Advice needed about cars, insurance, the lot!

Chickabiddybex

I'm not looking to buy the actual cars I post as I'm not buying until March. So these are likely to be gone. But if I was to find a 206 for say... £500 ish but with MOT would that be worth it?

steve-L

Chickabiddybex wrote: »

I'm not looking to buy the actual cars I post as I'm not buying until March. So these are likely to be gone. But if I was to find a 206 for say... £500 ish but with MOT would that be worth it?

Worth it is a funny concept!

I can give you my concept ....
106 .. my mum had a 106D.... drive really nice. (Daft to get rid of it)
206 .. not driven...
306 Had 2 ... very nice drive..... the ones I had were sport models so not what you're looking at but while we waited for the 2nd one the garage loaned us a 306 TD (Went from XSi to GTi-6)
The 306 TD was that nice I wondered why we bought the GTi-6... (Until I actually drove it).... but it felt nice to drive...

That said, why add the risk of the Turbo if you view this as a car for 1-2 years you can then scrap? and as it adds insurance cost!

I'd avoid high milage petrol's, they just don't last as long.... especially smaller engines. Non Turbo diesels don't accelerate as fast as petrol but do maintain their speed s they make good motorway cars.

If you get one with a good MOT (time left) then hopefully you get at least 1 yr without any significant spending.....

Its all really a matter of finding a good car..... (not just make and model but that individual car)....
If it was owned by someone lived on a road with speedbumps then
the suspension takes a beating.... most cars take far less of a beating being driven on motorways (esp. the diesels)....

A wise neighbour once told me "there are only two types of car worth having - a sport coupe or a diesel estate".....
(He had a Lotus) ... but there is a lot of truth in it... most everything else is a compromise between high MPG and practicality and desirability....

This said (and having full no claims and years of driving lowering my insurance) I have a BMW 330D Saloon....
I wanted the estate.... BUT the saloon came up at a reasonable (or very reasonable) price (£6,000).... It wasn't selling at the 'book price' (£7,200 for private sale) because it had cloth seats (and people who buy BMW 330's don't like the budget options).... HOWEVER ... I bought it anyway.. it took me 3 months but I then got the leather seats and interior for £600 on eBay.... This then took an afternoon to fit (all the electronics and having to buy a 20mm TORQ wrench another £10) with a mate.

Point I'm trying to make is you just need to see what's available and be flexible.... It wasn't what I was after exactly but it was in very good nick and 1200 below the price ... it might need some work (though so far no issues) but then I have the 1200 to cover it.(or £600 discounting what I spent on seats)..

(Not long after I fitted seats the guy who sold me it asked if I'd sell it back.... After telling him I had fitted the leather he would have paid 'close to £8,0000' .... so I could have actually made a profit....)

Chickabiddybex

Ok so I've decided to go for the £500 price group. Which models are likely to be ok at this price? I've heard Toyotas are still good when they're old. And old Golfs supposedly are still good. If I know a few different specific cars to look out for it will help greatly!

forgotmyname

A journey of 3.5 miles is bad for the car. The engine oil wont get warm enough to burn off the moisture.

For that type of journey the smallest engine you can get sub 1L and change the oil at least every 6 months. It will be like greasy mayonaise in no time and thats not a good lubricant.

Specific cars. Not really in that price range you buy on condition alone.

Owned for a long time by someone that relies on it daily so still gets proper services even though they cost more than the cars worth.

Not something thats being sold by a dodgy trader who bought it yesterday, Or something bought for the kids to learn to drive in and thrashed to death after passing their test but never serviced.

Chickabiddybex

I'll take it on longer drives every week if needed, I don't mind! I love to drive

StrongWork

Chickabiddybex wrote: »

Ok so I've decided to go for the £500 price group. Which models are likely to be ok at this price? I've heard Toyotas are still good when they're old. And old Golfs supposedly are still good. If I know a few different specific cars to look out for it will help greatly!

£500 price group is going to be luck of the draw imo. You might get something trouble free, or you might get something that it more bother than it's worth. Remember, small cars are desirable now so keeping their values quite well.

Best thing to do is try and find a car with as long MOT as possible (12 months ideally) and VED. Worst comes to worst, you run it for a year and then chuck it if the next MOT bill is prohibitively expensive. Plus check the tyres have decent tread. Last thing you want it to have to shell out £200-300 straight away for a set of new tyres.

You'd be looking at Mk3 Golfs and Toyota Corollas more likely. Tbh, at an ubercheap runabout a Nissan Micra would be my choice - they seem to soldier on despite armies or learner drivers and OAPs trying to destroy them on a regular basis.

Increasing your budget to £1k would get you something quite a bit better imo. Private sale is the way to go. How long are you wanting to keep the car for?

steve-L

StrongWork wrote: »

£500 price group is going to be luck of the draw imo. You might get something trouble free, or you might get something that it more bother than it's worth. Remember, small cars are desirable now so keeping their values quite well.

Yep, its really just if you spend £500 and get 9-10 months MOT then you have decent chance of getting 9-10 months and know the max you pay will be £500. With the right car you might get 2-3 yrs.... ??? It is a bit of luck of the draw and knowing what to buy.... and what to walk away from.

How long are you wanting to keep the car for?

The answer is until her insurance allows her to buy something she wants as opposed to get's her A-B.....

Obviously subject to no claims... the sensible answer is probably 2 years until she has 20% no claims and comes in the 26- category.

Bit of luck the younger drivers changes might have settled a bit by then and even move the 26 down??? or weight heavier on 17-21 etc.

forgotmyname

You love to drive but the fuel tank will say differently. Journeys that short will probably half the average fuel consumption printed by the manufacturer.

It will still need servicing a LOT more than if you drove up and down the motorway all day with a hot engine.

I used to do similar journeys a while back and towards the end of the week the car used to rattle. Because the oil was not getting hot and burning the moisture away. It never got warm to protect the engine properly.

35mpg + average turned into 18mpg going to work and back. £6 for 18 miles. Cheaper to change the oil weekly than take it for a long run.

Then of course the more miles you do the more you wear the rest of the car.

Expensive things cars. What you want is a job with a free company car.

I tried that option. But i slipped up. I couldnt fit a 38 ton lorry on my driveway.

Chickabiddybex

Am I right in thinking this would be a good option considering how long the MOT has etc:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1995-VW-VOLKSWAGON-GOLF-DRIVER-MK3-1-8-PETROL-EXCELLENT-CONDITION-/230909538229?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item35c347efb5

StrongWork

Chickabiddybex wrote: »

Am I right in thinking this would be a good option considering how long the MOT has etc:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1995-VW-VOLKSWAGON-GOLF-DRIVER-MK3-1-8-PETROL-EXCELLENT-CONDITION-/230909538229?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item35c347efb5

IMO? No.

1) Terrible advert with little in the way of photos
2) Aftermarket (chav) front light conversion
3) Aftermarket (chav) alloyzzz
4) Contact 'Daz'....hmmm.
5) New tax needed end of Jan.

Seriously, if you want to go down the cheap car route you want a standard unmodified Nissan Micra or Toyota Yaris around the 1k mark.

Unless you are confident with cars or have a knowledgeable friend who is willing to inspect the car with you with the examples you are searching for above, there is a real chance of buying a shitbox!