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

I would look for a safe, reliable car but I would need to know I was getting a good price. I'd be prepared to shop around and compromise on colour or engine size if I knew I was getting low mileage and a higher spec on things like parking sensors, Bluetooth, air con.

For me it's safety, how expensive is it to run and not just everyday costs like fuel and how big the boot is. We like English holidays!

Something low mileage within budget. Not fussed on looks or colour etc.

I look for low mileage, my current car had done 16000 miles when we bought it; for a good price. It must also have 5 doors and a large boot for all the child paraphernalia we haul around!

A long MOT
Nice looking car
Big boot

Reliability and cost mainly for me.

I go on the Gov.UK website and check the MOT history to see if the mileage is genuine and what advisories/work/parts the car's had on previous tests. Safety and reliability is key for us when buying a used car along with cheap tax and insurance.

Safety, reliability and two keys. Have never quite recovered from my toddler posting the only car key we had into the gas fireplace. Very expensive to recover.

I think it was three isofix huge carseats in the back that narrowed it down for me! We needed a hugw boot too plus we wanted a low insurance and lower road tax than our previous 4x4 monster. I would add sliding doors to my list now - love them.

Oh - and nothing more than 18 months old and had to be a dark colour that wouldn't show dirt!

It's got to have space for the kids and shopping, be economical with fuel and not cost too much to run or repair and finally come from a reputable dealer.

Safety: airbags and Isofix. Also, in built Sat Nav. I hate trying to juggle finding directions and driving!

currently car-less due to previous one blowing up! we are looking more at cars history, full service history, and decent length of mot. not as bothered about colour or extras!

Safety is absolutely paramount - so a full safety check and back records would be the most important thing for me with a used vehicle.

It needs to be within the set budget and able to be run economically. I do love a red car though!

fuel economy,low road tax and reliability with 4 doors as 2 door car is just too hard to get babies out of back car seat!

For our children we put safety features and cost of insurance high on the list.

A reliable make and model with plenty of boot space is really important, and it has to come from a reputable dealership.

I'm happy to delegate the task of buying cars to dh. My priorities are value for money, fuel economy and the ability to have 7 seats which is handy because we are a family of 5 as it is.

A combination of function (fit in all the baby gear we need to carry around) and form (good design, good extras (principally sound system and ac). Fuel efficiency is important too, as is reliability.

Finding a 2nd hand car that fits the bill is tough! Particularly in the face of horror stories about purchases gone wrong and problems recouping moneY!

I use What car and similar to research cars and name a shortlist within the budget I've set. Then I look for a car that is one of the models on my shortlist (and will fit teens in the back) with all the features on my minimum list (includes parking sensors, automatic gearbox). It must have a complete history, ideally with only one or two previous owners. Never an ex-fleet car. And no mileage over 80,000.

Nice to have an attractive colour and immaculate paintwork but not something I particularly look for.

I like to make sure the interior isn't too worn and has been looked after, I feel that if they haven't looked after the inside they haven't bothered looking after the outside

Reliability
Economy
Safety

Will it suit the family's needs?
Can I reach the pedals, reach everything I need to AND see over the bonnet? I'm 4ft 8 in tall, it really is an issue. Can hubby do the same when he adjusts the seat back from my position to his as he's 5ft 8in an will be doing most of the driving? What's good for the goose isn't always good for the gander; for instance he can drive a Rover 45, although it's a very small car, I can't as I'd be having to reach behind myself for the gear selector once my seat is in a good position for visibility. I can comfortably drive a Smart, he can't.
Fuel economy. This is a biggie for us.
Potential issues known with that particular make/model (i.e. garret turbo made between 02 and 04? crank/camshaft sensor issues? EGR system faults? MAF sensor problems? "swirlflap" issues?)
Tax price.
Price of commonly needed parts like brakepads, CV joints, sensors etc. A Volvo MAF sensor is about £40-60. a BMW MAF can be over £300.
Mileage, and check that against the registered mileage on the MOT history which is searchable right back to 2007. Does the interior wear and tear look consistent with the given mileage? It's harder o fake mileage nowerdays, but not impossible.
Automatic gearbox (this is a total must, I can only drive auto due to a brain injury some years ago).
Exhaust. does it blow? smoke? does it do either of these things when revs hit a certain point?
Does it idle gently or does it struggle or splutter or even stall?
Check the MOT history on the government website, make sure any advisories have been taken care of. Do an HPI check. It's more than worth the £4 or so to do it.
Test drive and listen for excess noise, look for any warning lights, check state of the engine; a super clean engine isn't necessarily a good thing, check before and after a test drive if it IS super clean because often steam cleaning is used to hide fuel or oil leaks. Can you see oil? does it smell of fuel or burning oil when hot?
Is the V5 available? You'd be surprised how many people try to sell without one. Personally, this is a total turn off because of the legal implications.
Does the seller seem a little TOO keen?
Does the VIN match the V5 and MOT certificate?
What do the tyres look like? Worn is one thing, bald is another. Uneven wear is a third.
Windscreen, any cracks or chips? If chips are found, have they been repaired?
And probably not finally but I think I've probably written enough... check the wings for resprays, and with older cars, run a magnet over wings because body filler isn't magnetic and can be used to hide a multitude of sins.

We've owned a lot of second hand cars lol!!! I'm probably going into a little too much detail but we do all our own car repairs and maintenance between the two of us us so many of the above are actually really important issues to us.

I'm no expert, but I always look out for a full service history and extended warranty from the garage.

I also try to buy popular cars as the parts seem to be cheaper, making it easier and more cost effective to repair.