In peoples experience does spending more on a used car result in a longer lasting more reliable motor?

I’m caught in two minds between gambling on a £1-2k older small car vs £5k on a newer model.

Any thoughts and small car recommendations welcome

Depends whats been done on it already.

Doesnt matter what you spend.

The issue is how it was looked after and how it was driven. – thus i go private and always let the owner drive it out – and i drive back. Im judging the owner as much as the car. I Dont buy off young drivers and i dont buy off folk that drive like nuts or melt clutch or drive in the gutter ….

For this reason i stick to low owners / good service history over miles and age,

Hasnt hurt me yet. – my cars are 10 ,13 and 28 years old…

nothing stopping any seller for inflating the price on a cheap car, cheap cars are cheap because theyve been hammered , expensive cars are expensive because theyve been hammered, decide on the car/colour you wanrt and spend what you want its all relative.

Would it help if I told you I know a guy who advertises “mileage correction” in the local newspaper?

“In peoples experience does spending more on a used car result in a longer lasting more reliable motor?”

No, or rather “not necessarily”.

I’ve had a £300 car that refused to die, and a £5k car that was the biggest lemon I’ve had in my life.

As a *massive* generalisation a newer lower mileage car is less likely to be worn out but there’s far too many other factors involved.

So look for condition & history. Although having lots of repair bills in the folder does not give the impression of a reliable car 😉

I would say safety is a bigger deciding factor for me in justifying a more expensive car. All other things being equal, a newer car equals a safer car.

But don’t get caught out by buying a modern looking car that is just a facelifted 15 year old design. I had a ’97 Citroen ZX, it was designed in 1990 and was still being sold as the Xsara (slightly stronger but same platform) until 2006.

Cheers all

I would totally concur with Trail_rat – well looked after, good history and not fussy about make, model or colour too much.