Congratulations to the lucky person.

Buying a car for yourself is one thing. Buying one for somebody else is a completely different job because suddenly you’re not thinking about what you like, you’re trying to work out what they actually need, what they’ll enjoy driving and, probably most importantly, what they won’t moan about six months later.

And depending on who the car is for, the brief can change completely.

If I was buying one for my wife, I already know the list would start getting quite specific. I’d want sensors everywhere because parking apparently becomes much easier when the car beeps at you from every direction. I’d want big windows so she can actually see out of it properly, room for the kids, a half-decent boot and definitely a heated steering wheel because once you’ve had one, apparently normal steering wheels become unacceptable.

She’d probably want something nice too.

Luckily, she’s easy in one respect because she’s always wanted a Jaguar. At least I’ve got somewhere to start.

Then there’s buying for your first-born.

Completely different conversation.

As a parent, I’m thinking small, easy to park, cheap to insure and preferably fitted with more airbags than seats.

If manufacturers offered a system that physically stopped the car going over 50mph, I’d tick that box too.

And while we’re at it, can we have a built-in 10pm curfew?

Being a dad, I think we all know that last one should be compulsory.

Unfortunately, the person receiving the car may have slightly different ideas.

Try explaining to an excited new driver that, no, they are not getting a BMW M2 Competition.

What they are getting is a lovely 2020 Nissan Micra.

Safe. Sensible. Cheap to run.

Look at that lovely boot.

For some reason, they don’t seem quite as excited.

And that’s the difficult part about buying a car for somebody else.

You can work out the sensible stuff.

How much space do they need? How many miles will they do? Will they mostly be around town or sitting on the motorway? Do they need an automatic? Is insurance going to be frightening? Do they need ISOFIX? Big boot? Heated seats? Good visibility? Parking cameras?

The list can become endless before you’ve even talked about budget.

Then there’s the slightly more awkward question.

Will they actually like it?

You can find the safest, most economical and most sensible car on earth but if the person you’re buying it for looks at it and thinks it’s horrible, you haven’t exactly nailed the present.

That’s why I think buying for somebody else needs a slightly different approach.

You have to separate the must-haves from the nice-to-haves.

For my wife, space for the family might be a must-have. The heated steering wheel is probably going to be described as a must-have too, although I suspect civilisation could continue without it.

For a new driver, insurance cost and safety are going to matter far more than horsepower, even if the new driver strongly disagrees with that statement.

Then you’ve got colour, badge, body style and all the little things that make someone actually want the car.

Because cars are emotional purchases too.

People don’t just buy them because the boot measures the right number of litres.

Sometimes somebody has always wanted a Jaguar.

Sometimes they’ve always liked MINIs.

Sometimes they just really, really don’t want a silver car.

And sometimes they’ve watched too many YouTube videos and now believe a 400bhp rear-wheel-drive coupe is the perfect first car.

It isn’t.

So before you start looking, it’s worth building a proper brief.

What does the car absolutely need to do? What would make it nicer to live with? What can you compromise on? And what would make the person receiving it genuinely happy when they see it?

Then, unfortunately, we come to the budget.

Because after you’ve created the perfect specification, reality usually arrives and asks how much you actually want to spend.

That doesn’t mean throwing the whole list away.

It just means prioritising.

Maybe you don’t get every option. Maybe you look a year or two older. Maybe you find a slightly higher-mileage example with the right specification or choose a different model that gives you more for the money.

That’s the bit National Car Finder can help with.

Tell us who the car is for, what they need, what they like and what you want to spend. We can help turn the long wish list into something that actually exists.

And if you’re buying for your first-born, we’ll even help find something safe, sensible and cheap to insure.

We just can’t promise it’ll stop them asking for the M2.