Tell Co-op Insurance what you look for when buying a used car - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED

[EllieMumsnet]

Whether you are buying a small family car, something fun for yourself, or perhaps a first car for your teenager, there are many things to consider such as size, fuel economy, and comfort to name a few. Co-op Insurance think safety is really important but would like to find out what is most important to you when you are buying a used car.

Here’s what Co-op Insurance has to say: “We know safety is paramount when it comes to driving children around and finding an affordable used car that offers the best safety standards will be important to many mums. For this reason we have identified and unveiled the top 5 used cars (under £5,000) for passenger safety. Whether it's your teenager’s first car or your car, passenger safety is very important and often an afterthought with all the other aspects to think about.”

So what is important to you when buying a used car? Are you savvy in finding the best price or do you shamelessly want a nice colour? Perhaps it’s all about the in-car entertainment for you to avoid the dreaded ‘are we there yet’? Or are you adamant that you must be able to fit three car seats in the back? Whatever your most important features are, please share them below and you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 voucher of your choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

The last used car I purchased I knew the service history and that it had been well maintained. It had low mileage and fitted my requirements of reasonable boot space, not too large, reasonable mileage for age and affordability both for purchase and running costs

The best car on the lot. Buy the best you can afford, but look for a decent engine, car body and finish of seats, which can be a good indication of how it was used. Never buy a can with a tow bar, as you have no idea of what it was towing.

citroen picasso has all of your requirements- mine was £300

i bought a car that had 4 good tyres, cheap insurance, an mot, roomy enough for 3 children- (two of them teens with long legs and a 5yr old in a car seat) and all their stuff, and a radio. Wasn't too bothered about looks. It has cheap insurance and is economic to run. Cost me £300. It's a 53 plate.

Low mileage, up to date service history with reputable dealer & big enough to fit everything in when we want to go camping!

A service history is always good as it shows that the previous owner looked after the car

I must admit the colour and size would attract me to the vehicle first then I would want to know the mileage the fuel economy and the cost of insurance and road tax. If after that I'm still interested I would start to delve a bit deeper and look under the bonnet for any signs of wear and tear. I always check the tyres too as mismatched ones with different treads can make a difference to the cars handling on the road.

For me it's safety, reliability, ease of use and insurance rating. With two teenage daughters learning to drive we have needed a car that fits all of these criteria. Bangs and whistles, colour and comfort have taken a back seat for now. Price and age of car have been important but a reliable service history, low level of road tax and few owners have been more so.

Space-like a big car with big boot. We drive on holidays a lot and hate having to stress packing it all in.

Look up the various makes on which to see how they compare for safety and reliability.

Have had a couple of fantastic cat d write offs in the past but knew people in the industry at the time to check out properly.

Like extras, heated windscreens, automatic lights/wipes, self lock, etc.

Low mileage, preferably only one owner from new, full service history, not the basic model, good price, good NCAP rating/airbags etc and within my budget.

Reliability, safety, boot space and back seat space

service history is most important

I look for reliability, fuel efficiency and safety. They're all equally important to me. Not too bothered about looks but I'd draw the line at a dodgy colour!

Fuel economy, reliability and no surprises

Service history , average or fewer miles, not length left, no tell tale overspray on engine or panels etc (unless.they have declared it has had some work done), tyre tread, number of owners.
I also like a nice example of whatever car it is, maybe a special edition with upgraded wheels or interior etc.

i would look at owner history, how reputable the seller is, i would be hugely concernen about the mileage clocks being falsified/ which is a massive thing at the moment and very easy to do.

i would want a nice looking one that's easy to sell on and the parts are cheap

As well as the obvious - rust/service history etc I try the gadget type things as they are always the most expensive to fix and in the past have been stung with "driver window won't go back up" "air con needing refilling at £80" "back windscreen wiper not working"
So at least if I know these non essentials aren't working I can try and reduce the price a little.

Price, if there're any mechanical problems, CD player (I need music!) then just the overall look/feel of a car.

This is my second used car and for me:

Still in warranty
Mileage under 30,000
Bluetooth
Decent boot
Retailer

Having bought cars that are 10k less than their retail when new just 18m later I'm sold on second hand now within the above .

Reliability, otherwise they eat money.

Someone I trust, I don't know what I'm looking for so I need to know that I'm getting a safe car for a good price

I basically want a safe reliable car

HPi check is paramount - don't what someone else's crashed car or car which they still owe finance on. That's a bad start allround.

I look for rust, worn tyres, dents and a smooth engine on starting

Reliability, cost to insure and fuel efficiency

normally we look for mileage & what it looks like & if its been owned by a smoker or not, we like to check to see if its been in a crash before we buy it to.