What's the cheapest to run, most reliable used car model I can buy for <£3K?

Frukoz

My rover is on it's last legs. She was a pretty difficult drive but got me through a lot and will be sorely missed.

Anyway living in London I need to make a financially responsible decision on my next car.

My challenge to you helpful folk is what is the most economical, most reliable used car model I can buy for under £3,000? I don't care what it looks like or what brand.

Cheers!:think:

khcomp

How long is a piece of string?
I bought a 2001 Suzuki Wagon R two years ago, 60,000 miles with a full service history, newish tyres, immaculate bodywork, less than £100 fully comp. insurance a year, around 45mpg and cheap tax. Just passed it's second MOT with one rear brake cylinder & a number plate bulb (£80 including the MOT). I haven't bothered to have it serviced in any way since I bought it, and it's now on about 75,000 miles, tyres are still excellent, everything works... I bought it off Ebay for the Princely sum of £333. It looks alarmingly like a shoebox on wheels, but for shopping & ferrying the dogs around (we refer to it as 'the dog van'), it's great. Bought a decent car this year, but the other half has made me keep the Suzuki as well, she loves it: Easy to drive & park & pretty civilised (power steering, airbags, electric windows, central locking, etc.).
The only thing I would say is do your homework - trawl the classified ads, Ebay, ask friends & family, etc: There are plenty of cars which are 'getting on', and owners are faced with scrapping them for peanuts if they can't find a new home! Some models have a dreadful reputation for reliability, but Googling prospective cars for issues, or looking at sites like honestjohn or parkers can give some good advice. Always check out economy & road tax prices before buying too: a used car may be cheap to buy, but can be expensive to run if you get it wrong.

Rain_Shadow

Pretty much anything small, Japanese and with a petrol engine will probably suit you.

jimjames

My usual reply is any VW group car with the PD 130 TDI engine for mix of economy and reliability but if economy isn't so important then as above any Japanese car with good history. Whatever car you buy make sure it has been maintained.

stator

Not had to do any work since I bought a 12 year old VW, now it's 15 years old and still more or less ok.

agrinnall

At that price it'll be much more down to the individual vehicle rather than the brand as a whole, if you can't determine whether a car has been well treated yourself take someone with you who can. Do you even need a car living in London?

bigjl

I would probably go for something Korean for that budget.

Petrol aswell as cheap diesels can be expensive to fix and have lots of use and abuse as they got cheaper, due to complexity they might just have been outed by the last owner after an expansive fault was bodged.

You might not get brilliant fuel economy from a petrol Kia or Hyundai but you will get reliability.

mr_accountant

personally

i would start at Japanese or Korean petrol models,

would be amazed if one does not fit your requirements in terms of size, price, cost, looks etc

parking_question_chap

agrinnall wrote: »

At that price it'll be much more down to the individual vehicle rather than the brand as a whole, if you can't determine whether a car has been well treated yourself take someone with you who can. Do you even need a car living in London?

This

Imo cant go far wrong with a well cared for Honda or Vdub

wymondham

if budget is tight then have you thought about leasing? You can be driving a brand new little car, fully covered by warranty for about £100 a month... that way you keep more of your money for fun stuff??!!