102k corsa - good deal?

iRiminton

My lil' 02 reg Corsa died at the garage today and I was advised to get a new car rather than a new engine. Being a student, my budget is quite low and I'm not expecting much.

In my local area someone is selling a black 02 Corsa with 102k miles. It looks to be in pretty good condition and has MOT until December 2018 and the guy has offered it to me for £550 if I pick it up by Friday.

That's all the information I have on it, any thoughts?

EdGasketTheSecond

You have to check it out just like any car. It can have a year's MoT but still have a blown head gasket and a gearbox that sounds like a bag of nails or it could be the bargain of the year. What else do you expect anyone to say?

wgl2014

Have a look here: https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/buying-and-selling-guides/buying-a-used-car/

If the car has an MOT and no obvious issues after a check with the above guide then it could be ok.
Also check if it's been serviced at least yearly.

LiGhTfasT

Its a £500 banger, you may get 2 years motoring from it with little outlay or 2 months. Comparing it to your other car is your best bet.

sevenhills

iRiminton wrote: »

In my local area someone is selling a black 02 Corsa with 102k miles. It looks to be in pretty good condition and has MOT until December 2018 and the guy has offered it to me for £550 if I pick it up by Friday.

£550 is a lot of money for an 02 with 102k miles, maybe with a 3 months warranty and haggle the price.

lincroft1710

Look for a car other than a Corsa, you may save a bit on insurance

Integroo

sevenhills wrote: »

£550 is a lot of money for an 02 with 102k miles, maybe with a 3 months warranty and haggle the price.

No it isn't. It's £550 for a car with 12 months MOT. That's as cheap as cars that aren't rusted to death and have 12 months MOT will get. I presume it's a private seller so no chance of a warranty.

OP - buy on condition. If you don't know much about cars, try and find someone you know who does to take with you. I wouldn't pay for an inspection on such a cheap car. Things you want to check for: rust - check under boot carpet, under wheel arches, places like that; make sure it is cold when you arrive, turn it on, check for smoke - white vapour is fine, anything black, blue or smokey is not; check underneath to make sure nothing is leaking; he probably won't let you drive it as you won't be insured, but get him to drive you around at different speeds, listen for odd noises and knocks; lift the bonnet, check the oil level, have a look under the oil cap for anything odd (for example white milky substance under the oil cap).

Generally, does it look like a decent, well cared for car, or does it look like someone is trying to get rid of it because it is broken? Does the chap look honest?

At that end of the market, you always have a risk of buying a lemon. Just one of those things.

flashg67

If you can get the reg, check the MOT history online - don't just look for a pass/fail - have a look for the 'advisories' I discounted loads of cheap cars for my daughter based on things such as corrosion, oil leaks etc.


Any £550 car is a risk - you could be lucky or unlucky

Shaka_Zulu

You are swapping like for like so you should be aware of some of the potential problems.

At that age you pays your money and takes a chance. If it runs sweetly and is free of rust then it will probably/possibly be fine.

Integroo

Oh should also have said check the tyres have plenty tread (otherwise your cheap car is not so cheap when you replace all four tyres) and yes check the MOT history - advisories really don't matter all that much unless they are serious and haven't been rectified - particularly corrosion or leaks (though really, minor leaks and minor underbody corrosion on a five hundred quid car isn't necessarily a deal breaker).

iolanthe07

It's a gamble. My brother-in-law has a 17 year old Subaru that he bought for £750 six years ago and it has never let him down and sails through its MoT each year. You just never know, but £500 isn't a huge amount to lose if it does turn out to be a lemon.