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Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - ManYad

Am thinking about getting a cheap second car just for the school drop/pick. Somewhere around £2000 (or less, can't justify spending more for what would be just a 3 mile run). Would be for 2-3 years. Want to keep the cost down, so probably 0 road tax (or minimal), low insurance, minimal maintenance/service. A petrol manual. Autotrader shows: iQ, Aygo, i10, Alto (all around the 10 year mark, 100k mark).

Any suggestions?

-M

Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - elekie&a/c doctor
My choice would be a Toyota Yaris . Petrol , manual transmission. Pick up a 10 year old model for around £2k . Not much to go wrong on these . These are good value for space and durability.
Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - Avant

Agreed - that would be my suggestion too. Any £2k car is going to be a gamble, but if you go for a Toyota you've a better chance of getting a good one.

Try to find one with some service history and that gives an impression of having been looked after.

A Honda Jazz is another possiblity - a bit roomier than the Yaris, and there are plenty around that have had an easy life with elderly owners (although beware of extreme low mileages).

Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - Engineer Andy

Am thinking about getting a cheap second car just for the school drop/pick. Somewhere around £2000 (or less, can't justify spending more for what would be just a 3 mile run). Would be for 2-3 years. Want to keep the cost down, so probably 0 road tax (or minimal), low insurance, minimal maintenance/service. A petrol manual. Autotrader shows: iQ, Aygo, i10, Alto (all around the 10 year mark, 100k mark).

Any suggestions?

-M

Better to go for a reliable, sturdy, reasonably corrosion-free car that one that is £10 / £20 / zero rated for VED. If you get one that also has a low VED, then great.

Think of 'minimal maintenance' as 'not requiring loads of parts every year. With a car that likely age, you're bound to need to replace some wear and tear items other than tyres.

See if you can find a car that has been well cared for (not just a FSH) and have it checked over by someone with a decent amount of mechanic knowledge - well worth it to get one that runs with little intervention. Cars that have done low mileages (forget diesels) need their brakes checked as they can have expensive-to-fix issues because they bind and warp the discs.

Don't scrimp on servicing though, especially oil changes on timing chain-driven cars (as most Oriental ones are). No FSH - walk away.

And go for a more base-level model - less kit (and to go wrong), smaller wheels and more sensible (and popular / widely available) tyres (55-70 profile) that will last longer, be less susceptible to damage, give a better ride quality and cost far less to replace when they need changing.

I'd forget the iQ (too expensive) and add the KIA Picanto (same undeneath as the i10), its sister cars the Rio and i20 if you need a bit more space, also the base Mazda2 (if on sensible tyres), Fiesta, Suzuki Swift. The older Yaris is still your best bet. I still see quite a number of the mk1 and 2 cars about and in surprisingly decent nick. Lots owned by little old ladies who make sure they are well cared for.

Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - Andrew-T

<< Think of 'minimal maintenance' as 'not requiring loads of parts every year. With a car that likely age, you're bound to need to replace some wear and tear items other than tyres. See if you can find a car that has been well cared for (not just a FSH) and have it checked over by someone with a decent amount of mechanic knowledge >>

Andy, much of what you advise will be covered by a recent MoT test, which is available to anyone with an internet connection. If the oily bits are working properly and have been 'serviced', go for it.

Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - madf

<< Think of 'minimal maintenance' as 'not requiring loads of parts every year. With a car that likely age, you're bound to need to replace some wear and tear items other than tyres. See if you can find a car that has been well cared for (not just a FSH) and have it checked over by someone with a decent amount of mechanic knowledge >>

Andy, much of what you advise will be covered by a recent MoT test, which is available to anyone with an internet connection. If the oily bits are working properly and have been 'serviced', go for it.

Now advisories are no longer listed as they used to be, many problems which are likely to be future MOT fails are not highlighted as they used to be.

Watch out for rust: rear sills, were wheelarch, rear suspension front mountings in floor. rear cross member rear suspension arms, and petrol tank filler in rear wheel arch. Yaris Owners Club has people buying and spending £100s to fix.

Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - nellyjak

My choice would be Yaris...or Jazz.

Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - SLO76
Don’t limit your options on such a tight budget, buy on condition before make and model. I wouldn’t for example walk past a tidy Fiesta to get to a tatty, neglected Yaris. Much also depends on what’s for sale nearby right now. Let us know roughly where you are located in the country and we’ll look for cars worth a look.
Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - ManYad

As always, lot of advice here, and thanks all. I am in Tunbridge Wells.

Since this is not going to be the main car, i was thinking of something really small, and based on some of the earlier discussions, i had kind of arrived at a list of smaller cars. I was thinking perhaps a 10 year old yaris may have a higher road tax and insurance (but as it turns out these are marginally higher than say the aygo/iQ i checked). For a fiesta, for instance, the insurance would be around the same amount, but the road tax jumps to 130.

