Cars on a Tight Budget

MahatmaAndhi · Traffic Copper Joined: 10 Jun 2015 Karma :

Hi guys,

I've gone from two wheels to four. The bike has been sold. I'll maybe get another one soon, but for the now, I'm going for a car. However, I have a budget of about a grand, give or take.
I'll be doing around 10K a year commuting. The roads are split between 70 and 60mph the entire journey.
I want something big, so I can throw my pushbikes in there and when I take the family camping etc. Things that my little Corsa can't do now with any relative ease. However, big in size also means big in insurance, tax and fuel. So I'm trying to get what I can from my meager budget.

So far I've come across these ones below. And I've calculated the cost, based on insurance quotes, Parker's MPG (ultra-urban) and cost to tax the car. Pretty crude measurements, but I have to try and sell the idea to the wife.
Based on the ones below, what are your experiences? Any complete duffers that'll blow up once they hit 100K miles? All of them are diesels so I'm looking for advice on reliability. I don't like French cars, and I haven't gotten around to figuring out how much the 1.9TDis from VW/Seat/Skoda are yet, but I'm open to them too.

Model Cost per Year
Focus 1.6 Hatch £1,424.01
C-Max 1.6 £1,437.33
Cerato 1.5 £1,451.89
Meriva 1.7 £1,548.66
Civic 1.7 £1,605.58
Focus 1.6 Estate £1,710.48
Avensis 2.0 £1,721.38
Zafira 1.9 £1,731.83

(I'm aware that working out which car based on an Excel spreadsheet is very sad. But I'm not particularly interested in how it looks. Just that it's a decent car and frugal.)
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2008 Aprilia Sportcity 250

DRZ4Hunned · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Apr 2014 Karma :

My dad recently got a 2004 PD130 Passat with a years MOT (90k miles) for a grand. Seems pretty good bangernomics to me.

I'd personally try and avoid anything with a DPF.
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DRZ400-SM
FZS600

mudcow007 · World Chat Champion Joined: 01 Feb 2012 Karma :

ancient old A4 the 1.9 will keep trucking like an err old truck, 50+ to the gallon to

Rogerborg · nimbA Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :

groovylee · World Chat Champion Joined: 20 Nov 2011 Karma :

be wary of high mileage VAG stuff - the dual mass flywheels like to shit themselves. approx £850 bill. don't ask me how i know....

cant go wrong with an older Octavia, mine cost me £500 and went on for over 50K miles, and i think is still going. dull as dishwater though.

Bangernomics is great Thumbs Up

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Past - 1988 honda revere 600, 1996 kawasaki gpz500s, 1999 Yamaha R6

Current - 2002 Aprilia RSV1000R & 1999 Kawasaki ZX6R

P. · Red Rocket Joined: 14 Feb 2008 Karma :

I paid £80 for a 2l diesel pug that needed a 200 quid clutch and 1 tyre.

That did 20k and needed nothing but water for the jets.

Pay pennies, you'll get minimal use. But if you truly need to car on a budget, don't VAG it up.

- · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Oct 2013 Karma :

arry · Super Spammer Joined: 03 Jan 2009 Karma :

M.C · Super Spammer Joined: 29 Sep 2015 Karma :

arry · Super Spammer Joined: 03 Jan 2009 Karma :

Nothing particularly serious TBH - it just needed a lot of odds and ends to pass a ticket and economically the car wasn't worth spending dorrah on. Top of my head it needed 4 new tyres, new front and rear discs, handbrake shoes, drop links and ball joints both sides on the front, plus a couple of piddly bits like polishing a scratch out of the screen, getting front washers to work better etc.

It still ran - I think it'd still run after it went in the crusher tbh.

MahatmaAndhi · Traffic Copper Joined: 10 Jun 2015 Karma :

iooi · Super Spammer Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Karma :

MahatmaAndhi · Traffic Copper Joined: 10 Jun 2015 Karma :

Cycling? Every weekend, weather permitting.
Often in woods which aren't near by.
I've been frustrated by the Corsa's boot space more times than I can recall.

I've been adding to the list and I'm pleasantly suprised. The Leon is not one which I would have considered, simply because I didn't think about it. And even stupidly large cars like the Jag aren't all that expensive (if you got a blinder of a bargain on the initial price - which I'm not banking on).

https://i.imgur.com/RHA1Zn8.png
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2008 Aprilia Sportcity 250

Ste · Not Work Safe Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :

Your list of running costs is all well and good but the sub £1k car with the cheapest running costs is the one you can find that's in the best mechanical condition.

Don't assume that big in size means big in insurance.

- · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Oct 2013 Karma :

Jewlio Rides Again LLB · World Chat Champion Joined: 06 Oct 2015 Karma :

Nissan Almera, pre-2002 (I think - When Renault started supplying the engines and the camchain became fickle).
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Mpd72: I can categorically say i’m Brighter than that, no matter how I come across on here.
HAHAHA HAHAHA Blew Chilly MyCrowSystems

MahatmaAndhi · Traffic Copper Joined: 10 Jun 2015 Karma :

Jewlio Rides Again LLB · World Chat Champion Joined: 06 Oct 2015 Karma :

I bought an Almera on a 2001/W plate, with 39k (I think) on the clock. The 1.5 engine w/ air con.

It was fairly tatty, didn't pay much for it, but bought knowing it needed a clutch (the old twat who had it had also managed to run it without much oil Rolling Eyes

)

The only maintenance I did was oil & filter changes, only parts required were refurbed calipers (the non-ABS calipers were more expensive than ABS for some reason).
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Mpd72: I can categorically say i’m Brighter than that, no matter how I come across on here.
HAHAHA HAHAHA Blew Chilly MyCrowSystems

Blah blah · Scooby Slapper Joined: 05 Mar 2015 Karma :

Honda Jazz... normally owned by more mature drivers and because of this, they're not cool so they're cheap (e.g. On autotrader, 56 plate, 63k, less than £800 in Bodmin)

M.C · Super Spammer Joined: 29 Sep 2015 Karma :

J4mes · World Chat Champion Joined: 18 Mar 2011 Karma :

Keep the Corsa and buy some roof rails for a bike rack and a roofbox for camping.

Thumbs Up

P. · Red Rocket Joined: 14 Feb 2008 Karma :

MahatmaAndhi · Traffic Copper Joined: 10 Jun 2015 Karma :

Almera and Jazz on the list to look in to. Thanks.
The wife needs the Corsa for school runs etc. And as we already have one small car (she won't drive anything bigger) complete with roof rails, box and bike rack, Is rather get something bigger for the second.
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2008 Aprilia Sportcity 250

Rogerborg · nimbA Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :

Polarbear · Super Spammer Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Karma :

Find your local car auctions. Go a few times and get an idea of prices, which cars are popular (dodgy dealers inc. will be after those) and which are silly cheap.

I bought my daughter a Citroen C5 diesel, 2005 plate with 50000 miles on the clock with 10 months MOT for £600. Big old beast that she can fit 2 bales of hay in the boot for her horses. At that price if it lasts to next MOT I'll be happy but I'm sure it will last beyond that.

I've bought loads at auctions and only had a couple of lemons which I have put straight back through and hardly lost anything.

My criteria for buying is a long MOT (9 months or over) and no warning lights on the dash. Thumbs Up

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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition