Cheap used car

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Tue 8 Dec 2015 10:27
Cheap used car - Laverda

Hi everyone, due to job change and a new baby, I need a second car.

We already have one, which is mainly used by wife, which does 3,000 miles per year.

The second car is not going to do more than that as my new job is 4 miles away, I would cycle or take the bus, but I need to drop my kids to school and nursery in the morning and then rush to work.

I was thinking something very cheap, 8-10 years hold, petrol, not too small (an estate could be better) and RELIABLE.

What would you suggest?

Many thanks in advance

Laverda

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Tue 8 Dec 2015 10:52
Cheap used car - madf

Toyota Yaris 1.3 petrol with 5 doors.

Unparalleled reliability and ease of driving.. And cheap. DO not buy a diesel one for your short journeys.. they soot up.

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Tue 8 Dec 2015 11:22
Cheap used car - Laverda

madf, thanks for the reply.

I was thinking something slightly bigger. At the moment we have an A-class and the space seems not enough (2 kids, one 5-years and one 6-months old, with child seats, buggy, scooter, byclicle etc.).

Definitely not diesel.

Is Saab 9-3 1.8t too expensive to run? Reliable?

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Tue 8 Dec 2015 12:34
Cheap used car - Avant

Sadly, good Saabs (i.e. pre-General Motors) are too old for what you need, and I'd also suggest you need something more economical.

In your shoes I'd look at a Toyota Corolla/Auris or an old-shape (pre-2007) Honda Civic. If they're still too small then there's the Toyota Avensis. You could also consider the Mazda 3 or 6.

You see the trend here - Japanese and petrol-powered is the way to go, although a well-looked after Ford Focus could be an alternative, simply because there are lots out there to choose from, including estates.

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Tue 8 Dec 2015 14:01
Cheap used car - Gibbo_Wirral

Peugeot 406. Go for one of the last ones they did before moving to the 407 (they made them upto 2004).

Lots of room, reliable, cheap to purchase, comfortable, and lots of options for engine choice.

Edited by Gibbo_Wirral on 08/12/2015 at 14:02

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Tue 8 Dec 2015 15:59
Cheap used car - Laverda

I quite like the Avensis, saloon seems big enough, and I can see plenty just above £2k.

Is it much better than Saab?

Also mazda 6 is nice, but I prefer the estate one.

Peugeot 406 seems too old.

Corolla and Civic maybe too small.

Focus is ok, not the best looking car but ok.

Any other suggestion?

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Tue 8 Dec 2015 16:07
Cheap used car - scot22

Agree with Japanese recommendations. IF you like A class have you considered B class ? Again from personal experience repeat warnings about diesel with your mileage and , probably, no opportunity to get the engine hot enough.

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Tue 8 Dec 2015 16:31
Cheap used car - Laverda

A class is ok, my wife likes it a lot.

B class seems same size of A class, I'd rather go for a C class but i guess it is too expensive (compared to the japanese). Difficult to buy a MB with £2k.

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Tue 8 Dec 2015 17:44
Cheap used car - scot22

Ooops ! Sorry, I should have looked more closely at what you are looking for. Hope you get a good one.

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Tue 8 Dec 2015 17:52
Cheap used car - elekie&a/c doctor

A C class Merc estate for 2k is going to be a banger.However for this sort of money you could by an excellent Mondeo estate,but stick to petrol engine.

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Tue 8 Dec 2015 21:54
Cheap used car - Stumblebum

We found the pre 2007 Honda Civic a great family car. It's really spacious in the back which makes managing children and car seats really easy. I'm 5' 11" and had enough space in the back to get kids in / out of car seats. My wife, 5' found it easy to climb from the front seats into the back seats without getting out of the car to see to a child in need of attention. The ability to move about within a car makes it easy for a child to move around to exit out of the car through what ever door is kerb side (once they are toddling).

The Civic was quite easy to drive. We had a 1600 which had enough performance if you need it. No mechanical problems.

Boot space not that great though compared to an estate (there was no estate version). But estate cars generally cost a bit more.

Exec trim has leather which is good for wiping up the mess made by kids. But make sure the Air Con still has life left in it though - in sun light the car is a bit of a gree house.

