Help to choose a used car please.

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I am looking for a new used car.  
EDIT:  Answered my  own question cheaper tax brackets of £0, £20 & £30 came in from 2001 - 2017
I'd like to know what cars from what earliest years qualify for £0, £20 and £30 ? 
I know of some already like the 
Citigo/up, Focus 1.0l ecoboost, Kia Picanto,   out of these I was not impressed with the owner reviews of the kia and the focus.  I already had a citigo and I liked it a lot and got good mileage... so this is a contender but I'm finding them too expensive for the older years 2012 / 2013  ....not that I haven't got the money to buy them, just donlt want to spend so much.  I could buy anything up to £12000 but I'm trying just  get a cheap runaround to begin with.  

I also don't like diesels,  I just had a C4 Picasso 2013 1.6Hdi blow an injector and it is about £1000 to repair just 1 injector with another 3 soon to blow?  It is currently off road while I decide what to do ...I want to change the injector myself.  Should I be wary of old diesels ? Am I wrong to allow my experience of the C4 to make me think I don;t like diesels?
  
if I go older the classes are £160 to £200 
Skoda fabia 06   1.2 petrol caught my eye for £1200 with tax I think was £160 79000miles 

Skoda fabia 06 1.2 petrol 140,000  £700  
The tax, any tax bracket over £100 puts me off ,  trying to save money .. but... what do you think of these?
Quite low insurance on these. 

Any suggestions.  Local to Pontypridd CF37 1AA  within reason, up to say 20 miles 

Thanks 

angrycrow

Something does not feel right about car 2 for £695. Very high mileage for a 1.2. Seller has only owned it since 21/02/2020 so why is he selling it so soon. Combined with the dealer advertising fiat in the background screams trader posing as private seller shifting the part ex cars from the dealership he works at. I have no issue with staff selling on the part ex cars but not when they try and hide their responsibilities by claiming to be a private seller. 

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That is a popular local hangout to park your car for the day with a sign in the window to sell off the street.  It is next to a Tesco and the local Fiat dealer.  I've never noticed the dealer parking his Fiat 500 there with the adverts all over it but then again I'm never there in the daytime and I  never bother to look.  

How do you know he only had it since February?

angrycrow

xxxxxxxx said:

How do you know he only had it since February?

Online car tax enquiry now includes the date the current v5 was issued. Whilst they could have moved home in Feb odds are that is when they acquired the car.

The people parking cars there all day with for sale signs in will be doorstep traders. 

noclaf

For your budget and the likely age range of the cars you are looking at I would prefer Jap n/a manuals but the tax will not be cheap relatively speaking. You have to weigh up the extra cost of the tax Vs the reliability and potential borkage costs if the lower tax car goes wrong. My mk1, focus is £260 per year bed but been fairly reliable. My neighbour has a 55 plate 1.2 petrol fabia which by his account has been v reliable too though not sure the ved rate.hope that helps.

[Deleted User]

How many miles do you need to do? You could get a used Leaf or Zoe for well under your budget, £0 tax and extremely low running costs. Leafs are very reliable too, little to go wrong with them.