I'm going to sell my car and hope to get approx £6000. I'm using the money to help with my new home purchase. I still need a car for ocassional use. I don't do many miles and am looking to spend up to £2k. Basically would need to be fairly reliable and reasonable to service. Tempted by old Saab 93 , Octavia , Golfs/Passats ...any other suggestions?

Get the best Mondeo you can find.
Eveyone knows them, cheap to run, excellent cars.

late shape mazda 626. pick em up for about £1k cheap as chips and looks modern too

Whats your requirements?

Comfortable, roomy, economical and reliable.

Option 1: Citroen Xantia. Ride quality can't be beaten, roomy, very very affordable, you can be choosey when picking a Xantia. Should be able to get an exclusive model, possible even a v6 for £1500.

Option 2: Citroen Xsara. Very very reliable with again a decent ride. Better handling, though both are safe cars.

Option 3: Honda Accord. Bomb proof, economical petrols.

Option 4: Honda Civic, cheaper than the Accord. Nippy and pretty good fun to drive.

Option 5: Peugeot 406, lots on the market. Nice interior, nice to drive, comfortable and pretty good value for money.

Don't buy old VWs (Golf, Bora, Passat). They're poor value for money and not anymore reliable.

Service history is key, high milages are ok so long as you've got proof that they've been serviced regularly and not worked too hard (Mondeos, 406s, some Xantias are all common high milage ex-fleet cars).

Mazda 626 is a good suggestion, bit low rent inside but you get an auwful lot of low milage car for very little cash.

Have you got more detailed requirements? If reliability is your most important desire, most Japanese cars at that price are a good option. As already mentioned, the Mazda 626, Honda Accord and Honda Civic are great choices for cheap, reliable transport. I'd also add the Nissan Primera (with the reliability comes a great chassis and sweet engines which means good fun to drive).

Cheers for the recomendations, some cars I have not considered. To be honest I am not keen on French cars, just too flimsy especially for the age I'm looking at. I want a large saloon/hatch and I know it's a lot to ask at that price, but something with a bit of cred. & style is wanted. Also it's a shorterm (1 - 2 year) thing so want a car that I can easily sell on afterwards.

For a bit of cred and style, you could consider Audi A4, Audi A6 and Bmw 5 series (just about get an early E39 for £2k). All very well built.

Cool, whats parts and servicing costs like on older Audis/BM's

Not bad at all if you use a specialist, or even a local garage.

It's a mistake to view all things French as flimsy. I've got a 13 year old Xantia, nothing flimsy about it. Interior is still entirely intact, mechanicals have yet to fail in any way. Both the 406 and the Xantia are well built cars with a quality feel.

Again, Audi and BMWs don't offer the best value for money.

£2000 is not a small budget for a large saloon/hatch nowadays. There are a lot going around, especially if you buy one of the larger engine top spec models (cheap due to their insurance and running costs..)

Servicing costs for most German makes are pretty high, but as Fatmat said, find a specialist and the prices fall nicely.

Audi A4, A6 and BMW 5 series are fine, but if you want something with a bit of "cred" it's no use buying the 1.6, 1.8, or 2.0 litre models, you'll look like a sales rep being fobbed off with a cheap company car. And higher models may be outside your price range.. Though I note a 1995 540i with 150,000 miles on autotrader for £2300.

If you want a genuinly classy BMW that is bound to get looks, check out eBay with the words "BMW 635" Truely lovely car and you can get an auwful lot of pristine BMW from the good old days for very little money.

If you want something a little bit different and don't want to buy French. How about an Alfa Romeo 156? There are now quite a few 2.0TS's in your budget.

If you're prepared to face the costs and want something seriously expensive (or it was once upon a time), there is a BMW 730 on ebay with a v8 for £1450 buy it now.

Old BMW 7 series isn't a bad option if you can find one at the right price. They're seriously large though.

And no I don't know why it calls itself a 730 when it has a v8 (740 methinks) but 730 is what the listing says.. ^_^.

I woukd go for Toyota or Honda, whichever models you prefer. An auto will be costlier to service, so go for manual.

Try and find a Toyota Camry!

Taxi drivers swear by Peugeot 406's so they're hardly 'flimsy'

Citroen ZX diesel, non turbo, hardly anything goes wrong with mine, could be run off straight vegetable oil (always declare it nudge nudge!), best car under a grand, even some crackers for under £500 now. Panels flimsily, easily dented, does that matter getting from A to B? Sticks to the road like it's got magnets!

Will be getting another car soon but not letting go of my ZX, not likely!

Yes I am fishing, but my old man has a nice 62,500 mile Primera 2.0GX up for grabs. £700, 98 on an R plate needs a wee bit of TLC but basically sound. Great to drive too.

quote:

Originally posted by Scott1S:
Primera 2.0GX up for grabs. £700, 98 on an R plate

You beat me to it, I was about to suggest a late 90's Nissan Primera. £2000 should get a reasonably decent one too, maybe even one of the GT's.

quote:

Originally posted by Scott1S:
Yes I am fishing, but my old man has a nice 62,500 mile Primera 2.0GX up for grabs. £700, 98 on an R plate needs a wee bit of TLC but basically sound. Great to drive too.

I ran a 98 S 1.6 Primera from new for three years and 70,000 miles. Superb car if you live with drab interior. Still running as a pool car with nearly 200k up. Clutch lasted until 180,000!
Much better drivers car than Mondeo/Vectra etc.

Also consider Rover 600 1.8 or 2.0 petrol models.

Late build 97/98 cars can be had for well under a grand. Decent, underated car. I run a 95 620Si, and over 23,000 miles in 16 months with no major problems. Just servicing items and a zorst. Electric window switch packied up. £22, arrived in 2 days.

German stuff at this money is either base spec or worn out, and parts can be dear. Not as reliable as Japanese branded stuff. But a careful hunt could dig out some nice wheels.

Modern French cars are flimsy, but stuff from the mid to late 90s seem better nade than the current crop. I had a 94 Xantia from new for 4 years and 105,000 miles. Cracking car, but servicing was frequent and fairly expensive. However my 2003 Pug 807 was very poor.

So a safe bet are the Japanese, Primera, Accord etc

German stuff, possible but be careful at theis money

French, older ones seem tougher

Italian, I would be wary

Good hunting

£2000 also gets you three-quarters of an aftermarket exhaust system for my M3 CSL.

Just to keep things in perspective, when analysing what sort of car that amount buys you.

I'd be looking at a Honda Accord/Civic, Nissan Primera, Toyota Avensis and a Mitsubishi Galant.

Good luck with the house purchase Polonezia. I know I will be shot on here for saying this but property is a better investment than cars. However, with the cars I have suggested above, at least depreciation should be minimal if well amaintained.

You seem to want a safe choice.
I still say get the best Mondeo you can find.

From Your budget of 2k, highly recommend the Nissan Primera, these are superb cars, that excel in neraly all areas.

quote:

highly recommend the Nissan Primera, these are superb cars, that excel in neraly all areas

Apart from style, being fun to drive, handling and performance! However, yes they are a good solid reliable hack about.

^ Glad I'm not alone in thinking that...