[ads11]

Many have already covered the salient points here but just wanted to add emphasis on a few of them:

1. Get the ball rolling on your UK drivers license. COVID related backlogs are a nightmare. It took me well over a year to not just find available practical test slots, but find instructors with available time. Hopefully that backlog has cleared up but you want to be on a UK license sooner. Once you have it, you're set, you shouldn't face much trouble renting cars anywhere else for eg. And yeah, I checked insuring my car on my Indian license just out of curiosity and the premiums are definitely higher.

2. If you can make do a for a beater for a year after having your UK license and you end up moving to a city with a ULEZ like London and find that you need a car (though in reality a car is more of a hindrance in major cities like London I feel), you can look into a scheme like Onto: https://on.to/. Granted you'd be looking at a 1.5 year wait to qualify for this minimum.

3. When I was looking for a used car last year, the market was crazy. Constricted supply for new cars meant the UK used car market was so inflated. I got super lucky in terms of my aunt gifting me her old car but I remember when getting it MOT'd the mechanic was saying a car like that could easily fetch 4-5k (~summer 2022). Hopefully it's cooled down a bit.

I can only speak about the de facto first car for new drivers in the UK and that's overwhelmingly the Ford Fiesta and it is so for a reason. It's small but it's reliable, reasonably priced and you can get the Kinetic design era ones on the market easily I should imagine. Small Honda's are also reliable runabouts, you could do a lot worse than a used Jazz for eg.

4. Being able to check the MOT history of a car is a big benefit I find. I had a scraping noise from a plastic panel under the engine and sure enough, going back a few years, it was something that had come loose on a failed MOT.

Best of luck on your move and with the car!

[ShankarG]

Hey. Welcome to the UK. This place is a boon for car enthusiasts and you'll find all possible options in all budget range.

I used Autotrader to get a deal for myself and bought a used Vauxhall Astra (2011 - 120K ODO) and it served me like a charm. No issues at all for 12 months. You may check auto trader and figure out a car based on your budget. Make sure either you ask the seller to give you a latest MOT or ask for an extended warranty on used card from the likes of Autoguard. You may also check for cars sold thru webuyanycar, Cinch or Cazoo.

Few points apart from the ones already highlighted:
- Diesel manual will serve you very good. However resale value will be bad. Don't worry about ulez if you aren't regular in ulez area. Just pay the daily charge if are an infrequent visitor.
- Your insurance will cost you a bomb. Make a provision for that. Carry your India NCB certificates for last 5-7 years if you have. Companies like Marshmallow will offer you NCD discount on that provided there is no break in the insurance coverage.
- Check for car data on cardatacheck or other similar sites. Pay a fee for about £10 and get maximum satisfaction and peace of mind.
- Some cars are under insurance claimed category on Autotrader. Avoid it.
- Go through the dvsa driving handbook. It'll give you a good idea on road signs, expected road behaviour etc.
- As suggested above, take a few driving lessons to get yourself accustomed to driving here. It may cost you about £35-40 per hour but it's worth it.

Cheers!


Mod Note:

Request: Strictly no discussion of WhatsApp groups please. Takes away from the purpose of this forum. And do remember, content posted here is viewed by thousands of enthusiasts (if not lakhs), easily searchable (including on Google searches) and archived for life. Unlike WhatsApp chats.*

Thanks for the support & understanding

[Sedate]

Originally Posted by GRAND23

Any idea on automatics? Do you think manual still makes sense in UK?

Hilton Garage is one among the biggest in Derby. It is a preowned car supermarket. They don't have beater cars, but have a good selection of nice pre-owned ones.

https://www.hiltongarage.co.uk/

I drive a Mondeo 2L Mk4.5 2012 with around 80K miles on it. Used car prices are not at the levels they were pre-covid. Also small cars are expensive now compared to big ones.

[roshithr]

Thank you GRAND23 for the thread; just in time before my move too.

Request help in understanding the pros and cons of car leasing and owning in UK scenario. My company offers a car lease scheme which includes insurance and as they are new cars, no MOT, if we choose a 3 year lease. Also the lease amount is tax exempted. Is it a good idea to lease a car instead of owning it in the UK?

[GRAND23]

Many thanks to BHPians for pouring in some good suggestions. I have made notes of all suggestions you guys made. I will definitely take it seriously during my car-buying process.

God bless this forum. As always, I can keep asking questions as I move further.

Originally Posted by ShankarG

Hey. Welcome to the UK. This place is a boon for car enthusiasts and you'll find all possible options in all budget range.

Thanks, Shankar. Very helpful tips.

Originally Posted by roshithr

Is it a good idea to lease a car instead of owning it in the UK?

Thanks, Roshith for this query. Even my company has a car lease policy, but I do not the details yet. Let's wait for some experts to reply to your thread.

[ShankarG]

Originally Posted by roshithr

Thank you GRAND23 for the thread; just in time before my move too.

If you don't have a UK credit history and a UK Driving license, I doubt if any leasing company will offer you one. Even if they do, the lease rentals shall be sky high.

