Buying second hand car for commuting for up to 8K

thewhiteavenger

issaa wrote: »

I have max 8K to spend.


£4,253 2006 Honda Civic 2.2 i-CTDi SE 5dr, FREE 12 MONTH WARRANTY, 79845 miles
LADY OWNER, 12 MONTHS MOT 16" alloy wheels, Electric front/rear windows, RDS stereo radio/CD player, Climate control air conditioning, Tilt/telescopic adjustable steering wheel, Vehicle stability assist, Perimeter alarm, Steering wheel mounted audio controls, Electronic Control Unit immobiliser,
ALL HPI CLEAR, Road Tax Opt

Isn't that the engine that they had to discontinue because it couldn't have a diesel particulate filter? If so, that's another tick for it as it's one troublesome component that you haven't got!

LandyAndy

Mazdas (mine at least) are stunningly reliable. I have a petrol Mazda2 and it is easily capable doing your sort of journey regularly and in comfort. You'd get about 45-50 mpg from a petrol 2.

teffers

I have a 2008 Mazda 2 (sport) petrol.

In terms of reliability (had it 2 years) it's been very good. Just a broken suspension spring.

In other aspects I'm not impressed with the 2 at all.

The clutch is a nightmare to judge (been driving 21 years), the ride is HARD (although this will be slightly improved with the TS2 not having LP tyres), the interior does not age well (plasticy etc).

Road noise is a constant annoyance too, although the stereo is good so that helps ;-)

Suspension is noisy as it's a pretty basic setup - if your roads are smooth longer journeys may well be fine.

I get 33-35mpg around town rising to 42-46 on longer journeys.

It's a pretty basic small car, make sure you don't get the 3 door as only 1x seat moves forward and its a pain in the !!!! if I'm honest.

If reliability is your only criteria though, as far as my personal experience goes, it's very reliable.

Looking at the reliability index it does really well:

http://www.reliabilityindex.com/reliability/search/171

wba31

I have the civic with the 2.2 in it. It's a lot of engine for round town use, I get about 45 mpg, which is decent, but i had the older 1.7 which gave me 50-55 round town.

I second what has been said about getting the one with 5 spoke 16 inch alloys, i went for the EX for the sat nav and it has 255 40 R17s on it, and paid £85 a tyre for Kumho's, with my dads trade discount. With the bigger wheels and stiff suspension it can crash around Walsall and Birmingham's potholes quite badly...

Having had an Accord and Civic with the 2.2 diesel engine, it's great for motorward runs, but think id like the 1.6 diesel engine in the newer civic for better economy, but obviously these are out of your price range!

Are there no hatches with a 1.6 diesel engine in your price range?

Im surprised noone has suggested an Octavia yet...

OddballJamie

wba31, that seems a fairly wide tyre for a Civic, I was looking at some a few weeks back and I'm certain they were 225/45/17 same as my current car.

If they are, check out Ears for good prices on Kumho.
http://ears.co.uk

wba31

OddballJamie wrote: »

wba31, that seems a fairly wide tyre for a Civic, I was looking at some a few weeks back and I'm certain they were 225/45/17 same as my current car.

If they are, check out Ears for good prices on Kumho.
http://ears.co.uk

you're right, a typo on 225/255.

I hves used blackcircles in the past, but as my dad is in the trade he can often get tyres cheaper still...

ozmusafir

I complete a 90 mile return in a Mini One 1.4