Buying a car ahead of driving test

GlobalSun · 03-02-2019 1:03pm #1

Hi all,

I obtained my learner's permit in April 2018 and I started taking weekly lessons in May. My test is scheduled to take place in a few weeks (less than 2 months).

I'm fully aware you cannot drive on your own when you hold a learner's permit & the insurance is rather heavy. Kindly note I don't have anyone around me with a manual car (or a car to begin with as most of my friends are expats). I'm not planning on driving a car unaccompanied whilst still on a learner's permit.

However, I am contemplating buying a car ahead of my test, so that when I pass my test I already have everything ready (parking space, car, etc ...).

Is this a bad idea? Should I really hold off on buying this car until I've my full license?

Just as an FYI, I'm not an 18 year old eager to drive. I'm a 28-year old female.

Thank you.

hasdanta · 03-02-2019 10:53pm

The car is going to cost the same price whether you're a fully qualified driver or a leaner so it's entirely up to you

s7ryf3925pivug · 03-02-2019 10:57pm

If you can get someone to sit in the car with you and can afford to insure it then it's definitely a good idea. It is difficult to pass the test only with lessons, especially when the waiting time means you either do *lots* of lessons or you can be caught out being out of practice when the test date finally comes around. Much easier if you have the oopportunity for regular practice.

touts · 03-02-2019 11:02pm

GlobalSun wrote: »

Hi all,

I obtained my learner's permit in April 2018 and I started taking weekly lessons in May. My test is scheduled to take place in a few weeks (less than 2 months).

I'm fully aware you cannot drive on your own when you hold a learner's permit & the insurance is rather heavy. Kindly note I don't have anyone around me with a manual car (or a car to begin with as most of my friends are expats). I'm not planning on driving a car unaccompanied whilst still on a learner's permit.

However, I am contemplating buying a car ahead of my test, so that when I pass my test I already have everything ready (parking space, car, etc ...).

Is this a bad idea? Should I really hold off on buying this car until I've my full license?

Just as an FYI, I'm not an 18 year old eager to drive. I'm a 28-year old female.

Thank you.

If you need the motivation then having a useless hunk of expensive metal sitting idle on your driveway with monthly repayments coming out of your account is a great incentive to turn it into a usable car by getting your licence. But if you are already determined to get the licence then I recommend you hold off and use the money you will spend on loan repayments, insurance and tax on something else.

GlobalSun · 04-02-2019 6:42pm

Thank you, all.

I'm definitely not planning on buying a brand new car with the financing option. There's absolutely no point at this stage.

The plan is to buy a decent second-hand car with full payment upfront.

My lessons amount to more than EUR 400 per month and this has been ongoing for roughly a year now. A car maintenance will never be this much in my eyes. I'm really starting to get frustrated with the amount of money going out of my account for these lessons.

The car is going to cost the same indeed, but the insurance is going to be way more expensive as a learner, no?

Posy · 04-02-2019 6:58pm

I got a quote for insurance of (say) 2 grand on a learner permit. When I changed the licence type on the online quote system to Full Irish/EU the quote went down to a grand. So maybe start by getting a few quotes and comparing.

I have no access to a car or anyone with a car to practice with, so I understand how slow moving and frustrating it is.

s7ryf3925pivug · 05-02-2019 1:20am

Non EU with full licence pay even more I recently found out. It's all the scammer cnuts.

J_R · 05-02-2019 4:13am

Hi,

why not do a little shopping around. Be more or less honest with the salesmen, tell them you are thinking of buying a car but as you are have only ever driven the instructors car you are afraid you may not be able to handle this different make/model/size/colour.

Salesman should offer to give you a test drive. On the drive mention you are really worried about say reversing, so if he would not mind ?. If sales are slow he should oblige.

Next garages say its the hill start or the turnabout, certain junction and so on.

Will be as good as a lesson, and free, perhaps better as some of the salesmen may be better instructors than your real one.

Insurance might be a problem but garages do have fairly comprehensive cover.. Perhaps worth a try and you may come across a genuine bargain.

GlobalSun · 05-02-2019 2:33pm

Posy wrote: »

I got a quote for insurance of (say) 2 grand on a learner permit. When I changed the licence type on the online quote system to Full Irish/EU the quote went down to a grand. So maybe start by getting a few quotes and comparing.

I have no access to a car or anyone with a car to practice with, so I understand how slow moving and frustrating it is.

Oh, it's not bad! May I kindly ask you to PM me the insurer's name?

Thanks!

sanna · 05-02-2019 11:34pm

I started my lessons in March last year, had planned to get a car when I passed.

