Prices are inflated everywhere!
But £9k is enough to get into a 2018/9 Toyota Yaris 1.5 (non hybrid). Should be enough space for your needs, performance is enough for most, and reliability is a given.
I’ll second that one, these are brilliant little cars. Run forever and cheap on fuel.
Further options I’d shortlist would be…
Ford Fiesta 1.25 petrol - no ecoboost or Powershift.
Mazda 2 1.5 petrol
Mazda 3 2.0 petrol
Ford Focus 1.6 petrol - no ecoboost or Powershift
Toyota Auris petrol
Honda Jazz
Honda Civic.
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Well I'd love that but £9K is a very low ball price round this way......
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Well I'd love that but £9K is a very low ball price round this way......
There's a 2018 Yaris 1.5 on Cazoo for £8.5k. You don't even have to get off the sofa.
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I'm a bit nervous about the likes of Cazoo. Perhaps I shouldn't be?
There is an added complication with Cazoo as they don't appear to offer split payments.
Part of the car fund is a savings bond which matures in a years time.....I was going to cover that part (for now) with a interest free offer from my credit car company and pay the rest in cash.
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Using a random postcode from (more or less) the middle of Wiltshire, I had a look at options on Autotrader I'd consider myself (within a 50 mile radius).
202308030381260 I know I mentioned the 1.5 Yaris before, but this 1.33 should manage fine and is equally reliable.
202308150825090
202307189784244 The Ford Ka+ comes with two power outputs, this is the more powerful version. Not as light as you might imagine, so the lower powered one could be hard work on the motorway.
202308030391165
202305277836978 The Kia Picanto may be a little small, only you can decide. Two up is fine though and the boot is decent for the size of the car.
202306158548758 The Hyundai i10 is the same under the skin as the Picanto but a little bigger.
202306218757062 Tall and boxy small SUV type thing, the Kia Soul has a tall driving position if that appeals.
202306158553902 This Corsa has such luxuries as a heated steering wheel (as well as seats) if that appeals!.
202308060496373
202308080575956 This Ibiza is the same car under the skin as the Fabia above. You can also get a Polo with this engine, but it will be older.
202305227643157 The Mazda 2 is a cracking wee car. Not the most spacious supermini, but should be enough for your needs.
202307069355155 A year older, but this Mazda 3 has more space and bulletproof reliability, like its smaller sibling.
202308110672338 Ask the motoring press and they will have you believe the Mitsubishi Mirage is one of the worst cars ever (one of the reasons I have a soft spot for them, I like the underdog!) But owners love them for their efficiency, ease of use and reliability. They are very light and also aerodynamic, so happy enough at motorway speeds.
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202308110672338 Ask the motoring press and they will have you believe the Mitsubishi Mirage is one of the worst cars ever (one of the reasons I have a soft spot for them, I like the underdog!) But owners love them for their efficiency, ease of use and reliability. They are very light and also aerodynamic, so happy enough at motorway speeds.
I second that, the Mirage is suprisingly good to run, we had a rental one and it was a fine on the various Spanish roads we used.
As an ancdote I am currently working in the mideast and they have the booted saloon version, it is an ugliness to behold, remind me a bit of the clumsy shape of the Micra convertible.
Edited by JonestHon on 19/08/2023 at 20:49
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202308110672338 Ask the motoring press and they will have you believe the Mitsubishi Mirage is one of the worst cars ever (one of the reasons I have a soft spot for them, I like the underdog!) But owners love them for their efficiency, ease of use and reliability. They are very light and also aerodynamic, so happy enough at motorway speeds.
I second that, the Mirage is suprisingly good to run, we had a rental one and it was a fine on the various Spanish roads we used.
As an ancdote I am currently working in the mideast and they have the booted saloon version, it is an ugliness to behold, remind me a bit of the clumsy shape of the Micra convertible.
If memory serves, the saloon version has a wheelbase around 4" longer than the hatch. So ugly or not, there is plenty of space for rear passengers!
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I was recently in the same predicament. Written off by another driver and surprised how expensive replacements are.