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Wed 9 Dec 2015 09:09
Cheap used car - FoxyJukebox

The reason a car is cheap and second hand is that somebody somewhere doesn't want it!

Regardless of the model-I would keep a keen look out locally for a trusted friend or reliable neighbour who is looking for sell or change their "old " car and go from there.

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Wed 9 Dec 2015 13:16
Cheap used car - Laverda

Thank you guys.

I think I will go, depending on the condition, service history, etc., for one of those:

- Peugeot 307 SW 1.6

- Peugeot 207 SW 1.4 or 1.6

- Ford Mondeo 1.8 or 2.0

- Ford Focus SW 1.6

- Toyota Avensis 1.8

Is the 1.6L engine from Ford the same as the Peugeot?

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Wed 9 Dec 2015 10:17
Cheap used car - craig-pd130

Only look at petrol-engined variants, but I'd include any of these:

Mid-2000s Focus

Mk3 Mondeo

Mk1 Skoda Octavia

Mid-2000s Honda Accord

Mid-2000s Nissan Note

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Wed 9 Dec 2015 13:18
Cheap used car - skidpan

Is the 1.6L engine from Ford the same as the Peugeot?

Not if its a petrol

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Wed 9 Dec 2015 14:33
Cheap used car - Eddy56

with the Avensis there were issues with excessive oil consumption in the petrol vvti engines. I looked into this when I was considering one as a stop gap car a while back. I couldnt ever get to the bottom of exactly when it was sorted - I think I concluded a 1.8 or 2.0 vvti should be OK from 05 onwards. Otherwise there didnt seem to much that could go wrong them. Maybe someone else will be able to confirm.

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Wed 9 Dec 2015 15:22
Cheap used car - Sam49

Yeah - certainly by the time the facelift Avensis came out in 2006 (56 reg) the oil consumption problems were sorted.

Best to go for one of those. Facelift models can be most easily identified by indicators in the door mirrors.

I've got a 2007 1.8 estate. Good car, reliable and comfortable, takes family abuse and not bad on fuel (for what it is). I do about 15k a year.

Was also looking at petrol Mazda 6, Mondeos, Accords when I bought so agree with above suggestions too.

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Wed 9 Dec 2015 19:25
Cheap used car - Happy Blue!

Do you really need a Mondeo sized car for two kids and a four mile commute?

My wife did something similar in a Mk2 A class without trouble. Maybe a Honda Jazz would work or a small estate (Skoda Fabia)? But buying a car twice the size you need wastes money.

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Wed 9 Dec 2015 19:48
Cheap used car - elekie&a/c doctor

Aviod the 207/307 models.A 10 year old one of these will be a box of bits.

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Wed 9 Dec 2015 20:57
Cheap used car - Mike H

Aviod the 207/307 models.A 10 year old one of these will be a box of bits.

A bit of a sweeping generalisation! Our son has had a 1.6 petrol 307 that he inherited from his father law for 5 years (it was already 7 years old) and has had no problems. But he could just have been lucky!

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Thu 10 Dec 2015 09:30
Cheap used car - Andrew-T

Avoid the 207/307 models. A 10 year old one of these will be a box of bits.

Any 10-year-old car can be a box of bits. Some models more likely than others, but there are still plenty of examples of most kinds soldiering on happily. Any 10-y-o car will need little things doing occasionally unless it's a remarkable example. So toss your coin after checking everything out.

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Wed 9 Dec 2015 21:05
Cheap used car - Laverda
As said we already have an A class and we are struggling with the space.
Bigger car is needed, not necessarly for the four miles commute. week end we al go around with a lot of stuff.
I don't mind spending a bit more on petrol, at the end the annual miles are not many.

Why should I forget about peugeot 207/307?
What's wrong with those?
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Wed 9 Dec 2015 22:35
Cheap used car - Trilogy

307 www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/peugeot/307-2001/

207 www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/peugeot/207-2006/

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Thu 10 Dec 2015 16:24
Cheap used car - Avant

If you have the old-shape A-class, this has more room than the 207, and the 307 is only a little bigger. A Focus estate should suit you if you prefer a Ford to anything Japanese: the Mondeo estate is quite a lot bigger. A Skoda Octavia estate is somewhere between the two.

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