How much are you prepared to spend/borrow to do this? Makes many subsequent questions easier/more specific.
Biggest cost on a brand new car (and for its first 3-4 years at least) is depreciation, it will cost more than insurance, tax and fuel put together. If reliability/warranty is a strong pull for you, then at least go to one of the supersites like Trade Sales, where they have many 'ex demo' models, with only a few thou (if that) on the clock, and a substantial discount on the price. Plus the balance of the manufacturer warranty.
Garage finance is better than it was, but still not particularly cheap, go to your bank first and clue yourself up to what is a good rate atm, forewarned is forearmed.
Pay with cc? Possible, depends on your limit, but it's got to be repaid somehow, and cc interest is rarely good for the 2-3 years it will take to pay it off.
How long will a car last? How long is the proverbial piece of string. Looked after, I would expect a minimum of 10-12 years given normal use, but towards the end maintenance costs will rise, and a big bill will be more than the car is worth.
Not much in location these days, most are built with parts made all over the world regardless. Some makes better than others - 'quality' makes, say Mercedes or BMW, relatively pricey, other european/japanese cars in the middle, obscure far eastern (say Korean) cheap for example. Most bits shared between groups these days, so a VW stamped part will be found in : VW, Audi, Skoda, and Seat vehicles. Ford parts in Mazdas etc.
Tax wise, no guarantees, but expect more of the same in the future, bigger/more polluting cars are going to cost more. Not much in the grand scheme of things, but will mean that higher tax cars will be less desirable (heavier depreciation) for a future resale.
Blimey. A lot of questions....
How much are you prepared to spend/borrow to do this? Makes many subsequent questions easier/more specific.
Biggest cost on a brand new car (and for its first 3-4 years at least) is depreciation, it will cost more than insurance, tax and fuel put together. If reliability/warranty is a strong pull for you, then at least go to one of the supersites like Trade Sales, where they have many 'ex demo' models, with only a few thou (if that) on the clock, and a substantial discount on the price. Plus the balance of the manufacturer warranty.
Garage finance is better than it was, but still not particularly cheap, go to your bank first and clue yourself up to what is a good rate atm, forewarned is forearmed.
Pay with cc? Possible, depends on your limit, but it's got to be repaid somehow, and cc interest is rarely good for the 2-3 years it will take to pay it off.
How long will a car last? How long is the proverbial piece of string. Looked after, I would expect a minimum of 10-12 years given normal use, but towards the end maintenance costs will rise, and a big bill will be more than the car is worth.
Not much in location these days, most are built with parts made all over the world regardless. Some makes better than others - 'quality' makes, say Mercedes or BMW, relatively pricey, other european/japanese cars in the middle, obscure far eastern (say Korean) cheap for example. Most bits shared between groups these days, so a VW stamped part will be found in : VW, Audi, Skoda, and Seat vehicles. Ford parts in Mazdas etc.
Tax wise, no guarantees, but expect more of the same in the future, bigger/more polluting cars are going to cost more. Not much in the grand scheme of things, but will mean that higher tax cars will be less desirable (heavier depreciation) for a future resale.