sub £1000 car - cambelt

BeenThroughItAll

stator wrote: »

Unfortunately a lot of cars only come with one key, it's infuriating becuase it's the one thing I always forget to ask before hand!

Used cars with only 1 key are common only because people keep buying them. If everybody refused to accept only 1 key, the market would have to change to accommodate that. Wishful thinking, maybe, but I for one won't touch a car with only 1 key, even if it's the best one I can find, unless the seller pays for me to get a new one *properly* supplied by the manufacturer (i.e. not just a key dupe at Timpsons).

stator wrote: »

Depending on the version of the security system you may be able to buy a duplicate and programme it yourself.

You won't be able to add a key on a MkIV Golf without VCDS and the security code supplied with the vehicle. (Well, actually you can, but you'll need VCDS as a minimum).

EdGasket

I would never buy anywhere other than the seller's address which must match the V5 registered keeper's address.

catoutthebag

1 key on a 16 year old car doesn't bother me...it's attached to all my other keys...which I've never lost so far.

People in the sub 1k bracket can't afford to be picky.

Abs? Again could find a mechanic friend to fit the sensor for cheap or free. I ran my astra with abs for months. No issue. My astra had no evidence of can belt and was 3 times the price. No issue I got it done.

Beauty with these golfs I can sell it easily and they hold price or sometimes appreciate slightly.

Won win. ..it's immaculate too given its half my age.

EdGasket

So how much was this 'bargin'?

catoutthebag

Within my specified budget

catoutthebag

By more than 20%

parking_question_chap

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Plenty of sub-1K cars available which won't come with that baggage, but each to their own.

As long as you're happy, that's the main thing

16 year old car and the 2 issues are ABS sensor needs doing (cost me £40 to get a mobile auto guy to replace mine when it went) and one missing key is damn good.

BeenThroughItAll

parking_question_chap wrote: »

16 year old car and the 2 issues are ABS sensor needs doing (cost me £40 to get a mobile auto guy to replace mine when it went) and one missing key is damn good.

Depends on your standards. The last sub-1K car I bought in January this year came with no faults, two keys and remote fobs, a full service history and a smidge under 120K miles on a 17yo, ZG diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee with leather, working climate control, full electrics and a manual gearbox with uprated clutch for towing. Every single thing on the car worked perfectly (I didn't try testing the airbags, I'll admit).


I put it through an MOT at my local station a week after I bought it. Went through with one advisory for minor corrosion on brake pipes, with me having done nothing to it.


I kept it until March. Liked it so much I bought a 2002 JGC Overland to replace it, and sold it for what I paid (£900).


The one before that was an £850 Citroen C5 V6. Everything worked, three remote keys, FSH, lowish miles. My dad did about 10K miles in it over about 8 months and it went through an MOT before we sold it with only a couple of advisories.


There's plenty of fault-free cheap cars out there if you look for them.

EdGasket

Buying a car with only one key, the check light on (oh yeah its only a sensor mate), and from a guy you meet in a service station is a high risk strategy in my book. How do you even know its not stolen?

EdGasket

ABS light on = MoT failure