Cheapest Car to run (fuel/tax wise) that costs a £1000

GQM

So my trusty 2003 Ford Focus 1.8L Zetec Petrol needs replacing i have a budget of around £1000 and just want a car that is cheap to run regarding fuel costs/tax as this Focus is really quite expensive i want much more MPG for my money nowadays TBF so what is the best car i can buy for £1000 that fits the bill, any help appreciated THX.


[purplesignup][/purplesignup]

verityboo

At that price, the most important thing is how a car has been looked after (forget about specific models). One car we bought for less than that budget was a 15 year old one owner Volvo estate but with full (mostly main dealer) service history. Ran for 3 years with just basic servicing and then sold on for most of what we paid.
Cars can last a good time if well cared for so that's what to look for. Don't be distracted into just looking at cars which might be a bit more economical or cheaper to tax but which are on their last legs and end up being a money pit

wgl2014

What mileage and type of use is it for?

Petrol, although expensive, is only one cost to consider. At this end of the market running repairs can potentially eclipse any other savings.

AdrianC

GQM wrote: »

So my trusty 2003 Ford Focus 1.8L Zetec Petrol needs replacing i have a budget of around £1000 and just want a car that is cheap to run regarding fuel costs/tax as this Focus is really quite expensive i want much more MPG for my money nowadays TBF so what is the best car i can buy for £1000 that fits the bill, any help appreciated THX.

The cheapest car at that end of the market will be the one that doesn't break. That simple.

You can take an educated guess as to whether a particular model of car may be more or less likely than another to break, but at the £1k price point, you're very much at the mercy of previous maintenance and bodgery, enlivened with a little bit of light roulette...

Don't get fixated on "cheap tax" and "high MPG" - that's going to point you towards a modern diesel, which may be utterly unsuited for your use.

The difference between 40mpg and 60mpg is a little over 4p per mile. It's also much easier to see wide variances in nominally high MPG, simply because such a small amount of fuel is being used that a small change makes a big difference. 60mpg is over 13 miles per litre, or just 75ml per mile - about a quarter of a mile from a single tablespoon of fuel. Use a single tablespoon more, and there goes 5mpg. Short journeys, cold starts, underinflated tyres - and especially poor driving style - will make a very big headline difference to a nominally high fuel economy figure.

IamNotAllowedToUseMyName

To expand on that answer, I hope you haven't got a budget of £1000, you should have a budget of £1000 + some repairs + fuel and tax costs.

Look at the total costs over 2 or 3 years. - say 3 x car tax, fuel for 3 year's mileage, 3 basic services, then add in something for tyres, wipers and unexpected repairs. That's your starting point. You then can see that a well chosen car, that is not due for a timing belt change for example and has excellent tyres, may be a better buy than hitting your budget and needing repairs sooner.

Most cars sold at £1000 will be being sold at the end of their service interval (or had the most basic service some can get away with to make it saleable) and will not generally be in "no repairs for x000 mile" condition.

forgotmyname

Spend £1000 on an unknown car to get an extra 10 or 15mpg?

Hope your polishing all your lucky charms when choosing a car.

fordfocus-chav-car

Megane 1.4 hdi
Peugeot 206 1.4 hdi
Both £30 road tax & over 50 mpg & both available under a grand.

GunJack

fordfocus-chav-car wrote: »

Megane 1.4 hdi
Peugeot 206 1.4 hdi
Both £30 road tax & over 50 mpg & both available under a grand.

...add Ford Fusion 1.4TDCi (60+ mpg, £30 tax)

Pug 206 2.0 ECO Diesel (60+ mpg, £30 tax) - rare, but out there if you look

etc., etc., etc.,

all well under a grand, which leaves you a few hundred to put to one side for possible repairs...

...but, as pointed out above, depends how you use the car, could have a bearing on what type to look for. I've just bagged a Fusion TDCi, my commute is 15 mi. each way and over the first month I've got 62.5mpg.

knightstyle

Well cheapest car to RUN would be something like a Smart For Two. Quite a few around with new MOT for under £1k.
Tax at £20 or £30 makes it cheap but did you want 1/2 a car?

GQM

GunJack wrote: »

...add Ford Fusion 1.4TDCi (60+ mpg, £30 tax)

Pug 206 2.0 ECO Diesel (60+ mpg, £30 tax) - rare, but out there if you look

etc., etc., etc.,

all well under a grand, which leaves you a few hundred to put to one side for possible repairs...

...but, as pointed out above, depends how you use the car, could have a bearing on what type to look for. I've just bagged a Fusion TDCi, my commute is 15 mi. each way and over the first month I've got 62.5mpg.

Thx for the reply's id probably want a normal sized car TBF and the Ford Fusion 1.4TDCi had caught my eye so what price/mileage/MOT etc did you get for your money to give me an idea ?

GunJack

GQM wrote: »

Thx for the reply's id probably want a normal sized car TBF and the Ford Fusion 1.4TDCi had caught my eye so what price/mileage/MOT etc did you get for your money to give me an idea ?

53 plate, 136k on it, 7 months MoT with minor advisories which I expect to be no worse next MoT-time. Paid £290 for it, and it's in good clean condition, but nett cost was £10 as I sold it's predecessor for £280

Must admit I'm quite impressed with it, being higher up makes for good visibility and getting in/out, loads of room in it and I'm not small ), big boot with no lip to lug stuff over, and if you fold the back seats you could fit a shedload in it!!