Recommend a car for under £2000

dwichmann

id look for cars around the £2500 mark and look to know people down. You might find a Mondeo or Vectra a bit to big, especially if your used to an astra. If your young id try and stick below a 1.6 engine, this will help with insurance costs. Does your budget also need to cover insurance?

Id have a look for Ford Focus, Astra, Golf (reliable though less car for your money and expensive to fix if it goes wrong), Civic, Corolla

Like you said try and get something thats been serviced regularly, check the MOT certs for any advisories and make sure someone experienced drives it.

If it helps i just sold a Peugeot 306, it was 10 years old with 100k on the clock, 1.4 petrol engine and regularly serviced. I let it go to a family member for £1k.

I understand what you saying about needing a larger car, i drove a 106 when id just passed, the pedals were small and to close together, this gave me an awful lot of back pain.

Sidmon

Area of the country can also be critical as to the sort of price you'll pay also.

Intergalactic_Floozie

Are you happy to pay larger petrol costs? We went from 2 cars (2.0 Mondeo & a Peugeot 107) and were paying £115 in petrol costs.

We had to scrap the Mondeo and I traded the Peugeot in against a 2.2L vectra and we're still spending £120 per month on petrol even though I've got a chuffing bus pass.

If I'd have known the extra cost would be so much I'd have never gone up to this big an engine size.

emmell

louiseg0151 wrote: »

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

Because of the trouble my nephew has just had with a 2003 Laguna I wouldn't recommend them to anybody, whereas my Brother has just sold a Mondeo( he bought to use as a Taxi). The Laguna struggled to get a buyer 90,000 miles £1400.
The 2004 Mondeo 200,000 miles with front corner damage (he bumped it two days before he got his new one) £1500, sold straight away.
If you took a trip to the auctions you will see with the difference in prices which cars are popular and which aren't, the unpopular models go a lot cheaper.
Diesels are also usually dearer then equivalent petrol models so if you don't do mega mileage why pay the premium to own one.
I'm not recommending a Volvo, but my sister had a S40 (similar in size to Focus and Astra) and she loved it, they do a 1.6 engine as well, might be worth a look.
ML.

greyngone

scotsman4th wrote: »

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

I doubt the OP is confident or experienced enough to punt at the auctions. The more ads yo u look at - the more knowledgeable you will be. The later Vectra could be a high miler, perhaps the vwendor wants shot of it cos its got isssues - or its keenly priced for a genuine reason. The earlier model might be mint - or simply overpriced. Either way- I'd personally take a Mondeo over a Vectra!
If you are unsure, dont have a mchanically minded mate to drag along-take a mate anyway. You're less ikely to get bullied into a purchase. Use common-sense. If anything feeels wrong -walk. Meet at the vendors address make sure they physically live there. Apply lots of common sense - is it in a nice area? Why sell? Are they too enthuistic to offload the car?
Ask if they'd be happy for an independent vehicle check ( ask before you view the car obn the phone ) - if ther seller is ok - YOU find a local garge and ask em if they'd stick the car on the ramps for a noisy - wont charge you much. Just asking the seller should sniff out a wrong'un!
Check the V5 - check the address details, match up the chassis no and check the MoT too. Check the tax disc ( if taxed ). .

I hate Mondeos-but they are bread and butter cars and prefereable to lots of others. Check out insurance costs before you start viewing.