Best small car for £3500 | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

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Sat 9 Dec 2023 23:43

Best small car for £3500 - Herrsandwich

Hello, first post here. We said goodbye to a much loved Yaris recently as it was becoming uneconomical to run and will be looking for a replacement soon. Would love a simple economical small car which will be reliable and would like to stay within £3500 if possible. Any suggestions most welcome!

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 00:36

Best small car for £3500 - Big John

Another Yaris?

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 07:17

Best small car for £3500 - Herrsandwich

Another Yaris?

Might well be! Any other options good to know about too.

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 07:41

Best small car for £3500 - badbusdriver

£3.5k in todays market is a tiny amount of money. That isn't to say you can't get a decent car, but it is going to come down to how well it has been looked after rather than due to being a specific make and model. Even the most reliable car has the potential to become a money pit after 10+ years of neglect. And for the opposite reason, a car not typically thought of as being reliable could potentially be a great buy if it has been garaged all its life and looked after meticulously by one or two previous owners!.

Also, where you are in the country and how far you are willing to travel is going to have a big impact on your choice. If in an area with a relatively low population density and not willing to travel more than 25 miles, your choices are going to be very limited. So it will be a case of finding the best of what is available. In an area of high population density, you will have more opportunity to be selective.

The usual points on judging each car on condition, service history (if it has) and MOT history apply here. Also that private sales probably better than a dealer/garage (in theory, the former is just getting shot of the car, whereas the latter is trying to make a profit).

Also consider looking at small cars which would not be considered desirable for a young driver on a budget. One example being the Ford Fusion rather than a Fiesta. Same car underneath, but the Fusion is taller, boxier and more practical. Look at the 1.4 and 1.6 petrol, both very good news on the reliability front. Another example is the 1st gen (2005-2012) Nissan Note, a similar type of car to the Fusion. Also with a choice of 1.4 and 1.6 petrol, and also generally very reliable.

Edited by badbusdriver on 10/12/2023 at 07:42

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 08:30

Best small car for £3500 - gordonbennet

Toyotas are suffering from their being a good all round bet, in that used prices are high, even the apparently unloved Avensis are holding strong money now.

Daihatsu Sirion is a Yaris in a roomier frock, autos i believe are proper (as in iQ) instead of that awful MMT thing thate even Toyota couldn't get right.

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 09:13

Best small car for £3500 - Xileno

Definitely go private at this end of the market, anything at a dealer will be questionable and the warranty won't be worth the paper it's written on.

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Mon 11 Dec 2023 13:00

Best small car for £3500 - Engineer Andy

Definitely go private at this end of the market, anything at a dealer will be questionable and the warranty won't be worth the paper it's written on.

I'm starting to think that way as well - some of the utterly ridiculous prices many older cars (especially smaller petrol ones) being offered at dealerships (presumably just PXed) makes me wonder.

So many don't come with a full service history, and many I've looked at didn't even have a full dealership service history during the car's warranty, looking shabby on the instead with a LOT of miles (some 3yo petrol engined cars with 100k on them).

Presumably in today's market they think punters are desperate mugs who won't look too closely and take piles of s*** that would've been worth peanuts in 2019 for silly money.

This is why I'm potentially putting £1700 into my car via a new exhaust manifold and lambda sensor - the car's a known quantity for use and maintenance. Better than jumping into something 5 years younger (still 12yo) with significant unknowns.

It might not work out, but if second hand prices do come back down, then at least I can but something at a reasonable price for what it is.

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 09:13

Best small car for £3500 - Herrsandwich

£3.5k in todays market is a tiny amount of money. That isn't to say you can't get a decent car, but it is going to come down to how well it has been looked after rather than due to being a specific make and model. Even the most reliable car has the potential to become a money pit after 10+ years of neglect. And for the opposite reason, a car not typically thought of as being reliable could potentially be a great buy if it has been garaged all its life and looked after meticulously by one or two previous owners!.

Also, where you are in the country and how far you are willing to travel is going to have a big impact on your choice. If in an area with a relatively low population density and not willing to travel more than 25 miles, your choices are going to be very limited. So it will be a case of finding the best of what is available. In an area of high population density, you will have more opportunity to be selective.

The usual points on judging each car on condition, service history (if it has) and MOT history apply here. Also that private sales probably better than a dealer/garage (in theory, the former is just getting shot of the car, whereas the latter is trying to make a profit).

