I need a car with a £2000 max budget!!

jpr_74

I have to buy a car for my job, and I have a budget of £2000.

Can anyone give me some advice on what car to purchase?

Been looking on auto trader and I need just some extra advice from anyone.

Thanks in advance....

forgotmyname

Mondeo, Monde, Mondeo

Just under or around 5 years old for that sort of money,

Plenty of choice, Diesel/Petrol. Hatch, Saloon or Estate.

Need something smaller? Focus or Fiesta but these actually cost more.

jaydeeuk1

£2k could buy a risky mazda RX8, Jag XJ v8, alfa GTV, or on the other hand a 7 year old korean sh*t box with years left in it. If you're doing a lot of driving, I know what I'd choose, but it depends on what you can afford to run and the rest of your 'budget'

EdGasket

I would advise to keep some money back for repairs on that budget. personally I have never spent more than £1000 on a car in my life and had good use out of them all.
Buy private, give it a good test, judge whether the owner looks genuine or not and has a good reason for selling, check the paperwork, check the history online etc and hopefully you will find a good car. A lot of dealers cover things up at this end of the market then it's like pulling teeth trying to get anything sorted as they say 'What do you expect for the money?'
No idea what sort of car you want?? Hyundai Getz or Accent should be OK and good value, Skoda Fabia maybe? You'll pay more for an equivalent Ford Focus or Vauxhall Astra.

Weird_Nev

I'd go for a 1.6 or 1.8 Ford Focus at about £1,500.
Tonnes about, huge parts availability, plus loads in scrap yards so cheap to fix or find replacement windows/panels/wheels for should something happen.
And they're good to drive, easy to work on and cheap to run. And practical too with a decent sized boot.

Avoid diesels unless you're going to be doing loads of miles (more than 12k a year). False economy at the budget end of the market.

sun-n-moon

I too never spend more than £1000 on cars and often a lot less. In the last ten years I have been buying high mileage Mondeos with good service history. I've done about 20k per year in these cars and spent usually less than £100 over a 12 month period on any repairs. I usually get rid of them at MOT time if the bill is going to be too much or a cambelt change is due. I've only been let down once when a cambelt snapped but I'd had the car 12 months and paid £450 for it. Scrapper paid me £100 for it and I sold some bits off it for £80. I buy Mondys because I know them and what to look for. I suspect most mainstream cars would be ok. Just need to do your homework on possible problems or if cambelt has been changed etc. £2000 is a good budget and you should get something nice for that.

olly300

jpr_74 wrote: »

I have to buy a car for my job, and I have a budget of £2000.

Can anyone give me some advice on what car to purchase?

Give people more information.

What type of driving will you be mainly doing? City driving? Motorways?

How many miles will you be doing?

Will you be carrying lots of equipment? Or will you just be carrying a bag and a laptop?

What age are you? For example Korean sh*t boxes tend to have lower insurance costs there as the more common Ford Focuses cost more to insure. (I've owned both.)

Finally are you of average height for your gender? My brother has never owned or driven a small car due to being 6ft 2' with long legs. There as quite a few women who are under 5ft I know have had difficulty with older larger cars unless they have had completely movable seats.

Tobster86

Diesel Skoda Octavias are in my opinion the best cars you can get for £2k. Skoda are VW and very well built.

skivenov

Generic answer: 2002 Corsa 1.7 Diesel van (my work car), boring as sin, as well equipped as a Korean prison cell, but cost a grand, is totally reliable and does 60mpg all day every day.

Specific answer: It depends. What sort of driving are you doing? What do you want from it? What have you got to take with you?

Tobster86

skivenov wrote: »

Generic answer: 2002 Corsa 1.7 Diesel van (my work car), boring as sin, as well equipped as a Korean prison cell, but cost a grand, is totally reliable and does 60mpg all day every day.

For £2k? You can get a Mk3 diesel Mondeo of the same age and full spec for a grand!