Viewing 24 posts - 41 through 64 (of 64 total)
  • I need a new car – is cheap and reliable possible?
  • Taff
    Free Member

    I had a 306 d-turbo. Engines on those will go well into the 200k’s. Had it for four years and barely cost anything but then I did a lot of bits to it myself. Good thing about these is they are very common at scrappies so you can pick up almost anything that needs replacing from there for cheap or alternatively from GSF / ECP.

    I have a Cat D 206 at the moment and all that was wrong with it was a cracked rear bumper and a dented tailgate. It depends on what the issue was that made it a write off and how excessive it is. Over the winter is the best time to get Cat Ds as garages tend to bump up repair prices as they’re so busy.

    LimboJimbo
    Full Member

    Cat D’s are cars that were deemed uneconomical to repair by an insurance company, normally cosmetic damage. Bodyshop charges are so high these days cars like the ones suggested get written off for suprisingly minor damage. It then gets marked on a HPI report and becomes less desirable as most people just see ‘write off’ therefore they are cheaper for what you get. Just check with your insurer, they don’t have an issue before buying.

    dooosuk
    Free Member

    Just cause I’m bored at work (all should be reasonably close to you – searched on Sth Manc postcode within 30miles):

    All Private sellers

    Honda Civic 38k, 1 owner, FSH, 12mths MOT £595:
    http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201048374330137/sort/priceasc/usedcars/seller-type/private_adverts/price-to/1000/price-from/500/postcode/m201aa/page/5/radius/30?logcode=p

    Toyota Carina 10mths MOT, 5mths Tax £550 (less popular than Corollas probably)
    http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201048374636087/sort/priceasc/usedcars/seller-type/private_adverts/price-to/1000/price-from/500/page/3/radius/30/postcode/m201aa?logcode=p

    Micra 43k miles, 2/3mths MOT/Tax £550:
    http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201049375140995/sort/priceasc/usedcars/seller-type/private_adverts/price-to/1000/price-from/500/page/3/radius/30/postcode/m201aa?logcode=p

    Mondeo 6mths MOT&Tax £500:
    http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201050375194927/sort/priceasc/usedcars/seller-type/private_adverts/price-to/1000/price-from/500/postcode/m201aa/page/1/radius/30?logcode=p

    Audi 80 12mths MOT & 6 mths Tax £550:
    http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201048374181318/sort/priceasc/usedcars/seller-type/private_adverts/price-to/1000/price-from/500/postcode/m201aa/page/2/radius/30?logcode=p

    Fiesta 11mths MOT, 5mths Tax £550:
    http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201047373946763/sort/priceasc/usedcars/seller-type/private_adverts/price-to/1000/price-from/500/postcode/m201aa/page/2/radius/30?logcode=p

    There’s loads on there around £500-£600.

    I’d go for one with a long MOT though.

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    Gachet
    Free Member

    Mk 3 ….GTI 8v ….and the GTI has pretty good performance

    Don’t trust anything Gachet says, ever again

    I meant the performance is quite good compared to some of the other cars discussed on this thread. 0-60 in 10 seconds isn’t too bad for a car capable of doing 40mpg and they have quite a bit of torque so you don’t have to rev the nuts off them to get anywhere. A 16v is going to be faster, but is more expensive to buy and is likely to have had a harder life.

    binners
    Full Member

    I’d go the Japanese route. I was looking for exactly the same thing a few months ago. just a little runaround to drive til it dies.I ended up with a Mazda 323. As reliable as a micra but a lot more space inside and not as noddy looking.

    60,000 on the clock. 1 owner from new. Great nick all around. Full service history. £600 to you sir. I’ve been reliably informed by people who know about such things that it will run for ever 🙂

    I’m still chortling away to myself that people are putting the words reliable and French in the same sentence

    yunki
    Free Member

    small economical reliable motors are on everyones wishlist at the moment.. this is leaving a few bargain higher mileage bigger cars available..

    look for a Mercedes

    Gachet
    Free Member

    Older cars can be classified as a CAT C write off without that much damage either. I bought a 96 Escort RS2000 that was a CAT C write-off and only needed a front bumper, headlight and a bonnet, there was no structural damage. The car is written off based on the cost of having the repair done using new parts at an insurance company approved bodyshop, whereas in reality you can often pick up the parts in the correct colour from eBay or a scrapyard for very little money.

    joolsburger
    Free Member

    I have a Honda HRV which is essentially a civic on stilts. Just had it’s first service in 14k miles and needed nothing but filters and plugs service cost was £150. Has never failed me and at 100k miles everything still works perfectly. Gives about 350 miles on 60 quid of fuel it’s a 1.6 Vtec.

    I’d look for a civic if I were you, they are bombproof, bear in mind that at 60k and 120k they need a new cam belt.

    Mazdas are also excellent as are toyotas and suzukis.

    Gachet
    Free Member

    That Civic looks like cracking value, they must be quite rare as a coupe and would look quite good with some cheap alloys. The only Civic coupes I’ve seen on the road tend to look like a Fast and the Furious replica, with huge spoilerr and exhaust and strange graphics, so it makes a change to see a well look after example.

    user-removed
    Free Member

    Don’t know if it’s been mentioned yet, but if it were me, I’d be factoring in the kind of driving I’d be doing. If there are a lot of motorway miles, then something old and comfy. Long distances in small, plasticky cars just are not fun.

    Similarly, if you’re likely to be running around a lot on rural A roads, crashing in a tiny biscuit tin is more likely to lead to a serious mangling – no-one thinks they’re going to crash (or have someone crash into them) but again, a large car will theoretically give you a better chance.

