I want to car, but only really for fun purposes, so not wanting to spend too much, 1k would be good, potentially up to two thousand pounds if need be.

Other than price, I have four criteria:
1. Must have front and back doors (kid seat)
2. Likely to be reliable, as we’re likely to take the kid to the back of beyond in it.
3. Not any wider than your average car, we live on a very narrow road and wider cars might get driven into.
4. Not insanely expensive to insure.

Not too fussed about fuel economy, how powerful or exciting it will be to drive, etc. as we’ll just be using it for irregular trips at weekends to get us places we can’t normally get to. As boring a car as possible is fine really.

Suggestions of models to look for, and also what to look out for in terms of mileage etc. and when looking at any potential vehicles would be very welcome.

Ideas we had so far:
Ford focus / fiesta
vw golf (possibly a bit expensive)
Toyota corrola?

Any of those sound sensible? What else might be worth a look?

for £1k a low milage old shape mondeo would be a reasonable shout. I think you can get 51 plate versions – I’ve done 50k on a (now 180,000 mile) diesel V plate mondeo (the diesel engine isn’t great) and absolutely nothings broken. Tin worm is starting to get to is (because I treat it very badly) – but if you get a rust free one I’d expect it to last for ages.

something like this http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201110381609596/sort/priceasc/usedcars/price-to/1000/maximum-mileage/up_to_60000_miles/model/mondeo/make/ford/radius/1500/postcode/bn24dp/page/2?logcode=p

focus.

I have to say Focus – cheap to run and pretty bombproof.

high mileage merc that’s had a new water pump fitted..

When I had really cheap, basic cars before – old Fiesta’s have been good to me. The parts are very cheap and common in scrapyards etc if something does need fixing too.

And get an entry level model – windy windows/no air con etc – the less electronic gubbins the car has to go wrong, the better.

£2k would buy you a nice rubber bumpered MGB, it fit’s none of your criteria but old car’s are an absolute hoot so you wont care. My midget barely manages the speed limit without sounding like hell is about to break loose form the engine bay, but at that point the handling is so much fun you wont care, and theres less chance of geting GATSO’d.

Citroen Berlingo?

Loads of space really practical, good fun.

Last well and are getting cheap.

5door Toyota yaris 1.2 gs

Get em cheap , super easy to fix and ultra reliable
Cheap tyre size / tax and bog standard service / oils etc

We had ours for years , still miss it but my civic 2.2 took away the pain

Did I say the yaris was great in snow too ?
Would buy another one without hesitation

Only ever did standard service, new Tyres and a battery and fan belt in over 70k of motoring , think most are second cars or school run motors so get fairly easy lives

We had a tow bar for transporting bikes x 3 and it was easily big enough for 2 -3 adults
Very versatile car and a funky dash too !!!

In fact digital dash’s have been a re occurring theme in my cars of late
Yaris – civic etc

Corsa C. Couldn’t really fault our old one for just being a car.

Can you not use the search function or something?

I’d get some kind of high mileage repmobile. 100k on motorways over 5 years is much less tough on a car than 20k urban over the same time, but you pay much less for the higher mileage car.

honda mazda or toyota consistently reliable, cheap to buy and decent enough to drive

If you want to go super-cheap, I’ve got a Peugeot 306 you can have for £250. The only problems I’ve had with it have been a tendency for the battery to run down in sub-zero weather – it’s not driven that much – and the accelerator quadrant sticking, which was fixed with a squirt of WD40. N Reg, 129k, 1.8l petrol.

(If that’s the same Joe M that named Regurgiator on Leith Hill, then hello, chap!)

Can you not use the search function or something?

Why didn’t you click on another thread rather than coming into this one just to berate the poster? Sheesh.

OP – Focus or Fiesta would be my choice.

And only on STW would somebody recommend an MGB as a reliable family car.

honda mazda or toyota consistently reliable, cheap to buy and decent enough to drive

In my experience the Mazda is awful for reliability. We have a Mazda 3 (owned from new, now 4 years old, <30k on the clock, full service history.

It flies through tyres like nothing I have ever known, had various rattles and other little niggles then before Christmas the fun started – the DSC (part of the ABS) malfunctioned (£800 fix, managed to get Mazda to pay 50% towards it.

Then the central locking stopped working (wouldn’t lock and even when done manually with the key, it still assumed the doors were open and kept all interior/courtesy lights on). Managed to get that fixed and the electric windows stopped working properly.

It now suggested it is a faulty fusebox (dry wiring or something) causing all the electrical problems.

I won’t be getting another one soon.

