End of the road price bracket?

burlingtonfl6

I was reading a thread over on the consumer board about someone who spent a couple of grand on a 11 year old car etc and was complaining about a few things and it made me think about the price bracket for cheap ''banger'' end cars.

In my head I've always classed sub £1000 cars in this bracket. Get a good one and you might get a year or two out of it, get a bad one and you lose your grand.

But I've had this £1000 limit in my head for the past 20 odd years. With inflation, cost of general every day living do you think that that limit is now around £2000?

I think most people expect a cheap car to be faulty but let's face it, 2 grand doesn't get you much now so are peoples expectations not in line anymore?

Grumpy_chap

I'd say your £1k is about right.
I can't remember exactly, but my first car cost something around £300 - £350.  Adjusting for inflation using the BoE inflation calculator shows that would now be £750 - £900 range.

Flight3287462

I am a bit the same but had a £600+ price in my head of which £500 was for a full 1 year's MOT.  Starting to think a bit unrealistic but I would be pushed to go much over a grand.

Anyway DD learning to drive  this year picked up a 2016 40k miles Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo from Copart (£1,850 + fees), replaced front end; bonnet and front panels and on the road for under £3k.

BOWFER

As someone who's recently bought their daughter their first car, I was shocked at how little £5k got you....
Trying to strike balance between something I wouldn't be prepared to drive myself and available finances.
The irony is small cars in that price category are especially hard to find, you can have your pick of luxo-barges for the same money (but a kid couldn't hope to afford to insure)

burlingtonfl6

If youBOWFER said:

As someone who's recently bought their daughter their first car, I was shocked at how little £5k got you....
Trying to strike balance between something I wouldn't be prepared to drive myself and available finances.
The irony is small cars in that price category are especially hard to find, you can have your pick of luxo-barges for the same money (but a kid couldn't hope to afford to insure)

If you want a real shock see what 5K buys you in van terms.

foxy-stoat

Depends if your buying a £500 car for £1500 from a dealer or a £1000 car for £1000 off a private seller that has owned and looked after it for years.

£2,000, if spent wisely, can buy you a car that could last for years worth of 12,000 miles, with normal servicing.

I am sure I could buy the wrong £7,500 car that hasnt been serviced much and not service it at all and look to scrap it once issues come up.

dipsomaniac

When you can easily have a £1200 repair bill there is not a lot of difference in a £2000 or £200 car.  I bought a focus for £200 16 months ago and it's just gone though it's 2nd MOT (cost £60) and 10k miles

strawb_shortcake

Up until last year we had always bought at the cheaper end of the market and were a cars last home. 
We went out looking to buy our usual £2k of car and there was absolutely nothing, 10-12 year old cars were on the market for around £5k all high mileage which I guess you'd expect that old.

We ended up paying £9k for a 3yr old car from a dealership seemed much better value for money and I intend to keep it for many years.

One of my best cars I had cost me £200, flew through MOT every year. Clutch went in style at 15 years old, kind of wished I'd went with a repair as my following two cars were a disaster, one got written off 8 weeks later and the other the bottom end went (think that's what the garage said)?? 

fred246

I don't get this thread at all. A car is a collection of components expertly put together in a factory. If a component fails you need to carefully dismantle and replace the component and carefully reassemble. Cars treated this way can last forever. Unfortunately if you take a car to a garage they break other parts, don't do anything carefully and throw parts in the bin that they can't be bothered to put back. Cars treated like that won't last long.

burlingtonfl6

fred246 said:

I don't get this thread at all. A car is a collection of components expertly put together in a factory. If a component fails you need to carefully dismantle and replace the component and carefully reassemble. Cars treated this way can last forever. Unfortunately if you take a car to a garage they break other parts, don't do anything carefully and throw parts in the bin that they can't be bothered to put back. Cars treated like that won't last long.

 I've just put this into google translate and it said..... 

''My name is Fred, I know more about cars than anyone and I will take every opportunity to remind you of this''

Flight3287462

fred246 said:

I don't get this thread at all. A car is a collection of components expertly put together in a factory. If a component fails you need to carefully dismantle and replace the component and carefully reassemble. Cars treated this way can last forever. Unfortunately if you take a car to a garage they break other parts, don't do anything carefully and throw parts in the bin that they can't be bothered to put back. Cars treated like that won't last long.

Fred what do you do if you break a leg, watch a youtube video, get a couple of dods of wood and strap it up or go to A&E?