Also consider looking at small cars which would not be considered desirable for a young driver on a budget. One example being the Ford Fusion rather than a Fiesta. Same car underneath, but the Fusion is taller, boxier and more practical. Look at the 1.4 and 1.6 petrol, both very good news on the reliability front. Another example is the 1st gen (2005-2012) Nissan Note, a similar type of car to the Fusion. Also with a choice of 1.4 and 1.6 petrol, and also generally very reliable.

Thanks v much!

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 09:36

Best small car for £3500 - Big John

Also consider looking at small cars which would not be considered desirable for a young driver on a budget. One example being the Ford Fusion rather than a Fiesta. Same car underneath, but the Fusion is taller, boxier and more practical. Look at the 1.4 and 1.6 petrol, both very good news on the reliability front. Another example is the 1st gen (2005-2012) Nissan Note, a similar type of car to the Fusion. Also with a choice of 1.4 and 1.6 petrol, and also generally very reliable.

Seconded re the 1st gen Note - I have a couple of friends who have (or had) them and found them great cars. One had two 1.6 autos on the trot who ironically has a Yaris hybrid now.

At that low price point condition is all.

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 10:22

Best small car for £3500 - SLO76

We could make recommendations all day long, but at this money it’s all down to what’s on sale nearby at the time. Where roughly will you be looking? I’ll take look at cars nearby that are worthy of a look.

As already said, at this money private sales are best. Anything a dealer has at £3,500 will be a £1,500 car that’s been through a decent valet and has a next to worthless warranty. Buying privately means you get to meet the owner and see their house, which will tell you plenty about their finances and attitude to maintenance.

Something simple, petrol and mass market that has been owned preferably by an older person for at least 3yrs is what you want.

A shortlist should include.

Toyota Yaris
Toyota Aygo/C1/107/108
Mazda 2
Honda Jazz
Ford Fiesta 1.25/1.4/1.6 petrol
Ford Fusion 1.4/1.6 petrol
Nissan Micra
Nissan Note
Suzuki Swift

Edited by SLO76 on 10/12/2023 at 10:23

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 11:23

Best small car for £3500 - John F

....... A shortlist should include. Toyota Yaris Toyota Aygo/C1/107/108 Mazda 2 Honda Jazz Ford Fiesta 1.25/1.4/1.6 petrol Ford Fusion 1.4/1.6 petrol Nissan Micra Nissan Note Suzuki Swift

Wot, no Polos or Peugeots? Twenty years ago I bought my sons a brace of old Peugeot 309s for a few hundred pounds. I was amazed by their lack of rust. I suppose today's equivalent would be an old 306; or a 208?

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 12:55

Best small car for £3500 - SLO76

“ Wot, no Polos or Peugeots? Twenty years ago I bought my sons a brace of old Peugeot 309s for a few hundred pounds. I was amazed by their lack of rust. I suppose today's equivalent would be an old 306; or a 208?”

Twenty years ago I’d’ve been quite happy to include the 206 or 306 and earlier TU series 207’s. But I wouldn’t recommend anything fitted with the chain driven VTi 1.4/1.6 petrol motors or any DPF equipped diesels, they’re just money pits at this age, ditto 3cyl 1.2 wet belt motors in the 208.

The 3cyl 1.2 Polo is known for burning valves and eating timing chains, the 1.4 is ok but needs a timing belt every 4/5yrs according to VW. They’re not the quality item that the earlier Polo’s were.

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 13:11

Best small car for £3500 - gordonbennet

“ Wot, no Polos or Peugeots? Twenty years ago I bought my sons a brace of old Peugeot 309s for a few hundred pounds. I was amazed by their lack of rust. I suppose today's equivalent would be an old 306; or a 208?” Twenty years ago I’d’ve been quite happy to include the 206 or 306 and earlier TU series 207’s. But I wouldn’t recommend anything fitted with the chain driven VTi 1.4/1.6 petrol motors or any DPF equipped diesels, they’re just money pits at this age, ditto 3cyl 1.2 wet belt motors in the 208. The 3cyl 1.2 Polo is known for burning valves and eating timing chains, the 1.4 is ok but needs a timing belt every 4/5yrs according to VW. They’re not the quality item that the earlier Polo’s were.

There's nothing wrong with timing belts but they need to be on the outisde of the engine, and easy to change requiring no more special tools than sockets and spanners and some tippex to mark the pulleys.

It's all gone to pot because changing a belt has become a nghtmare even for some make specialists who need to buy very expensive equipment to tension and time something that should only need timing when it was made and subsequent replacement belts simpy slotting on, all engines should have timing marks for belts.

