The advice you've received is very good, but very hard to follow for one of the 'new generation', but follow it !

Don't hurry into buying something. You might expect problems with anything that you buy, but put thing right as they occur and never neglect to service the car. If you look after your machinery you generally find it looks after you.

Thank you everyone! Great advice!

I don't have any debts now - Christmas was all bought and paid for cash.

It's from the past that my rating was bad, but I now have a good job and can afford it.

I want a new ish car, because I need something that is reliable and has a good warranty.

I know nothing about cars and don't have anyone to help me buy something second hand. I don't want to get ripped off.

I best start reading up and keep looking.

What budget do you have available for buying a car ? cash would be £2000, but finance, no more that £9000

How many years warranty would you like with the car ? not sure what is on offer.

Any cars that come to mind so far that you're considering ? Kia have a good offer on Picantos. I can afford the monthly payments

What types of journey will you be using the car for mostly ? work

How far to and from your place of work ? 30 miles per day

Any motorway and/or dual carriageway ? m60 for part of the way

I don't have any no claims bonus (not driven for a long time) but was quoted £833 for a picanto, which i am happy with. I have had higher quotes on different cars though.

Other people have told me to go second hand and spend a smaller amount, but i am scared of buying a piece of junk that keeps breaking down.

i really appreciate your help, thank you

Collos - please either say something helpful or nothing at all. Caz21 is looking for help / advice from us.

Caz - I think you need to get some advice on what sort of credit if any you can get; if so how much credit and what you can afford in repayments. There are various sources of credit - bank loans, specialist loan companies, finance via car dealers etc. Watch out for the rate of interest that you'll be charged.

Once you know what you have to spend (whether credit or cash) then we can advise on the type of car to get. If you can spend less than about £2,000, then condition matters more than make or model.

Sorry Caz, i wasn't going to post again but i have to.

You're in a marvellous position, NO DEBTs, you should be on cloud nine as i suspect a quite young person, i bet very few of your peers could say the same and would gladly swap places with you, don't be too keen to give that up for a shiny car.

Hard times really are coming, i'm glad you have a hopefully secure job, but i really do urge you to buy a car you can afford to and whilst running that save up gradually to get its replacement, again for cash you have.

A few pointers for cars, if you find someone a bit car savvy to help you look, any one of these thats in good condition and been looked after previously by preferably a mature owner will give years of good service if you find a decent trustworthy chap (gold dust) to service it well.

Mitsubishi Colt or Lancer. Honda Civic. Daihatsu Sirion. Hyundai Accent. Mazda 323. Nissan Almera. Toyota Corolla. Suzuki Swift. Notice the lack of European makers there, even though some of those cars will have been made in GB or Europe.

Best of luck in the car hunt whichever way you decide.

Edited by gordonbennet on 30/12/2012 at 23:15

If you are set on a new car, take a look at the Hyundai i10 (same car underneath as Kia Picanto).

They are currently offering a 3 yearPCP deal on i10 Active (the right spec with some good bits and pieces) for a bit less than a basic Picanto. 1.2 engine instead of 1.0 aswell which makes all the difference on the motorway in a small car. It is more likely that you could get credit with them at the advertised rate than say VW etc. I have sold cars for both makes by the way.

If you do consider a used car as a cash purchase, I would again look at a Hyundai, maybe an Accent etc, but other suggestions as above really. I look after a Suzuki Alto which is doing very well and has only needed a battery outside normal maintenance, but it does feel tinny on the motorway...

Test drive a few options, new and used, get some firm figures down on paper in front of you, and think clearly about total costs over your ownership period...dont be pressured by a salesman, remember you can walk away, the cars look great in the showroom but thats not real life!

Edited by countryroads on 31/12/2012 at 01:36

Caz, which new car dealers no you have fairly close to where you live ? Always a help should work be required to a car, either warranty or otherwise. If your car ever requires warranty work they will provide you with a courtesy car whilst the work is being carried out, similarly when the car requires servicing, sometimes they charge around £5 but that's it.

The important thing is to have a good long varied test drive to ensure you are comfortable with all aspects of the car. In particular ensure you have enough leg room to freely operate the pedals. My wife could not obtain a safe driving position in a Hyundai i20 and some models tend to suffer in this area and as such aren't suitable to purchase. Also ensure all round visibility is good enough for driving and parking the car in parking spaces. Don’t feel obligated to purchase a car after you have driven it. It’s worth test driving a few different models to get a better feel for what you find is a suitable car for our needs.

I have driven a Kia Picanto, both 1.0 and 1.2 and was pretty impressed with them, the main thing that put me off was the small boot, I needed something a little larger, otherwise a very nice car indeed, the 1.0 has a very smooth engine and should be good on fuel economy and no VED to pay. The example of the 1.2 model I drove had a very low clutch bite which would have needed adjusting as it made the car difficult to drive in traffic. On the road prices start around £7500 for the Picanto 1 5 door 1.0 engine. Prices increase after that depending what fetures you require. A Kia Picanto comes with a 7 year warranty.

For around £9000 you could get the recently updated new Ford Fiesta 1.25 60ps 3 door. For £9500, you could get a higher spec. new Ford Fiesta 1.25 Style 82ps, each with a 3 year warranty.

Alternatively a nearly new used model low mileage will be around £1000 less as per the specs above.

Caz21, you can get a decent car for your £2k cash - I have never owed a penny on a car because I buy them outright with cash and/or part exchange. Get on Autotrader and have a look - £2000 will get you a 2002-2006 car, depending on engine and mileage. You're looking at the Toyota Yaris, Nissan Almera, Ka, Focus and Fiesta, and Micras. I even spotted some very nice little convertibles (Toyota MR2 and Mazda MX-5) around 10-11 years old for £2k. You can run something like that while you build your savings back up and then you've got a part-ex vehicle as well. That's how I do it anyway!