Car under a 1000

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Thu 9 Jan 2020 18:50
Car under a 1000 - logger

Looking for a cheapish runaround , only do about 4k miles a year. My car has bitten the dust have 3 years of faithful service, only cost me £300 !!

any comments on the I have found..all within 30 miles of me

2007 Volvo S40 1.8 , 77k miles , MOT 28/11/20 - £1,990

2006 VW Polo 1.4 SE 3d , 118k miles , MOT 28/08/20 - £1,491

2004 Freelander 1.8 XEi Hard Top 3dr ,120k miles , MOT 20/08/20 - £895

2005 Peugeot 307 SW 1.6 5dr , 101k miles , MOT 08/12/20 - £895

2007 Ford Focus 1.6 Ghia 5dr , 120k miles, MOT 06/12/20 - £995

cheers

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Thu 9 Jan 2020 18:59
Car under a 1000 - daveyjp

As its only 30 miles go and see them all (drop theFreelander) then decide, you are buying on condition and the seller.

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Thu 9 Jan 2020 19:09
Car under a 1000 - badbusdriver

Looking for a cheapish runaround , only do about 4k miles a year. My car has bitten the dust have 3 years of faithful service, only cost me £300 !!

any comments on the I have found..all within 30 miles of me

2007 Volvo S40 1.8 , 77k miles , MOT 28/11/20 - £1,990

2006 VW Polo 1.4 SE 3d , 118k miles , MOT 28/08/20 - £1,491

2004 Freelander 1.8 XEi Hard Top 3dr ,120k miles , MOT 20/08/20 - £895

2005 Peugeot 307 SW 1.6 5dr , 101k miles , MOT 08/12/20 - £895

2007 Ford Focus 1.6 Ghia 5dr , 120k miles, MOT 06/12/20 - £995

cheers

Can't really say that much without seeing them. Cars at that sort of price bracket should be judged mainly on condition, along with a look at their MOT histories.

However, i'd probably discount the Peugeot as i'm quite sure i recall SLO mentioning that the 1.6vti engine suffers from various issues. Different if it was a 2.0hdi!.

I'd also discount the Freelander through a combination of Land Rover's unreliability in general, along with the well known issues surrounding the K series engine (which i am assuming is what this Freelander has).

Some Polo's can have problems, the 3 cyl versions i think. AFAIK the 1.4 is fine.

The Volvo and Focus are essentially the same car under the skin and both, when fitted with the 1.6/1.8/2.0 petrol engines are very reliable.

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Thu 9 Jan 2020 19:38
Car under a 1000 - logger

Thanks so far

The MOT histories all seem VGood on all of them which is why I was considering them. The Freelander garage says the head gasket has been done..

cheers

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Sat 11 Jan 2020 10:44
Car under a 1000 - barney100

Volvo stands out tome for a long ownership prospect. just do all the normal mechanical checks.

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Thu 9 Jan 2020 19:38
Car under a 1000 - S40 Man

I had a 2004 Volvo S40, diesel not petrol but it had lots of electrical gremlins. I had to get Volvo specific code reader, a ford with cheap forscan reader would be a better bangernomics option in my book.

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Thu 9 Jan 2020 19:40
Car under a 1000 - logger

Thanks..

also re the 307 I see that a HJ review gave it 4 stars ?

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Thu 9 Jan 2020 22:52
Car under a 1000 - Avant

As rightly suggested above, at ths price level you need to buy on condition rather than make and model.

But if yo want to be pointed in a particular direction, nothing keeps going quite like an old Toyota, and if you can find a Yaris or Corolla/Auris with some service history, you have a better chance of finding a good one. Otherwise the Focus (or Fiesta - not clear what size of car you're looking for) is worth considering as there are lots of Fords around to choose from.

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Thu 9 Jan 2020 23:03
Car under a 1000 - gordonbennet

As Avant, Toyotas are good, and so are Civics (though parts can be pricey and seizing brakes is a real issue on these), i too would only consider the Focus out of the list.

Each car must be judged on its merits, overall condition, service histories will probably be patchy on anything in this price range unless you can find a one or two mature owner gem, but the first place to look is underneath as anything in this range could be rotting out.

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Fri 10 Jan 2020 06:34
Car under a 1000 - nellyjak

As said...buy on condition...and for me it would be Japanese and petrol without question.

