$10,000 European car for a P-plater?
Asked by Stef Wool
I am looking to purchase my first car as a P-plater and really only want to buy European/German vehicles and want to know how much more they really are and what costs I have to actually look out for. I want to buy a car under $10,000, but don't really want to budge on European. Could you give me some advice or recommendations if it is realistic?
Answered by CarsGuide
2 Oct 2015European cars are great to drive, they're certainly more engaging than most Asian cars, but my concern with European cars as they age and pile up the kays is that they are more prone to failure that costs plenty of bucks to fix. It's hard to make a direct comparison on service costs with used cars because it depends so much on who dies the work and where they get their parts. If you buy European don't take it to a dealer to have it serviced, find an independent mechanic with in-depth knowledge of the brand you buy. Their labour charges will be much less than a dealer's, and they will usually know where to buy parts at the best prices. You can expect to spend more on servicing a European; you can expect to be replacing things like brakes more often. As a P-plater I would buy an Asian car that will be cheaper to run until you can afford a later model, low kay European model.