Need a used car for £4500 - what do you recommend?

I have a budget of £4500 and I am looking for a secondhand car that would be reliable and not cost too much to run. I do a lot of long journeys on motorways and around rural Wales and the Lakes. I also do a lot of outdoor activities so sometimes I have a bit of gear in the car, although I don't have children or family to transport.

From reading your posts and other answers I assume a diesel is a bad choice for the money. I've recently seen a Honda Civic 2.2 diesel for £4295 and a Subaru Impreza 1.5R for £3,00 are these good deals for the money or would you recommend something else?

Asked on 23 July 2016 by David Coulson

Answered by Honest John
The Subaru is an interesting, rare 4WD, but have no feedback on these because its so rare. The Honda could be okay with a very spacious and versatile interior. You might have to buy a spare wheel. It doesn't have a DPF to worry about.

The KIA cee'd and Hyundai i30 are default choices, especially the 1.6CRDIs, and there are SW versions, but the older 5-speed petrol cars are low geared in 5th so a bit noisy on the motorway.
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