I'm a fan of the Toyota Yaris... a very reliable little car generally.

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Fri 10 Jan 2020 12:27
Car under a 1000 - SLO76
You’re right to cast the net as wide as possible, when looking for cars on a very limited budget you shouldn’t limit yourself to one particular size or type. I would however rule out the Land Rover as even if the head gasket has been correctly repaired these are still notoriously unreliable things. The Peugeot was never a good car and had a reputation for electrical nightmares at this age so again unless it’s particularly nice I’d leave it too though the older TU series petrol in this one was generally quite tough.

The best cheap sub £2k cars are simple petrol engined models and mostly Japanese such as the Toyota Corolla or Avensis both of which are probably the best cheap cars at this money along with the Honda Civic and Accord but again it’s all down to what’s available nearby. Let us know where roughly you are located and I’ll have a wee look at what’s close to you that stands out to me. Other than that I’d view the Focus, Volvo and Polo all of which can be good reliable cheap runners if well maintained.

I prefer buying privately at this money as you get to meet the owner face to face and see where they live which tells a thousand words itself. Dealers with stock at this money tend to be a bit dodgy and the cars auction bought though some with more expensive newer stock may have taken them as a part exchange I find people who are willing to sell their car from their own front door are more likely to be honest. But don’t let your guard down as many are fly traders. Ask if the car is registered to them at their own address, if it’s not then walk away, accept no excuses such as ‘it’s my uncles or friends car’ etc etc as it’s almost certainly untrue. Ask to see the V5 and walk away if the yellow trade section is missing. Not all home traders are dishonest (I wasn’t) but those who try to sell as a private individual certainly are trying to hide something and have no faith in what they’re selling.
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Fri 10 Jan 2020 15:26
Car under a 1000 - logger

My wife laughs at me when its time to choose a car as I change my mind like the wind. I am always torn between the my heart and head. I have had lots of cars over the last 20 years and 90% of them have been under £1500. I've only been bitten once in all that time but I have mainly had estates and 4x4's whichI dont need now since our dogs passed away this year.

So now I wanted something that is reliable ( I'm a carer ), but nice to drive and here's the killer..quite good to look at too.

I know the focus is a good car ( i've had 2 focus estates ) but like a lot of the cheaper cars a bit boring ( I dont mean that to sound as it did ! )

...so I'm happy to have a £500 car that lasts me 12 months and then ends up as spares to £1500 for a car that lasts 24 months

Not much to go on I know but any suggestions welcome

I am based near Crewe but no bothered about distance as I've bought quite a few cars on description alone.. ( daft I know ! )

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Fri 10 Jan 2020 16:00
Car under a 1000 - pd

307s are OK if the facelift ones (which a 2005 will be). They can have niggles (as all cars do) but the old TU 1.6 engine is well proven and generally pretty decent. Clutches can be a bit weak (although cheap to replace) so check that. They turned into a fairly solid old car in the end.

Really, as Henry Ford said, history is a pretty much bunk at this price. It's what it is like at the moment - not what it failed or passed a MOT on in 2012. That's irrelevant.

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Fri 10 Jan 2020 16:20
Car under a 1000 - badbusdriver

I know the focus is a good car ( i've had 2 focus estates ) but like a lot of the cheaper cars a bit boring ( I dont mean that to sound as it did ! )

Go for the Volvo S40 then. I'm assuming it was on your list because you like its looks?. This came out when Volvo was owned by Ford, hence the floorpan and mechanics are the same as the Focus.

Intstead of a Freelander, why not have a look at a RAV4?. There is a decent amount of sub £2k cars out there and it is going to be much more reliable than a Freelander!.

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Fri 10 Jan 2020 22:11
Car under a 1000 - logger

SLO76

Did you see my rather extended reply !

lol

Edited by logger on 10/01/2020 at 22:12

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Sat 11 Jan 2020 01:18
Car under a 1000 - SLO76
Not asking for much, reliable and interesting for £500-£2k!