The Yaris and Jazz of course seem to be the main suggestions (and perhaps i shouldn't have sold my jazz 2 months back but the insurance, tax and service costs itself would be a 1000 a year for a second car). I would have thought having this kind of size would result in higher annual cost and would not justify the end use (purely for school drop/pick only if the main car was out, and probably only during the current pandemic situation).

-M

Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - Avant

How many children have you and how old are they? You'd need to make sure that an Aygo-sized car is big enough for them and the endless stuff that schools expect parents to supply nowadays.

I can't quite make out why you sold a Jazz 2 months ago but now need a second car - or was the Jazz the main car which you've now swapped for something else? I don't think it will cost very much more in total to run a Jazz or a Yaris compared with an Aygo.

SLO is of course right: we may suggest cars that we think should be reliable, but when your budget is very limited, condition matters much more than make or model.

Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - ManYad
A 12 year old only child. Changed the jazz to a CRV. But now with the school starting and trying to avoid public transport for a few months feel we need that second car as the main car is sometimes out. Anyway eventually we might be able to car pool with other parents or use the public transport. Hence thinking of smaller cheaper second car for the short term.
Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - SLO76
You should’ve kept the Jazz, to be honest you won’t find anything that’s much cheaper to run. I wouldn’t worry about £100 extra in road tax between two cars, I’d focus instead on reliability as an unreliable car will cost you far more than £100 a year in repairs alone.

Best source for good cars at this money is the private ads on Gumtree and Auto trader, id largely forget dealers who are mostly selling utter junk at this money. It’s always best to meet the current owner face to face at their own address, the condition and neighbourhood of which will tell you plenty about them.

Be wary of dealers masquerading as private sellers, ask if the V5 is in their name at their own address and verify it before buying. Ask also how long they’ve owned it. Don’t buy if there’s no V5 or if it’s not registered to them, accept no excuses ‘it’s my father in laws/auntie/cousin etc etc’ no V5 in their name at the address you view then walk away. Check the yellow trade section is there too. A good private sale is the best way to bag a cheap reliable car.

Here's a few I spotted

www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/vauxhall-co...l

www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/1-owner-fro...l

www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/ford-fiesta...l

www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/mazda-2-ts2...l

www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/fiat-panda-...l

www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/nissan-micr...l

Edited by SLO76 on 09/09/2020 at 12:01

Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - ManYad

thanks SLO, let me review these, and will also check on gumtree.

-M

Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - ManYad
Hi All

I am now actively looking for a cheap second car for the local runs within a budget of 3000. Trying to keep things simple so restricting to petrol manual, max 10 years old within 70k mileage, with road tax limited to 30. I am in TN23FL. Looking at private sellers on auto trader. I see a few C1s, 107s, I10s, Picanto, Aygos. Trying to limit to the above budget unless really needed to go up to 3500 to ensure value for money.

Any particular advice?

-M
Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - edlithgow

FSH is no doubt a good thing, but it seems a bit picky to insist on it when almost-banger shopping.

I don't think I've ever bought a car with a FSH and can't think of a single terminal failure that might have been prevented by having it.

Ironically the Skywing gets closest, though the previous owners full Daihatsu dealer service history is in Chinese, and it isn't the most reliable car I've had. Brakes failed, and had clearly not had the fluid changed in a very long time, though I don't know if that was a service item.

Maybe more modern cars are more sensitive, but the usual story is they require less maintenance, not more. Then some pricy un-maintainable gizmo becomes unservicable, and the game is up.

Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - Bolt
Hi All I am now actively looking for a cheap second car for the local runs within a budget of 3000. Trying to keep things simple so restricting to petrol manual, max 10 years old within 70k mileage, with road tax limited to 30. I am in TN23FL. Looking at private sellers on auto trader. I see a few C1s, 107s, I10s, Picanto, Aygos. Trying to limit to the above budget unless really needed to go up to 3500 to ensure value for money. Any particular advice? -M

If thats where i think it is around Tonbridge -Royal Tunbridge wells area there is usually some good cars around that way

I have bought a few over the years around Tunbridge way,g but whichever area make sure you get someone who knows about cars as there IS a lot of rubbish around so be carefull l

Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - ManYad
Thanks both...
Yes I am in Tunbridge Wells. I did see one 8 year old car and test drive it but it simply didn’t feel right. Will keep looking.
Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - Terry W

Test drive is probably more important than full service history or precise model/barnd - particularly if it is going to be low mileage use anyway.

You will very quickly understand the difference between a car that has been abused and polished up for sale and a genuine motor.

Buy one that looks and feels five years newer than its number plate - engine and gearbox smooth, clutch totally normal, no squeaks and rattles, brakes effective and balanced, steering precise, all major items (heating, aircon, windows, locks wipers etc) working properly.

Any (Toyota?) - Cheap second car - ManYad

Thanks Terry, agreed.