Honda Civic - Used car needed, budget c £4000

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Sat 22 Jul 2023 21:44
Honda Civic - Used car needed, budget c £4000 - galileo

One son wants to replace his 2006 Honda Civic, ideally with a later Civic. (later models have a rear window wiper). Local ones he has seen in Autotrader seem to have a history of many MOT advisories/failures or, if apparently better looked after, are private sales.

Test drives for private sales obviously not so straightforward, wouldn't want his in part-ex, WBAC offer for his was £250 when they looked at it.

He says insurance quotes are £200 less than quotes for i30/Kia Ceed which I would have thought worth considering, I would welcome comments from the forum's experts as to which 5 door cars at this budget level should also be considered.

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Sat 22 Jul 2023 22:15
Honda Civic - Used car needed, budget c £4000 - Adampr

Depends how big he wants. Toyota Yaris is the obvious choice.

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Sun 23 Jul 2023 00:12
Honda Civic - Used car needed, budget c £4000 - gordonbennet

Auris maybe a more direct alternative, but avoid the MMT auto box even Toyota can't make automated manuals worth having.

Focus Astra the list is long in this sector.

I wouldn't get too set on makes and models, look for long owned private sales, this is where your network of friends might come in handy by word of mouth, where its as much to the sellers benefit as the buyer avoiding small time dealers and other ne'er do wells :-)

ebay classifieds i find better at this sort of budget.

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Sun 23 Jul 2023 07:17
Honda Civic - Used car needed, budget c £4000 - SLO76
At this sort of money you need to cast the net as wide as possible. I’d stick with simple mass market petrol models, avoid diesels and complex trouble prone prestige brands and automated manual gearboxes like VW’s DSG and Fords Powershift. Forget turbocharged cars and performance stuff too.

I’d shortlist the following.

Ford Fiesta 1.25/1.4 petrol - don’t touch the 1.0 Ecoboost.
Ford Focus 1.6 petrol - as above
Honda Civic 1.4/1.8 petrol - parts prices can be a problem though.
Mazda 2 1.3/1.5 petrol - Fun and cheap to drive. Reliable too but look underneath for rot.
Mazda 3 1.6/2.0 petrol - great little cars, watch for rust underneath.
Mazda 6 1.8/2.0 petrol - Tough but nice to drive, as above, watch for rot underneath.
Toyota Yaris 1.33 petrol - As tough as it gets and cheap to run.
Toyota Auris 1.33/1.6 petrol - bit drab but reliable, watch for lacquer peel on paint.
Toyota Avensis 1.8 petrol - Tough old things, decent on fuel and the saloons are good value.
Vauxhall Astra J 1.6 petrol - Cheap and plentiful. Not the best mechanically, but can run to big miles if looked after. Listen for engine rattles when starting from cold. The 1.7 Isuzu diesels are good too, probably the only diesel I’d buy at this money, but most have been abused or neglected. A good one would be very worthy though. Poor paint protection from new so watch for rust around arches and door bottoms.
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Sun 23 Jul 2023 07:45
Honda Civic - Used car needed, budget c £4000 - edlithgow

I'd look for a 2006 or earlier Honda Civic. Should be fairly cheap bought privately....oh wait

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Sun 23 Jul 2023 08:53
Honda Civic - Used car needed, budget c £4000 - catsdad

If he wants one with a rear wiper that’s the model from 2012 onwards. As occasionally discussed on here, the 1.8 has oil consumption issues that were resolved on 2013 onwards cars. I traded in my 2012 car in 2019 for that reason.
i would still recommend the 1.8 from 2013 onwards but a budget of £4k will not be enough for a half decent car.
As ever SLO list is a good starting point.

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