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Hi, Im not really interested in cars other than ones I can't afford! I've been looking at Astra's and Peugeot 207's all around £3k to replace my first car a Ka I bought from someone on STW. Is there anything else good at that price?
How big? Miles? Ins group etc?
Focus.
How big? Miles? Ins group etc?
Focus size or smaller, Not bothered about how many it has on the clock (I don't do many miles), No idea about insurance group I'm 28 so insurance is not too bad.
Looked at focus's but they look a little dated the ones I can afford. I don't really want to get a loan or HP.
I was in a similar position to you, got a celica. Love it. Council estate Ferrari according to my mates :p your wise not to take on debt, £3k can get you a really nice car these days.
Seat Leon or Ibiza, depending on what size you want.
VW/audi parts for much cheapness.
Not a bad call king ocelot, didn't know they were that cheap plus I have a toyota garage just a stones throw away.
I looked at seat but they seem to be a bit out of budget despite the new leon being out this year. Nice looking car the leon.
Do insurance groups change as the car gets older as parkers and auto trader list different groups for the celica.
No they don't change, but there's 2 celicas a 140bhp and a 190bhp version (VVT & VVTLI) the 190 being more and often badged as Tsport. Maybe you've seen diff groups based on this?
The pick of the bunch are the 2001 or 2003 models. The 2002 had a lower rev limiter and post 2003 I would imagine come in over £3k. Most pre-2001 have high ish miles now and the air con although good isn't a patch on the facelift ones (notice the Toyota badge on bonnet is different on 2003 onwards) I can get 2 bikes in mine with rear seats down, full leather and air con (premium pack) I wouldn't look at a cloth interior one as there's plenty of leather about. The limited edition 'black' & 'red' versions are getting sought after in owners club (has a back/red sticker above indicator) as are TRD ones. Mines a 190 tuned to about 207bhp not missed a beat and tyres aren't over wide so not too expensive. I often chauffeur my fiancées friends and they all comment it feels like a much more expensive car. You can pick then up for £900 (1999 ones) but ssshhh
£900 😯 That is cheap, I still thought it was in production as it looks modern still.
Parkers put insurance group 27 where as autotrader put 13 ❓
Ahh yeah. Ones 'old school' insurance group and the others 'new' its old group 13 for a 140bhp one. It will still work out same price if you ran a quote through confused.com etc.
Best bet is to ring insurers/use comparison sites, to get an idea of actual insurance costs.
If you are considering the 190 brake T-Sport, then have a look at the Corolla T-Sport too. Dull looks, but same engine.
Mate of mine had one, put over 200k on it with very few problems & plenty of space in the back for weekends away/bikes etc...
A mate, Toyota mechanic said they have very few issues with them at all. Some pre 2003 use a fair but if oil and the paints really thin with the alloys notably peeling (around £25 a corner to fix) but that's all. The timing chains go on fit 200k before needing adjusting, mines started every time can't see another car for around the £3k mark I'd prefer with things such as running/parts cost considered.
Only the 140bhp engine as the oil burning problem on pre 52 plate cars, the 190bhp engine is a completely different engine.
Mini?
I'd be looking for a 1.6 Petrol at that sort of money. The £ per year for fuelling one isn't dramatically higher than the equivalent diesel (a bit of mental maths suggested there was about 3p per mile in it between my 40mpg petrol and the MK6 Bluemotion Golf I'd bottowed), but they're generally much cheaper to buy, or much newer / lower mileage for the same money.
As for models of car, the Leon / MK4 Golf is a decent bet, both come with a nice economical 16V 1.6. Same goes for the MK1 and MK2 Focus.
It will also get you into a nice BMW 318i - either the saloon or the compact, but the insurance is generally pricey on these, and the fuel consumption is a bit higher. But they are reasonably nippy - 9 seconds or so to 60.
Also, bear in mind that coming from a Ka, even a 1.6 will feel quick. The 0-60 might only be a couple of seconds quicker, but the performance above 50mph will be very different. On the other hand, you may be disappointed by how other cars handle if your Ka is in decent nick!
I'd give the Mini a miss as the ride is pretty horrendous. They're described as "go karts" by all and sundry, but they're not as go karty as a Ka...
darryl1983 - Member
Only the 140bhp engine as the oil burning problem on pre 52 plate cars, the 190bhp engine is a completely different engine.
POSTED 40 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST
Yes sorry for the confusion, I thought the OP had been looking at 140's with regard to earlier comments on insurance groups. My post was not the clearest.
