If you had £3K (ok I know it's not a lot) to spend at auction, what you be looking out for?
Requirements are pretty general. Something with 4 wheels, at least 4 seats, looks ok, drives well, 0-60 in under 10 seconds so I guess 100-150bhp, sunroof, all mod cons etc. Something that's not too expensive when it comes to parts/repairs.
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Probably something Japanese - a Nissan Primera springs to mind. Our vicar had an N-reg 2-litre model which his daughter now has - never missed a beat. Sadly (as I'm generally a fan of Renaults) he can't say the same of his current Scenic.
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Heh - I'm 'upgrading' from a '98 Megane 1.9 dTi RT Sport. I dont'need' diesel anymore as my mileage is down to £10K/year but that doesn't mean I'm avoiding diesel either.
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Hang on - any £3000 car is something of a gamble, even Japanese (it could have been abused by any number of previous owners). Is the Megane that bad? If not I'd stick with it and save up for something newer.
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Fair point :)
I bought the Megane at auction about a year ago and it's definately past it's best with 138,000 on the clock and lots of stone chips etc. It sometimes takes two tries to put it in second gear and has quite a few other niggly little issues.
Still I'm hoping to flog it privately for £1800-£2000 and can only add another £1000 (or maybe £2k if I draw some cash out on the old credit card).
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I'd be looking at fleet-cars, like the Vectra, Mundaneo, Primera, Avensis, Laguna, 406...those types. Fleets will generally take care of their vehicles, and the high-mileages won't really be a lot to worry about. With the 407 on the scene, I'd give some major thought to the 406 Hdi's, and old-shape Avensis VVT-i's.
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£3k would buy you a decent 2.0litre '99-02 MY Nissan Primera (probably a 1999 or 2000 plate). Won't even be particularly high mileage (not more that 50k miles if you look carefully). They are roomy, reliable and have all the bells and whistles you're likely to want. No cam belt to worry about either.
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Update - Just checked the Autotrader link (left) and in my local area (Midlands) there are several low-mileage Nissan Primeras in you price range at dealers. A Nissan main dealer has a 2000 X-reg 2.0i Primera, 39000 miles, 1 owner FNSH for just under £3.3k - there are quite a few others too in that price range. Why bother with auctions when you can get one like that with dealer warranty and back up?
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Repmobiles.
Get a Mondeo - either an early Mk3 or a fully loaded Ghia X Mk2 with leather, cruise, aircon, etc and a big wad of change.
Reliable, too.
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If it was me
go for a hyundai sonata
or kia megentis
probably get an 02/52 plate (the hyundai may have some warranty left to) with all the spec in the world and more for that price.
whats good about them is they are very spacious and reliable (but check paint work - the smallest of scratches can be a pain to repair)
they are also safe for korean cars. smooth at speed to.
furthermore - the trade will not be bidding against you - so you should get a bargain.
only prolem will be seeling it on.
but these cars go into the hundreds of thousands on the mile front in the states - all problem free.
ive heard of a 4 year old model with 620,000 km on a megentis and hardly a problem to mention.
v.underated cars.
lpg conversion is worth doing, as the boot is massive, and the extra tank in the boot well wont really effect storage space.
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I missed your post DaveyK when I posted my last reply. The Magentis sounded like it was worth a look but I guess I'll have to adjust my mindset when it comes to mpg if I'm looking at those. 28 is almost half what the Megane is rated at.
Hmm decisions decisions. I'll probably just create a shortlist of most of the models mentioned in this thread and see how lucky I get. :)
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If it was me go for a hyundai sonata or kia megentis
Hey, have we got two DaveyK_UK on this board? The following text was posted by a DaveyK_UK on Monday:
"my accent is destined for the scrap yard after a mere 4 years of life - its lasted longer than my previous sonata which died as a mere 51 plate.
unless...
someone knows how to repair or get a chea[p replacement for an ECU unit.
had an auto electrician look at it just to confirm, he plugged in the laptop - and just as i presumed - ecu has broke!
car wont turn over.
anyone got any cheap way of fixing this?
no wonder hyundai give the cars 5 year warrantys - they fall to bits round about then.
while i will keep buying them cause theire cheap, if anyone wants a car to last beyond its 5th birthday - dont buy hyunda"
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Plenty to think about. I appreciate all the replies. I'll definately be looking at Primeras and ex-fleet cars. Dealerships could be worth a look as well.
Thanks!
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Auctions are great value if you are buying a reasonably new vehicle which still has some of the new car warranty. For an older vehicle with more miles on it you want to give it a much closer inspection than you can at an auction. You definitely need a test drive and preferably also an inspection by a trusted garage. I would look at private sales at the price you are talking about.
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Asprilla - i am correct.
the megentis will fal to bits around about 5 years old - but it will be so cheap to buy anyway, it wont owe you a penny. plus it will reliable throughout its 5 year life span.
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A very nice silver petrol Mondeo Ghia X plate 80k, for £2800 on Thursday, looked good to me.
& this a Police car, too.
Sort of following on from earlier thread, the sale was a selection on behalf of National Crime Squad. So Audi, Mitsubishi Gallant, Rover 75, amongst others,even a Mazda 6,2.3, 68k, struggled at £6,500 ish - think they were looking for £7,000 seemed good value on 03 plate.
These were all covert operation vehicles, so no stickers n obvious evidence of blues n twos.
VB
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