[TC_aashay]

This thread is open to all bhpians based in UK & anyone who have knowledge about cars currently in the uk market.

My budget is £ 2000 looking for a used car for a female driver. First time driver in UK.

She is planning to first buy a small car, brush up her driving skills then upgrade after a few months to a bigger car permanently.

So I need your help in deciding which small car is ideal, safe, auto transmission, easy to drive within city limits for a first time lady driver for a few months.

Preferably a hatch or a small saloon.

I am checking out autotraders website but its too confusing as I have no clue of the market scene there.

Too many vauxhalls there!! They all look like opels here in india.

Help appreciated.
Regards,
Aashay B.

MODS: please move the thread to a appropriate forum as I had no clue where exactly to put it up.

[?ushk@r]

Spoke with a friend based in UK and he said that Ford Fiesta would be the best hatch in terms of your budget, mileage and maintenance factors.

[khan75]

Is she a teenager? If she is, insurance rates will most likely be sky high.

With a 2,000 quid budget, you've got a fairly decent choice, albeit older cars.

Be sure to check some of these web sites:
Gumtree.com: UK's No. 1 in classifieds - jobs, property, cars and more - Click the link to a local City.
Used Cars for Sale on Friday-Ad Motors - Click the link to your edition.
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace - set your budget and scan through.

If she wants a decent size car that's not overly expensive to run, you could check out a Renault Laguna or a half dozen year old Ford Mondeo. If she is hankering after a prestige badge, a 10-odd year old BMW 318/320 or even a 520, all of which are superb, but pricey to repair should be within reach. Hondas are very reliable but again a 10+ year old one might cost a pretty penny to get through MOT's. Nissan Primeras are dirt cheap, very cheap to run and just as reliable as the other Japs. An old one will set you back about 1000-1500 quid.

Smaller cars mean newer plates, a 5 year old Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa, Renault Clio, Peugeot 206, Nissan Micra, or Toyota Yaris will set you back about £1000-1500, but be more reliable with decent spec levels.

Hope this helps.

[ajmat]

Lets be real. Insurance for a newbie is skyhigh

Ford Ka or Fiesta are cheap to run
Nissan Micra's may cost a little more but run well. My cousi bought her daughter a beat up Polo for 500 pounds recently
Vauxhall Corsa's are worth a look

Avoid Citoren Saxo / Peugouts - unreliable and not too safe

YOu may find small second hand cars are in demend hence pricier

You might get a Yaris for the price but it might be a little tired

[funkydevil]

My advice too would be for a Fiesta. Its one of the most common cars I've seen there. You can also check out 'www.whatcar.com' for looking at a car, and 'www.confused.com' to check out the best insurance quotes offered on your vehicle.

[oss]

Go for Ford Fiesta or Vauxhall Corsa.

[Randhawa]

Insurance will depends upon her licence and age. If under 25 then a bit steep. Remember, insurance group goes higher with the make of car/age/cc.

Another thing which will help in low insurance premium is that if she can get a no claim bonus certificate from her previous insurer from India and an Indian International DL.

If you can shed some light on her age and duration of holding her Indian DL then I can help you further with insurance and car.

In UK, its best to get the insurance quote first for few cars an then go for the car.

There are lot of doggie dealers and stolen/total loss cars in UK so you have to be careful.

Just giving a small tip.
Car should have a valid (genuine-Now you can validate a MOT/road tax disk certificate online in UK)MOT for 1year or it should be in the condition to pass another test. If the MOT certificate is expired then without a valid MOT, your insurance cover will be void. Car would be confiscated and you will be charged for the offence, prosecuted and even deported. Valid road tax disk for 6/12 months on the front windscreen.


With the vin(chassis) number you should do a check on the car before buying. Thats to check if the car's mileage is correct, stolen or accidental damaged previously. Will cost you around 35-50£.

[no_limit]

Well due to the recent scrappage scheme you might find a very good deal at new car dealers on second hand cars. Try going to any new car showroom nearer to your place and ask for what is available. The Makes to stick would be Ford or Vauxhall as both are cheap to maintain and insurance will be reasonable compared to say some fancier names like BMW or Audis.
I wouldn't advise you to buy it privately.
Most Importantly make sure that she doesn't drive on her Indian Driving licence for more than 1 year from the date of her first entry into U.K other wise she would be committing a crime.

[TC_aashay]

Guys thanks for that prompt response.

I have forwarded my relative the link to this thread; i'm waiting for her response & questions.

A little extra info:
She's 35+, holds a valid indian D License, working in UK for more than 2 yrs and holds a T2 work permit.
She is about to apply for a learners license.

