Help, what's the best used car for £4000 - £5500

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Thu 11 Oct 2012 22:52
Help, what's the best used car for £4000 - £5500 - Izzy333

Hi Everyone,

I need help, I need a second hand car for between £4000 - £5500. I am female & no absolutely nothing about cars, other than how to drive them.

I would like something that is cheap to run, smallish, and reliable in the cold... needless to say my current car struggles on cold mornings, as do I !!!

What would you recommend? Any advice would be great.

Thanks :-)

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Thu 11 Oct 2012 23:13
Help, what's the best used car for £4000 - £5500 - galileo

Hi Everyone,

I need help, I need a second hand car for between £4000 - £5500. I am female & no absolutely nothing about cars, other than how to drive them.

I would like something that is cheap to run, smallish, and reliable in the cold... needless to say my current car struggles on cold mornings, as do I !!!

What would you recommend? Any advice would be great.

Thanks :-)

Toyota Yaris, petrol, manual gearbox. 1.3 litre is quite nippy, 1.0 maybe more econmical but less performance.

Buy from a Toyota dealer and you should have no problems.

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Thu 11 Oct 2012 23:23
Help, what's the best used car for £4000 - £5500 - unthrottled

Can't improve on that.

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Thu 11 Oct 2012 23:33
Help, what's the best used car for £4000 - £5500 - Bromptonaut

Annual mileage and usage pattern, manual or auto

Just for you or do partner, kids, dogs and hobbies etc influence the choice.

Edited by Bromptonaut on 11/10/2012 at 23:35

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Thu 11 Oct 2012 23:44
Help, what's the best used car for £4000 - £5500 - gordonbennet

Yep, Yaris in this budget a job to better, Toyota approved used and you're laughing, but don't get the auto.

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Fri 12 Oct 2012 01:20
Help, what's the best used car for £4000 - £5500 - bear807
I would say Honda jazz or toyota yaris. Jazz is the most reliable and practical in its class
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Fri 12 Oct 2012 14:27
Help, what's the best used car for £4000 - £5500 - Roly93
I would say Honda jazz or toyota yaris. Jazz is the most reliable and practical in its class

Not the Jazz, they have a known gearbox bearing issue which will come back if it isn't there now. My BiL had a replacement gearbox on his Jazz only for that to fail out of warranty. There is plenty of blurb on the web about this, even Honda dont get it right all of the time.

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Fri 12 Oct 2012 15:57
Help, what's the best used car for £4000 - £5500 - madf

All the reviews of the Jazz say the engine is noisy at speed. The Yaris is less so.

My son has a Y reg Yaris 1.0 with 116k miles.. despite neglect from prior owners.. it has not broken down once in 3 years and is on original everything except front brakes, radiator and exhaust.

My 2 years younger Yaris diesel is original apart from front brakes..

The Yaris came second in a list of best second hand cars to buy... Scored 88% in Which's reiiability score and was their best buy for superminis 1999-2005 used..

Edited by madf on 12/10/2012 at 15:58

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Fri 12 Oct 2012 17:48
Help, what's the best used car for £4000 - £5500 - Bobbin Threadbare

Brother in law runs a Yaris, for a reasonable commute each day actually. He likes it. You do see quite a few oldies around; there must be something to be said for them!

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Fri 12 Oct 2012 19:22
Help, what's the best used car for £4000 - £5500 - madf

Brother in law runs a Yaris, for a reasonable commute each day actually. He likes it. You do see quite a few oldies around; there must be something to be said for them!

In my case, £30 RFL, £180 insurance and 57mpg...and easy to park.

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Fri 12 Oct 2012 19:52
Help, what's the best used car for £4000 - £5500 - gordonbennet

One other small car sprung to mind, Suzuki Swift, seem well regarded.

OP could also look at a Diahatsu Sirion...Yaris in a unusual frock.

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Fri 12 Oct 2012 20:14
Help, what's the best used car for £4000 - £5500 - Glenn 42

How about, if you like this class of car, a nearly new Kia Picanto, or last of the old shape Rios, 7 year warrtanty, very low prices, decent running costs and generally reliable. I would always say a Fiesta, as they are cheap to buy( esp last of the old shape), parts and serciving are very cheap and reliability is usually good.

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