Need advice . . . buying 1st car

It's my 18th in a month and I am starting to seriously look at cars. I've got a few grand in my pocket, say, up to maybe 6 (5.4k USD), and I've got kinda what I want in mind.

Station wagon.
Prefer if it was manual
No dings/dents
Overall good condition
Good motor

I've kinda got a Holden Commodore in mind - ebay auction - but anything along those lines would be great.

What I don't understand is the difference between car models, like the Commodore comes in ute and normal car, etc, plus you have little things like 'VS III S' or 'VZ' stuck onto the end, plus I don't know if the exact same model is released year-by-year, or just updated every few years?

I've been told car auctions are the way to go, where you can start them up, and you can pretty much get them 1/4 of the dealership price, and in most cases lower than a private trade. But I'm happy to go with a private trade.

It's all kinda confusing. If someone could help me out I might be able to make some sense out of all this, which would be good
I really don't want to screw up here.

I'd be wary of getting a car from ebay. They can cost you a hell of alot of cash if you've bought a shoddy motor.

Also,as it;'s you're first car,I be looking at the cheepest thing you can get. You're probably going to prang it within a year. (no offence,but,it does happen frequently) Get an old banger,cheep as you can,and start saving for a better one while you're learning to drive. (it takes a few years to properly learn)

If you can get a cheep car at an auction,then you'll probably get a better car for your money,but take someone who knows alot about cars with you. have a GOOD look round and ask to hear the cars running if you're interested in buying. Don't forget to stick the 15% or whatever on top of the price.

Be very careful about buying a car online, especially from ebay. If you do it, please read all the fine print.

I'd suggest getting a CarFax on any car that you plan to purchase.

This report will tell you about the car, how many owners, if it's been wrecked, etc.

If you buy from a dealer, they should provide one for you, you have to request it, but they'll do it.

If you're buying from an individual, you'll probably have to pay for it out of pocket.

Other than that, just make sure to drive the car and look it over real good. Check the engine for leaks, climb underneath, looking for leaks or signs of leaks.

Check the trunk area for rust, etc.

Good Luck, buying a car is exciting, I hope you find something nice and be sure to come back and tell us all about it.


[edit on 1-4-2008 by elevatedone]

I've purchased both of my diesel 80's toyota's off ebay, out of state. I got great deals on great trucks, from good people I still keep up with.

I paid about 5500 for both trucks. In the past year I have watched the price of diesel yota's soar because of the biodiesel craze; each of my trucks would fetch 6-8k on ebay today.

Call the owner before you bid, ask pertinent questions; feel out their personality.

Sri Oracle

Check out as much as you can about the model of car that your interested in buying, try magazines, forums (look for car specific threads),websites.
I think you should also get an insurance quote so you have an idea how much its going to cost to insure before you buy.
Good luck and safe driving!!!

Don't worry about dents or dings. If it's your first car, you'll be adding plenty of your own. Might want to come down on how much you're willing to spend as well. Expect to put 1/4 of the purchase cost into repairs, and then I'm assuming you have sales tax. $3-4000 should be good. Don't fall in love either. If/when you wreck her, she'll break your heart.

>
My first car cost $800 for the record. Paint? What paint? We don't need no stinkin' paint!



[edit on 1-4-2008 by apc]

Okay, my dad is going to buy me a Subaru Liberty wagon, '92 model.
Needs rego, brakes, windscreen. $3200 to get hands on the car, then add on the extra costs.

I just found a nice looking car on the net, here.

This is 6 cylinder instead of 4, and is 3.8L instead of 2. MORE POWA!! Plus it looks in good nick, with recently redone engine, 2 new/2 good tires, etc.

Just want to find out what people think of this comparison, and whether the Subarus are any good. Heard spare parts cost a small fortune.
Thanks!

reply to post by Sovtek

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A subaru for your first car.. IMO...no chance..

Bad move TBH..

Consider the insurance on that..

Ask yourself also, why did it need the engine to be redone..bet your bottom dollar it's been raced into the ground..all subu's have.. servicing will cost a packet and spare parts are not cheap..and if anything major goes wrong then you'll be paying mostly for computerised parts..

Whatever car you do decide to get, check that the engine is cold before they start it up.. if it's warm then they pre-started it before you arrived to look..this is a sign of problems..

Remove oil filler cap and look for a grey/brown sludge inside..this is usually contaminated oil with water and can indicate a blown head gasket or other problems. If no sludge, look for black, burnt bits inside the oil filler hole too..if you can see lots of black crusty stuff everywhere then that's a bad sign too.

Check the tyres..see how they are..if it's a new set then ah well, saves you a few quid..if they have tread wear, check to see if it's on the outer and/or inner edges only.. this can indicate two things.
Driving hard/fast around corners.. or (especially on front wheels) tracking out of alignment.

Although unusual (but not uncommon) is the case of 'clocking' a car (rolling back the miles on the clock), check for steering wheel condition, drivers seat condition, seat belts, carpets etc etc.. if there is excessive wear but a low mileage (especially on something like a subu, then be wary.

Yes, do try to take someone who knows something about what they are looking at. Yes try to get a test drive and drive it yourself or let your experience friend do it.

There's loads of other stuff to look for but i feel that's the most important. And my very first car I had for only 3 weeks when another driver decided to jump the traffic lights and crashed into me...wrote my first car off for me..
I was 18, other driver who caused my first car to die was 52..at first the police didn't believe it wasn't my fault..until a witness showed up

Please do reconsider your thoughts of a subaru though.. they're nice, yes, but swines when they go wrong..

Thanks Extralien!
I actually meant that the Holden had it's motor redone, not the Subaru. But it's too late now. I've got the Subaru. It's getting 4 new tyres, wheel alignment, etc. I'm going for my license this friday, and if I get it I should be picking up this car soon after that. I'm pretty excited, even if it isn't what I would have preferred.
lol, who am I to complain?

reply to post by Sovtek

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Subarus are incredibly easy to fix. I have a 2004 WRX and am in the process of heavily modifying it. I've done all the work myself and the thing just keeps trucking. They have bulletproof axles and motors. I wouldn't worry at all about the longevity of your new Subaru wagon. The bastards are real tanks!

If I could find a decent low mileage Suburu and buy it, I would probably lose my license, and I haven't got a speeding ticket in 25 years. They are great cars. I would have to have a WRX and it wouldn't stay stock for long.