Belts inside the engine running in oil is one of the most ludicrous ideas i've ever heard, did they employ politicians at the design stage one wonders.

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 14:37

Best small car for £3500 - Xileno

I much prefer a belt as long as it's easy to change. Chains are not without their problems.

I had a MK2 Polo years ago, my memory may be playing tricks but I'm sure it was about an hour for me to change the belt and that included swapping the seal on the water pump. Maybe 90 mins. Body more flexible and nimble in those days for sure. Simple 8v engine so very easy.

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 14:55

Best small car for £3500 - SLO76

“ There's nothing wrong with timing belts but they need to be on the outisde of the engine, and easy to change requiring no more special tools than sockets and spanners and some tippex to mark the pulleys.

It's all gone to pot because changing a belt has become a nghtmare even for some make specialists who need to buy very expensive equipment to tension and time something that should only need timing when it was made and subsequent replacement belts simpy slotting on, all engines should have timing marks for belts.

Belts inside the engine running in oil is one of the most ludicrous ideas i've ever heard, did they employ politicians at the design stage one wonders.”

Agree, as long as people change them on schedule. Sadly many do not, and modern multivalve engine designs will usually end in the sc*** yard if it were to snap. I hanker for yon olden days when company car fleets forced manufacturers to keep cars simple, the likes of an 8v Vauxhall petrol motor was extremely easy and cheap to change a timing belt on, and most were non-interference should they fail anyway. The belt in oil bath design would’ve rightly been blacklisted by all the big fleet operators back in the 80’s and 90’s.

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 10:30

Best small car for £3500 - Andrew-T

We said goodbye to a much loved Yaris recently as it was becoming uneconomical to run and will be looking for a replacement soon. Would love a simple economical small car which will be reliable ...

You say 'uneconomical to run', by which I assume you have had to pay for some expensive repairs, as I don't suppose you mean that it has started to guzzle fuel ? In that case, buying another car at just-above banger prices may not gain, as you could swap a car you know (and have invested in) for one you don't. Of course if your car is about to fail MoT for corrosion, that is another matter.

As said, buying private is the only answer, especially as you have a better chance of getting answers to the important questions you have to ask.

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 14:53

Best small car for £3500 - skidpan

We said goodbye to a much loved Yaris recently as it was becoming uneconomical to run and will be looking for a replacement soon. Would love a simple economical small car which will be reliable ...

You say 'uneconomical to run', by which I assume you have had to pay for some expensive repairs, as I don't suppose you mean that it has started to guzzle fuel ? In that case, buying another car at just-above banger prices may not gain, as you could swap a car you know (and have invested in) for one you don't. Of course if your car is about to fail MoT for corrosion, that is another matter.

As said, buying private is the only answer, especially as you have a better chance of getting answers to the important questions you have to ask.

Pretty irrelevant since the OP clearly says "we said goodbye"

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 16:20

Best small car for £3500 - Andrew-T

<< Pretty irrelevant since the OP clearly says "we said goodbye" >>

... and yet they will only be looking for a replacement 'soon' ?

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 16:45

Best small car for £3500 - skidpan

<< Pretty irrelevant since the OP clearly says "we said goodbye" >>

... and yet they will only be looking for a replacement 'soon' ?

Perhaps they are not in a hurry. Who knows unless they tell us.

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 21:11

Best small car for £3500 - Herrsandwich

Thank you all for your replies, really useful. Not looking immediately but having said that if a decent privately owned car comes up in the next few months I’ll grab it. The Yaris was exactly that, the first owner’s pride and joy, kept in a garage, serviced exactly on time, etc, so will be on the look out for something along those lines.

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 16:11

Best small car for £3500 - Steveieb

My daughter in law has spent a fortune in having her Y reg 24 year old Yaris Auto welded for the MOT. But the reliability of this car has been peerless and she paid £2000 five years ago for it. Cheap auto motoring .

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 16:44

Best small car for £3500 - Xileno

24 years is a good life. The problem with welding from my experience is once you start then you end up doing more each MOT. I've always thought to myself when the old Focus needs any structural welding then it's time to go but no MOT has commented on it yet. I had the exhaust bracket welded a while ago but that doesn't count as it only cost me a tenner and I gather it's quite a common fault.

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Sun 10 Dec 2023 21:36

Best small car for £3500 - SLO76

I’d typically offload when the car needs welding. Different matter if it needs suspension components or brake pipes due to rust, but once you start finding holes in the structure of the car it’s time to go in my opinion, unless it’s something particularly special.

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