First Vehicle/ Used Cars

[Imthatguy]

I have a pretty big dilemma coming up which is buying my first car. I kind off have two option either I can save up for 2-3 months and buy a car outright but risk being late for and losing my job (that I make shit at) [1] or I can take what I have saved up 900 bucks and get car from a used car dealership (which will probably break down the moment the warranty is up) adn get massively overcharged for what I get and have to pay it off over a year or 2.

Your thoughts advice?

[1]I'm also not protected If I buy from a private party and the car breaks down.

 

[number2301]

Save up and put the effort in to get to work on time. The second option will be a liability and will continue to cost you money.

I wouldn't recommend someone buy a £900 car, never mind $900. What's that, £600ish? I've been there before, it went badly.

 

[Imthatguy]

Save up and put the effort in to get to work on time. The second option will be a liability and will continue to cost you money.

I wouldn't recommend someone buy a £900 car, never mind $900. What's that, £600ish? I've been there before, it went badly.

$900 would be around down payment for something ok I'd end up paying it off over 1-2 years at around $200-400 a month depending on how fast I want to get it paid off and the price.

The thing about getting to work on time is I don't live with anyone with a car I'm estranged from my family and work is 20 hilly miles away with no public transportation at all.

[Do UK keyboards have a pound sign as shift+4?]

 

[Broady Brio]

UK keyboards have the pound sign as Shift+3.

OT: I currently have a 1997 Vauxhall Corsa. It runs slow, has many problems, which are costly to fix, one problem causing petrol to leak out.
I'd wait the 2-3 months. Unless you seriously cannot do your job without it.

 

[the_dancy_vagrant]

Not gonna comment on financing as I've never done it, but $1000 cars are a crapshoot. Sometimes you can get one and find that it's good to go for 60k miles. Other times, you'll find cars that are so used up they wouldn't even make it into a demolition derby. Most likely, if you're shopping in that price range, the car will run but will need $750-$1000 worth of work if you want it to last more than a year or so.

Do lots and lots of research before you commit to anything, some makes/models are more reliable than others. At that price range, I'd recommend something basic, like a fleet type vehicle. Ford Tauruses are a pretty good example of what I mean - parts are quite cheap, the car itself is also not very expensive, and there's about a million of them out on the road (if you're in the USA).

 

[number2301]

Save up and put the effort in to get to work on time. The second option will be a liability and will continue to cost you money.

I wouldn't recommend someone buy a £900 car, never mind $900. What's that, £600ish? I've been there before, it went badly.

$900 would be around down payment for something ok I'd end up paying it off over 1-2 years at around $200-400 a month depending on how fast I want to get it paid off and the price.

The thing about getting to work on time is I don't live with anyone with a car I'm estranged from my family and work is 20 hilly miles away with no public transportation at all.

[Do UK keyboards have a pound sign as shift+4?]

Sorry, guess I misunderstood the question, but the guy above gave a pretty good answer. Don't be afraid of car finance, if you want a decent car, and given where you live I think you probably do, you need to pay for it. Finance is the best way to do that unless you've got a wadge of cash lying round.

For reference, UK keyboards have £ on Shift+3, $ on Shift+4, and ? on Alt GR+4. That can cause confusion sometimes when games refer to the symbol you have on shift+3, ~ maybe? It asks for the symbol you have, but expects the same key you guys use so doesn't always work.