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

For me I look for safety, obviously, but reliability and running costs also feature. Also as I'm now spoiled by driving an automatic car that would also be a priority. Along with a roomy interior, I also like the car to be higher eg an MPV, and have a roomy boot which can possibly be expanded by dropping the back seats.

Size, boot size, how easy it is to drive, low mileage

The costs not just of the car but the running and repair costs, as there can be a lot of difference between cars even on the road tax

It's about fitting a wheelchair in the back.

Low mileage, full service history and owned by someone boring like me! Also don't think I'd buy a diesel these days.

Safe and reliable

It is a metal box on wheels.
I want it to be cheap, so I can spend money on things that actually matter.
I don't want it to break down.
I want it to last a long, long time so I don't have to go through car buying hell again for a long, long time.
I don't care what it looks like, drives like, or what values the brand projects (since it isn't in any way an extension of my identity - sorry car advertisement creatives).

Size. We need room for 3 child seats in the back, plus enough room to stow a pushchair.
After that, mileage and general condition.
I'm not all that bothered about the make, but that's something that's more important to DH.

I look at how many miles the car runs per litre of fuel put in. Fuel consumption is important to me. I also look at how much mileage the car has. I wouldn't buy a car with over 80,000 miles

I don't know much about cars so for me, it would have to be reliable and safe, I couldn't give a monkeys about brand / features / colour. Ideally with a large boot to take bikes and camping kit, automatic and if it had parking sensors, even better.

Service history and my gut feelings towards the seller are most important as I don't want to buy a car that turns out to be unreliable.

Safe and reliable - yes, economical and enough space - yes but then I want a car that makes me smile. I want a little bit of personality that makes me want to give it a name and makes me feel happy each time I settle down behind the wheel.

I am currently looking for a new (old) car with plenty of room in the back for growing teenagers, plenty of safety features such as parking sensors and reversing cameras, reasonable insurance group and good running costs. Boot space doesn't matter so much these days.

I also like a showroom where the sales person doesn't treat me like an idiot and try to sell me lots of extras when I get a quote.

Low miles and a reliable make are top of my list. I usually go for a smallish hatchback with 4 doors which is big enough for the kids and has good boot space. I'm not a fan of bigger cars especially 4x4.

I go to a trusted local car dealer who doesn't have any of the hard sell tactics.

7 seats. It makes choice significantly reduced

The most important things are "sturdiness"/reliability and fuel economy. Bells and whistles are important, it just needs to get me from A to B reliably without costing the bank.

has to have 5 doors and room for 2 car seats

Needs to drive well (good acceleration, smooth quiet ride, not a rough engine) , have a good reputation for reliability (which/what car etc), good NCAP rating, fit my buggy & shopping in the boot, have enough room for 2 growing kids in back but not be too. Oh a car, be able to accommodate short arsed me & long legged DH comfortably when driving - oh and be an automatic as I have arthritis in my hips & my left one is on its way out.
Funnily enough the hardest thing to accommodate is finding an automatic - I've just bought a new car and every dealership could offer me loads of choice except automatic smaller cars with a decent engine.

Obviously a good price. It needs to be big enough to fit 3 adults and two rapidly growing children. So should be big, but not tooo big, I don't like driving a tank!
Good fuel economy. Not in a high insurance group. Stuff like power steering, parking assist etc is pretty standard these days. Oh and the basics like I would only drive a manual, only petrol fuelled etc.
Other than that I'm pretty flexible!

I would carry out a lot of research on insurance groups, and running costs before making my purchase. I would buy one with a full service history as it would be more reliable, and keep its value when it comes the time to trade it in or sell for a newer model. A four door would be preferred for ease of getting everyone in and out, and boot space must be ample for all that shopping . Colour - never green.

I need an upright driving position due to back problems and enough space to transport 2 adults and 3 children plus decent boot space.

The car needs to have a decent reliability reputation in general and be good value to run (so a little bit more on a decent car makes more sense to me than a cheap car that forever needs attention).

I'm not remotely bothered about colour or how the car is perceived. This is all very relevant at the moment as I'm currently searching for a new used car. Fingers crossed I choose well!

It has be an all rounder for me: I need a car that has room for the whole family, good car boot space, a not hideous colour and most importantly safety!

We've just been through the hell of buying a used car, previously I've always had new. My shopping list was:
•7 seater with the ability to have 5 car seats in the back
•low insurance group
•low tax and insurance
•very low milage (under 3000)
•smallish engine, daily commute is under 10 miles I didn't need a 2+ litre engine
•preferably not black
•price!

It has to have a recent MOT, A Reasonable amount of Miles, Good Bodywork, Cheap to Run, Good Boot Space and be Easy to Park.

I also have a look at online reviews to see common problems so I know what to look out for and a HPI clear is must to make sure it's not had an accident or is on finance!

Low mileage and part exchange price