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

Make, mileage, reasonable service history, good garage for aftersales, price

Reputable dealer and mileage are really my only concerns.

Has to be able to fit 3 people in the back seat - no 1/2 middle seats.
Raised driving position for comfort and visibility.
Leather upholstery is so much easier.
Large boot for shopping and ' gear'
Don't really care about the colour but probably wouldn't want bright yellow.

I used to look for something stylish and now I look for a great big boot and parking assist. I am all about comfort and safety now. And the park assist. Did I mention park assist?

In the past it's been a car that's within budget and that will last. We had three used cars in two years and between them it cost us £7k plus repairs. With our last used car we were advised to buy British for easy repairs and found a really good car which we had a mechanic friend check out. It last 10 months. After such bad luck we vowed never to buy used again and only buy new with good warranties. Our list of important factors are, boot space, car seat space and not too expensive! Also needs to be petrol and have good safety....as well as British for easy parts.

I've recently passed my test, so am driving the brand new family car. It makes me uncomfortable, as it doesn't have a scratch on it, so I'm looking for an older car for me with a few scratches.

Requirements are:

Already scratched
Low mileage
Full history
Doesn't smell of dog

When I was younger and looking for my first car my essentials were it was black & had a cd player!?!

Now times have changed (having 2 DC) so it would all be about reliability & space.
Price to buy & run are obviously important too.

Price cartainly factors in, but mostly is reliability and condition of the car... we always check the MOT history through dvla so we can see what's gone wrong in the past

Safety, economy, reliability. Oh, and the next one will be a colour I can easily find in a large car park.

Needs to be almost as good as new. Was stung once when bought privately and put me off. Bought second hand through dealership next time.

NCAP rating
Low mileage
It looks as if it has been taken care of

Not excessive mileage, good space, in good condition, safe.

FSH
5 seater
5 * NCAP rating
Air con
Bluetooth
Any colour except white or pink

Big boot, good visibility, low mileage, leather steering wheel, isofix. Next time I'm going to make sure there's an auxiliary function on the radio so I can play the Lego song at my kids to keep them quiet!

I always look for low milage, a 5 door car with a good amount of space, lower maintenance costs and at a low price.

Looking for a car is always a tough one in our household, I'm the one who wants something a bit sporty after track days in my youth, my husband however isn't that interested so I get to choose. Our last purchase was an automatic as I've had an accident that has now left me disabled. Sports suspension is out and comfort is in. Also now concerned when we look for our next car about the whole petrol/diesel problem and we'd like to go electric or maybe a hybrid as we do some longer journeys.

A car that looks good on the outside with lots of creature comforts inside. Good mpg is now important- I would have laughed at that being a factor years ago when 0-60 speeds and bhp where the top of the list.

Reliability is also key, really wouldn't look at Vauxhall now due to the combustible element that has been so dangerous and worrying on some of their models.

We need 3 proper rear seats, room for the dog and kit in the boot.....I miss my Mini Cooper JCW convertible but it's just not practical now (I'm crying quietly inside right now) but space is really important.

Ncap rating is equally as important as with the miles that we cover we need to ensure everyone is as safe as possible.

I'm not particularly technologically minded... so I look for space, colour and that the car has a nice 'face'. I don't like angry looking cars!

My next car needs to be blue, electric blue and shiny. It also needs a boot big enough to take on holiday.

Seriously, it needs to be cheap to run, reliable and last for years.

Looking at friend's new cars recently there are a lot of good features on modern cars and I would like built in satnav, bluetooth music AND a CD player, and electric windows all round.

No obvious new paint in case there's been a structural accident.

Reliability, good on fuel. Price!

• Does it meet the needs of my family?
• Is it make/model known for reliability- check reviews
• Does it have the safety features we need- airbags, etc.
• Does it have decent mileage and a full service history?
• Has it ever been in an accident, written off, or is it stolen? You can check this for just £2 or £3 pounds online using the registration number.

All the cars we have bought previously have been second hand and the main things we look for are; mileage, condition of the bodywork, rust under the car, all electrics working, and how it feels whilst driving and breaking.

We've recently been car shopping due to imminent arrival of dc2 and more space needed. My requirements are:
Petrol
Any colour except white
Spacious but not too big that I can't park it.
Dh requirements are:
Parking sensors
Panoramic sunroof
High spec not basic model

So far we have not found a compromise

Most important thing I look for is number of seats as we need minimum of 6! Then I would look at safety, space, reliability then running costs.

Low mileage
Sensible insurance
Suitable for 3 seats in back
Reliable reputation

Oh... and HUGE boot!