I suggest you do this evaluation once you've received a quote from them and compare against your other expenses (rentals, groceries and income tax ) which any way are super high.

If your budget isn't high or you are ok to drive regular used cars, better to buy upfront and get used to UK roads, secure a DL within first 12 months post which your options will be unlimited.

[hellraiser_yank]

Originally Posted by GRAND23

I am moving to UK in another one month and need help from you all to understand about used cars and buying tricks. For now, I am keeping price cap as 3k.

Hi sorry to chip-in a little late.

To answer your questions.

1. Your upper limit should 60k miles unless you have the ability to check the vehicle thoroughly and access to a good FNG.

2. Diesels are typically used for high mileage applications like taxis in some tier 2 cities, etc.

3. Most Honda's or anything remotely will be overpriced to buy and insure as they are considered high risk for crash. I would recommend something like a Honda Jazz, Hyundai i10/i20/i30, Toyota Verso (something like an Ertiga), Seat hatchbacks, Fiesta, Focus, Polo or Golf as insurance takes in account various factors for premium like your UK driving record and number years with no claim, odds a model being crashed (so no exciting first cars unless a high premium is not a concern), Indian no claims are very very difficult to use there for a discount. Also every postcode has different theft and car crash rates which are also taken in account to calculate premium and lastly if you park your car in a garage or on street also affects the premium.

4. Also premiums are higher on Indian licence, so I would suggest to get a UK licence first. Always get the licence on a manual so you are automatically eligible to drive an automatic. I would suggest get a tested tried robust car which has a lower chance of failures as something like a DSG repair can cost an absolute Bomb.

5. Just get a reliable below 2l petrol engine car for atleast the first year. That would give a risk averse 1 year to know to roads, the garages and the tax/insurance system.

I was quoted about 2.5k GBP annual insurance on an i10 2008 worth 1000 GBP in 2016 on my Indian license. Once I got the UK license it reduced to 1.2k GBP. In my second year I got my self insured on a car which was insured to my friend as premium was too high for me but he had a longer record of driving and ownership there. So paid about 800 GBP to be insured on a Toyota MR2 Turbo.

Just read about the tax system, radically different insurance system, MOT system and SORN (tax and insurance exempt due to not being used)

Make sure the car has a valid MOT, tax paid and NOT SORN.

Once you have accumulated a year or 2 of no claim bonus and no points on your UK licence you will get way cheaper options to insure.

All the best. I hope you will find the one.


Note from Support: Typos, random upper/lowercase fixed. Please proofread. Thanks.

[heavy_foot]

The things to consider when getting a car in your budget in the UK is, Car cost+ insurance + annual road tax. Some cars are cheaper to insure and tax. For a 3K budget, look for Honda Jazz and Skoda Fabia or Nissan Note. Petrol/Diesel both should be good. If you dont plan to drive in ULEZ zones, you should consider getting a diesel. You might find better deals on diesels as lot if people living in Ulez areas are getting rid of their diesels. You can still drive in the ULez zone once in a while if you have to after paying the per day charge of around 10-12 pounds. In that budget you might also get a Civic Diesel which return a good milege and cheap to tax and are pretty frugal and reliable. Use sites like caranalytics.com to get a history check of the cars you have shortlisted. MOT history of a vehicle is available for free, however a paid check can get you more checks. You can use the paid check once you are sure about making an offer on a car. MOT is like a annual fitness test for the cars. BTW dont just blindly believe that a car with a good MOT history will be good, there are lot of dubious MOT test centers. its best you check the car in person before making an offer.

[Uprasenjit]

Did you move to the UK?

[GRAND23]

Thank you, everyone. Based on all your suggestions, I have shortlisted the below models. For now, I am really not looking for premium cars as insurance will cost a bomb for the first year. I am playing safe by going with the cheaper car for a year or so.

Out of all models, I liked (not decided to own yet) the Honda Civic, Suzuki Splash, Renault Modus, and Nissan Note for their value-for-money factor.

Let me know what you guys suggest.

Renault Modus Diesel 1.5L - 2005 Model, 41124 mileage

https://www.theaa.com/used-cars/cardetails/108-125454

Ford Fiesta Petrol 1.4L - 2003 Model, 35050 Mileage

https://www.theaa.com/used-cars/cardetails/6-2318946

Nissan Note Diesel 1.5L - 2010 Model, 58655 mileage

https://www.theaa.com/used-cars/cardetails/6-2318134

Nissan Note Petrol 1.4L - 2008 Model, 29585 mileage

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-det...evance&fromsra

Honda Civic Petrol 1.8L - 2006 Model, 45000 mileage

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-det...e-desc&fromsra

Suzuki Splash Petrol 1.2L - 2008 Model, 26685 mileage

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-det...e-desc&fromsra

[ads11]

Some of these are astonishingly low mileage. Only 35k on the odo for a 20yo Fiesta is quite something! My similar age Golf had 85k miles on it and my aunt had been the only person who drove it for all that time.

