Hi, a toyota avensis is always a good choice of a budget car. DON'T buy a mazda with a diesel engine, although any with a petrol engine are good. An old renault megane is worth avoiding as they can be riddled with electrical problems.

Other people on here with a lot more knowledge than me will offer you sound advice.

Good luck with the car and job hunt.

First thing is, at that budget there are no guarantee's regarding reliablity. Even the most reliable car on paper can become a money pit after 10-15 years of neglect.

However, to minimise your risk, look for something mechanically simple and straightforward which means naturally aspirated (no turbo) petrol engine and a manual gearbox. Avoid diesel as even at this age they were getting very complicated so any problems are likely to be both major in nature and very expensive to rectify.

Out of the cars you have mentioned (without having seen them), the two Toyota's would be the best bet. I would not consider the Renault (despite being a 1.6 petrol) as that model had some gimicky stuff like a card instead of a key, stuff which as the car gets older is more likely to go wrong. The Mazda, if it was a petrol, would be a great choice, but as a diesel (even though this model used the Mondeo TDCI engine as opposed to Mazda's own notoriously unreliable unit in later models), i just wouldn't chance it.

At this price point, a private sale is probably going to be a better bet than a trader, preferably from someone who has owned the car for some years. Also, use the online website for checking the MOT history, which will give you an idea how well the car has been maintained and looked after, www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

Other cars to consider would be, in no particular order:

Toyota Corolla and Verso,

Honda Civic and Accord,

Ford Focus, C-Max and Mondeo

Mazda 3 and 6

Kia Cerato, Cee'd, Carens, Mentor and Magentis

Hyundai Accent, i30, Elantra, Matrix and Sonata

If you could manage with a smaller car this list could also include:

Toyota Yaris

Honda Jazz

Ford Fusion or Fiesta

Mazda 2

Suzuki Swift, Ignis and SX4

Kia Rio

Hyundai Getz and i20

If you let us know where you are in the country, and what the smallest size of car you need, i'd be happy to have a look online at possible cars for you.

Edited by badbusdriver on 05/12/2018 at 08:45

No apology necessary - your grammar and spelling is better than that of many indigenous posters here.

Re insurance, 'gocompare' is basically an on-line agency which pays handsomely for itself, its shareholders (especially Sir Peter Wood) and its expensive advertising by creaming off a commission from the premium you pay to the company you eventually choose. It is popular but not necessarily the best value for money. Many other reputable insurance companies do not associate with it. I believe LV=, which I use, is one of them.

Many thanks for great advices!

I eliminated diesel one.

I always check MOT history and there is something interesting about Avensis; all mot history are green, without no advisory. On the other hand, owner bought this car just last year. I asked "why do you sell this car?" then he said "We had a car accident with a previous car , didn't had the money to buy a new one straight away so bought this one for the meantime to save some money and now bought a newer one so we don't need this one any longer"

What do you suggest to prove it? Should I trust? The last MOT which is done 2 months ago is also clean without any advisory.

Go for an avensys. We had one 2009 to 2015 and it was excellent. Comfortable and lots of space. One of the first things that need attention are brake pipes over the fuel tank and if these were a problem the MOT advisory would say so. Go for petrol because of the new rules about diesel smoke. For insurance try the supermarkets as many offer car insurance, also Direct Line. Remember comprehensive insurance might be cheaper than third party. Also think about visiting a high street broker, like Swinton.

What is the meaning of Cat C, Cat D ?

I found some Cat D cars but I'm not sure about them. Is it effect insurance?