First off this is my first post so hello to all the members out there, this site is fantastic help so far in looking at whats good/bad about potential buys and certainly gives me a good idea of what NOT to get ;)
I am selling my current car and looking for some else now got around £2k to spend, no real requirements other than it has to be around a 1.6 anything lower I feel may struggle if I go on any journeys.
Obviously it has to be as reliable as possible and cheap/easy to repair so im thinking something like a ford as they are common (mondeos/fiesta so forth) so parts should be cheap/easy to get. Also needs to be cheap to run by this I mean insurance/tax mainly! Currently paying over £700p/a for my car and this is too much.
What would you suggest? Currently looking through pistonheads and autotrader to see whats available.
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Buy the best Mondeo or Primera you can for £999. If it goes slightly wrong you've got savings to repair it. If it's beyond repair at any stage, then you have another £999 to replace it with another car. A £2k car could swallow cash, simply because you can't afford to walk away from it, as you have £2k tied up.
So much available at that price, so look hard at the buyer, its history and how long they've owned it. Your perfect car would be from the guy who bought his co. car from the co. when he retired!
Welcome to Bangernomics!
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For the best value look at the unfashonable cars, so Mazda 323, Nissan Almera, and the like, you'll get a newer car for little money compared to fords,etc. Also if wnilst your not be a brand snob then look at the skoda, kia, hyundai.
What do you use the car for, How old are you, Some more information and i'm sure you'd get some more defined replies. If you a young driver and looking for something fun then get a an MX-5, Cheap, run for ever easy to get parts for and insurance is cheap also.
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tinyurl.com/6dzdk2
A £950 99 2.0 Primera with FSH - even if it's gone a long way it's still the kind of thing worth looking at.
Mazda 626 is a pretty unloved car too - tinyurl.com/5xagx9
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99V Mondeo 1.8 Zetec hatch in silver, 62k, FSH, air-con, CD player, alloys etc £1095
tinyurl.com/593m4t
Or a 2000 X 78,000 miler with a year's ticket for £1195.
tinyurl.com/5k33ub
Stick the rest of your budget in the bank, and keep it for maintenance and servicing. Parts for these cars are cheap, and the only big bill they ever tend to throw at you is when the clutch needs doing. Other than that, they're bulletproof. Good to drive as well.
Cheers
DP
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Someone who posts as zm was on here the other day saying he deals in cars up to £2500.
Seems to be a bit of an expert. Maybe he'd have a suggestion?
Edited by Optimist on 09/05/2008 at 16:41
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DP saved me the trouble posting (but I shall anyway, just to emphasise his point). A £2,000 car is not any better than a £1,000 car. Both are as likely to fail, and the former is more likely to swallow money you do not have.
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Thanks for the replies fellas, the going for a car under budget and keeping rest for repairs is something I never really thought of!
Although im not really much of a snob most of the older skodas and so forth are really ugly looking.
Im 23 and travel to work and back which is only a few mile a day and then the other direction to gym and back every other day so I dont really do alot of milage at all. The mrs likes to go and do stuff further afield though which is why id need something for the odd motorway trip.
I also see that guy selling cars upto £2500 reply in another thread so thats a good idea to ask :)
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You are really buying the MOT ticket, so for £1 or £2k go for any car thats a UK Japanese with 10 or 11 month ticket.
Avoid imports and check out any Mercedes 190 auto post 1989 with history 2.0l better than 1.8
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"skodas and so forth are really ugly looking."
You can go off someone. :-)
My money would go on a petrol Mondeo or even a Vectra (steady)
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