How does an ex-pat buy a car in the UK?

I don't know about everyone else but I wouldn't plan on moving to the UK if i didn't have the funds to buy a used car. 

Everyone's circumstances are different.

I guess I'll figure it out.   

Amen!  That is indeed the best attitude.

(Dar, you might want to check with Courtney, whom I know is out of town at the moment, but she bought a car here about a year ago, not sure the specifics, but I think she started with eBay!)

I don't know about everyone else but I wouldn't plan on moving to the UK if i didn't have the funds to buy a used car.

Totally depends on where you'd be moving to. In London there's not much need for a car, again, depending on your individual circumstances.  If you're basing your decision on moving to the UK on whether you can afford a car, then perhaps now's not the time for you to move.

Totally depends on where you'd be moving to. In London there's not much need for a car, again, depending on your individual circumstances.  If you're basing your decision on moving to the UK on whether you can afford a car, then perhaps now's not the time for you to move.

um k...

my dh bought my seat ibiza ( no power steering) P rage, from an auto salvage like where they are wrecked but fixable we bidded online and got it for 200£ then about another 300£ to fix it i think, it was a great lil runner.... now im sharing his volvo which is so big but the dash board is so cramped and narrow feeling when i sit in there.....

My first car here was £ 410.00 and ran great for about two and half years.  I paid cash for it and put the insurance in my name and H as a named driver.  It gave me a chance to build up credit plus save loads for a downpayment on my car now. 

To be honest there are a lot of really cheap good used cars here that could get you to the point where you build up credit and can purchase a newer, better car.  Just a thought but maybe go to your bank and see what they say.  Also does your company have company cars that you could lease?  Through where I work I can lease a car for three years. I found it to be not very cost effective but a real option if you can do that. 

Good luck on what ever you decide. 

Our first car here, we paid cash for.  Then we traded it in and could have paid cash for it again but we were approved for a loan so we jumped at it, just to have the credit on the books.  That was a year in. 

Get DH to apply for a loan. 

Also, talk to the company.  If you need a car for the job, they should be providing it for you - at the very least they can help you finance it at first. 

No, I've got the funds, but it will be tight, because I also have rent to pay without any credit history, and other start up expenses, and then I won't get paid for a while on my first paycheck, then not to mention the taxes that are being taken out until I can figure out national insurance.  How different are car repairs in the UK?  Because I do plenty of my own car repairs here in the US, but its just not something I would like too much of a hassle with. 

Totally depends on where you'd be moving to. In London there's not much need for a car,

Absolutely! Where I live, in rural Wales, a car is really important. But if I'd been moving to London, there's no way I would have wanted a car. It'd be like trying to park in Manhattan. No, thank you! 

Where I live, in rural Wales, a car is really important.

Ditto for rural Norfolk.  The nearest bus stop to me is over a mile away, and then I think the buses run every other Thursday unless it's a full moon, or something like that!    Unless you want to rely on friends and neighbors, or spend a fortune on taxis (£15 to town and back from here) a car is essential.

How different are car repairs in the UK?  Because I do plenty of my own car repairs here in the US, but its just not something I would like too much of a hassle with. 

Obviously there are some variations on British/European cars, especially if you are more used to older, traditional-style American cars and trucks, but nothing which should present too much difficulty if you already work on your own vehicles.   

There are plenty of auto spares stores (sometimes going by the rather curious name of "motor factors") which can supply brake shoes, filters, spark plugs, and all the other usual spares for general servicing and repairs.  Even my nearest small town (pop. 3000 or thereabouts) has one.

Thanks Paul, that's helpful information!

I just moved to Reading, Berkshire, and was able to buy a new car from Fiat at 0% financing. All it took was a letter from my employer. So you never know!

Yeah, that's interesting.  I do have a relocation company assisting me with my move, so I am going to ask them their suggestions.  I certainly am not the first one in this predicament, nor, I'm sure the last, so I'm sure they may be able to point me in the right direction.

Dar,

I just bought a nice 3yr old VW, and financed it through VW Finance. I have no credit history here either, but I do have the advantage of being a citizen, having a UK driving license, and being able to put down at least 20% (I actually did 40%). I'll do the payments for a year, and hopefully by then my US house will have sold, and I'll be able to pay it off completely. The interest rates here are horrible compared to the US. I did get a letter from my employer, confirming my employment and salary. That helped a lot.

In your situation, I'd be looking for a decent £1k car to get me by for a few years. My parents have a '96 Citroen that they paid £1400 for 5 years ago. My brothers have been sharing it as a car for the last few years, and it definitely isn't pretty, but it starts every time, and costs next to nothing to run. Do a search on Autotrader.co.uk. There are lots of Ford Fiesta's and Peugeot 106/206's out there that will be cheap to buy and run.

I don't know about everyone else but I wouldn't plan on moving to the UK if i didn't have the funds to buy a used car.  Even a 2k pound car will do nicely.  Hell I don't plan on buying new anyways, not even a light used one.  I'd rather have repair bills than a car payment any day.  Although it helps since I work on my own car...

I don't own a car.  I don't even drive in the UK - don't plan on it.  Been here over five years...