OK, new job, no car, I need a vehicle to do sub 3k a year to get me to and from the beach with kitesurf kit.
ideally a van. scruffy as hell, I don't care.
what should I look out for when going for a circa £500 vehicle?
do'nt care what they look like, or really even economy as the mileage will be so low. it does however, need to work.
any tips or am I after the impossible?
if you are going less then £500 don't be too annoyed if it blows up, you win some you loose some, I've had a couple of £100 cars, one lasted 15000 miles, the other only 5000.
Transit
check for no obvious leaks and a reasonable amount of tension left on the fan belt adjuster and a not completely shagged alternator bracket and it should be fine. I sold my old transit for £500 a while back and it still had a lot of life left in it.
Something like this would be fine
http://www.gumtree.com/london/68/67485468.html
tyres tax and test
if all 3 are good and it's sub £500 you're doing alright
I bought my 406 1.9td estate 1999 for under a grand. Would recommend it wholeheartedly to you.
Look for 12 months MOT and assume you're going to scrap it in a year.
I'd suggest an old Saab, 900 or 9-3, with the seats down they have a HUGE boot. Diesel isn't much more economical but is a lot slower. 150k miles is ok if it has history. Turbo is FUN. Make sure it doesn't smoke. Avoid automatics.
Cheap motoring but you have to buy a new car every year or two which is a bit of a pain.
EG
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2000-SAAB-9-3-S-TURBO-BLUE-/150506442589
Vauxhall Combi? My brother just buys old ones then throws them away when they need work done, they just seem to go on and on.
Mondeo estate. Sold my R plate mondeo hatchback for £240, two years after buying it for £250! Nothing ever went wrong with it, and it had 190k on the clock.
Think about the insurance cost of anything first. Vans are typically more than cars.
Look for a well used (scruffy) but also well maintained Toyota Previa. Very versatile.
mk3 fiesta 1.1 ftw so simple they can be repaired with basic tool kit,run on fumes as fuel and glue as oil every srappy has one for parts and they go for about £300 for a tidy one
Mondeo TD is good.
Paid £750 for mine with 91k on it, 9yrs old. Local garage killed it 50k miles later having the cambelt done.
Also got a Proton Persona for £200, that lasted 12k miles. Anything under around £300 should really be considered diposable. Get one with a full 12 months MOT if you can and scrap it when it fails the next one.
Uncool cars like the Proton are cheap to insure, Mondeos are a lot more.
Anything under around £300 should really be considered diposable
I bought an N reg 1.8 cavalier with 170k on the clock back in 2006 for £300. 4 years on and its still getting me to work everyday and transporting my bike around at weekends, its now done 247,000 and apart from having to spend money on a couple sets of tyres and wheel bearings is still going strong.
If it had only lasted me 2 years i wouldn't of been disappointed.
Get it from someone you know, old punter down the road, parents, friends etc.
e.g. my dad gave me his R reg vetra (in 2006) as he was only going to get £300 trade in.
I did 45k in it it over 2 years commuting on the motorway, only needed new battery and rountine servicing, never broke down or an probs.
Was still going but needed a a new Cat and I didn't need it anymore so scrapers.
Not a cool car but it got me from A to B and did 40 odd mpg on the open road (petrol)
I still see some on the road ...
Thanks Chaps - some good advice there, and looks like the cheapo option is the answer.
undecided over van vs car at the moment.
Will have to get some insurance quotes...
big old estate car would prob work out cheaper to buy/run than a van, so if it was all about cost then I'd go for estate car.
However, for the use you describe, a van would be useful - getting changed in the back of them is always handy!
MOT and tax, and as long as it changes gear OK, the clutch doesn't slip, the brakes work and the thing isn't full of holes, there's not a lot else you can really do except hope for the best... just check all the fluid levels under the bonnet to see if it's had any care recently.
look out for the less popular stuff (so not vw's!) and you'll get more for the money.
I'd go Mondeo or Cavalier.
The Cavs especially seem to be frustratingly bombproof.
Or maybe something Jap like an old Primera.
I'd be checking to make sure its got all the basics first and foremost. I've written a basics check list you can print off and take with you if you like, just tick them off as you go.
engine
chassis
4x wheels (5 if you count the steering wheel, 6 if theres a spare)
brakes
body panels
gearbox
stereo
Theres probably more but I cant remember them all
If your not worried about petrol costs then you can get bigger engines cheaper than the more economical ones.
lots of balancing weights on the wheels - means they are probably buckled