Mate of mine is looking to get a runaround for his other half. He's got a 1K budget (maybe a bit extra for the right motor). The criteria are:
Focus-ish size
Ultra reliable
Ideally under 60K miles - no more than 80K miles
I was thinking along the lines of Toyota Corolla / Honda Civic / Nissan Almera - Any others to consider?
Any engine options to go for / avoid within the cars selected?
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Decent 1k motors are in very short supply - the only option is to open Autotrader and see what's available locally, and then chose the best of those - going for a particular car and / or engine seriously limits choice / availabilty.
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>>Decent 1k motors are in very short supply <<
Richard - I presume you know this 'from the inside', but at a time when any car over 8 years old is worth not many peanuts, and there are plenty around in decent nick, how come there aren't any for sale? They can't all have been towed away for official reasons? And surely not everyone has stopped changing cars?
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The Almera is extremely unfashionable - perfect choice. Is there a Jetta around at the moment? What about an A4.
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Very true about choice being narrowed down by only looking at certain makes and models - but the key thing here is reliability - hence me suggesting only Japanese Marques... I've always found them excellent (I've had a Suzuki, Subaru and a Mazda). Willing to look at other suggestions though!
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How do Kias fare for reliability? Plenty of young/low mileage models around for not much money. Just a few weeks ago I saw a Rio Estate advertised in the local rag. 3years old, 27,000 miles £1500.
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Don't worry about the mileage - check the maintenance.
For real cheap - a Mk2 Golf - still good cars, and better than the Mk3 in almost every respect. £200 with an MoT - can't get cheaper. Carb engine - no nasty ECU etc. Loads of parts everywhere, and quite roomy. Buy and chuck when MoT is up - worth £75 for scrap.
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>>For real cheap - a Mk2 Golf
Problem is these cars are thirsty.
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Cycle round your local housing estates, evaluate and then purchase the best of those advertised for around £600 [pay at least 10% less than asked] and keep the change for meals out/flowers for the other half/manly pleasures etc etc.
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I've had Civics for the last 11 years, brilliant reliability, not the cheapest but the aged ownership profile means you can get some very well maintained example for under £1K.
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What about an Escort? One of the very last ones - they are about in decent nick. We used to have one a 1.6 16V and it was a decent car.
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NISSAN PRIMERA 1.6 GX (trade)
C & P Motors
40,000 miles
Manual
Red
Petrol
P reg. 40000 Miles, only, 5 dr in red, 12 months MOT, full electric pack, service history, px to clear. £695.
NISSAN PRIMERA 2.0 SLX AUTOMATIC (trade)
M P Autos Ltd
49,000 miles
Automatic
Red
Petrol
V reg. 49000 Miles, 5 dr,in red metallic,Air Con, alloy, e/w, e/m, remote central locking, pas, twin airbags, cd changer, 1/2 leather trim, 12 months mot, fsh, excellent condition throughout.
£995
Edited by madf on 05/09/2008 at 15:45
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For a very cheap reliable car look no further than a Kia Pride. Simple engineering and uncomplicated electrics. It is a surprisingly durable car. We've had two of them. My wife's first Pride she bought at 2 years old ran it for 8 years and then gave it to her mother. M-in-L sold it recently at 13 years old with over 80k miles. Apart from routine servicing all it needed in that time was one exhaust section, a new battery and a pair of rear shock absorbers. It let us down once on the M11 when it threw the alternator belt. It was thrashed at times, crashed once (front wing, grill, headlight and bonnet replaced) and still came back for more. It always started first time every time. It sold to a delighted new owner for £300 a month ago.
The second Kia is now about to go on sale for £450 (6 months MT and 10 months road fund licence). It's a W reg, 56k miles FSH, recent exhaust. It needs a routine oil and filter change, the front brakes overhauled and probably the front tyres replaced. Any takers?
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If you wnat a MKII Golf, a good choice, get a MKII SEAT Toledo.
A MKII Golf (OK technically a Jetta with an extended floor pan) with a different skin.
Everyone hates them. Cheap as chips. The SXE is a 2.0 GTI. Thirsty but fun.
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How about a Mazda 323?
Still a good looking car, legendary reliability and within budget to boot.
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