First car for 35 y/o terrible driver

[NeverSayNeverEver]

My husband and I just got married, and I are mature-new-drivers. HA! I'm 35, he's 41, and definitely over-cautious. Having both recently passed our tests we need to get our first car. Living in London it won't be used daily, but will enable us to build our confidence and allow us to visit family over Christmas in the Midlands and Manchester where we're both from... Any advice? The crowd around us is split- half say get a banger, half say lease a car for a few years and then just zip-car when needed... We've been hearing that second hand cars run up costs with replacing things... but lease car dealerships will sting us on scrapes... our indecision had stopped us moving forward for a year now and I need to move on this otherwise we'll struggle at Christmas. Any advice?

I would say an older car would be better especially if you’re parking on the road and not using it much. A lease is expensive and you are in effect renting the car but with a lot of conditions such as the state of it on return and mileage limitations. If you’re worried about an older car you should just buy sensibly - check for the service history and any known issues with the model and buy from a dealer so you have some consumer protection. But I would ask if you actually need a car. When you say you recently passed the test, will you have had your full license for 12 months when you’re going to see family? If so you could hire a car rather than buy one now.

If you are planning to drive long distances you need to get plenty of practice and also take a lesson on motorway driving

What did you both learn to drive in? That tends to be a good place to start with in terms of building confidence but it's not absolutely necessary.

I wouldn't buy a banger. For one you need to be compliant with ULEZ or it will cost a fortune to run. A hybrid will give you the electric runaround you need in London without the expense of a full electric car. The other factor is resale value. You will drive so little that you could buy a car with a reasonably high mileage for a 5yro car, for example and by the time you get to year 10, it will be below average for the market outside London.

Beyond that I can't advise on an actual car model. If funds allow buying a car brand new or still within a 3 year MOT period that means the servicing is free [check it can be transferred] was a weight off my mind as a new car owner.

Definitely get a few motorway lessons. Especially if a bit rusty and heading onto the motorways at Christmas. I'd do a Saturday or Sunday morning but then one in the evening when it's dark. Joining a motorway at speed is a good skill to have safely and a good instructor will teach you to tee it up safely especially in the dark with heavy traffic.