Help me pick a £2k car or talk me out of it! Also brand vs. Age vs. Miles what do you pick?

[purpletrees16]

Hi all - I’m looking to get my first car at 32 for my DH to learn how to drive on and to drive to in-laws who live 200miles away once every 6 weeks or so.

I live in the ULEZ (& congestion charge soon, I guess) so I’m looking for low CO2 as a priority as I think the limit will probably by increased. We have off street parking that came with the house.

I gave my parents a massive MOT bill when I learnt how to drive so I am thinking of getting something cheap and then in a couple of years once DH can drive trading it in but I am keen for it to be safe.

Is this a bad idea? Will this cost more in the long run? I’m never going to buy a new car - but if a 3-5 year old car is actually cheaper over x years then I’d consider it. Reliability isn’t too much of an issue as I’m not using it to commute or go anywhere important- will get breakdown insurance.

Cars that have come up with under 100k miles under 10 years old with road tax under £30 on autotrader (around 70 cars to choose.) (excluding category cars).

Peugeot 107 (2010-2012)
Hyundai i10 (2010-2012)
Toyota Aygo (2010 -2011)
Suzuki alto (2012- 2014)
Citroen c1 (2011-2012)
Vauxhall Corsa (2012-2013) more co2
Nissian pixo (2012-2014)
Ford Kia (2010)

The alto and pixo seems to be the newest and therefore there’s a couple with sub 50k miles and 10months MOT around but I’m conscious that if there might be a reason they are low priced. However, I am aware that the Japanese and Korean brands have a reputation for being cheaper to maintain so is a older more heavily used but “better” brand worth it? Is there a calculator for these things - I make financial models for a living - so I could knock something up in excel if I knew the annual costs.

(he will do 10 hrs at least of lessons before driving an non-dual control car, worry not.)

Argh - can’t edit:
Ford Ka (2011 not Kia! And only one of them.)
Kia Picanto 2011
Chevrolet Spark is also an option but higher co2 again. 2012-2013

I discounted the fiat panda due to ugliness but all the above pass my very low standards.

I would look up the insurance for the cars because that is obviously an ongoing cost ( possibly more than the car costs ) and then choose the best value of those that remain. Depending on where you live - possibly tax will rise if you do not have an electric car. If you do not care about how lovely the car is , in my experience Fords or Vauxhalls aren't the most glamorous cars but they are pretty reliable. Not sure if that helps - but meant to .

I got a 995c 10 year old Toyota Aygo in 2017 I absolutely love it! Tax is £20 a year, insurance is fairly cheap, it's nippy round town and easy to park. I get 320 miles to a tank of fuel and it cost me less than £40 to fill up. Tyres and servicing have been really reasonable. I would definitely get one again!

Good point on the insurance - I chose one randomly to get a quote for but shudder at methodically going through the whole lot. Is there a generic cost scale like O2E costs x less than a O4E?

Trouble with the electric is that at the moment it somewhat kills the In-laws trip and they are also much more expensive. Cheapest is a nissian leaf at £6k. Would be definitely up for an electric car for car two if I end up using it about town but for car one, I was hoping to get a sub 100 g/km petrol. Plus I think they are emphasising the congestion part of the congestion charge and removing discounts for electric cars as well soon . Hoping they will bring in a residents 90% discount though like at the moment if they extend.

Maybe add the Yaris to your list. I would tend to buy on condition rather than mileage. A higher mileage car with a fully documented history complete with receipts etc that has clearly been well maintained and looked after is a much better buy than a low mile example with virtually no history that’s been serviced once in the last 3 years.

Its a bit of a false economy to limit yourself to only cars that cost £30 to tax. You are cutting out a lot of cars that are more reliable and therefore cost less to fix.

Go and look at a Honda Jazz for starters.

Its a bit of a false economy to limit yourself to only cars that cost £30 to tax.

Absolutely this! The tax is actually a fairly small cost in the grand scheme of things as long as we’re not including cars in the £300-£500 categories! Whether it costs £30 or £130 won’t make that much difference and is worth it for the right car.

My issue is living in the ULEZ - which I’m concerned they will lower the limit on and then I’ll be stuck with a car that cost £15 a day to drive off the drive way.

Although it’s currently Euro 4 for petrol cars I can’t see that lasting as TFL becomes more cash strapped.

My parents have a Honda Jazz which is a good car. Am I worrying about nothing? Does anyone know the tax rate at which it would be the next level of efficient than the current limit?

Maybe post on the Money Saving Expert Forum? Lots of petrol heads on there who will crunch numbers and other data for you.

I will say that I have driven 4 cars ever: a Honda Civic, Jazz and CR-V and an ancient Ford Fiesta.

So getting a Honda would be familiar - they seem to be quite a lot more expensive for anything past 2010 though - more like £4.5k. Insurance is another £80, so with the road tax an extra £180 p.a.

Are they much better than the Hyundai ? I’m guessing they’ll retain there resale value more and I do know what they are like. The in-laws have one as a second car (though they say it has always leaked.)

Tricky as I would choose based on how they feel to drive. E.g. I prefer Aygo and Yaris over Hyundai.

I would love a hybrid Yaris, but my existing Toyota is proving reliable and low running/maintenance costs so not worth a trade up.

Stick to the Japanese and Korean cars on your list for starters.

@purpletrees16

I've given up trying to predict what will happen with car tax . Ours is a diesel as it was meant to be more environmentally friendly & so reflected in the tax. Now you would think by having one we are directly related to Beelzebub.

Slightly left field but if you live in London & don't day to day need a car - can DH learn in the driving instructor's car and then join a car club for when you actually need one? Some friends of mine live in London & this is what they have done. Annual fee and then pay per usage. - Yes you have to book in advance so not as convenient but they reckon overall much cheaper than the costs of having your own car.

Neither of those things probably help too much but just a thought.

Best of luck whatever you do