Establishing which is the best car for you is a big part of making a confident used car purchase. Read the second in vcars.co.uk used car buying guide and you’ll feel more relaxed and informed about your next car purchase, hopefully from vcars.co.uk
When it comes to buying a used car, there’s never been more choice – consider vcars.co.uk, we often have over 100,000 cars on offer!
The process starts a long time before you reach the forecourt so here are some questions you really need to answer before searching for your next used car.
Q1. What will you use your car for?
Travelling to work? The odd trip into town? Long trips to friends and family? Sunday driving? Just for fun?
In the most basic sense, if you’re only doing short journeys you’re often better going for a small petrol engine. They’re cheaper to buy than diesel and perform best when buzzing around the city. If you’re mainly doing longer journeys you may be better off with a diesel. They cost more to buy but often have better fuel economy in the long run.
Q2. How many passengers will your vehicle carry?
Is it just you and a partner? What about your kids? What about your friends’ kids? What about your family? The In-Laws? Do you have other cars that might be able to share the load?
Bigger cars often cost more to run than smaller ones, so think about who you’ll have in the car and how often.
Mainly one or two people? What about a Ford Fiesta? Three or four? A Volkswagen Golf-sized hatchback? Five? A Ford Mondeo? Five or more? Vauxhall Zafira? While we’re at it, consider the boot size – what will you use it for and how often?
Q3. What will be the cost of fuel, tax, insurance and maintenance?
The size of your engine will often affect fuel, tax and insurance. The age of your car will often affect the service and repair costs.
Calculating potential fuel costs
Here’s an example. Judy owns a Golf FSI and uses it to travel to and from work.
FIRST Find out the average miles per gallon your new used car will performs at Judy’s Golf 1.6Fsi does 40 miles per gallon.
SECOND Work out the average petrol costs. Petrol at Judy’s local Supermarket is £1.40 per litre. (4.5 litres = 1 Gallon so it’s £1.40×4.5 = £6.30 per gallon). Judy covers 240 miles per month going to and from work only.
That means Judy will pay £37.80 per month for petrol. How would your figures add up?
Also consider that cars like VW’s Polo Bluemotion have been designed for fuel economy and hybrids like Toyota’s Prius are very economical. Check out Miles Per Gallon on your prospective model online.
Calculating Road Tax Costs
Road tax is calculated on the amount of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) your new used sends out. There are CO2 13 bands ranging from A to M. The more CO2 your car sends out, the more costly your tax. Also remember: cars registered before March 1, 2001 only have two rates of tax – a lower rate for cars below 1,549cc (1.5/1.6-litre) and a higher rate for those above it.
Calculating Insurance
Go online and you can calculate and compare your insurance costs in less than a couple of minutes. You’ll need to supply all your lifestyle details, driving history etc. However, you’ll get an idea of your monthly outgoings very, very quickly.
So, when you’re looking to buy a used car, answer these simple questions and when you’re on the forecourt, you’ll know EXACTLY what you’re looking for.
Good luck! vcars.co.uk
