Recommend a car for under £2000

louiseg0151

scotsman4th wrote: »

I'd divide it by 4 and go to the auctions. If anythings sitting around £300, place a bid.

Thanks for the suggestion, however, unfortunately, I don't know anything about cars, so would be way out of my depth at a car auction.

Jakg

louiseg0151 wrote: »

Unfortunately, I don't know a mechanic so how would I go about getting one to go over a car I'm intending to buy?

RAC do inspections on <10 year old cars for £135 and >10 year old cars for £175.

It's very *very* expensive, but the report will give you lots and *lots* of points where you can haggle money off.

Rolandtheroadie

louiseg0151 wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestion, however, unfortunately, I don't know anything about cars, so would be way out of my depth at a car auction.

Thats why you divide it by 4 lol.

louiseg0151

Jakg wrote: »

RAC do inspections on <10 year old cars for £135 and >10 year old cars for £175.

It's very *very* expensive, but the report will give you lots and *lots* of points where you can haggle money off.

Thanks, I'll look into that. I'm hoping that I can find a car with a full service history and a fairly recent MOT, then I'm going to take my mum for any viewings as she knows far more about cars than I do, so could potentially spot any major issues.

Don't think I'd like to pay £135 - £175 for a report on a car which could potentially prevent me from buying the car, therefore lowering my budget each time that happens. Thanks for the suggestion though.

tomstickland

I wouldn't advise buying your first car at an auction.
Just see what £2000 can buy you in the your local paper and on Autotrader. There's so many decent cars around.

If you saw a 2000 and 2003 Vectra both on for £1800 then it'll come down to the condition of the car really. You need to go and look at them to see what condition they are in.

hethmar

Why do you want a largish car if you are a new driver - check out insurance costs, wont you.

A VW Golf or Polo are nice cars, or a Skoda Fabia (which is a Polo but bigger).

The value of a car is down to its make/model and condition as well as its age, so you really need to decide on the car you would like and then look at the prices - take your time over a few weeks looking at auto trader on line and your local papers and you will get a feel for the likely age/price.

louiseg0151

hethmar wrote: »

Why do you want a largish car if you are a new driver - check out insurance costs, wont you.

A VW Golf or Polo are nice cars, or a Skoda Fabia (which is a Polo but bigger).

The value of a car is down to its make/model and condition as well as its age, so you really need to decide on the car you would like and then look at the prices - take your time over a few weeks looking at auto trader on line and your local papers and you will get a feel for the likely age/price.

The reason I want a largish car is because a) I've been learning in a 1.8 Astra and b) I'm quite big (height and weight wise) so a small car isn't possible - I've tried driving corsas and my knees were touching the steering wheel.

Insurance price isn't an issue - I'm almost 26 so prices are lower than they would be if I was 18. I got an insurance quote for a 2001 Renault Laguna which was £1500 and a quote for a 2001 Ford Fiesta which was £1300 so for such a small difference, I'd rather have a bigger, more comfortable car.

Thanks, I will keep looking on autotrader, etc.

emmell

Don't buy a Laguna. Search on autotrader for a particular car, say a Mondeo, put the price range between £1000 and £2000. Put the maximum distance you want to travel, start your search nearest first then when you see one you like the look of, click on, check mileage, service history, how many owners etc. I must add, at that price range you want to find the best condition car not the newest also higher spec cars cost more eg, a Ghia Ford will probably cost more than an LX model of the same year and condition.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to visit an auction just to get an idea of condition of cars in your price bracket, beats trailing round forecourts. Some auctions have sales for cars under a certain price.
Just remember you'll get a lot newer Laguna than a Mondeo, a lot newer Mondeo than a BMW, so you need an idea of the car you want before you go looking for the car you want to buy.
ML.

louiseg0151

emmell wrote: »

Don't buy a Laguna. Search on autotrader for a particular car, say a Mondeo, put the price range between £1000 and £2000. Put the maximum distance you want to travel, start your search nearest first then when you see one you like the look of, click on, check mileage, service history, how many owners etc. I must add, at that price range you want to find the best condition car not the newest also higher spec cars cost more eg, a Ghia Ford will probably cost more than an LX model of the same year and condition.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to visit an auction just to get an idea of condition of cars in your price bracket, beats trailing round forecourts. Some auctions have sales for cars under a certain price.
Just remember you'll get a lot newer Laguna than a Mondeo, a lot newer Mondeo than a BMW, so you need an idea of the car you want before you go looking for the car you want to buy.
ML.

Thanks for the great advice - why shouldn't I look at Laguna's? I really appreciate all the advice out there.

rushhour

I would suggest a Peugeot 406.

Found some on helpfindmea.co.uk, autotrader.co.uk & fish4cars

Peugeot have been a reliable car for years so think you might want to consider one of these.
i'd rather have this than a mondeo. but it is each to their own.