Used car - budget £2K

redcard

Herzlos wrote: »

Always buy on condition. Age and mileage aren't that critical if it's been looked after properly.

What sort of driving you do (town/motorway long/short trips, etc) and what annual mileage do you expect to do?

I expect to do short trips. Work is 2 miles, and girlfriend is about 10 miles.

I'm expecting around 100 milers per week max.

tbourner

I would recommend a MK4 Fiesta or a K12 Micra.

The Fiesta gets amazing reviews and everyone I spoke to said it's the best choice (I was looking in a very similar price range).
We ended up buying an 03 auto Micra and it's amazing! Keyless entry and start, very smooth, tight even at 80k miles. All for £1800. So glad we bought it.

Herzlos

redcard wrote: »

I expect to do short trips. Work is 2 miles, and girlfriend is about 10 miles.

I'm expecting around 100 milers per week max.

Definitely get petrol then, and don't worry too much about the engine size of fuel economy.

If work is only 2 miles, that's a 30 min walk at a leisurely pace, or under 10 minutes on a bike... then you don't need to spend as much on fuel

redcard

Herzlos wrote: »

Definitely get petrol then, and don't worry too much about the engine size of fuel economy.

If work is only 2 miles, that's a 30 min walk at a leisurely pace, or under 10 minutes on a bike... then you don't need to spend as much on fuel

I do ride my bike almost everywhere, but the trip to work is on a pretty busy main road that I tend to avoid. The bike ride is horrible - terrible paving and a steep downhill almost all the way, so I never feel like I get a decent workout, except on the way home.

Herzlos

Ah, I'm in a similar boat; ride to the train is all downhill and takes like 5 minutes with no effort, ride back is all uphill so takes 20 minutes of toil, then I need to go back and pick the mrs up anyway so I normally drive

redcard

Herzlos wrote: »

Ah, I'm in a similar boat; ride to the train is all downhill and takes like 5 minutes with no effort, ride back is all uphill so takes 20 minutes of toil, then I need to go back and pick the mrs up anyway so I normally drive

Yeah, the ride home is good cos it's challenging -I'm pretty sure that hill is as steep as anything in the TdF; it's about 300m of unadulterated pain. Good pain, though

atrixblue.-MFR-.

Personally I'd buy a mk4 golf TDI (PD) 130 and not worry about miles its done but the extensiveness of the history has its been looked after!.


Or buy again another VAG group car, VW polo 1.4.


Or on the other scale of things, buy a £5-600 diesel vehicle and run recycled veg oil rover 200 L series diesel cheap to repair insure and good MPG return engine will outlast the body shell and put the rest of your cash away in savings and save up for another year and then buy a more modern car.

Quiet_Spark

redcard wrote: »

I'm looking to get a cheap runaround, hopefully at less than £2K,
Any recommendations?

Looking for something economical and reliable. Not so fussed about looks, but a small Peugeot would be ideal.

Sell your iPhone and you'll be able to afford the electricians fees when it goes wrong

I'd avoid anything French TBH, unless of course you happen to have a very good knowledge of electrical and electronic principles.

If you want a bit of luxury on the cheap then £1200 will get you a tidy 2000 (or thereabouts) registered BMW 530D, 40mpg easily attainable, runs on pretty much anything you put in the tank, and old enough to not have any DMF (if manual), DPF, or any other emissions related crap.

colino

QS, can I have a dozen of those 2000, £1200 530Ds? Of course with bulk buying I'll expect discount mind.


OP for such a low mileage it is almost automatic to suggest a little petrol puddle jumper, but are you sure that is all you do? Bit of a faff when come summer time you can't get the surfboard in the Cinquecento, or your rich maiden aunt that you see faithfully every month can't get in the back of the Fiesta.

redcard

Quiet_Spark wrote: »

Sell your iPhone and you'll be able to afford the electricians fees when it goes wrong

I don't have an iPhone; I have a Galaxy Note 3.

Good try though!