    Sorry for being miserable – just my thoughts….

    Everywhen
    Free Member

    I paid £300 for a 1.4 Corsa Breeze for my daughter to learn to drive in. I didn’t expect much but its turned out to be one of the best cars I’ve ever owned. No rattles, only a little cosmetic rust, straight through its MOT, 100K miles, it uses no oil and starts first turn even in
    -10degrees after being left for a week.
    I get the oil changed at National Tyres, and a mechanic mate of mine did the cambelt and water pump when we bought it, for £170.
    Granted its not very fast and has a tendency to turn pink (Vauxhall red paint) the moment the Sun comes out.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    I’d be factoring in the kind of driving I’d be doing. If there are a lot of motorway miles, then something old and comfy

    True enough. Plus larger old cars are cheaper on the whole. But then again, that’s because running costs are higher.

    jools182
    Free Member

    just having a look around on autotrader at the moment

    what’s the crack with all the cars that are advertised at £999, and then in the description it says things like ‘real price £1450’? Do you get cheaper advertising if its under a grand?

    Another quick question, do you think it’s better to buy from ebay or autotrader? I know I can’t expect a warranty, but would I get any more buyer protection with ebay?

    dooosuk
    Free Member

    Ebay/Autotrader from private sellers will both be the same.

    Only extra protection from Ebay would be paying via paypal, but you’re not going to pay for a car via paypal so just turn up and pay cash.

    Did you see the Civic and Carina I linked to above? If after viewing they still seem as good as they do on paper I can’t think you’d be going wrong.

    Also have a quick look on Gumtree. At this price range people might not want to spend £30+ advertising so just stick it on Gumtree. Just be sensible with regards to which areas/addresses you turn up to with a load of cash in your pocket.

    nickf
    Free Member

    Jools, I’d go with Autotrader myself, and definitely private. I don’t think you’ll get any more protection with one offering than another.

    My own rule of thumb is to disregard make/model/mileage/specification/number of owners. I’d concentrate on how long the current owner has had it, and I’d not even go to look at it (regardless of price, and even if it was just down the road) until I’d had a decent conversation about it with the owner. 12m MOT, and a good description of servicing (unlikely at this price level to have a fully stamped service book) would be a minimum, and then I’d start adding up all the things you have to fix.

    Discs & pads, plus 4 new tyres may well cost you £6-700, even for a modest car. Interior may not hit relaibility, but if it’s horrific, can you live with it? Personally, I can’t.

    Surf-Mat
    Free Member

    A 16v is going to be faster, but is more expensive to buy and is likely to have had a harder life.

    mk3 Gtis – 150bhp (16v) vs 115bhp (8v) – the 16v is a LOT quicker (60 in 7.9s) and the one I had was ultra reliable. My dad has only just sold his – 130k miles, never missed a beat.

    A solid, cheapish to run nippy car for peanuts.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Owning a banger is a VASTLY more productive experience if you can fix brakes, pads, plugs etc yourself along with sundry auxiliary items ie windscreen wipers and the like. If you can change shocks and cambelts then even better.

    Whether or not a cambelt is easy depends on the car.

    juan
    Free Member

    Well I don’t get this french car being unreliable.
    My mum add a rover and it was at the mechanics every 9 month. She has a twingo now (first version) and nothing have failed. My 106 is 17 year old now and the only things that have gone wrong are the idling motor the water temperature sensor, a leak in one hose and the paint getting on the pink/white side, so less than 200£ worth of spares. The running belt can be done in the garden and plenty of people scraped the 1.0L version well above 220 000 kms.
    I am over 150 000 kms. My body worshop has one has courtesy vehicle and it has well over 230 000 kms (petrol not diesel).
    The first car I remember is a renault 12 that went for around 30 years.
    If you want cheap and reliable you have to buy something from the 80’s/90’s when car were still meant to last(ish).

    jools182
    Free Member

    I can do jobs like shocks, springs, discs, pads etc myself, I’ve even done things like head gaskets, timing belts and clutches on the driveway, though to be honest, I’d rather not 😉
    What I can tackle myself will obviously depend on the car

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Well I don’t get this french car being unreliable.
    My mum add a rover and it was at the mechanics every 9 month

    French cars are unreliable
    British cars are (were) even more so.

    uplink
    Free Member

    I posted this earlier – look again

    French cars don’t seem too bad

    http://www.reliabilityindex.com/manufacturer

    rangerbill
    Full Member

    Id go for something that readily available in the scrappers. My sister bought a mondeo for 450 and 12months MOT and tax. The idea being to run it for as long as possible then scrap it as her old saab blew the engine and its over 1300 for a second hand (NOT reconditioned) engine

    We have a french scrappers near us so getting another engine for an old peugot might only be £300 quid. Peugot/citreon 1.9d engines are great. (504 pickup, 205)

    VAG stuff, passats etc unless the more boxy ones stay away the engines are good but everything else fails. (sweeping generalization but based on experience golf Mk111, polo, passatB5?)

    The Micra sounds a good route and its not too obscure that scrap parts will be cheap.

    Buy 80/90s stuff and dont go for electrics!

    Rovers and Hondas have the same engine (K series?)

    xiphon
    Free Member

    Try and source an old TDI VAG.

    They go on for years, and years, and years…

    pennine
    Free Member

    I hope you’re well over 25 with many NCB years otherwise insurance could be a deciding factor.

Viewing 24 posts - 41 through 64 (of 64 total)

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