Regards,
Aashay

[Randhawa]

If she has been in UK for more then 1 year then she can not drive on Indian DL anymore. She will be treated as driving without a valid D licence and prosecuted for that.

I hope she is aware of the rules she has to follow while on a provisional licence which will take around 15-30 days to be delivered to her.

[TC_aashay]

Originally Posted by Randhawa

If she has been in UK for more then 1 year then she can not drive on Indian DL anymore. She will be treated as driving without a valid D licence and prosecuted for that.

I hope she is aware of the rules she has to follow while on a provisional licence which will take around 15-30 days to be delivered to her.

Well yea. she is aware of that. thats why she is first getting the license, then buying the car..

The ownership rules are a lot different than in india; thats where i'm handicapped..

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by Randhawa

Insurance will depends upon her licence and age. If under 25 then a bit steep. Remember, insurance group goes higher with the make of car/age/cc.

Another thing which will help in low insurance premium is that if she can get a no claim bonus certificate from her previous insurer from India and an Indian International DL.

If you can shed some light on her age and duration of holding her Indian DL then I can help you further with insurance and car.

Hi, sorry for quoting an old post. I am planning to relocate to the UK this year and had been browsing through the car market there. The insurance quotes that I could generate online just to have an idea were quite an eye opener. I was roughly getting figures of approx. 2400 pounds/year and this would be quite some cost to bear.

I was really intrigued by your post. Can you please elaborate on how do we reduce the insurance amount? I have been driving since 15 years in India and my current insurance policy has 50% NCB here. can I transfer/make use of this in the UK?

[v1p3r]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

I was really intrigued by your post. Can you please elaborate on how do we reduce the insurance amount? I have been driving since 15 years in India and my current insurance policy has 50% NCB here. can I transfer/make use of this in the UK?

Unlikely that you can transfer it. Some guys - Adrian Flux etc - do so, but it depends on a bunch of things, from whether it's EU to whether your licence is in English etc. So it's really case by case.

Moneysavingexpert and Google's car insurance tool are possibly the best ways to find a decent quote. I played with them for a month before biting the bullet. I would also keep a window between buying the car and buying the insurance - let the car sit around for 20 days - because that cooling off period seems to affect the premium for a new buyer. The rest, like being above 25, working in a non-risk profession like a data analyst or software engineer, agreeing to a mileage cap, possibly a black box in the vehicle, and buying a smaller car all work out. These factors can be played with on the tools I mentioned. I managed to get sports car insurance cheaper than my colleagues got for Fiestas.

[Randhawa]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Hi, sorry for quoting an old post. I am planning to relocate to the UK this year and had been browsing through the car market there. The insurance quotes that I could generate online just to have an idea were quite an eye opener. I was roughly getting figures of approx. 2400 pounds/year and this would be quite some cost to bear.

I was really intrigued by your post. Can you please elaborate on how do we reduce the insurance amount? I have been driving since 15 years in India and my current insurance policy has 50% NCB here. can I transfer/make use of this in the UK?

To start with, you should get a letter from your local DL authority mentioning time since first you got your Driving licence upto the current status. Also mentioning if your have a clean record for any traffic violation. You need to get the International Driving licence which you can apply showing your visa to the Authority.

Once you have your supporting letter of experience from DL authority along with International DL and proof of NCB on a letter you can approach the insurers for the quote.

You need to apply for UK licence if you intent to stay for more then a year. It took me one month to get my full licence. First you apply for a provisional licence, clear your theory test and go for the practical test. You will really benefit from practice lessons from a private Driving Instructor.

But do remember once you apply for their provisional DL then you are subjected to their driving laws so you have to have L on front and back along with someone with a Full licence sitting next to you at all times. It will not matter even if you have the International DL and you car was insured on its basis. They will book you under the provisional licence once they find your credentials on their system.

So better to get their licence before getting a car or don't drive while you clear your test for a full licence. Unfortunately they don't exchange our licence with theirs so we have to go through this.

Above will certainly help you with the premium.

Apart from getting some relief with the above, the things which affects your premium are:

1. Car manufacturer e.g. high end cars(Mercs, Beemers, Audis) and sport cars, JDM imports.

2. Car Type( yes it matters) Coupe and convertible have more premium then saloon or station wagon. If you go for e.g. Golf GTI which might be a mark 3 hatchback but it's a coupe and a sports car so premium will be high.

3. Engine size- bigger the engine and more pots you have, increases the premium significantly.

4.Parking- Secured parking or on road parking.

6.Postal address- High risk area or low risk are of theft and arson.

7.Use- Employment or leisure and how much you will drive per year.

8. Having a tracker.

These factors too effect your premium so choose wisely and a year or two is enough to get low premium.