So at 25 I’ve finally decided to get my driving license and the only way that’s gonna happen is if I have a car as an incentive and now that my mates are old enough and have had their licences for 3 years, I have people to sit with me.
My budget is around £1000, not much I know but surely I should be able to get a decent runabout for that. I’ve been looking at the 1.6 Nissan Primera, everyone tells me Japanese cars are boring but incredibly reliable and I’ve seen quite few in budget with goodies like Air Con which seems great but then I suppose with my budget it may not be a good thing.
As I really don’t know much about cars what others should I be looking at, I’m looking for reliability and 5 doors, I don’t care how boring they are I just want something that will still be going a year from now.
I’d also appreciate any advice on buying, I’m taking my cousin with me and I know some of the obvious things to look for as I used to watch Deals on Wheels religiously lol but I could do with hearing it again what are the things to look out for and what are my rights if I buy from trade? Far as I understood it if I buy from a private seller and it’s a duff car it’s my problem but if I buy it from trade should I expect it to be a decent car?
Best to get as young a car as possible - probably small to keep insurance costs down - I'm assuming that your insurance budget is as small as your car budget!
Main thing to look for with the sort of age car that you are looking at is history - as much as possible - preferably a "one owner, old gent/lady" type the best - will therefore probably be some sort of small Jap car such as a Micra for reliability.
I think that there are some "Car Buying Guides" out there - I know there are in my local Library - go read!
We could suggest loads of car, but at the end of the day its whats out there in your area which matters, our favourites may not be around or be dogs if they are, therefore instead of reccomending a particular car, just look at its condition, etc.
Many years ago i picked up a perfectly good Acclaim for £450 from a Garage, it was one of their PXs - it turned out to be a one owner, old gent car, superb condition, ran like a dream - sometimes you get lucky! If you have a local garage who sells cars and has a good reputaion, try them for a PX, you never know!
I'd echo Boundary's recommendation and go for an Escort. If you're spending a grand on a 5-door runaround, the last thing you need to be doing is spending another grand fixing it. The Escort is a pretty reliable proposition, there are thousands out there and parts/servicing will be suitably inexpensive. Otherwise, if you can find a decent, late model MkII Golf you won't be going far wrong.
_________________________ "Forward", he cried, from the rear, and the front rank died. And the General sat, and the lines on the map moved from side to side.
Unless you really want it I wouldn't recommend air conditioning in sub £1000 cars. It is an extra complexity - a friend had it go wrong on his Ford Mondeo and was lumped with a £1500 bill because he had to either pay garage to fix it or rip it out. They can also be petrol guzzlers and with increasing fuel prices perhaps you want as economical as possible without being too gutless? Finally in the UK do we need air conditioning? How often do we ever need to use it?
Yeah I suspected that Air con wasn't gonna be a good thing at my budget but I hate summer so damn much it would have been nice.
So y'all recommend the Escort over the Primera? I shouldn't consider it at all and are there any other motors that I should be looking at.
God I knew I'd end up with a Ford Escort and here was me hoping to be the only person I know that didn't end up with one. Ah well I gotta buy logically!
Originally posted by Quickblood: So y'all recommend the Escort over the Primera?
No i wouldn't, QB! As I said in my bit, its the condition and history of the car which is more important than the model when you spend that sort of money, though I'd agree with the aircon bit!
Look for a good one/low owner car where you can verify as much of its history as poss - there are good cheap cars out there, just ask we3, but they may take a bit of finding.
I'd rather not buy a cheap car just because the parts are cheap - thats asking for trouble.
Also I suspect that parts for a Primera are not much different to Ford, there were plenty of them produced
I don't rate the Escort much although having said that I've never had one.
I reckon as already suggested - Mk2 Golf, there is a reason why you see so many from the 80's and early 90's because they are solid, reliable and have in 1.6 engine good poke, torque and handling.
Another suggestion is Honda Civic.
