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My mother's 1996N Fiesta has after lots of work passed MOT but there is much rust underneath and she has been told it won't be economical to get through next year MOT. It only has about 37,000 miles. She is therefore is looking for a small reliable car for herself and occasionally golf clubs and she doesn't want to spend more than £3,000. I looked in local paper and was horrified to see dealer prices for say 6-year-old Fiesta about £5,000 - £6,000 - horrendous price for old basic cars. Could you recommend what she should buy, age, where to go? Colour/trim/spec unimportant. Low running costs preferred. She only does very low mileage.

Asked on 28 November 2009 by

Answered by Honest John
Gordon Brown's destruction of the value of Sterling made UK used cars 25% - 40% cheaper to people in other RHD countries and this sucked cars out of the UK market, leading to a gradual price increase in the UK over the first 8 months of this year. You might find a decent FIAT Panda for £3,000. Try www.cargiant.co.uk
Dear Honest John,

Please help me choose my next car. I would like it to have:
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