Tight budget car

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Mon 12 Aug 2019 19:43
Tight budget car - noutchy

Hi all,

Any help much appreciated. Looking for a cheap second run around for September (required for school run/getting to work whilst other half has other car). We are on a painfully small budget of £800-£1000.

I know it's very much a gamble at this price but have a few in mind. Generally looking for something small and cheap on insurance (and tax if poss). With good service history too. So just asking the earth :).

Would love an opinion of any of the links below from anyone who feels they would like to help me out!

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FIAT-GRANDE-PUNTO-1-2/143353286...y

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toyota-Yaris-1-3-vvti/163811297...i

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kia-Picanto-2010/273963542588?h...j

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2006-56-KIA-PICANTO-1-0-GS-5-DO...t

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Renault-Megane-Scenic-Fidji-200...k

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kia-Picanto-1-0-Zipp/1138472291...M

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Mon 12 Aug 2019 20:20
Tight budget car - elekie&a/c doctor
Out of all of these , the Yaris would be your Best Buy at budget money. How about a Focus 1600 petrol ? Plenty around sub £1000 , and pretty much indestructible if you stick to the Mk1 model up to 2005.
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Mon 12 Aug 2019 20:29
Tight budget car - noutchy

Thanks for reply. Had a focus mk1 but cambelt went before 100,000 miles. It was a 1.6 too - kept the oil topped up and everything. So kind of not so keen on them now. I suppose never say never. I do lots of short journeys for my work so a bit of a car-killer in terms of that. Yaris sounds good.

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Mon 12 Aug 2019 21:01
Tight budget car - Engineer Andy

Not many about, but the gen-1 Mazda2 petrol (chain cam engine) might do. A lot of people recommend its Ford Fusion sister car for the decent use of space (especially the boot with easy loading).

The Fusion itself in 1.4 petrol form (chain cam Ford Zetec engine similar to the 1.25, both Yamaha-derived units) would also be worth a look, if you can get a later model with the stability control to make it handle better.

Not sure if that would be in budget, but worth a look. Neither are pretty, but are decent enough to drive, and practical for such a small car, more so than their replacements in that regard.

Its bigger brother the Mazda3 1.6 petrol would do fine, though it may be a bit big if your choices are limited to Fiesta-sized cars - you can certainly get a well-cared for (a gen-1 car like mine) one for about £1k, though they are susceptible to rust. Mine's still ok, so others may be. The chain-cam 1.6 engine is a very durable engine - mine has never missed a beat in 13 years of continuous ownership from new. The one slight downside compared to the Fords is that parts are more expensive.

The Yaris would probably still be my choice though for the ultimate reliable A to B small car, with the Jazz not far behind. Just get the minimum spec car possible to get you the newest model possible. A well-kept example from a retiree would probably do best.

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Mon 12 Aug 2019 21:47
Tight budget car - carl duck

(Repeat of post above)

Edited by Avant on 13/08/2019 at 10:56

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Mon 12 Aug 2019 21:52
Tight budget car - carl duck
I think that a Fiat panda would be a great buy. Plenty to choose from and if you can get a 1.2 eleganza then you get all the trappings. Space is good. Mpg 50 plus. Tax £140. These do have a timing belt so check to see if this has been changed as required. The water pumps can leak.

I like Fiats they are reliable and a good used buy.

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Mon 12 Aug 2019 22:23
Tight budget car - badbusdriver

Thanks for reply. Had a focus mk1 but cambelt went before 100,000 miles. It was a 1.6 too - kept the oil topped up and everything. So kind of not so keen on them now.

Not very fair ruling out the Focus because of this. The belt will deteriorate over time, so should be replaced as a matter of course regardless of what the mileage is.

As to your list, at this price point there are no guarantees, as even the most reliable of cars can and will let you down if subjected to 15+ years of neglect, poor servicing and bad driving. Buy on condition, ideally from a private seller who has owned the car for a number of years. You can't really be too fussy as there are plenty of really nice cars out there waiting to be found. At the age of car you will be looking at, rust could well be a factor, so have a good look. Use this website to check the MOT history (www.gov.uk/check-mot-history), which will give an indication of how well a car has been looked after.

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Mon 12 Aug 2019 22:32
Tight budget car - badbusdriver

I like Fiats they are reliable and a good used buy.

Fiat in general tend to come about the bottom of any reliability surveys, so this statement really shouldn't be taken as fact.

Hovever, a basic Panda 1.2 should be a fine little runabout, classless, characterful, and a much better buy than a Grand Punto.

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Mon 12 Aug 2019 23:12
Tight budget car - SLO76
I’d leave the Fiat and go take a look at the Picanto in white and the Yaris. Both are reliable and very cheap to run. Get underneath it as rot will be the big worry at this age. If it checks out I’d favour the Yaris.
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Tue 13 Aug 2019 08:16
Tight budget car - nellyjak

For me it would be the Yaris,...every time.!

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Tue 13 Aug 2019 09:52
Tight budget car - carl duck
As with anything it is what is available at the time. I just bought an 04 Fiat Panda 1.2 with 27000 miles on it. It’s in like new condition and cost me £900 private. It was a one owner car elderly gent and always garaged.

I looked at a few cars and thought the Panda was the best bet. They were made until 2012 and working in the industry I know that they are no more unreliable than any other car. In fact, like most cars they will need brakes, tyres, brushes at some stage. The idea that Fiats are unrealistic me is a bit of a fallacy. At the end of the day you are buying a car that is coming to the end of its predicted lifespan and at some point it is likely that you might have to spend some money.

Lots of factors impact on how a car lasts.

A small city car like this is more likely to be used for shorter journeys do a service history is best so you know that oil and filters have been changed.

As for the timing belt that should be checked and changed every 5 years on a Panda. These Fiats have a Fire engine so if the belt does go your engine is protected.

The most reliable cars in my opinion are Honda, Hyundai and Suzuki. I have sold cars for 40 years and that’s just my current view.

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Thu 15 Aug 2019 21:46
Tight budget car - noutchy

Thanks all for advice - checked out the Yaris. Everything was fine for age (exceptionally tight feeling), except a little nervous about the rust on the back of the car where the spare wheel well was. It was fine on the inside of the wheel well. Serviced every year except last and generally looked after well. Might stick a bid in.

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Thu 15 Aug 2019 21:58
Tight budget car - badbusdriver

Thanks all for advice - checked out the Yaris. Everything was fine for age (exceptionally tight feeling), except a little nervous about the rust on the back of the car where the spare wheel well was. It was fine on the inside of the wheel well. Serviced every year except last and generally looked after well. Might stick a bid in.

MOT history looks pretty good for a car of that age, nothing to really worry about.

Re the spare wheel, your comments are unclear, but i'm guessing the rust you see is on the outside, underneath, but inside the well is fine?. If that is the case, and you get the car, just make sure one of your 1st jobs is to rub down the outside of the well and give it a good coating of underseal to stop it getting any worse.

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Thu 15 Aug 2019 21:54
Tight budget car - S40 Man

If you only need it for September can you get a deal on long term rental? This may be more expensive overall but you won't have the risk of buying a Lennon which could actually prove more expensive in the end, if something gives out

Normally I'd advice 2nd have option, it may depend if you will get any benefit from a car moving forwards.

S40 man.

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Thu 15 Aug 2019 22:17
Tight budget car - noutchy

Apologies - I realise I didn't write both posts very clearly - it's for hopefully at least a year (or 2) rather than just September.

re. the rust - you understood correctly badbusdriver. Sealing was what I was thinking, so helpful to have that confirmed.

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Sat 24 Aug 2019 19:26
Tight budget car - noutchy

Ended up with a Citroen C2 - 50k miles, 54 plate. Got from a dealer but one of the better dealers I have dealt with. The C2 is obviously not the experts choice, especially at this age but is in great condition for a 2004 car. Most of the Yaris' I looked at were wrecks and I couldn't quite stretch to a decent enough picanto (which I would have really liked due to cheap tax/insurance/repair costs). The C2 will do however! Years MOT with only one advisory.

Thanks again for your advice all.

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Sat 24 Aug 2019 21:58
Tight budget car - SLO76
Condition is more important than make and model plus mechanically the C2 is actually quite robust plus they resist rot well. It’s the electrics that are weak but if everything works it’ll do fine.
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Sat 24 Aug 2019 19:39
Tight budget car - Andrew-T

If you only need it for September can you get a deal on long term rental? This may be more expensive overall but you won't have the risk of buying a Lennon which could actually prove more expensive in the end, if something gives out.

Buying a Lennon - now that's a new one on me :-) Sounds rather expensive ...

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Sat 24 Aug 2019 19:50
Tight budget car - Engineer Andy

If you only need it for September can you get a deal on long term rental? This may be more expensive overall but you won't have the risk of buying a Lennon which could actually prove more expensive in the end, if something gives out.

Buying a Lennon - now that's a new one on me :-) Sounds rather expensive ...

Not if it's a Julian...

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Sun 25 Aug 2019 00:43
Tight budget car - SteveLee

A small Jap car - forget anything else - go off piste slightly - everyone will say Toyota Yaris (true they're excellent) but a Daihatsu Sirion has exactly the same mechanicals but fewer toys so are lighter (more sprightly and fuel efficient) and cheaper. They tend to be bought as "last cars" by pensioners so are generally low mileage and well cared for. Also Suzukis don't hold their value as well as better known Toyotas - but are generally even more reliable for the same reasons and again there are lots of one/two-owner pensioner-owned examples around. These days early Micras and Yarises are often snapped up by undocumented individuals to be used as fast food delivery vehicles, so there are lots of really knackered examples around near big cities.

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