Most reliable used cars for approx £2,000?

chudleyette

I'm looking to buy a used car for around £2k. I only need a small hatchback for local/leisure use, but it needs to be up to the occasional longer motorway journey. I use public transport for commuting so it won't get much mileage (think I did about 2,500 miles p/year average in my last car).

I used to have a 1999 Fiesta but it rusted to death after 18 months of my owning it, so am very wary of getting another. I'd like a Polo but heard that the older models in my price bracket (8-10 years old) are not as reliable as you'd think.

I don't know much about cars so need to do some homework before I go looking. I've had a read through the reviews on Honest John but there's so much information on there I need to narrow it down to a few models to focus my search on. I think I need something fairly common, so that when it comes to MOT time the parts will not be too expensive.

Any suggestions or tips on what to avoid would be much appreciated

thegirlintheattic

The type of car doesn't really matter - you can get reliable ones of all cars and unreliable ones of all cars.

Take someone who is mechanically minded with you when checking out cars, make sure to test drive it (you'd be surprised), take a good look under the car (rust) and look for something with less owners/low mileage and a full service history.

vikingaero

Generally speaking avoid anything French or Italian and go for something Japanese or Korean.

mikey72

I wouldn't touch an old £2000 Korean car.

ffacoffipawb

vikingaero wrote: »

Generally speaking avoid anything French or Italian and go for something Japanese or Korean.

... or German.

s_b

mikey72 wrote: »

I wouldn't touch an old £2000 Korean car.

wo whats happening here im agreeing again
tuppeny tin boxes,when i was knocking atoz's out i was ashamed of them they were rubbish and £2000 is atoz rubbish market or its later brother
you want something solid and hardcore like a boring focus or dare i say a last of the mk2 punto's

ffacoffipawb

chudleyette wrote: »

I'm looking to buy a used car for around £2k. I only need a small hatchback for local/leisure use, but it needs to be up to the occasional longer motorway journey. I use public transport for commuting so it won't get much mileage (think I did about 2,500 miles p/year average in my last car).

I used to have a 1999 Fiesta but it rusted to death after 18 months of my owning it, so am very wary of getting another. I'd like a Polo but heard that the older models in my price bracket (8-10 years old) are not as reliable as you'd think.

I don't know much about cars so need to do some homework before I go looking. I've had a read through the reviews on Honest John but there's so much information on there I need to narrow it down to a few models to focus my search on. I think I need something fairly common, so that when it comes to MOT time the parts will not be too expensive.

Any suggestions or tips on what to avoid would be much appreciated

What about the old style Toyota Yaris?

Better than a crappy Corsa any day. Mind you, so is the clap.

forgotmyname

Focus, or a Focus, Need something bigger a Mondeo.

Focus too small, Fiesta.

KA if you really must but its going to rust, Even if it doesnt breakdown.

Strider590

Small car is gonna be difficult, huge demand for them and many will be cursed with "one lady owner", who probably hasn't had any maintenance done and has the stereo on full blast to drown out the sounds of metal grinding on metal, probably not helped by petrol contamination of the engine oil (bore wash), thanks to only using it to take little Johnny to school 200 yards down the road every morning and LOTS of stop/start driving.

Give me something that's been tanking down the motorway all day long for it's whole life, any day of the week.

DELLBOY_2

honda nissan toyota vw audi skoda

LincolnshireYokel

forgotmyname wrote: »

Focus, or a Focus, Need something bigger a Mondeo.

Focus too small, Fiesta.

KA if you really must but its going to rust, Even if it doesnt breakdown.

I had Fords for decades - two Cortinas, three Sierras, two Mondeos.

Wouldnt touch another Mondeo with a barge pole.

The reason is simple. Cortinas and Sierras went on forever, becasue they were fixable on a driveway with a standard domestic tools set. I had two Sierras kept going up to about 250,000 miles. I could change the cylinder head gasket on a piunto engine in the dark in two hours. Thats why you could get second hand ones cheap, they could be kept going. The clutch on them was a one hour job, and you only needed three spanners.

Second Hand Mondoes are much rarer? Why? Because the clutch on a Mondeo goes at about 130,000 miles. To replace the clutch, you have to practically disassemble the entire car, its impossible to do on a driveway, and its such a big job even garages charge £600-£1000 to do it. By the time the car has done 130,000 miles it isnt worth £1000, so its not worth fixing. So no one replaces the clutch, they just scrap the car. Hence you'll rarely find a Mondeo second hand with more than 130k on the clock, and if you get one that approaching that mileage, be aware your on borrowed time.