Buying a used car for £1000. Don't want to be ripped off.

mrcol1000

When we brought our first car it cost £1000 and over 9 months we spent another £1000 on it before giving up. We managed to get a refund of £100 from the trader we brought it from and that was hard work.

Our next car cost £800 and we have had for two years and spent £300 on it up until a few months ago. Now it just seems to be endlessly in and out the garage with something else breaking as something is fixed. Its 13 years old.

The garage we last brought from is no longer in business. I just wondered if anyone had any tips on buying something half decent for around £1000-£1500 mark. I know its hard to get a decent car for this price but we just need something 5 doors and sort of the size of a mini people carrier or a larger hatchback. We have been looking at the Citroen Xsara Picasso

We found endless cars around this price we like on Autotrader but how do you know the car is decent and not being sold as it needs tons of work. I know there is no magic answer to this but just wondered if anyone had any tips to avoid being ripped off? We are not mechanically minded and don't know anyone really who is.

When you check the reviews of cars as used every single one seems to have some horror story. The Citroen Picasso has stories of the ECU failing and needing £1000 of work to fix.

Just wondered if anyone had any tips or hints? We prefer to go with a trader and trade in ours at the same time.

Thanks in advance for anyones help.

mkirkby

First piece of advice...don't get a Picasso

http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/what-car-reliability-survey-2012/top-10-most-reliable-small-family-cars/263555


My trusty mechanic friend has said that the Volvo S40 has been one of the most reliable cars he has ever seen with his clients going year on year without any major work doing.

Don't get a diesel* unless you do enough miles to justify the extra repair costs and the extra purchase cost.

*also unless you feel like running an older one on veg oil; but that's a whole different story

BertTheRaccoon

French stuff is just generally wrong and usually a pain in the a**e to work on.

Do you need a people carrier style vehicle?

What are your actual requirements in a vehicle, i.e. has to be a MPV, or would a 3dr or 4dr hatch be OK, or would a 4dr saloon or an estate work for you?

atrixblue.-MFR-.

stay away from french.

zafira?

kia sedona.

mazda premecy

forgotmyname

£1000 your in the pot luck territory.

Spend £1000 on a car that cost £1000 may sound silly but if thar car then lasts 5 years its worth it.

£300 repair bill could be just some brakes or tyres. Perfectly normal and expected from any car. Whether it cost £100 or £20,000

StrongWork

You can't expect to spend £1000 on a car and be surprised that issues do come up.

As I mentioned on another thread in this section, there si plenty of crap around for that kind of money but also quite a few decent motors. The trick it to differentiate between the two.

Do you know anyone mechanically minded or knows about cars? If so, take them along so they can ensure the car isn't rubbish. Alternatively, an AA inspection or equivalent may be a worthwhile investment.

You can probably buy a better/newer car for the same cash via a private sale rather than a dealer. However it will be a case of caveat emptor (i.e. buyer beware), if it fails spectacularly 5 miles down the road, it'll be your problem with no recompense. With a dealer at least you are backed by the SOGA.

The problem with cars is that you can pick ones that are looked after (not huge amount of miles, regularly serviced) and this reduces the chances of the car having problems. However, you can never say never to epic failures, it's just one of those things.

With £1k spent, I'd have £500 in the first year on the side to sort out problems/teething troubles.

mrcol1000

Thanks for everyones advice. We don't need a people carrier we just want something bigger but not too long like an estate car. A larger hatchback. Its normally just the two of us but often take out my mum and parents in law and getting three adults in the back of our car is quite a squeeze.

We realise at £1000 you will not get a car that you don't spend anything on for two years we just want something that won't cost us what it cost to buy to fix within a few months like our first car.

We have looked into RAC check but even for a basic check its £130 and then they warn that not all faults may be found.

We are considering now a Honda Accord or a Ford Focus C-Max. Have found two for £1500 mark with around 70K miles and 8 years old.

andygb

We paid £2300 for our X reg Mk2 Mondeo back in 2005 (bought at auction). It had FSH and 27K on the clock. It has now done 130K, and this year needs front and rear shocks and springs, so will cost around £300 all in.
I know that if I bought another car, then it would be an unknown quantity, so I stick with what I know and keep it running.
As others have said, a car for £1000 will need something doing to it, but you just have to pick a model which has a good record for reliability and hope for the best.

arcon5

Even with a car dealer you would be lucky to get a remedy anyway, after all a lot of work required would most likely be down to wear and tear, depending on age and mileage. You would be sooo lucky for a dealer to refund part of the £800 paid after 2 years/

I've owned a couple of mondeos and found them okay

sam959

Let me say ou can never go wrong with a Japenese car. Try looking at toyota or honda! I have had a few of them and never had any problems. My old Corolla was 14 years old and passed MOT each time. The things are built to last and have never put a foot wrong with me! I now drive a civic type r and never put a foot wrong and is 10 years old. Jap cars just keep going dont bother looking at anything else. My old corolla as i said had done 100,000 miles and only replace tires and breaks the whole time i had it. Same clutch, gearbox and they are chain driven so are most honda which means will run longer. Toyota Avensis is a great car or honda accord notes as one of the most reliable cars on the road!

sam959

My Toyota was in the family for 10 years and never missed a beat! only went in the garage to be serviced and MOT'd but no problems!! I think i ad to replace the bulbs but that's it! It was only worth £1000 so it is possible to get a decent car without it costing anything! Guarantee you buy one tomorrow you will not get any problems!