2.5K/3k to spend on a new car

kaode

Thanks for all the replies, car has done 12k miles this year past, it's an 03 with 65k on the clock, I,ve had fiesta, clio & corsa in the past as I was going for cheap insurance and mpg, I want a newer car maybe a vectra of cousre it does not have to be a diesel Regarding repair bills and maintenance, I have a good friend who does all my work for me, at a fraction of garage costs (but has not offered me any advice on buying a new car yet).

ps I have noticed the citreon c4 vtr 05/06 are in my price range, what are the pro's and cons of these likewise the vectra thanks for the advice so far guys :T

motorguy

plane_boy2000 wrote: »

Quite a big risk taking on a diesel at that price point. I woulds estimate that age / price point is just about where the big bills could start to come in.

I guess is depends on your attitude to risk and ability to pay a large bill, and no offence to the OP but if you are looking to spend 2.5K then I don't imagine a large repair bill is not going to bother you.

I would agree with this totally. I spent the last 2 year or so selling cars at this price point at a rate of 20 or so a month.

This IS the price point at which diesels start to give trouble. If you're not doing the miles, its not worth the risk

motorguy

kaode wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies, car has done 12k miles this year past, it's an 03 with 65k on the clock, I,ve had fiesta, clio & corsa in the past as I was going for cheap insurance and mpg, I want a newer car maybe a vectra of cousre it does not have to be a diesel Regarding repair bills and maintenance, I have a good friend who does all my work for me, at a fraction of garage costs (but has not offered me any advice on buying a new car yet).

ps I have noticed the citreon c4 vtr 05/06 are in my price range, what are the pro's and cons of these likewise the vectra thanks for the advice so far guys :T

c4 is a reasonable enough car, good size too.

You could buy a Vectra 1.8i Petrol 2008 for not much more than your budget. I've one with 60K miles and a years MOT and something like that can be got for £3200-3300.

motorguy

bigjl wrote: »

Not really true.

You don't need to be doing more than 20k a year to need a diesel.

The Clio dci will give 60mpg with local running around and actually a little less on a run if you stick to 70mph, you need to stick to 60mph to get economy, this is what I have found out with a Clio dci over 3 1/2 years with 18k a year mileage.

Fuel costs have dropped by half over the petrol Accent the wife had before.

With a diesel you will save money on your fuel bill, that is a fact.

Wether the saving on fuel can be justified by the extra initial cost that is the important point.

As a diesel vehicle with reasonable mileage will be worth more when you sell it.

If you buy correctly at the start you will save money.

If you need to buy from a dealer you will save less, but the extra cost will apply to a petrol car also.

Considerations are, lots of local use, make sure it has not got a Dpf, use good quality diesel, consider cleaning the intake and egr valve every year or so and you will get good value for money.

A car that does stand out in your price range is the 1.8 petrol mk3 Mondeo, easily available in your budget and they will give reasonable fuel economy.

Diesel mk3 Mondeos are also a good vehicle, but the number of nice ones around is dwindling.

I sold mine for £1500 with over 200k on it, mate traded it in for £1000 a year later, that was an 05, I sold it 2 yrs ago in July.

Though a Clio is likely too small for you and I would have a larger Renault myself no problem, but due to the risks if it breaks I would not recommend one, I am prepared to pay the reduced prices knowing it is due to the perceived lack of reliability however.

I suspect you really need to be looking at the last generation of Korean vehicles.

None of the look that nice but they are dependable enough.

If you aren't going to able to do the extra maintenance to ensure diesel vehicle reliability then it may be better to stick with a simpler petrol engine.

Though there are some "orphans" that are often ignored, Fabia estate with either the SDi or TDi engine (the TDi being a PD).

They are ignored by most estate buyers but are actually a lot more practical than many realise.

Use that to your advantage, as they do appear a little cheaper than they should be.

Mostly true - older diesels are usually OK - i just sold a 1999 406 with 325,000 miles on it, but 04 onwards is where is goes wrong.

bigjl

To say that all diesels are a liability is a generalisation.

My mk3 Mondeo 05 plate cost less than £3k when I bought it in 08.

But I bought it at auction, they were in the auto trader for £5-6k at the time.

That was bit of luck, it should have been at least £500-1000 more, such is the way of the auction.


Friends find it awkward to give advice on cars, if it breaks down it can strain the friendship.

I like the look of the C4 and they are cheap, I would avoid the 1.6 diesel as it is widely regarded as a chocolate engine, same engine is fitted to. Logos, Fords, Peugeots aswell as Citreons.

The 1.6 petrol engine is however fairly robust but avoid any of those automated manuals not very reliable system.

Vectras are a cheap sizeable family hatch, certainly large enough for a family.

The 2.2 is a nice engine but can have fuel pump issues, or rather it will have fuel pump problems and the pressure reg part.

Camchain issues are no relatively rare.

The diesel as already said, a nice engine, with issues.

But the 1.8 petrol is not that much slower than the 2.2, only 10bhp or so in it.

And is decent enough on mileage.

They are available cheap, but values are strengthening slightly due to the fact they are cheap no frills transport.

Go for the facelift models only, from about '06 onwards I think.

Brother in law has a 2.2 that gives him high 30's to the gallon but he does a lot of motorway work with much less local stuff.

With your use you might crack low thirties in a 1.8 Vectra, maybe as much as 40mpg on you longer trips.

The Vectra has similar advantages to most non current or unfashionable cars, cheaper to buy, but not as car behind dynamically as What Car or Parkers may make you think.

SRi spec is common, as is Design (with half leather seats)

There are many reasons the Police have used them for years, one being cost, the other is they are dependable.

They also came in a Police spec which looked like an SRi but was a 280 bhp VXR underneath, look for the blue painted calipers!


Your 12k is enough miles to warrant a diesel.

Remember your budget is fixed at £2.5-3k.

A diesel vehicle will just be older with more miles.

If you have a friend that can take you to an auction then buy main dealer trade ins only, look for a full set of matched decent tyres and some history.


Avoid direct entries by the owner as they are usually knackered.

The same goes for CC Trade Sales, they are the vehicles that Car Craft didn't want from WeBuyAnyCar and are all polished turds!

bigjl

I think the main risk with diesels is they are complicated and they attract owners that want to save money.

These same owners then save money on maintenance.

Perhaps I have always bought well, auctions are indeed partly luck and partly skill.

Everybody that has bought and sold cars and sourced them at auction has bought a turd when they weren't paying attention.

I know I have, I was eating a sausage sandwich or something similar and drinking a coffee.

One thing to remember is if a trader is selling it for £3k then it was likely bid to £2k at auction before costs.

So it is really a £2k car.

Just my way of looking at it.


Though I hope that this thread shows that not all small scale or part time car traders are the sharks and thieves we are made out to be.

I have never sold anybody a wrong-un. Anything iffy and it gets sent back to auction or fixed prior to sale.

Not all traders are the same though.

kaode

Some really sound advice, Thanks peeps

motorguy

bigjl wrote: »

So it is really a £2k car.

Just my way of looking at it.

Yes and likely be traded in because there are big bills looming.

bigjl wrote: »

Though I hope that this thread shows that not all small scale or part time car traders are the sharks and thieves we are made out to be.

I have never sold anybody a wrong-un. Anything iffy and it gets sent back to auction or fixed prior to sale.

Not all traders are the same though.

Yes i'm with you on this. Certainly i've lost a load of money on cars that i found out too late were lemons (and given all the cars i buy are main dealer trade ins then they were traded in like that) rather than pass them on to customers.

To be honest as a seller i actively avoid diesels under about £4,000. They're just not worth the risk.