Suggestions for a used car around £3k

manub

Hi all,

I'm planning to get a car as I'm moving from Central London to the commuter belt.

I've been driving for more than 10 years so I'm quite experienced, although since I moved to UK (4 years) I've been driving occasionally as I never owned a car here. My GF is planning to get a licence later on this year so I'm looking for a subcompact/mini car (don't want any bigger now), and my maximum budget is £3k - ideally for a car without high insurance / running costs (it would be my first insurance in UK so I guess it'll be expensive!). I want to buy from a Trade Seller.

I'm planning to use it for commuting at least until November, potentially longer than that. Commute will be 25 miles a day. Apart from that, the car will be used for the usual grocery trip or to visit nearby cities. I wouldn't mind the long summer trip every now and then, but at the same time I'm not expecting the car to be my first car for more than 3-4 years.

I don't know what mileage/age I should look at, my gut feeling says that ideally I shouldn't get something older than 8 years and with more than 60-70k miles - but maybe with my usage pattern I could be more relaxed about this.

I was thinking about a Toyota Yaris, but for my budget I have to go to older models or with more miles. I know Honda Jazz are good, but I'm not sure that would be too big.

Any suggestions on make/models and whether my expected age/mileage are reasonable for my usage pattern would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

BeenThroughItAll

I'd go for the Jazz. It's really not that big.

citykid5

You should get a 08 onwards renault twingo for around 3k great little cars and very stylish. Go on stand out from the crowd a little. Low insurance and running costs too

manub

citykid5 wrote: »

You should get a 08 onwards renault twingo for around 3k great little cars and very stylish. Go on stand out from the crowd a little. Low insurance and running costs too

Twingo is a bit too small for me - I'm trying to avoid class A (Aygo, Twingo, 107) as I still need to carry stuff every now and then

citykid5

the twingo is very versatile, the rear seats move forwards and backwards and on some models the front passenger seat also folds flat for longer loads

BeenThroughItAll

manub wrote: »

Twingo is a bit too small for me - I'm trying to avoid class A (Aygo, Twingo, 107) as I still need to carry stuff every now and then

Sensible; seriously, stick to the Jazz.

clayton16749

I think the Yaris would be a good move. My partner has one and it's a great car.


A quick search of auto websites and I've seen quite a few for sale around the 3k mark - the 2006-2011 model cars as well.

gord115

Often overlooked but very cheap to run and very reliable, Suzuki Swift.

jaydeeuk1

Yaris a good option. Find one with newish branded tyres - its a good sign it hasnt been skimped on, Toyotas reputation for reliability means some people skip servicing so look for evidence of yearly oil changes at least. Get a 1.33 has a chain rather than belt, and will hold its own on motorways.

kxc798

You can get a fairly new Kia Picanto? I got mine for 4 grand when it was 3 years old and it is still under their 7 year warranty. £30 tax each year and a full tank (£40 ish) will last about 320 miles. Customer service is next to none. Absolutely brilliant. They always drive to my work and pick the car up/drop it off as I have a young son with a car seat and when I had a car accident (young drive texting on her phone, pulled out in front of mine and wrote off my car unfortunately, which was also a Kia Picanto) they came out of hours, took the car away, delivered a courtesy car that evening and dealt with the insurers for me! I bought them a bottle of whiskey to say thank you for their kindness.

Murphybear

I have just been in a similar position.

We own a Lexus RX for long trips and have been looking around for a small runaround for in town/ short trips etc.

According to Which ( I know not everyone is a fan but I have never had bad advice from them) the 3 most reliable brands for second hand cars are Lexus, Toyota and Honda. The 2 best cars in your price range are the Honda Jazz followed by Toyota Yaris.

I am in the middle of buying a 10 year old Yaris, only 35000 miles and in good condition. It was just over £2000. I couldn't find a Jazz in my price range that hadn't done mega miles without travelling 200 miles+, where we live can be a bit of a desert for 2nd hand cars.

Hope this helps.