5 Top tips for buying your first car

By Martin Hardie

Preparing for buying your first car? Check out IT Garage Services top 5 tips for buying your first car.

You never forget your first car.

Whether you’ve just passed your test as a fresh-faced 17-year-old and dreaming of the open road, or you’re older and excited about your newfound freedom, buying your first car can be an exciting, but often complicated endeavour.

Petrol or diesel? Manual or automatic, Saloon or Hatchback – the choices are endless. Luckily, IT Garage Services are here to help make sense of it all and give you our top 5 tips for buying your first car.

1. Should I Buy a New or Used Car?

Sure, the dream is to buy a brand-new car, brimming with potential and that new car smell. But it’s not the most cost-effective way to start your career in car ownership.

Used cars are just as good as new cars, but cheaper. Sure, they may have a few more miles on the clock and a scuff here and there, but they are not only cheaper but there is a huge selection of them about. This wide selection of cars in your price range will give you a better chance of finding a make and model that matches your requirements and expectations.

2. How Much Should My First Car Cost?

Traditional thinking would have thought that buying your first car should be a bit of a cheap banger. Bought for a couple of hundred quid, thousands of miles on the clock and the scars the prove it! A bashed up run-around is one thing, but you might expect to have to spend more on maintenance and MOT services as the car reaches the end of its useable life.

If you only are looking for a city run-around that’ll get you to work and to the shops, you can buy an excellent small engine used car for £6,000 or around £100 per month on finance.

Other Costs

Be aware that the cost of your car does not end with just the car itself, insurance is a legal requirement and being a 1^st-time driver, your policy will be more expensive and the larger your engine higher the cost will be too – so please bear this in mind before you go and buy something that will cost you a fortune in insurance costs.

In addition to insurance, you’ll have to tax, service and fuel your car. How much this will cost will depend not only on what car you have but how you use it.

Expect to spend about £150 to £250 for a service for your car. You should have your car serviced after every 12,000 miles of driving, not to mention that dreaded yearly MOT!

The further you travel, the more petrol or diesel your car will consume. That’s a no-brainer. How much fuel your car uses is measured in miles per gallon and some are more economical to fuel than others. Petrol and diesel will be one of your biggest running costs for your new car, so make sure you check you’re not going to be shelling out for a petrol-guzzling millstone.

Check out our blog on how to save money on motoring for more tips!

3. Should I get petrol, diesel or electric car?

Most cars are fuelled by petrol. Cars that run on petrol tend to be lighter, easier to maintain and are generally quieter than their diesel counterparts.

Diesel cars tend to use a little less fuel though when it comes to daily trips on the motorway, etc. The general tip is, don’t rely on a diesel if you’re just using the car for short trips.

Electric cars are the future of motoring – there is no way around it. They are however usually a lot more expensive to buy. They also take a lot longer to charge with electricity compared to just filling the tank of a petrol or diesel car. But, if you have a driveway you can use to charge your car overnight and are doing less than 100 miles a day, an electric car could be the car for you!

4. What kind of car should I get?

Most cars out there fall under four main types – saloon, hatchback, estate, or SUV. If you’re a younger person with no young family to ferry around, it’s unlikely you’ll need the space of an estate or SUV.

For buying your first car, many folks choose a cheeky wee hatchback. They are smaller, more efficient and tend to be less to buy and to run in the long term – a great combo for a first car!

You could of course choose something different like a sports car or Land Rover, but just make sure you can afford to insure and run the vehicle, as these will tend not to be very fuel-efficient and will run up your insurance costs.

5. What is the cheapest car to insure?

There are many factors that insurance companies use to calculate your insurance costs. Things like driving experience, where you live, the job you do, and even your gender can all come into play when drawing up your policy.

But, seeing as you shouldn’t change any of the above just to get a discount on your insurance, the best way to affect your insurance cost is to buy a cheap car with a small engine under 1.6 litres. Anything above that will start to cost you more.

Where to get your new car serviced in Inverness

Finding the right car can be difficult, but when you do it, take care of that car by taking it to the best garage services in Inverness – IT Garage Services!

It’s your one-stop-shop for car repair in Inverness providing services like: