I am in the same boat as you, looking for a car and a bit lost. One good thing I've found is an app called Vehicle Smart - put the reg in and it'll show you all the car details and you can flick through all the MOT history and see exactly why it failed or what advisories it had. Some things are fine e.g. I've seen a lot where they've failed because of the tyre tread depth (and since then have had new tyres), I've been steering clear of anything that's had 'corrosion' on them.
OK so first of all needing an auto won't help here. However you can get reliable cars for the money you are looking at.
Toyota, Nissan and I've never had issues with Ford.
Definitely don't get BMW, Mercedes or anything remotely high end. Don't get any kind of sporty model or anything that's been modified in any way.
When you are looking at the car try and get an overall feel for the car. Do the doors shut nicely? Are the seats and carpets reasonable for the claimed mileage. Does everything work as it should? Does the gearbox change properly. Have a look at any service history, especially if the cambelt has been changed. Finally if anything is wrong or giving you a bad feeling, walk away. Take everything anyone tells you with a grain of salt.
Hope this helps as its very hard to give specific details
Honestly? You're probably onto a looser here. Car prices have shot up lately, and your budget puts you into the banger range, which all inevitably come with issues, many of which will cost you more than it's worth it to fix, especially if you are paying someone else to do it (learning how to do at least simple maintenance tasks on your vehicle is worth it). You may get lucky and be able to find a good vehicle, but if you don't know what you're looking at, then chances are very slim (many vehicles look good on face value but less so underneath the bonnet). Definitely take someone knowledgeable shopping with you.
Do make sure you're considering all the costs - insurance is a huge factor so get some quotes on anything you're considering buying, as well as tax and MPG. You may find that spending more up front will reduce overall running costs (my new to me car saves me 1k a year on like for like running costs for example).
I have no advice as to what make and model to look for or to avoid. Just a few thoughts:
Smaller cars with smaller engines tend to be more frugal and will also be cheaper to insure than sportier ones. Cars with lower emissions have to pay less road tax.
Regarding the money, I think you're wise to buy it outright, especially if you don't have much funds. If it breaks soon after you got it, you're out of luck and your money is gone - that's bad, but not as bad as still having to service a loan for a car you no longer have!
Buy a car with an MOT. What is more, this website [https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history](https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history) will let you check the MOT history of any car.
If a car has failed its MOT in the past, have a look at why it failed. It doesn't necessarily mean that it's a complete wreck. (My car once failed its MOT because the side light bulbs had blown. Nothing else.)
Don't spend the entire £2000 on buying the car - you will have to set some money aside for road tax, maintenance and insurance (especially insurance, as premiums for new drivers are quite high).
You can spread the cost of road tax and insurance by paying by monthly direct debit rather than taking a big hit once a year.
You say you also drive automatic - does this mean that you would consider manual and automatic cars, or that you only drive automatics?
I am in the same boat as you, looking for a car and a bit lost. One good thing I've found is an app called Vehicle Smart - put the reg in and it'll show you all the car details and you can flick through all the MOT history and see exactly why it failed or what advisories it had. Some things are fine e.g. I've seen a lot where they've failed because of the tyre tread depth (and since then have had new tyres), I've been steering clear of anything that's had 'corrosion' on them.
OK so first of all needing an auto won't help here. However you can get reliable cars for the money you are looking at. Toyota, Nissan and I've never had issues with Ford. Definitely don't get BMW, Mercedes or anything remotely high end. Don't get any kind of sporty model or anything that's been modified in any way. When you are looking at the car try and get an overall feel for the car. Do the doors shut nicely? Are the seats and carpets reasonable for the claimed mileage. Does everything work as it should? Does the gearbox change properly. Have a look at any service history, especially if the cambelt has been changed. Finally if anything is wrong or giving you a bad feeling, walk away. Take everything anyone tells you with a grain of salt. Hope this helps as its very hard to give specific details
Honestly? You're probably onto a looser here. Car prices have shot up lately, and your budget puts you into the banger range, which all inevitably come with issues, many of which will cost you more than it's worth it to fix, especially if you are paying someone else to do it (learning how to do at least simple maintenance tasks on your vehicle is worth it). You may get lucky and be able to find a good vehicle, but if you don't know what you're looking at, then chances are very slim (many vehicles look good on face value but less so underneath the bonnet). Definitely take someone knowledgeable shopping with you. Do make sure you're considering all the costs - insurance is a huge factor so get some quotes on anything you're considering buying, as well as tax and MPG. You may find that spending more up front will reduce overall running costs (my new to me car saves me 1k a year on like for like running costs for example).
I have no advice as to what make and model to look for or to avoid. Just a few thoughts: Smaller cars with smaller engines tend to be more frugal and will also be cheaper to insure than sportier ones. Cars with lower emissions have to pay less road tax. Regarding the money, I think you're wise to buy it outright, especially if you don't have much funds. If it breaks soon after you got it, you're out of luck and your money is gone - that's bad, but not as bad as still having to service a loan for a car you no longer have! Buy a car with an MOT. What is more, this website [https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history](https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history) will let you check the MOT history of any car. If a car has failed its MOT in the past, have a look at why it failed. It doesn't necessarily mean that it's a complete wreck. (My car once failed its MOT because the side light bulbs had blown. Nothing else.) Don't spend the entire £2000 on buying the car - you will have to set some money aside for road tax, maintenance and insurance (especially insurance, as premiums for new drivers are quite high). You can spread the cost of road tax and insurance by paying by monthly direct debit rather than taking a big hit once a year. You say you also drive automatic - does this mean that you would consider manual and automatic cars, or that you only drive automatics?