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What first car should I get my 17 year old son?

I'm a single mum of a 17 year old boy and would like to buy him a car so he is independent and I can work more hours. I have a small budget of about £2500 - £3000 pounds at the most. What car would you advise me to go for? I've seen a 2010 diesel Vauxhall Corsa for £2300 pounds but it has 97,000 miles. Is it too much? I work for the NHS so I think I could join the scheme whereby I pay monthly amounts towards a new car but I don't know whether it's worth it.

Asked on 18 May 2017 by Maria Fumagalli

Answered by Honest John
I would steer clear of used cars because of potential unreliability and trouble and instead get a PCP on a basic small new car such as a Vauxhall Viva or a Suzuki Celerio (there's usually an offer on a low powered Corsa 1.0 that he may prefer). The biggest cost will be insurance. Talk to a Vauxhall dealer. (With a PCP you pay a deposit, then 36 or 48 monthly payments, then an agreed 'final payment' if you want to keep the car at the end of the period. Take out independent GAP insurance to cover the gap in value if the car gets crashed.)

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