Buying guides

What To Buy

How to work out which of the thousands of cars for sale is the one for you

There are hundreds of makes and models of car to choose from and working out which is right for you may not be easy. Even if your budget is small, all sorts of car types will be within reach, so think about:

If having fun is more important than practicality, a coupé or convertible might suit. But if you're buying a family car, a hatchback, estate, MPV or SUV will be more appropriate.
If you cover over 10,000 miles per year, diesel is probably best, but you'll pay more for one, the fuel itself is more expensive and petrol cars are often more reliable.
Also how reliable the car is likely to be. A good guide to this is at
Self-shifting gears can be a real bonus with today's traffic levels, but cars with an automatic gearbox tend to be more thirsty, less reliable and more costly to buy.

Don't be put off by a high-mileage ex-company car, as these tend to be very affordable. They're normally cared for mechanically (you can check the bodywork, interior and service history easily enough), but most of the miles will have been covered at running temperature. Low-mileage cars that have done lots of very short journeys will have been run cold most of the time – and that's really bad news for the engine.