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

It's boot size for me - so I can fit in all the junk I seem to have to carry around now for my two cherubs, coats, wellies, toys, balls, sports kit...

Size- needs to fit on our little drive with another care
Price
Economic & Engine size - small, I'm only zipping about locally on school runs & work
Mileage
Tidy

I've got bad joints, so the seats need to be high enough for me to get in and out easily. Our two large dogs go in the boot, so that needs to be massive, & it also means that the back of the car becomes a bit of a dumping ground for shopping bags, anoraks & wellies - there needs to be room for all this junk, & the two (grown up) kids in the back when needed, as the boot is given over entirely to the dogs. As I'm writing this, I'm thinking how crackers it is that the dogs have more space than the kids!

Full three seats in back.
Within budget.

Always reliability first and also look at reviews and fuel efficiency and boot size.

I'm looking into upgrading my city car for a family car as we prepare for the arrival of our first baby. We are looking for a car rated as safe by encap, a car with a little bit of a more powerful engine, a large boot, dab radio and adjustable seats. And not white.

I'm looking into upgrading my city car for a family car as we prepare for the arrival of our first baby. We are looking for a car rated as safe by encap, a car with a little bit of a more powerful engine, a large boot, dab radio and adjustable seats. And not white.

Money's tight so the first priority has to be price. It has to be a 4 door as I feel suffocated in a 2 door car!!! My friend is a mechanic so if I have ever been on the look out for a new little run-around I ask him to keep an eye out for me. He knows a lot of people and usually knows the history of the car which is great as it's quite risky buying a car that you know nothing about.
I'd love to be able to buy a really eco friendly car but that's just a dream.

It has to be reliable - preferably bought from someone I know so that I have an idea of how the car was driven/maintained..... and it has to be practical - I've already made that mistake with a 2 seater convertible with a baby and a buggy!!!!

Definitely reliability, safety record and well maintained. Must also have enough space in the boot for the pram.

I'm a bit shit when it comes to looking for a car, I want a car that doesn't beep when I reverse and one that the seat goes up so I'm high enough. I now need space for a pram in the boot.

I'm still gutted I had to get rid of my trusted Hyundai i10 so hate car shopping.

A service history - if there isn't one at all, then I immediately back away, as people usually have something they can show you.

If there is one, I look at the big ticket items - cambelts, DPFs (if applicable) etc being done on schedule.

Plus regularity of servicing, and also the state of consumables - tyres (are they so old they are cracking? Bald? Is spare present/ever been used? Is it full size, stupid space save or even worse - a can of gunk?); wipers, general state of the interior etc. If this small stuff isn't maintained, then its an indication that they don't care about the bigger stuff either.

If the engine is hot when I arrive to test drive, I am on the alert for it having had an Italian tune up.

One other tip for suspiciously low mileage cars is to look at the wear on the driver seat. It's much harder to clock cars now, but if the seat is wearing through and it's only got 20k, you can bet something is dodgy...

Finally, if it smells of smoke and you are a non-smoker, walk away. Try as you might, you will never get the smell out, whatever you try.

Colour of course!! Well that was before the baby days. Now it's how economical it is to run, tax and insure. space for car seats and plenty of boot space.

I'd look for something reliable and reasonably priced. Looks are much less important and I wouldn't want a car that would be a target for thieves. My current car is 9 years old and I hope there's plenty of life left in it!

Low mileage and comfort driving position

We just bought a used car, and the top 3 criteria were:
low insurance group
Fuel economy
Low road tax

All about the budget. Colour etc didn't enter into it. Best to get a car at the right price with affordable running costs.

Safety, space inside, reliability and running costs. Very practical! I don't care about colour or status. I'm also not bothered about a few dents, it makes me less bothered if I dent it myself.

I'm looking for service history

Something that is easy to park and easy to get in/out of, also plenty of space in the boot for shopping and children's stuff (I'm past the pushchair stage luckily). I have a Fiesta at the moment which fits the bill perfectly and it's really nippy but has some oomph when you need it too.

Good safety record

Boot space -I carry around a kit of stuff for work, and the football, cricket and cycling kit and guitar and stuff that my children need transporting isn't getting smaller. Neither are the children! I'm bit keen on huge cars but I really like the estate versions of cars that are normally hatchbacks.

Having had parking sensors, I'd always try to have them again. Same for Bluetooth and DAB radio - although they may not have trickled down to the £5k market yet.

Comfort is important too, because we live rurally, and so does my mum, but 250 miles away, so I do a lot of driving!

I go on the reputation of the garage and what vibes I get from the salesman (gullible I know!)
For me fuel economy and safely are important. The colour of the car less so but I wouldn't get one I hated! I only get fairly new cars with low mileage, have had a few ex demo ones which is good as they tend to have extras on them

When I buy a used car, these are the factors that are important to me: low mileage, car not older than 2 years, fuel economy and definitely NOT red!

I look for low ish miles over age, but do like it to be between 5-8 years old. I check for things like timing belt having been changed (unless it's a chain of course).

This is because I usually look for second hand cars under £6000. Colour and stuff comes second to build quality, it having been looked after (one owner ideally) and the above things.

We prioritise safety, followed by price and lastly comfort. We have had our car for five years now, and have been thinking about replacing it when we get a little more money saved.