Looking for the "magic" car!

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Fri 7 Jan 2011 20:29
Looking for the "magic" car! - Lumpsack
Hi all,

I currently own a diesel Citroen Xsara (X reg) which has been very expensive come MOT time, especially when I had to have the belt changed (~£600 - mostly in time as apparently its a very hard to get to and change), so needless to say I'm looking for something new as its approaching the 10,000 mile mark.

I'm looking for:

Cheap to run
Cheap to insure
Cheap to repair/mot
Decent size boot (as I have two kids - 3yrs & 6months)
Reliable (as I have to travel 30miles a day to work + sometimes have to travel 450+ miles a week)
Less than £2000 second hand (could go higher if my car is actually worth anything on a trade in)

I don't care about performance as I'm not a mad driver

I suspect I'm looking for the impossible but if anyone would know it would be you guys/gals :)

Thanks for any help.

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Fri 7 Jan 2011 21:12
Looking for the "magic" car! - Vitesse6

If you have already spent the money on it and if it is running ok why change it? It isn't going to be worth much, so why not run it until something renders it scrap?

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Fri 7 Jan 2011 21:51
Looking for the "magic" car! - Lumpsack
I guess because at some point it will die on me, or cost too much on its next MOT (in March) and I'd like to know what to look for should I need one quickly, or if a bargain just comes up.

At the moment however I don't want to just guess my next car as I did with this one.
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Fri 7 Jan 2011 23:28
Looking for the "magic" car! - Dutchie

I would pop in to a Ford dealer and see what they got.Maybe A Focus 1.6 petrol.I dont think the engines have any major issues.They might give you a reasonable price for you old car.Hope this helps.

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Fri 7 Jan 2011 23:49
Looking for the "magic" car! - Avant

At this price level, condition is more important than make or model (although as Dutchie suggests there is a lot to be said for a Ford).

'10,000 mile mark?' Did you mean that, and if so, what's the significance?

If you buy from a dealer, you'll need to go to an independent, as main dealers 'trade out' cars of the age you're looking at.

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Sat 8 Jan 2011 08:22
Looking for the "magic" car! - daveyjp

You will need to spend time looking at lots pf private ads for the well looked after, low mileage motor - not autotrader, but local ads in supermarkets, free papers, post office, or ask friends, colleagues etc.

Chances are any dealer selling a car at about £2,000 will actually be selling a car which cost a few hundred quid at auction - unknown history, no paperwork - basically unless you know what you are looking for it could be a massive gamble.

If you don't want the expense of a cambelt change you'll need a car with chain drive. Unless I knew a £2,000 car had had the cambelt changed before I took ownership it would be the first job I had done.

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Sat 8 Jan 2011 10:30
Looking for the "magic" car! - Lumpsack

Thanks for the advice so far - so a Ford Focus or Mondeo.

Yep, 10k was a typo, should have been 100,000

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Sat 8 Jan 2011 12:44
Looking for the "magic" car! - Dutchie

My brother has the older type Focus the 1.6 petrol model.He has a chap who works from home in his own garage looking after the car.This car would be more in your price range and the car is not to difficiult to maintain.Good luck.

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Sat 8 Jan 2011 13:22
Looking for the "magic" car! - Trilogy

I've just looked on autotrader and there are 26 Ford Focus listed privately, under 80,000 miles, under £2000 nation wide.

Good Luck!

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Sun 9 Jan 2011 10:31
Looking for the "magic" car! - Lumpsack

Some are even near me - thanks all for you help, at least I've got it down to two cars now and by the look of things both are pretty plentiful.

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Mon 10 Jan 2011 09:31
Looking for the "magic" car! - danidge

Does not come immediately to mind, but try to find a 1600cc or 1800cc Nissan Primera, model made up to 2002. Good build quality, huge boot, spacious in the back seat, very reliable and amazing fuel economy. Being a Nissan no street cred so prices are reasonable and many were bought privately and are still in good condition. I run 2 of them and rate them very highly. I have posted 2 reviews.

That said I am not blinkered and all cars have their weaknesses. Cars of this price range will need checking over, but I rate a Primera of this era as being far superior to a Mondeo.

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Mon 10 Jan 2011 09:35
Looking for the "magic" car! - danidge
Just a second thought-Focus is a great car-I like them. However, for interior and boot space the Primera is in a different league. Hope this helps
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Mon 10 Jan 2011 10:42
Looking for the "magic" car! - PatrickO

Whatever you buy get the AA or someone similar to inspect it before you buy it! Or if you know a mechanic who will inspect it for you.

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Sun 16 Jan 2011 00:28
Looking for the "magic" car! - Boulder2k9

This could well be the car you are looking for:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2169142.htm

Its cheap, reliable with a chain driven engine, big boot and it wont be very fast, it may enjoy a drop of fuel though but otherwise it meets most of the requirements as you wont find a diesel at this price. A focus wouldn't be a bad car but this has more space less miles and should be more reliable than a Focus.Good luck

159man

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Sun 16 Jan 2011 12:28
Looking for the "magic" car! - Steven Quas

My vote would be for a Ford Mondeo which are often even cheaper than the Focus for the same age. There are so many around that they are very good value. They are also not bad to drive, relatively well made and parts are plentiful.

Steven Quas , Hamburg

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