If all else is well I'd bite on that listing. Price seems reasonable to me but then again I didn't have to get into the weeds on used car prices myself so I'm not the best judge there.

[KiloAlpha]

Originally Posted by GRAND23

...
Let me know what you guys suggest.

Renault Modus Diesel 1.5L - 2005 Model, 41124 mileage

Renault Clio & Nissan Note also built on the same platform. Engine shared with Nissan - same engine used in Indian Nissan diesel models too. Being a French built car, it will be prone to more niggles and the occassional catastrophic failure. Also, it will have at least one quirky feature that you and your family will find annoying. Get it inspected by an independent mechanic before buying. Most FNG will be able to service/fix it, some will shy away.

Originally Posted by GRAND23

Ford Fiesta Petrol 1.4L - 2003 Model, 35050 Mileage

Safe choice. This generation of Fiesta is related to the Indian Fiesta, so you will find it instantly familiar. Easily fixable by any competent FNG. 20 years and 35K miles implies some things will need fixing due to age, so budget for a large (1-1.5K) service bill within 5000 miles.

Originally Posted by GRAND23

Nissan Note Diesel 1.5L - 2010 Model, 58655 mileage


Nissan Note Petrol 1.4L - 2008 Model, 29585 mileage

Safe choice, and reasonably reliable. More practical for family use than the Fiesta or Civic. Between the two, I would go for the diesel.

Originally Posted by GRAND23

Honda Civic Petrol 1.8L - 2006 Model, 45000 mileage

Interesting. Very interesting. Very very interesting.

Originally Posted by GRAND23

Suzuki Splash Petrol 1.2L - 2008 Model, 26685 mileage

Are you sure you want to relocate to UK and buy a Maruti Ritz? Why? I am a bit suspicious of the low mileage for age - engine wears out much faster if it is used only for short journeys by the proverbial "little old lady", so beware. Suzuki UK dealers apparently have a very good reputation (same as Maruti in India), but still ... why?

How about something like this? https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-det...ius=25&fromsra

[GRAND23]

Originally Posted by Uprasenjit

Did you move to the UK?

Yes, I did.

Originally Posted by heavy_foot

The things to consider when getting a car in your budget in the UK is, Car cost+ insurance + annual road tax. Some cars are cheaper to insure and tax. For a 3K budget, look for Honda Jazz and Skoda Fabia or Nissan Note. Petrol/Diesel both should be good. If you dont plan to drive in ULEZ zones, you should consider getting a diesel. You might find better deals on diesels as lot if people living in Ulez areas are getting rid of their diesels. BTW dont just blindly believe that a car with a good MOT history will be good, there are lot of dubious MOT test centers. its best you check the car in person before making an offer.

I get your point. I think this is helpful. If you see my latest post, I have narrowed my search towards the cars which you mentioned.

Originally Posted by ads11

Some of these are astonishingly low mileage. Only 35k on the odo for a 20yo Fiesta is quite something!

This was something surprising to me as well. I see fiesta everywhere in UK. It is just like Maruti in UK. So less odo is something fishy or might be one off the good deal.

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

Also, it will have at least one quirky feature that you and your family will find annoying.

Interesting. Very interesting. Very very interesting.


Are you sure you want to relocate to UK and buy a Maruti Ritz?

I get your point here. I have owned previously Renault Duster and I understand what you mean. There is always one quirky feature which frustrates. The one which I found in Duster was mirror aligning knob under the handbrake.

Honda civic is just too attractive to me. I might and I say again, I might buy this one.

From the pictures, Ritz/Splash looks good to me. It was very less on mileage and moreover it's a proven car. If at all makes sense and car passes all tests, then this will still remain in my buying list. Later, I might pass this car to my wife as well.

[heavy_foot]

Originally Posted by GRAND23

Yes, I did.



I get your point. I think this is helpful. If you see my latest post, I have narrowed my search towards the cars which you mentioned.

Just adding some more info here which might be of help to you. Civic, Yaris, Avensis are some of the other cars you can consider. Recently helped a friend who was in a similar boat as you to pick up a 2 door 2003 (ep3) Civic 1.4. We got the car for 800gbp, changed the tyres, did a service and it cost him around 1100 in total + road tax, insurance etc. The car had done 98k miles when he got it and he has already done a few long trips in it and it has been very reliable. Lookout for rust when checking civics as they are notorious for it. Thankfully we found a clean example and moved quickly to close the deal. You should be able to find type 8 civics in your budget.

[GRAND23]

Guys, Quick one.

BMW 320D is for sale within the company I work. One of the employee is selling it and moving for 7 seater car.

The car has clocked 94000 miles and it's 2010 registered. This BMW 320D is an efficient dynamic version and it's a diesel manual.

The asking price is 5k pounds.

I am looking for answers specifically from 320D owners (I think GTO had one) and UK car owners who have a much better experience in car ownership than I do.

I checked MOT and it looks good. There were no major advisories.