As you know try and get a car with evidence of servicing.
Civic and golf good calls. How about a mazda 323? Again they've got the reputation as reliable cars, they seem to have come with electric packs and alloys as standard and there are plenty of mid-90s examples around for sub-£1000.
Might be an idea to check out autotrader etc see what you can get for your money then have a look at places like parkers that have reviews, alternatives and advice on what to look out for.
civic (or accord if your lookin at primera sized cars)...accord extremely undervalued..you will find 98 models for less than a grand....mk2 golf good shout but gettin old in the tooth...mk3 available in this budget easily....escort ok but terminally dull....punto is great bargain....an amazing contradiction in terms..a reliable fiat...economical, nippy, loadsa space...and you will have a big chunk of your grand left as 'contingency' money......polo too...dull, dependable but well made....a grand buys good 96 model
Take 400 quid of your budget and go to an auction. You will get a car that a trader would charge 1000 quid for and you'll still have 600 in your pocket for nasty surprises.
Be choosy and don't get carried away. There are more cars than buyers.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' "The Power Of Dreams, Is The Impossible Dream, Is The Possible Dream"
Originally posted by baldboy: Take 400 quid of your budget and go to an auction. You will get a car that a trader would charge 1000 quid for and you'll still have 600 in your pocket for nasty surprises.
Be choosy and don't get carried away. There are more cars than buyers.
Problem is that unless you know what you're doing there's a chance you could get a whole series of nasty surprises in close succession from an auction car.
The compromise for car buying on a budget is hard to get over. Im looking at cars just now as i'll be 17 soon. And i can pick up a car for near enough nothing, but becuase they are older cars the insurance is crazy. Alfas are nice and cheap but the insurance will destroy any budget.
And i dont particularly want to be driving around in a fiesta, or such like, they have no class at all.
Originally posted by baldboy: Take 400 quid of your budget and go to an auction. You will get a car that a trader would charge 1000 quid for and you'll still have 600 in your pocket for nasty surprises.
Be choosy and don't get carried away. There are more cars than buyers.
go to legitimate auction site and you will be surprised at the bargains to be had...as a rule of thumb only buy cars that have warranted mileage and are main agent direct..ie arnold clark etc...trade ins...these are punted off to auction wether they are diamonds or dogs cos big dealers just dont have the facilities to get rid of trade ins these days..personally id stick with the private route...you get a test drive..you get to see the people who have owned the car..my stoopid rule is that if i dont like the person selling the car i walk away...stood me in good stead over the years!!...only drawback with auctions is that the kind of car you will be looking for are in demand frome small traders and they can always go that wee bit more than you cos they are gonna retail it from their bunting clad four car forecourts as the £1995 bargain of the week.......auctions are great hunting for slightly oddball stuff(asian stuff, skodas etc...all good but not quite 'acceptable' as second hand fodder for the general public YET...) and big guzzlers cos the trade just dont want a 12 year old 740 bmw with fsh for 500 quid...and neither i suspect should you.....
Problem is that unless you know what you're doing there's a chance you could get a whole series of nasty surprises in close succession from an auction car.
Originally posted by Dan1989: The compromise for car buying on a budget is hard to get over. Im looking at cars just now as i'll be 17 soon. And i can pick up a car for near enough nothing, but becuase they are older cars the insurance is crazy. Alfas are nice and cheap but the insurance will destroy any budget.
Insurance is one area where getting older becomes a little less painful. I pay only £510 a year to insure my M5 and £270 to insure the Type R. Fully comprehensive.
And i dont particularly want to be driving around in a fiesta, or such like, they have no class at all.
The real insult on insurance is when it costs more for a years insurance than the car is worth.
Another matter for anyone who doesn't know be careful of Classic policies. They can be cheaper - although recent quote was more expensive than the mainstream. But you don't extend your no claims bonus and if you run on classic insurance for over 2 years you lose your built up NCB.
