which 2nd hand car should I buy...???

jdd1

Hi everyone,

I have around a 2000-3000 pound budget for a used car, im looking into manheim auctions and classifieds ads, but im not sure which is the best car for my needs;

im only 24, so insurance is definitly an issue as well...

my needs are;

- economy- ideally it will have a factory fitted LPG conversion as that's cheapest fuel.../ or maybe just a diesel

-cheap insurance- must be small-ish engine size, 1.8 max i reckon...

-spacious, enough for a few friends to fit in as well- i'm thinking about a Ford Focus size...but would be happy with a bit smaller...3dr or 5dr...

i basically need something that is really reliable, really good to drive, easy to fix/cheap parts and looks good too...

ive been thinking about;

focus, astra, fiesta, golf, polo, punto, yaris, a3, civic....

im looking to buy from manheim auctions at the moment- anyone got any tips for doing this?

can people please make suggestions and if possible which specific model they think is best....at the moment, the focus seems like a good option as its just meant to be a great all rounder...

thanks so much everyone for your help..,

JD

bigjl

I have a few mates that have gonwe down the LPG route, an LPG car will be nicer to drive as it is a petrol car so a bit smoother and possibly a little quieter round town.

Watch yourself at Manhiems, a lot of shrapnel goes through there, especially at Colchester, stick to ex company, FSH, and be careful of the ex Motability ones there aswell, from what I have seen a lot of rubbish Ex motability cars go through their, they seem to sell the cream elsewhere, perhaps at BCA.


You could always chance your arm at West Oxford Motor Auctions and take a punt at an ex Police car, you will get a 3 yr old ex Met Astra for about £2500/3000, it will need a bit of tarting up, the front half leather seats will have rips from the belts etc, though they are serviced at ower intervals than normal cars, only decent parts are used on them, no monkey back street mechanics have touched them, though they are well battered compared to a normal 3 yr old. But a cheap runner to run into the ground yourself.

Don't forget about unfashionable Korean cars like Kia and Hyundai.

Kilty_2

You should get an ex-fleet Astra/Vectra/Mondeo/etc for that money at auction. High miles but hopefully maintained well.

Low age and high miles is what you need with this budget imo.

bigjl

Spot on Kilty, you got to love those high mile ex fleeters.

I have always been tempted to buy an ex Police car, they are seriously cheap and well serviced, but a leggy ex fleet car is a very good bet for a few years trouble free motoring.

jdd1

thanks guys,

just to confirm, what are ex- fleeters?

there is an auction this tuesday at my local bristol manheim and theyre selling cars from;

LEX AUTO LEASE, ARVAL, GE CAPITAL FLEET, HITACHI,

are these the ones i should be going for? what woulD be considered low age/ high miles? 2006/2007??? 100k on the clock too much?

those ex police cars sounds really good so maybe i should go to the west oxford auction house, only thing is im in bristol and the manheim there is really close...

anyone tried the BCA in newport?

THANKS AGAIN! any more tips??

Inactive

jdd1 wrote: »

thanks guys,

just to confirm, what are ex- fleeters?

They are usually high mileage vehicles from various sources that have often been thrashed by numerous ( uncaring ) drivers, I would avoid like the plague.


As for ex- Police Cars, they are almost always at the end of their useful life when the police have finished trashing the life out of them, again avoid.

mikey72

Ex police (or any service) go to auction when they're shot.
It's not uncommon for all the new bits to be swapped out for all the old bits on the other fleet vehicles, or even a few of the private cars that go in for a service on the weekend.
I'd avoid them, unless you realise what you're getting.


"i basically need something that is really reliable, really good to drive, easy to fix/cheap parts and looks good too..."

Just a few insurance quotes first, that'll rule out most.

Kilty_2

Inactive wrote: »

They are usually high mileage vehicles from various sources that have often been thrashed by numerous ( uncaring ) drivers, I would avoid like the plague.

Not so - they're most often a one driver company car. I know I'd treat a car I need to live with / pay for to some extent for 3 years with some kind of respect even if it is a tool for the job.

[Deleted User]

It's pool cars that get thrashed to bits by uncaring people. Where everyone in the office has access to the car.

bigjl

Inactive wrote: »

They are usually high mileage vehicles from various sources that have often been thrashed by numerous ( uncaring ) drivers, I would avoid like the plague.


As for ex- Police Cars, they are almost always at the end of their useful life when the police have finished trashing the life out of them, again avoid.

Nice to see your knowledge coming through to help a poster.

High mileage ex fleet vehicles are ones that have been on lease, normally fully serviced leases.

Avoid anything that is from a Civil Engineering firm, they tend to use theirs a bit harder than most, especially if my cousin drove it!

Look for anything mid spec, run of the mill, salesrep fodder, unlike what Inactive says they are rarely driven by more than one driver.

Though beware the low miles ex fleet car, with lots of small digs and scuffed wheels, that is almost certainly a pool car and is shagged.

Police cars when selected properly can be a good buy, there are certainly some that you should avoid, but would you rather have a car that has been started from cold only a few times in its life and only driven by advanced drivers, but serviced way beyond the minimum needed for warranty purposes.

Or would you rather have a low mileage car, driven by an uncaring owner that only ever checked the oil when the light came oil and was overdue every service and drove it as if it was a hire car.

Driven hard and well serviced doesn't always mean shagged, Met cars are usually sold at 3 years old, with about 80k on the clock.

For half normal price I would take the chance, they come out of service normally when they are due to come out, though yes there will be some that are there because they are knackered, just be on your guard, if you aren't confident then avoid.

But a 3 yr old Astra Design, half leather seats etc, with FSH and a 1.7 DTi engine for well under £3000, worth the risk? Very possibly.

Don't be tempted by the fancy ex Police cars (Met in particular here), such as BMW's or any other rapid response type cars they really are hammered, much in the same way as NHS response cars are hammered.

A lightly used Astra beat car, worth a chance perhaps.

The Met changed their policy of running the Beat cars into the ground when they changed over to Silver cars, the thought process being if they are in better condition and a better colour then the residuals are better, thus making it costeffective to change the fleet more often at less cost.

Though in these days of cuts they may change this, so be wary.

The Astra is in general a solid reliable little car though, very underrated.

jdd1

how do i know if its an ex police car or not???

i know for sure these will be the companies that will be auctioning their cars;

LEX AUTO LEASE, ARVAL, GE CAPITAL FLEET, HITACHI,

do you think these are safe bets...?

So my plan is to try for any of these models;

focus, astra, fiesta, golf, polo, punto, yaris, a3, civic....

BUT ill only go for them if they have regular servicing, good MOT, 1.0-1.7 engine, diesel..

its quite hard to know who they've been driven by, whether they're pool cars or not......fingers crossed tho!!

any other advice?