However I was a bit naive when it came to how long it would take to pass or be ready to sit it. Im a planner so ended up in August getting a credit union loan so Id have cash for it I spotted something suitable! Ended up getting it in Nov! Got a date for late Dec for test so my instructer said here on in you do lessons in your own car, best thing I did, soon as I had the car got offers of driving help. I had been lessson before then cost me a fortune

Yeah the insurance was crap and I got a decent car small engine and Im 45 but wish I got the car sooner, really noticed a difference in my driving

Timmybauld · 13-02-2019 4:19pm

I completely agree that its difficult to pass the test with only lessons, but many do. I didn't and went and got a car in 2016. It took me five attempts to pass, so you can be very lucky and unlucky with the test and don't assume it'll happen quickly like I did. Between the cost of the car, then insurance etc - you could be front-loading lots of money for 2 years before passing when it would have been cheaper to just do lessons and do it in an instructors car. Try get on a family members insurance. With the Clancy Amendment, something like 200 cars driven by unaccompanied learner drivers have been seized by gardai since the 'Clancy Amendment' law came into effect - many of those that have been reported on have had other issues like mad speed, testing positive for drugs or drink etc. So you need to weigh up that risk of being caught too. Personally, had I have passed a few weeks ago, I'd have severely limited driving alone and possibly when the insurance came back up in May - just taken the car off the road til I passed. There's a tonne of my friends that passed just using instructors cars with very very limited driving outside of that.

GlobalSun · 14-02-2019 11:42pm

Timmybauld wrote: »

I completely agree that its difficult to pass the test with only lessons, but many do. I didn't and went and got a car in 2016. It took me five attempts to pass, so you can be very lucky and unlucky with the test and don't assume it'll happen quickly like I did. Between the cost of the car, then insurance etc - you could be front-loading lots of money for 2 years before passing when it would have been cheaper to just do lessons and do it in an instructors car. Try get on a family members insurance. With the Clancy Amendment, something like 200 cars driven by unaccompanied learner drivers have been seized by gardai since the 'Clancy Amendment' law came into effect - many of those that have been reported on have had other issues like mad speed, testing positive for drugs or drink etc. So you need to weigh up that risk of being caught too. Personally, had I have passed a few weeks ago, I'd have severely limited driving alone and possibly when the insurance came back up in May - just taken the car off the road til I passed. There's a tonne of my friends that passed just using instructors cars with very very limited driving outside of that.

As I said, I don't have anyone to drive with ... which means I don't have any family member whose insurance would also be extended to myself. If I had any family over here, it would be much easier & I wouldn't need an instructor now that I'm done with my EDT. Unfortunately, things are not always as straight forward.

I'm not driving unaccompanied. This is not something I would ever do. All this money invested to go back to square one is not worth it.

Anyway, I guess time will tell. 3 hours lessons every week for the past year. I'd like to think I'm getting the hang of it anyway.

Timmybauld · 14-02-2019 11:51pm

GlobalSun wrote: »

As I said, I don't have anyone to drive with ... which means I don't have any family member whose insurance would also be extended to myself. If I had any family over here, it would be much easier & I wouldn't need an instructor now that I'm done with my EDT. Unfortunately, things are not always as straight forward.

I'm not driving unaccompanied. This is not something I would ever do. All this money invested to go back to square one is not worth it.

Anyway, I guess time will tell. 3 hours lessons every week for the past year. I'd like to think I'm getting the hang of it anyway.

That's a lot of lessons. I'd save your money, wait til you actually have a test date and then in the month before it ramp up the lessons again.

zepman · 06-03-2019 12:57pm

I got my first learner permit about 7 years ago. In the following year, I completed the 12 EDT lessons. Another year passed and I had taken an additional 10 lessons (possibly more; it was so long ago) and sat my first driving test which I failed.

I didn't pursue driving again until a couple of months ago. I had recently moved within walking distance from work, so I thought of taking up driving again. In January this year, I renewed my learner permit. I had to book a driving test to do that since this would be my 4th learner permit. I then signed up for 6 lessons with a different instructor. After completing a couple of lessons, I bought a really good used car from a dealership close by, with full payment upfront. This was with the help of a mate at work who inspected the car and test drove it.

Since then, this mate and I have started going out during our lunch hour to get me some practice, during which he advises and critiques me. These last just for about half an hour, 1-2 times a week. I started using my car for my lessons with the instructor as well. I've owned it only for about a month now and I see a massive difference in my driving and confidence, thanks to my mate and the instructor. I've learnt more in a single month than ever before. I have another month to go for my test.

Now, my wife had suggested we buy a car a couple of years ago, but there was no point at that time since I had no one to accompany me (well, I did have this mate at work, but I lived far away from work at that time). I'm 33 years old and had actually thought at some point last year that I would never be able to learn to drive because of my nerves and my situation. That has changed now. I still have lots to learn but I'm no longer as nervous as before.

In short, owning a car would definitely help, but only if you know someone with a full licence who might be able to accompany you while you get some practice in at least once a week.

Buying a car ahead of driving test

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