Because of a change in my work situation, I will now have to splash out on a small, cheap to purchase (< £1000), efficient car to get me between Gloucester and Cardiff, and around South Wales. This will be a second car, my proper vehicle being a VW T4. I do not anticipate driving in the city much.

I like cars, am not afraid of doing proper maintenance work on them myself, and think that cars with ‘high mileage’ can often have more life left in them than some people think.

Although I am normally attracted to certain badges (VW; Volvo), I would pretty much be willing to drive anything that fits my criteria.

Any thoughts?

i have a old (t reg 165000 mile) volvo v40. its great decent MPG on the motorway and i can chuck all my bikes in the back

cost me £500.

What engine does it have? Is it diesel or petrol?

1.8 petrol. manual

the fuel economy is ok in town but alot better on the motor way. averaged 56mpg from devon to london at about 80mph

I have a friend who runs old Ford Escorts for exactly this purpose: he runs a fleet of T4 vans and minibuses for his business and a couple of Escorts for commuting/family/shuttles etc. He swears by how cheap they are to fix – parts are simple, not complex and straightforward.
Should say – last of the Escorts, his seem to be about 2001(?) and cost a couple of hundred quid a time.

Late 90s Jap model would get my money

‘1.8 petrol. manual

the fuel economy is ok in town but alot better on the motor way. averaged 56mpg from devon to london at about 80mph’

Really?

sorry, 46mpg. Thats still good.

56 is top notch!

Cumberland sausage. Or those richmond ones if you’re after cheaper. Oh, think I’ve misunderstood the title….

an oldie but a goodie..

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAW86bVLy7s&feature=fvwrel[/video]

jota180 – Member

Late 90s Jap model would get my money

As long as they have been well looked after/serviced, I have had mixed luck with old Jap cars, engines seem to out last everything that is bolted to them 😉

My banger funds have gone up over the years from 1k to anything up to 2k, but some of the best runners I have had in the past have all been motorway high milers, stuff most wont touch because the miles dial puts most off.

latest banger for me, mk4 golf tdi estate, often overlooked by the masses in favor of the passat estate and yes there are better cars out there for the money I am sure, I paid £1500, milage supersonic, avg. 49mpg since I have owned it on school runs and short trips.

Number of owners can be a better indicator of condition sometimes I find 😉

Surely the cheapest way would be to use the VW, rather than having to buy/tax/insure a second vehicle?

I would go for any car with good body work and an indirect injection diesel. Simpler to fix, cheaper and more reliable than than a modern common rail diesel but still good mileage. My old Renault and current 306 both get mid 50s mpg. Renault only died because welding became uneconomical.

b r +1.

Honda civic. I’ve got a 1.4 96 P it’s class.

Keeps on keeping on.

Engine bay is clean as a whistle, 90k on it and only just had its original exhaust replaced.

Rover 214. Boot’s big enough for a bike and dirt cheap.

Obviously a focus or fiesta. I’ve got a banger ka that just made penzance to cambridge and back whilst all the freelanders where waiting for the AA.

Fiestas are good, just a smaller version of the escort really (oldish ones that it is)..
The cvh engine is the same, a lot of the running gear is similar.. Escort obviously bigger..
I had an old “m” reg 1.3 one for years, decent sized boot, enough space for a coupla bikes and gear with the seat down and fairly cheap to run, tax and insure.. Not got a clue about mpg as I was young and didn’t really bother bout stuff like that in my 20s!

Honestly wouldn’t be worried by the make or model, within reason – buy on condition. I’d also be relaxed about fuel consumption, unless you’re planning to do loads of miles. A 5mpg saving doesn’t translate to a lot, and bigger cars tend to offer much better value at this end for the market.

Definitely go diesel, and look for a privately owned car that’s spent a good amount of time with its current owner, and has a complete or mostly complete service history, crucially with belt changes.

Don’t be scared of high mileages if the servicing’s been well carried out. If there’s no evidence of servicing (ideally with bills rather than stamps), walk run away. A cheap car that’s unreliable and turns out to be a money pit is never a bargain, no matter how cheap it is.

Something like the VW Golf or Volvo V70 below would be my choices – fire up Autotrader, select the £500-1000 category, narrow it down to up to (say) 40 miles from your house, and you’d be amazed at what’s available

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201224475171932/sort/pricedesc/usedcars/price-to/1000/fuel-type/diesel/price-from/500/model/golf/make/volkswagen/radius/1501/postcode/wd174nu/page/1?logcode=p

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201223475001708/sort/pricedesc/usedcars/fuel-type/diesel/price-from/500/price-to/1000/make/volvo/page/1/radius/1501/postcode/wd174nu?logcode=p

Thanks for these suggestions. Some really helpful stuff there.

@ hora & br:

Your idea is what my wife and I have been operating on for the last six years, and I agree it is the most economical; it’s just that, for the first time ever, we actually need to be in two places at the same time. Hence the necessity for two vehicles. Believe me, I’m not happy about it.

I’d be tempted to talk to this chap in the classifieds, though it’s a way away from you.

sorry, 46mpg. Thats still good.

56 is top notch!

I find 46mpg hard to believe. A big old estate with a 1.8 sat at 80 doing 46mpg? Honestly?