Help

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

I need a new car and am completely dumb about these things.

Long story short - Had a 1.6 Proton Satria, Gear Box has gone (£600+ to replace, not worth it!)

Am currently borrowing a car to get to work

Only have £1000 saved

Any ideas what car (sheds!) i can buy for this?

Dont want to borrow money to buy a car (not very MSE!)

Trying desperatley to save before borrowed car gets taken away

Never brought a car in my life (Dad's always got me them - and they only last 2 years at most!)

Any tips / advice?

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

hmm see only problem is the only person i know with any incline about cars is my dad - and hes refusing to help

Dont want to fork out 1k to get ripped off

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

was looking at ford focus and Golf's but friend said golf's will kill me on petrol

Lirin

It is a pity I hadn't run into you before- my partner and I run an Owners Club for Proton owners, we would definitely have been able to find you a gearbox!

Depends on what you want from a car- Satria's a nice compact, if you're looking similar, Golf would be similar size, though a Mitsubishi Colt wouldn't be bad either.

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

Lirin - have sent you a PM

Sandoval - indeed a blanket comment and have asked around - everyone else byus from a dealer (which i cant afford)

Lirin

Let me know how it goes.

BenL

As a start point have a look on ebay and see what buy it nows there are in your area under £1000.

The autotrader paper version has a cars under £1000 section as well.

e.g. near-ish me there is a Fiesta for £495 with MOT til April

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1995-FORD-FIESTA-ENCORE-3-DOOR-RED-/280561312157?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4152c1e19d

or a Micra with a years MOT for £595

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1997P-NISSAN-MICRA-1-3-GX-RED-FSH-1-OWNER-REAL-BEAUTY-/320590111931?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4aa4a8e4bb

Ben

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

ty everyone

Theres a chance my car could be repaired cheaply so going to see what happens

Strider590

Your dad (no offence) sounds like he says he know's about cars, but doesn't want to be put to the test. I wouldn't hold that against him tbh.

My only advice is NEVER buy a car or even put down a deposit after first seeing it.... Go away, have a think and check out what it's really worth. Do some research on the common problems too.

You want to make sure it's had the cambelt done on schedule, make sure the tyre's are legal, take the oil cap off and check for white residue (possible headgasket failure) and check for any odd noises on the test drive.

Whatever car you look at there are litterally thousands out there the same, never fall for the sales pitches like "we have 4 people interested and one is coming back today with a deposit"...... Dealers (even main dealers) ALL lie through their back teeth!!
They'll try to make you think your getting a good deal, but you almost never are.

rev_henry

Strider590 wrote: »

Your dad (no offence) sounds like he says he know's about cars, but doesn't want to be put to the test. I wouldn't hold that against him tbh.

My only advice is NEVER buy a car or even put down a deposit after first seeing it.... Go away, have a think and check out what it's really worth. Do some research on the common problems too.

You want to make sure it's had the cambelt done on schedule, make sure the tyre's are legal, take the oil cap off and check for white residue (possible headgasket failure) and check for any odd noises on the test drive.

Whatever car you look at there are litterally thousands out there the same, never fall for the sales pitches like "we have 4 people interested and one is coming back today with a deposit"...... Dealers (even main dealers) ALL lie through their back teeth!!
They'll try to make you think your getting a good deal, but you almost never are.

This. Look on the Parkers and Honest John websites. Honest John has a very good guide to buying a car which contains all of what strider's said and more, and both Parkers and HJ have reviews of every car. Although at your price range cars may be too old to show up on Parkers so HJ may be better, but look at both.

Fiestas, micras, corsas, mondeos, vectras can all be had in that price range. At risk of sounding like an obsessed parrot Hyundai Accents are good and cheap.
If you find any online (autotrader and ebay are your first port of call) post the link here for us to have a look.

Your friend must be thinking only of the sporty petrol golfs which do drink fuel. The diesels are superb on fuel, and the slower petrols are good.

consumerdirectcars

With complaints about used cars on the increase make sure you know your rights! You can find out more at consumerdirect.gov.uk/cars but here are some precautions you can take:

• Ask the dealer the right questions such as
  • What mechanical history and mileage checks have they done on the car you want to buy?
  • How many former owners has the car had and is the full service history available?
  • Has the car been modified from its original specification?
  • Is the car ex-hire or similar?
• Ask for important information and answers to your questions to be put in writing before you buy so you have proof of claims - don't just rely on verbal claims or promises by the seller.
• Find out about the dealer's customer complaint procedures and whether they are signed up to a code of practice - if a problem does arise after the sale you need to know who to contact.
• Remember that if you buy a car from a private seller or an auction, you may pay less but you will have fewer legal rights than when buying from a dealer.