£1000 to spend on a small car, which make is the least to run?

sb44

We have a maximum of £1000 to spend on a replacement car.

Our M reg fiesta is on it's last legs so we need to replace it.

We only need a small car as we only do about 40 miles a week if that (husband walks to work and we walk to school).

I have been looking on automart and there are quite a few in our price range but I am not sure how reliable they are and how much they could cost to run.

They have been mainly Citroen Saxo, Ford Fiesta, Rover 200, Peugot 106 and Fiat Punto models.

Can anyone tell me what to avoid?

I have seen a couple of really nice R reg Rover 200 models at garages locally but I am not sure how reliable these models are.

hewhoisnotintheknow

i would say saxo or 106 as the a simple and there is little to go wrong, bomb proof engines and fun to drive
i had a 1.0 saxo for a couple of years and it took everything i threw at it, including off roading!

Sold it with 170 thousand on the clock wihtout one fault in the years i owned it

My mother sold this to me she was the owner from new.

Of course the french haters will come on, but this is just my opinion

The 1.5d's are slow but thats what you want from a car like this, they offer superb mpg though

Conor_3

Avoid Rovers. The 106 and Saxo are basically the same car underneath. Fiestas are OK, just watch out for rot.

goldspanners

sb44 wrote: »

We have a maximum of £1000 to spend on a replacement car.

Our M reg fiesta is on it's last legs so we need to replace it.

We only need a small car as we only do about 40 miles a week if that (husband walks to work and we walk to school).

I have been looking on automart and there are quite a few in our price range but I am not sure how reliable they are and how much they could cost to run.

They have been mainly Citroen Saxo, Ford Fiesta, Rover 200, Peugot 106 and Fiat Punto models.

Can anyone tell me what to avoid?

I have seen a couple of really nice R reg Rover 200 models at garages locally but I am not sure how reliable these models are.

definatly avoid the rovers at all costs!
these are prone to head gasket failure,it can cost around £400 to properly repair.
even if they say the headgasket has already been done still steer clear as they tend to go again if the first attempt was done on the cheap.

if it were me i would be looking at fiestas and skoda felicias and favorits and possibly a vw polo.

sb44

Thanks folks, shall have another look on automart tomorrow for your suggestions.

goldspanners

try https://www.autotrader.co.uk aswell.

sb44

goldspanners wrote: »

try www.autotrader.co.uk aswell.

Cheers, will do.

sb44

goldspanners wrote: »

try www.autotrader.co.uk aswell.

That's what I meant, don't know where I got Automart from!

Doh!

Anyway, I did go and have a look at Automart and it was rubbish compared to Autotrader.

showerdance

Chevrolet or Daewoo Matiz. Insurance group 1, unbelievable fuel economy and low tax. You could prob's get a 2001 plate on Ebay for a grand.

sb44

Just seen this advertised locally for £994.

1998 S Reg Volkswagen Polo MK3 Hatchback 3-Dr 1390 cc 1.4 CL


82,547 miles

Does this sound ok?

exup

watch out for saxo's and to a lesser extent 106's - alot of them have out of line wheels . I have followed many Saxo's on my motorbike and you can see the front offside wheel at least 2 inches out of line with th rear. thought it was eyes playing tricks
This was confirmed by a car dealer friend who said the 106 can have the same problem as they share the same chassis.

Also could try a Fiat Seicento SX or Sporting - but handbrakes need to be kept an eye on (and headgasket too)