What used car? | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Sat 3 May 2014 10:45

What used car? - FrozenJakalope

Hi all,

Long time reader, first time poster. I'm having a bit of a kid in a sweet shop moment with choosing what to get.

Currently, I'm sharing a 13 plate Kia Picanto with my other half, which has been working for us for the last 12 months. As of Septmember, however, I'm going to be going to college 3 days a week and working the other 4.

I'm 24, and with the "owning another car" box being ticked, insurance isn't a huge concern. The college is some 26 miles away, all national speed limit and dual carriageway, so fuel economy is a bigger issue. I'm not even bothered if it passes an MOT since I plan to buy at the end of the summer, when I should be able to get one that's MOT'd until July 2015 quite easily. Budget is capped at about £1,000, and I want something that's going to be a bit of fun to make my dirve down Cornish country lanes more interesting.

And that's where I run out of ideas. So far, I've had a 1.25 Fiesta (bombed out on its MOT due to rust), a 1.4 206 (blowout on the M5 shot the brakes all to hell) and my current 1.0 Picanto, which is great, but the missus loves it far more than I do, so she gets that one. I'm tempted by a Micra 1.4 Sport, which seems to have a decent balance of economy and speed.

I'm just wondering if I'm missing a hidden gem somewhere, or if anyone has experience of said Micra and can make a recommendation.

Cheers all,

Josh

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Sat 3 May 2014 12:00

What used car? - Avant

As we always say on here, for a £1,000 car condition matters more than make or model, so your best bet is to try to find something that appears well looked after and maybe has some service history.

If you want a steer in some direction, I would look for a 1.3 Toyota Yaris. The 1.0 is a bit sluggish and you wouldn't save much petrol as you'd be using more right foot to make reasonable progress. A Micra might also do well: Japanese cars in general are better able to withstand agre and neglect.

if you're in rural Cornwall you may be lucky and find something that's been cherished by a retired owner. Good luck.

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Sun 4 May 2014 16:13

What used car? - FrozenJakalope

Cheers for the tip on the Yaris, I'd overlooked those and they look really quite tidy for that kinda shape and engine size. Re: age and neglect; sounds about right - my other half's first car was a 1996 Micra which kept going solidly for 250,000 miles, and it was the salt air that killed it rather than any fault with the car itself. God that thing was slow though, I couldn't be doing with taking 15+ seconds to get to 60 in a small hatchback, not to mention the noise and rattle at, ahem, 70 on the motorway.

But I digress, thanks for taking the time to reply.

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Sun 4 May 2014 16:37

What used car? - gordonbennet

Hyundai Accent MVi...ebay 331181929999

Toyota Corolla ebay 321364038359

Not suggesting either of these partcular cars are worth bothering with, but this sort of thing.

The really small cars are holding silly money in many cases.

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