I spent about 4 or 5 days on various websites before I found an excellent 2011 mk2.5 Honda Jazz 1.4 with 20k miles. Private sale, owned by an elderly lady since new, who had to give up driving due to old age. Used little, but often.
FDSH and receipts for all work done. £5500.
I can see another 10 years motoring in her with little headaches.
Just have to spend time trawling through the hundreds of adverts. It can be frustrating but good buys are out there.
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Moodyman is quite right.
Just keep looking, but when that one advert calls at you as being the one get there in all haste armed with means to pay and drive it away there and then before someone else does.
Had exactly this with the present (Prado) Landcruiser, wan't really looking to preplace my previous one but the advert caught my eye, so different from the rest, for sale at a motorhome agent having been traded in for a new motorhome and my ''well heeled previous owner'' antenna perked up, advert went live that morning and within 2 hours i'm 75 miles away checking and test driving it, its 18 years old now and shows every sign of being not even at half life stage, if only that applied to me :-)
There's so much overdescribed overpriced rubbish at dealers now (especially in Toyota 4x4 circles) the least i have to do with them the better.
[blocked word added in - Mod]
Edited by Xileno on 20/08/2023 at 22:11
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Agree. Be as flexible as possible, don’t stick to just one or two models. Last time I went shopping for myself I had a few requirements but my mind was open, I was looking for longterm reliability and enough space for a family. I scoured Gumtree and Autotrader, paying particular attention to private sales in order to bypass the dealers lies and profit margin. I like buying privately, you get to meet the owner face to face and you get to see their home, which will tell you plenty about their attitude to maintenance.
You’re looking for that one gem that’ll pop up which has been owned by its current (or last keeper if at a dealer) for a long time, at least three years or longer. After trailing round garages and finding plenty of overpriced garbage and leaving word with old contacts who again wanted top money for anything half decent, I found an immaculate Toyota Avensis Estate with sensible miles, longterm ownership, full history and a good reason for sale - she had a new job and a car allowance she had to spend, I helped find her next car, an Audi A4 1.4 TSi.
I paid £1,500-£2,000 less than retail money for an honest car that was in far better condition than those offered by dealers but obviously without any sort of guarantees. Five years later I still have it and it looks and drives spot on. Only costs have been general wear and tear, tyres, brakes, exhaust and a catalyst, the only problem came when said newly fitted cat turned out to be faulty which set off a load of warning lights. New one fitted foc (AC Toyota wanted £2,000 for “urgent” repairs!) and it’s still doing my daily 40 mile commute without a problem.
Make sure your finances are ready to go and jump when a good car comes along. Stick with simple petrol engines, preferably of Japanese design and look for full service records and longterm ownership, oh and don’t trust a word any salesperson tells you.
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Moodyman x 2.
Keep looking, put the hours in keep searching the adverts and the right car will come up.
Having acquired a dog I needed to replace my old Merc CLK320 with a Honda CRV and spent hours on Autotrader looking for a suitable car. I wanted an automatic car ideally less than 100k about 10 years old. I set up a search on AT and whenever a suitable car came I responded ASAP yet somebody got there first.
In April After a month of searching I was on AT just browsing CRV’s outside my search criteria and came across a 16 year old CRV Ex auto with 105k miles, much older than I was looking for. What interested me was that the seller was private and the son of the elderly owner who was giving up driving. The car was 100 miles away and I was up there three days later, I couldn’t get there sooner. It’s a Mk3 CRV and the advert drastically undersold the car, it has just about every option available including adaptive cruise control, voice activation, twin electric sliding glass roofs you name it, it’s there. It was priced at £4k however only had one key and I paid £3.9k for it.
It came with FSH however had a very slight misfire very occasionally and I had a major service carried out which included tappet adjustment which cost over £700. The car now runs like new and with the high spec it feels more like a Lexus than a Honda. My mechanic says the CRV has got years left in it. I’ve since done 3,500 miles in it and it drives as smooth as silk.
Now, I suspect that had the car been around 10 years old or newer it would have been snapped up straightaway. I was amazed that the car was still available 3 days after my initial phone call and I think many folk unwisely discount older cars from their searches. So to the OP I suggest you check out the older stuff especially from private sellers. You don’t need to spend as much as 9k to buy a good car.
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