Friend who is just 18, is looking to buy a cheap first car (i.e less than £400)
Cany anyone make any suggestion for a cheap to run, reliable?? car
I doubt £400 will buy much!
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Late 80's MkII Golf 1.3 CL or diesel.
£400 will buy you more than you think these days - £600 gets you in the early 1990's and in the realms of Astras, etc.
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Will have a good look at parkers re prices. The online car chooser is not avaliable at the moment, or I would have started there!.
Thanks
Guy Lacey aka Golf Geek wrote:
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> Late 80's MkII Golf 1.3 CL or diesel.
>
> £400 will buy you more than you think these days - £600 gets
> you in the early 1990's and in the realms of Astras, etc.
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Might just about get an average mk 2 Citroen AX (K plate onwards). Cheap insurance/tax/good mpg. Avoid any older models as these are scrapyard material now.
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At this kind of level, price guides aren't a lot of use. Buy purely on condition, not age, mileage (if it's 'low mileage' at this price level, it's probably been clocked), specification or colour. The suggestions you have already had are good (although check AXs very carefully for electrical problems and crash damage - the bodyshell will distort quite badly even in a minor shunt). I would add VW Polo to the list - preferably a 1.3CL or Ranger. Lots of them about, and even an A or B reg car will probably have less rust than a Fiesta half the age. Peugeot 205s can be good value as well. Avoid Fiat Unos unless you can weld.
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The Golf is king of bangernomics. How many other cars can you buy for under £500 and still have some street cred?
However, the insuance for an 18 y/o will definately be the greatest cost factor in getting mobile.Whatever it is, for someone of that age it will probably be over a grand.
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Agreed. From a quick look, you seem to be about right with a grand. The car doesnt seem to make much difference tho. The risk seems to be the damage you cause to others!!!
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£400 could buy you a fairly decent VW Polo. Lots of them about, and if you get a good clean example you're onto a winner. In 2000, I purchased a 1984 'A' VW Polo 1.05. It was utterly dependable for the 15 months I ran it (save the odd niggle which you'd expect - but nothing mechanical). These cars are very hardy in all respects, and will serve you well as long as you look after them.
Alternatively, how about a Micra? Suprememly reliable and economical, just check for rust (especially at the bottom of the door seams). They're a bit flimsy, but in plentiful supply, and parts not bad considering it's Japanese.
Of course with a Fiesta, you can be guaranteed cheap parts, but not necessarily the most informed choice.
At this age it should be condition (mechanical and bodywork) which governs your choice. Any history would be a bonus, but I'd steer clear of Unos, Pandas, early AXs and rusty Metros. Hope this helps.
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As I have said many times before on the subject MKII golf or old VW Polo, buy a haynes manal and find your nearest branch of euro car parts or german sewdish & french for cheap parts. Best bangers in the world!!
Look back a couple of days in the posts, somebody was putting forward the old polos as the new Morris minors, cheap and easy classic!!
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Morris minor post was on 17/04/02, search for morris minor should find it
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Agree with the Metros, much though it hurts.
I ran an MG Metro from new in 1984, until I sold it in 1992, because I was horrified a the state of 'hidden' tin worm.
May be I was lucky, but the car was economical to run, only once let me down (actually I caused the fault), and was a hoot to drive. After modifications to liberate 1293cc and 90 brake horsepower, it was also the only four cylinder car that I have driven that had truly gorgeous engine and exhaust notes, and had low and mid range torque way beyond it's capacity. Who needs 16 valves?!
But, and there's always a 'but', just before the end of my ownership, I was conducting routine maintenance, replacing front brake discs at about 90,000 miles, when I noticed a patch of damp underseal. Odd I though, considering that the weather was dry. Close inspection by poking aforementioned patch resulted in a huge rusty hole revealing itself, and the front sub frame visibly on the point of tearing away from the bulkhead. Further digging around revealed rear passenger footwells also about to fail because of rust, as were both sills likewise, from the inside, out.
Although later Rover Metros and Rover 100 models have many detail changes, I'm damned sure that class leading rust prevention is not amongst them!
Although it is absolutely no reason to be complacent, when I look at the construction of my current car, and think back to my beloved MG Metro, thank the Lord I never hit anything.
I guess the same construction reasoning also explains why the new Mini should, infact, be called the Maxi!
/Steve
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I'd go for an H or J FIAT Panda 1000 5-speed, carbed and pre-cat. Very simple, very basic and had a few electro galvanized panels by then so not necessarily a total rust-bucket. The FIRE engines in these can be good for over 200k, the thing does 40mpg ++ and insurance is cheap.
HJ
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HJ
The Panda we bought on your reccomend about 15 months ago is still going strong. No image at all but its the cheapest motoring I have ever had. Best £350 I ever spent on a car. I guess when it does go as long as it has some Tax on it say 3 months, we'll even get our money back.
Cheers
Bill
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For Panda street cred, the 4x4 Sisley is the only option really. I had a 4x4 from new and it was very reliable for the 35-40K miles I had it and it proved very robust in a roundabout rear end shunt when an Allegro demolished its front end, including radiator, against the Panda bumper which was scarcely moved. Grip was amazingly good in slippery off-road conditions, allowing me to pull a 32cwt Daimler out of a wet soggy garden with the Panda. Nothing special in snow though, except at low speeds, but I suspect that was the standard Pirelli Winter 180s.
Not relevant in this case but the Panda and the 4x4 are still available new on the Continent in LHD and with an 1100cc FIRE engine at a ridiculously low price.
David
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I ran a Panda many moons ago and can endorse what you say about them - they are basic, honest, cheap motoring, without frills.
Needless to say that's why they're so desperately unpopular and unfashionable in this image-obsessed country. Did you see the "Right Car, Wrong Car" where the pundits were laying into a punter's Panda with all the glee of a pair of school bullies kicking someone on the ground?
David
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