[Closed] I need a new car - is cheap and reliable possible?

Go for a Micra or similar. Definitely not a cheap French car if it's reliable you are after.

Couple of years ago my mum picked up a Suzuki Swift for £300 from a local garage. It gave her two years of trouble free motoring, the most it needed spending on one MOT was £50. Great little car that eventually had to go because the electrics gave up the ghost completely.

She had a 306 before that. Unreliable and expensive to repair. Cost £800 to buy and within 6 months needed a further £400 in repairs and finally the cylinder head went so it was ditched and replaced with the Swift.

The old shape micra is the 'Bangernomic' car of choice. Partly because they are bulletproof and cheap to fix, but also because they don't appeal to younger drivers, they've been driven gently and theres no corsa-fans competing with you to buy it, so they're not overvalued.

If money's tight spend half of what you can afford on a car, and keep half to run and maintain it. No point spending your whole wedge and being stuck down the line with a car you can neither drive or sell cause you can't afford a minor repair.

Those little ones are much in demand at the moment and selling at overinflated prices. Lots are folks are after exactly the kind of car you describe. You might consider going large. You'd get a very reliable and robust Volvo v40 or similar for that kind of price. I'd probably be looking at that if I had shoes like yours

Get Jap, Honda or Toyota if available.

Can you wield a spanner? My now ex-girlfriend did about 50,000 miles in her 205 1.8 diesel with me as head mechanic. Known to most as a "unreliable french car".
Think I only replaced was a drive shaft, both wishbones and the brake pads and brake discs. Which in my opinion isn't alot. The car cost £300 it did 60-70mpg and the parts to fix it were never particularly expensive.

I heard the 106 xnd is of similair stock. 50-60mpg. I've got a 306 Hdi at the moment and get a solid 50mpg but I did have to replace a drive shaft for the mot because the ABS ring had corroded away. This cost around £100 + some other bits and bobs. but it's never actually broken down!

So depends if you think changing a wishbone sounds like a nightmare, or an hours work 1 sunday afternoon.

As other people have said I've always been tempted by a small petrol engined micra, cheap to fix. Good mpg, and fairly reliable. I've read problems with the throttle body but a re-conditioned one will cost £40.

Go for a Micra or similar. Definitely not a cheap French car if it's reliable you are after.

I bought a 1995 merc thinking it would be bulletproof, unfortunately its been the worst car I've had. I would prefer a big car, but I really don't want to be in the same situation again. I was thinking about a passat, but I'm sure I heard some stories about the front suspension being a nightmare. Reliability is all I care about at the moment after the frustration of my current car. I've had a Toyota avensis in the past, and that was a bit of a let down as well, plus parts were expensive

I've had a bit of a thing for the MK III(?) Astra (K - R reg)

Had an L reg that I took to 135K. Currently running an M reg with 128K on the clock. Still see plenty on the roads. 1.4 petrol is pretty good on economy. Drop the back seats and get 2 bikes in the back with wheels on. On, and very reliable and pretty comfy.

If you want reliable and cheap then there is only one car you should be looking at.

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/toyota/corolla-1992

Ticks every box and will last longer than you will!

Diesel Mondeo from about '96-99.
Only down side is gp9 insurance but if you're old and have lots of NCD not really an issue.

Cheap, reliable and ugly: Suzuki Ignis. My uncle has a 02 reg one in yellow 😉 Absolutely no technical issues over two years he had it. He knows how to repair a car but nothing breaks down in that Suzuki. 3 people and 2 bikes fit inside a 5 door one. Worth a look imo.

I wouldnt be too worried about cheap French cars. I bought this Citroen XM for £600 and did the best part of 60k in it. It died of a clutch cable, dash out fix so binned it. Got £200 in from scrappies, sold the wheels for another £100, hydraulic pump for another £100. Great value motoring!

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Just because a few of you have had reliable old french cars, doesn't mean that they are reliable brands. A sample size of one doesn't tell you anything.

As above, Japanese or older VW.

We needed a cheap run-around. I wanted to spend as little as possible. Cost me £430. Rover 416 with 12 months MOT. Not exactly nice to look at, but so far (fingers crossed) it's been spot on. I don't give a sh1te about where I park it etc. Hopefully it will last me 12 months and even if I scrap it should get £150 for it so £250 for 1 year's motoring is pretty darn good. BTW, I'm not suggesting that Rovers are reliable etc as they're not, but running a banger is a lot about luck.

Honda Civic from the late 90's.

Genuinely, totally indestructible. Mine costs me a pittance to run each year, it's done 113,000 miles and is keeping going. It's one of the first ones to come out (1997) and it's had nothing major go wrong- no gearbox/clutch/engine issues whatsoever. And I suspect it'll stay like that. It's MOT this year only needed CVJs and brake pads.

They're really nice inside too- they aren't cheap and plasticky like, for example, a similar age Astra, Corolla, Megane or Escort in particular. It's a nice place to be. The only issue I level at the inside of mine is that the driver's side window doesn't work anymore and there's no cup holders.

They're fun to drive, and comfy. I do several hundred mile journeys in mine and can do Edinburgh to Manchester non-stop (and on less than one tank of fuel- just).

You can pick them up 2nd hand for around £500.

Also, as a bonus, they're very cheap to insure- it's one of the few 1.4 cars I can afford to run. And you can get 3 bikes and 3 people inside easily (in the hatch- in the estate I'd bet 4+4).

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molgrips, get a life, there are more VW's in garages than simple Pugs. My mate bought a 306 for £300 with tax and tank of fuel. 35k miles in the first year, the car didn't even get washed.
jools, get a Peugeot. a 205 1.9 diesel will drive forever, 306 will give you elbow space, 406 will add comfort. If the plastics are rattling, turn the volume knob up a notch.
I spent £995 on the 406 1.9td estate some 2 years ago. No issues, just regular service, diesel into the tank, load it up, off I go. 750 miles in a day? No bother, 85-90mph on average (we drove via Germany). And the tyres are cheap too.

cheap + reliable = yes
cheap + reliable + fashionable = no

nissan micra then. seriously i think these are the cheapo car of choice, as mentioned in this thread by others. camchain too, if i remember rightly.

molgrips, get a life

Bugger off!

For every reliable pug story you've got, I've got another nightmare story 🙂

Seriously though it's a bit of a minefield and there are a lot of simple things that can cause otherwise reliable cars to go breasts up.

Best things to look for are a) reliable brand b) if you know the history c) as little rust as possible d) savvy owners.

Now you're talking sense! What a gent 🙂
The most popular cars (with the car mechanics I know) are Punto, Polo, A4 and 3d Civic. Why? Because they fail due to a poor design (Punto) or are neglected (WAG). Civics get shot by amateur tuners more often then not, it seems.
The Pugs, thanks to their perceived reliability issues, tend to be fine. People service them thinking a single forgotten service will kill the car. Loads are damaged, but a late 90's 406 will probably be fine. Just avoid the 2.1td, it's a lovely engine but relatively rare, 1.9td is common.
Besides, if you drive a cheap large car you tend to be given more space than you will get in a small expensive one.

Forgot to say, in reference to the Civics and tuners- no one in their right mind would mod the 5 door as shown as it is monumentally uncool. 3 doors though can be an issue if badly done.

Mine thrives on neglect 8)

+1 for the old shape Micra's, my mechanic can't recommend them enough, cheap & dead reliable

hmm, micras seem to be going for over a grand

quite liking the idea of a civic (well when I say liking, that's going well over the top, I mean they sound like they might be a reliable car)

I'd like something VW, or at least a re-badged VW, but not sure if my budget will stretch

still undecided about a peugeot

Skoda

Skodas do seem tempting, I'll have to see if I can get one cheap enough

skoda c110 would be nice

You learn to love 'em. Ours is very much a part of the family and it's blandness does become the butt of a lot of jokes. It's called Doris, and is one of the few things I've liked enough to give a name.

SpokesCycles - Member

Forgot to say, in reference to the Civics and tuners- no one in their right mind would mod the 5 door as shown as it is monumentally uncool

Golf Mk 3 (1991 - 1997 I think), could be a good bet. I did 60K in a GTI 8v and all it needed was a starter motor, an electric window switch and a few suspension bushes. I bet you can get these for that sort of money these days and the GTI has pretty good performance, but still delivers 40 mpg on a steady long run.

Astra Mk3 here too, nearly 10 years of (relatively) maintenance free driving.

Flies through its MOT every 12 months and only ever messes up when it gets really cold, like last week for example. Or last year when it froze solid then started up first time of trying after a week, with only a minor water leak to worry about.

I'm pretty sure I'd never get any hassle if I paid a bit more attention to how much anti-freeze is in it.

Having said that I probably don't exceed 5k miles a year...

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

Don't trust anything Gachet says, ever again 8)

Do not buy a VW Lupo or Polo, i have one and they are total mince, gearbox is made of cheese.

Just because a few of you have had reliable old french cars, doesn't mean that they are reliable brands. A sample size of one doesn't tell you anything.

Probably a bigger sample

http://www.reliabilityindex.com/manufacturer

Bloke at work is moving to the USA after Christmas and is trying to get rid of his wife's Fabia. It's a silver X reg (2001), but I don't know a lot more than that. He mentioned it to me this morning and asked if I wanted it for £900.

I can find out more for you if you want? Hertfordshire area.

Those little ones are much in demand at the moment and selling at overinflated prices. Lots are folks are after exactly the kind of car you describe. You might consider going large. You'd get a very reliable and robust Volvo v40 or similar for that kind of price. I'd probably be looking at that if I had shoes like yours

+1 for V40

Most modern cars are reliable if they have been serviced and looked after, well compared to what cars were like in the 70's & 80,s 😉

My advice would be...

Get up early and buy your local paper, dont worry about the model too much, avoid anything flash or owned by a young driver ;-), look for a one owner & good service history & haggle haggle haggle, motorway miles are good miles.

Never had an expensive car, always gone the cheap route myself, if you know a mechanic take him/her with you.

I would definately concur with regard to the Micra or Civic. Look for a car that has history though, I regularly auction 10-12 year old ex-old duffer cars which, whilst a bit battered have been serviced at a main dealer every year. Look for something in the local press rather than a dealer as you will be paying for unecessary cosmetic prep and a very lightweight 3 month warranty. Insist on a thorough test drive and even if you are not mechanically minded, listen for coughs, splutters or any other general odd noises. Be patient, look at lots, there is a peach out there somewhere with your name on it! Also as an aside, do not necessarily discount Cat D (only Cat D though) write offs at this price.

Thanks stumpy, sounds ideal, but I am a bit too far away, new mills, high peak.

At the moment I'm leaning towards Skoda, Honda, Seat

Looking at that honest john site it would seem that all cars are bobbins

More suggestions are welcome

Are cat d write offs drivable as they are? Am I right thinking its just cosmetic damage?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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