stick to mainstream dealers :)

The reality is if you buy a £2k car it’s not going to be great, or won’t be great for long.

Yes, but even if OP saves £4/5k then she still won’t be buying from a main dealer with a quality warranty so your experience isn’t really relevant.

At the lower end of the market the OP is much better off buying privately and having the car inspected first.

Again though that could just be throwing every penny of that money down the drain.

Buying privately, especially when you don’t have a pot of money for repairs, is risky. A couple of my husband’s friends have done exactly that, taken a mechanic with them to check the car over, and still be stung a few weeks/months later with a big bill. You cannot reliably and certainly say everything is fine and especially with an older car everything could be fine one day and a few weeks later have a few expensive issues.

The £2K simply isn't enough for a reliable car, tax, MOT and insurance.

If you feel you need access to a car sooner, and it's not daily trips you need help with, what about Co-Wheels or a similar car club. I've not used it myself, but my neighbor uses it occasionally. It might help with that feeling of freedom and independence without having to take public transport.

There’s the same potential for that with any car under a certain value though, exactly the same thing is true when buying a car for £4/5k. If you’re looking at main dealer stuff maybe £10k+ then it’s less likely and the warranties are going to be better. Plenty of people have issues with cars they’ve bought from main dealers and struggle to get repaired though.

A friend just purchased a car for £2k. It’s a very nice car and needed some tyres and will likely be problem free motoring for some time. Buying a car is the luck of the draw. I’ve purchased a lot and only go to garages that I’ve researched etc. but even then, if something goes wrong they can still be pricks. Larger companies should be better but they also know the law better and most people don’t bother fighting it. I once purchased a car and after a few days it was clear there was a problem with the clutch - they all said it was wear and tear so I’d have to pay. I really had to be forceful to get them to agree to let me return this 10k car (it was within 14 days) but I’ve had a one man band who sold me many cars ranging from £750-2k where he fixes everything and makes sure I’m happy.

make sure you check the MoT history of the car to see it’s been maintained and research reviews of the garage, visit yourself and see if they seem dodgy.

Even at £2k, there are still some solid reliable cars available that are worth a punt.

As long as OP goes for low mileage, full service history, checks the MOT history online and gets an AA check.

You can see from the MOT history as to what advisories/fails there have been and also check the legitimacy of the recorded mileage. A full service history means that consumables like oil has been changed to schedule which reduces the risk of engine problems.

An AA check should give confidence that it's not subject to finance, not been badly repaired after an accident etc.

I think it's just a matter of doing more "due diligence" when buying an old/cheap car. But plenty of them have lots of life left in them.

Do you have any Zipcars near you @MammaMia0 ?

Given your budget, renting a Zipcar when you feel like a trip out might be a more prudent option and that way you’ll avoid any worries about maintenance costs etc.