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small economical reliable motors are on everyones wishlist at the moment.. this is leaving a few bargain higher mileage bigger cars available..
look for a Mercedes
Older cars can be classified as a CAT C write off without that much damage either. I bought a 96 Escort RS2000 that was a CAT C write-off and only needed a front bumper, headlight and a bonnet, there was no structural damage. The car is written off based on the cost of having the repair done using new parts at an insurance company approved bodyshop, whereas in reality you can often pick up the parts in the correct colour from eBay or a scrapyard for very little money.
I have a Honda HRV which is essentially a civic on stilts. Just had it's first service in 14k miles and needed nothing but filters and plugs service cost was £150. Has never failed me and at 100k miles everything still works perfectly. Gives about 350 miles on 60 quid of fuel it's a 1.6 Vtec.
I'd look for a civic if I were you, they are bombproof, bear in mind that at 60k and 120k they need a new cam belt.
Mazdas are also excellent as are toyotas and suzukis.
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
That Civic looks like cracking value, they must be quite rare as a coupe and would look quite good with some cheap alloys. The only Civic coupes I've seen on the road tend to look like a Fast and the Furious replica, with huge spoilerr and exhaust and strange graphics, so it makes a change to see a well look after example.
Don't know if it's been mentioned yet, but if it were me, I'd be factoring in the kind of driving I'd be doing. If there are a lot of motorway miles, then something old and comfy. Long distances in small, plasticky cars just are not fun.
Similarly, if you're likely to be running around a lot on rural A roads, crashing in a tiny biscuit tin is more likely to lead to a serious mangling - no-one thinks they're going to crash (or have someone crash into them) but again, a large car will theoretically give you a better chance.
Sorry for being miserable - just my thoughts....
I paid £300 for a 1.4 Corsa Breeze for my daughter to learn to drive in. I didn't expect much but its turned out to be one of the best cars I've ever owned. No rattles, only a little cosmetic rust, straight through its MOT, 100K miles, it uses no oil and starts first turn even in
-10degrees after being left for a week.
I get the oil changed at National Tyres, and a mechanic mate of mine did the cambelt and water pump when we bought it, for £170.
Granted its not very fast and has a tendency to turn pink (Vauxhall red paint) the moment the Sun comes out.
I'd be factoring in the kind of driving I'd be doing. If there are a lot of motorway miles, then something old and comfy
True enough. Plus larger old cars are cheaper on the whole. But then again, that's because running costs are higher.
just having a look around on autotrader at the moment
what's the crack with all the cars that are advertised at £999, and then in the description it says things like 'real price £1450'? Do you get cheaper advertising if its under a grand?
Another quick question, do you think it's better to buy from ebay or autotrader? I know I can't expect a warranty, but would I get any more buyer protection with ebay?
Ebay/Autotrader from private sellers will both be the same.
Only extra protection from Ebay would be paying via paypal, but you're not going to pay for a car via paypal so just turn up and pay cash.
Did you see the Civic and Carina I linked to above? If after viewing they still seem as good as they do on paper I can't think you'd be going wrong.
Also have a quick look on Gumtree. At this price range people might not want to spend £30+ advertising so just stick it on Gumtree. Just be sensible with regards to which areas/addresses you turn up to with a load of cash in your pocket.
Jools, I'd go with Autotrader myself, and definitely private. I don't think you'll get any more protection with one offering than another.
My own rule of thumb is to disregard make/model/mileage/specification/number of owners. I'd concentrate on how long the current owner has had it, and I'd not even go to look at it (regardless of price, and even if it was just down the road) until I'd had a decent conversation about it with the owner. 12m MOT, and a good description of servicing (unlikely at this price level to have a fully stamped service book) would be a minimum, and then I'd start adding up all the things you have to fix.
Discs & pads, plus 4 new tyres may well cost you £6-700, even for a modest car. Interior may not hit relaibility, but if it's horrific, can you live with it? Personally, I can't.
A 16v is going to be faster, but is more expensive to buy and is likely to have had a harder life.
mk3 Gtis - 150bhp (16v) vs 115bhp (8v) - the 16v is a LOT quicker (60 in 7.9s) and the one I had was ultra reliable. My dad has only just sold his - 130k miles, never missed a beat.
A solid, cheapish to run nippy car for peanuts.
Owning a banger is a VASTLY more productive experience if you can fix brakes, pads, plugs etc yourself along with sundry auxiliary items ie windscreen wipers and the like. If you can change shocks and cambelts then even better.
Whether or not a cambelt is easy depends on the car.
Well I don't get this french car being unreliable.
My mum add a rover and it was at the mechanics every 9 month. She has a twingo now (first version) and nothing have failed. My 106 is 17 year old now and the only things that have gone wrong are the idling motor the water temperature sensor, a leak in one hose and the paint getting on the pink/white side, so less than 200£ worth of spares. The running belt can be done in the garden and plenty of people scraped the 1.0L version well above 220 000 kms.
I am over 150 000 kms. My body worshop has one has courtesy vehicle and it has well over 230 000 kms (petrol not diesel).
The first car I remember is a renault 12 that went for around 30 years.
If you want cheap and reliable you have to buy something from the 80's/90's when car were still meant to last(ish).
I can do jobs like shocks, springs, discs, pads etc myself, I've even done things like head gaskets, timing belts and clutches on the driveway, though to be honest, I'd rather not 😉
What I can tackle myself will obviously depend on the car
Well I don't get this french car being unreliable.
My mum add a rover and it was at the mechanics every 9 month
French cars are unreliable
British cars are (were) even more so.
I posted this earlier - look again
French cars don't seem too bad
http://www.reliabilityindex.com/manufacturer
Id go for something that readily available in the scrappers. My sister bought a mondeo for 450 and 12months MOT and tax. The idea being to run it for as long as possible then scrap it as her old saab blew the engine and its over 1300 for a second hand (NOT reconditioned) engine
We have a french scrappers near us so getting another engine for an old peugot might only be £300 quid. Peugot/citreon 1.9d engines are great. (504 pickup, 205)
VAG stuff, passats etc unless the more boxy ones stay away the engines are good but everything else fails. (sweeping generalization but based on experience golf Mk111, polo, passatB5?)
The Micra sounds a good route and its not too obscure that scrap parts will be cheap.
Buy 80/90s stuff and dont go for electrics!
Rovers and Hondas have the same engine (K series?)
Try and source an old TDI VAG.
They go on for years, and years, and years...
I hope you're well over 25 with many NCB years otherwise insurance could be a deciding factor.