What car would you recommend for a £1000 - 250 miles a week HELP PLEASE

shahpur

hi , let me first say i know little to nothing about cars so any help would be appreciated.

It all happened on tuesday at 2pm, when while coming off the Birmingham M6 my 1999 Ford Fiesa Zetec just cut out
at 70mph ( i thought i would not make it off in one piece - i must say thanks to all those who passed giving me abuse ).

once off and safe I called the RAC and was told it was probaly the cam belt the garage confirmed this
and qouted me atleast £600 to have it repaired.


I was told as the car had done 110,000 miles and was a 1999 model, it was not worth repairing but strangely they did offer me £120 for it.


I travel around 250 - 300 miles a week around the midlands and i think i was spoilt with the fiesta as it was my
first car( 8years ago ) and it gave me no major problems and was always reliable.


My question is What small car would you recommend that is cheap to run, reliable and around the £1000 mark( it has to be
around a fiesta size .

I have looked on Ebay but there is so much choice especially when you do not know what to look for .

thanks
shahpur

RIP - born 1999 fiesta was petrol and a 1.2 engine and will be sorely missed Died 2009.

Hintza

Anything you buy for that sort of money could be great and never give you a problem or could be dead within a month. Put the word round friends or family and see if anyone has anything they are looking to get rid of (at least you will hopefully get an accurate guide to whether it is ok or not).

Otherwise a bit of pot luck I'm afraid.

Although i'm not keen on Micra's (driven by the 30mph in a 60 zone brigade) they normally get good reports, or another Fiesta.

lindens

I would put a new ( or rather second hand) engine in your ford zetec if it were mine.
my son bumped his and zetec parts were at a premium so if you do get rid of it i would offer to buy it from the insurance company and sell it off for spares.

shahpur

Thanks for the quick response , so you do not think £100 fair price on an 1999 Ford fiesta with 110,000 on the clock with the cam belt problem?

As i said i know very little about cars and i have to take what i am told as the truth by the garage ( the RAC guy did also say it was the belt) , i would have loved to have kept the car , i would have went up to £400 on the repair but anymore seems a false economy .

Maybe i should up my budget from a £1000 , I have seen a few micras but they are a bit too small , i use the car sometimes to get from home to a gig and need the space for my guitars .

BenL

and if the car you buy has done over 60,000 miles (or whatever the manufacturer recommends - sometimes they state 8 years old it needs to be done) ask if the cambelt has been changed.

www.parkers.co.uk is a good source of prices and reviews.

kiddy_guy

Volvo S40. They will go for absolutely years.

Realistically what will you get for £1k. Very little with guarantees. So go for a Volvo that lasts for years.

shahpur

Thanks for the information it is really appreciated

hewhoisnotintheknow

250 miles is not a lot, so something small

tomstickland

Replace the engine in current car.

shahpur

how much would it cost to replace the engine ,

hewhoisnotintheknow

i would say 500 all in will be a safe guess