Did spot a few but going to be tough to cover every aspect of that brief.

www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/2002-honda-...l


www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/toyota-coro...l

Edited by SLO76 on 11/01/2020 at 01:19

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Sat 11 Jan 2020 01:20
Car under a 1000 - SLO76
Site playing up a bit tonight, struggling to upload stuff but here’s some more.

www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/toyota-aven...l
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Sat 11 Jan 2020 01:24
Car under a 1000 - SLO76
www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/mazda-3-tak...l


www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/honda-civic...l

www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/honda-civic...l

Edited by SLO76 on 11/01/2020 at 01:29

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Sat 11 Jan 2020 01:47
Car under a 1000 - SLO76
Interesting and cheap

www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/honda-accor...l
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Sat 11 Jan 2020 10:52
Car under a 1000 - gordonbennet

www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/honda-civic...l

That £2000 Civic looks well worth investigating,

edit, MOT history perfect, get it bought and keep those brake calipers serviced every year.

Do check the aircon is working if it has aircon, the system is not terribly reliable on these and new compressors are expensive.

Edited by gordonbennet on 11/01/2020 at 10:56

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Sat 11 Jan 2020 14:37
Car under a 1000 - logger

looks great history but when I did an autotrader valuation it says private price is about £1450 and dealer price around £1900 ?

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Sat 11 Jan 2020 16:16
Car under a 1000 - gordonbennet

looks great history but when I did an autotrader valuation it says private price is about £1450 and dealer price around £1900 ?

So negotiate.

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Sat 11 Jan 2020 16:39
Car under a 1000 - logger

Could try but sold !

cheers

anyway

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Sat 11 Jan 2020 16:45
Car under a 1000 - gordonbennet

Could try but sold !

This is the problem with buying good used cars, you have to be really really quick or the best ones will be snatched from under nose, and i mean strike the same day an ad goes live, that particular Civic had all the right signs.

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Sat 11 Jan 2020 17:37
Car under a 1000 - SLO76

looks great history but when I did an autotrader valuation it says private price is about £1450 and dealer price around £1900 ?

Price guides are utterly meaningless at this end of the market. The difference between a tidy 12yr old car and a tatty one is enormous. A 56 plate Civic could be scrap or £2k worth all day long.
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Sat 11 Jan 2020 14:41
Car under a 1000 - logger

thanks for these... great work

whats your opinion on the early 2004 V40 1.8 petrol ?

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Sun 12 Jan 2020 00:22
Car under a 1000 - SLO76

thanks for these... great work

whats your opinion on the early 2004 V40 1.8 petrol ?

Based on the Mitsubishi Carisma and just as dull to drive. Post facelift cars are better and generally quite tough old things as long as you (weirdly) avoid the Mitsubishi 1.8 GDi engine that a few rare examples ran. The rest used Volvo motors or the tough old 1.9 Renault diesel. Front crossmembers are a common killer on these so while it may look ok on the surface it could be one step from the crusher if it’s too crusty underneath. Some parts are dear too. The simpler Mitsubishi is a great sub £1k runner with decent runners possible from £300, again avoid the 1.8 GDI. I ran a £700 2003 Carisma diesel for a year with no problems and flogged it for £1,000. It was cheaply built, a real step down for the firm at the time but simple and very robust plus no one wants them now.
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Sun 12 Jan 2020 06:46
Car under a 1000 - gordonbennet

Another 2 votes here for the previous model Civic 2.0S, daughter had 2 which never let her down, she covered huge mileages with them and thrashed them mercilessly, one of the best hatches ever made.

From what i've seen working on those and the 2008 1.8 Civic she runs now as her daily driver the previous model was a better made car, not as the later one is poor, just not as robust IMHO.

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Sun 12 Jan 2020 14:07
Car under a 1000 - Engineer Andy

thanks for these... great work

whats your opinion on the early 2004 V40 1.8 petrol ?

Based on the Mitsubishi Carisma and just as dull to drive. Post facelift cars are better and generally quite tough old things as long as you (weirdly) avoid the Mitsubishi 1.8 GDi engine that a few rare examples ran. The rest used Volvo motors or the tough old 1.9 Renault diesel. Front crossmembers are a common killer on these so while it may look ok on the surface it could be one step from the crusher if it’s too crusty underneath. Some parts are dear too. The simpler Mitsubishi is a great sub £1k runner with decent runners possible from £300, again avoid the 1.8 GDI. I ran a £700 2003 Carisma diesel for a year with no problems and flogged it for £1,000. It was cheaply built, a real step down for the firm at the time but simple and very robust plus no one wants them now.

The next generation car was far better, coming on the same (excellent) platform as the Ford Focus mk2 and the gen-1 Mazda3, probably why the earlier models are not popular.

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If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?