We run a 160k Mondeo. 45-50mpg everywhere. Its a risk though. They sometimes need dmf’s & injectors that can add up to the cars value. One of the last 1.8 diesel Focus’s would be high on my list. They have none of the bits above that affect the Mondeo. If serviced & driven sensibly they just go on & on.

I’ve got an older model Polo GTI, not quite as flash as having a Golf I guess but its still a 1.6GTI and looks sporty mines only got 75k on it even though its a ’99 plate you can pick them up for about 1k with more milage on than mine but its a good solid car. I guess anything VW

I know nothing about cars really that’s just my opinion 😀

Taki – interesting note. I just bought a 54 plate 1.8 diesel Focus. It’s lovely. But they are nowhere near £1k at the moment. You’ll have a good choice of petrol 1.8s at that price, though: Parker’s clicky.
Diesel’s great, but if you’re doing low mileage, the fuel saving won’t be significant, even if the reliability is better. FWIW, Mrs Udder and I own two diesels between us.

Nissam Almera hatchback.

Dull as ditchwater to drive but they tend to be reliable beasts with few known typical faults to watch for when buying secondhand. Also because they are rather dull, they tend to be bought by those that drive sensibly and service them regularily. Chain Cam too!

Just need to get the tartan blanket for the back seat of mine 😉

Foci seem a bit overpriced for what you get, at this budget. At this price, you shop by budget not by preferred car IMO.

Can you not use the search function or something?

I did, and I found loads of threads saying ‘what car for 3k that has good fuel economy’ or whatever, but nothing answering the question I asked. So there.

Foci seem a bit overpriced for what you get, at this budget. At this price, you shop by budget not by preferred car IMO.

Okay, but does it make sense to stick to obvious brands, or are more obscure / less posh ones worth looking at? Things like Fiat seem to be cheaper for age/mileage, or there even seems to be stuff like Proton or Daihatsu hanging around.

Also, another reason I asked about particular cars was because I’m kind of wanting to narrow down slightly – even within 10 miles of us within my budget there are over 100 cars that fit the 5 door, roughly the right size criteria.

Joe

If you want to go super-cheap, I’ve got a Peugeot 306 you can have for £250. The only problems I’ve had with it have been a tendency for the battery to run down in sub-zero weather – it’s not driven that much – and the accelerator quadrant sticking, which was fixed with a squirt of WD40. N Reg, 129k, 1.8l petrol.

(If that’s the same Joe M that named Regurgiator on Leith Hill, then hello, chap!)

yep it is that Joe M,

I’d be tempted but I’ve moved up to the frozen north, quite a long way from you now. (and it gets jolly cold up here, so I think a car that is not 100% in cold weather is probably a no no!)

Oh yeah, one more question, where to look for cars? Auto trader? Ebay? Local garages? Local paper? Any advantages to any of them?

Polo GTI?

A) for a grand you’d either be VERY lucky or buying a complete knacker.

B) the gearboxes on them are dreadful. Common problem on Polos and Lupos of that age. Looking at about £300+ for a recon’d box.

But, cracking cars. Lovely to drive when they work and loads of room for such a small car. Could probably get a non-GTI one for about a grand but you’re still going to have the same gearbox problems.

Dave (ex-Polo GTI owner)

Joe – no worries, and you’re right. A new battery would probably sort it, mind – let me know if you change your mind.

I had a look on Auto Trader when searching for mine, but my dad happened to spot the one I eventually bought on Exchange and Mart – weird but true. Thought it had folded years ago…

And only on STW would somebody recommend an MGB as a reliable family car.

Glad to oblige, I’m from a family of MGB owners, I’ve broken with tradition and got a midget though 🙂 Will probably swap it if/when i have kids.

Passat? My dad has more faith in his old one than me, so much so he brought a new model and is now selling the old one for around 1.5k. Email in profile if your interested

Honda jazz. They go forever. Just that they hold their value so expect some cosmetic damage at that price. 9yrars in production so might be too new. Also have interior space matching car’s like the focus but is a small car!

Can you not use the search function or something?

You should consider asking yourself that every now and again Mr Grips.

Check the car you will be buying has parts supplied by Eurocar Parts. A source of cheap new bits for my quality Corsa B diesel (£30 with 3/4 tank of diesel).

Look at a mitsubishi carisma. They aren’t dead pretty but are big enough to put kid type stuff in and not bad to drive. Cheap as you like. The diesel model is best I had one from new and passed it down through the family. Brother still has it with 130,000 on the clock and going strong.
But basically any jap diesel should be good.