High spec, high mileage - am I stupid to buy?

forgotmyname

45k high mileage?

I have not bought anything with less than 130,000 miles for many years.   They must have a perfect service history though.

My current car uses a French engine and taxi drivers run them to 200,000 - 300,000 miles. So I know mine is unlikely to
explode anytime soon.

The right car with the right engine is the key.  Many cars may have weak points but it maybe one engine or one gearbox that
causes 90% of the problems.   Avoid that engine/gearbox combination and the risks are reduced greatly.

At 130k miles I get a 5 year old car for less than an 8/9 year old car with a lower spec and possibly a less reliable
drivetrain.  With manufacturers fudged emission figures the tax is low as a bonus even though it uses considerably
more fuel than the slightly older car with the same engine etc.

born_again

HampshireH said:

Wow 10k for a car at 17.

My first car was £900 was still going strong 3 years later.

There is no need to spend that much on a car and the insurance is likely to be extortionate as will the excess (or if its not the cost will be more) dashcam discount will be minimal if at all.

I would suggest he lower his standards and get a slightly older vehicles which is cheaper

You can get some very good and reliable cars for less 

Daughter bought a new car on passing her test. Worked out cheaper to insure than a old banger. As it was new she took far more care of it.
Still claim free after 10 years.

NorfolkCanary

Questions of ££ on new driver car aside.

Fairly new age car with approx. 15000 miles on it is no problem, subject to what it's been used for. Motorway munching, no real problem as long as it's been services in line with schedules.
Door to door deliveries or town driving is more taxing on a car, but depends on overall condition & again servicing.

As for the French car debate, had 2 previously, nothing particularly went wrong out of the ordinary, alternator was biggest expense. At least back then there space in the engine bays and readily accessible user serviceable parts, that didn't require a computer and specialist to code or fit.
More modern French cars may be a little more prone to issues, same with any cars. Suggest reading up on the the 208 Puretech belt issues, if applicable.  

DjangoUnchained

french, german, italian they all seem to use the same engines and other parts these days.

ididgetwhereiamtoday

I don't like to stereo type but in my 30 odd years of motoring I have found French cars to be the most unreliable. I would lump Ford, LR and VW in with these now too as they don't seem to be particularly reliable.

The Koreans and Japanese seem to know how to build decent cars.

Herzlos

HampshireH said:

Wow 10k for a car at 17.

My first car was £900 was still going strong 3 years later.

The days of the sub £1000 runabout are long gone. Have a look on autotrader and under £1000 you won't find anything that's usable - it's all MOT failures, spares and repairs or 'trade in to clear'. You might get lucky if you know someone in the trade or who is about to trade an older car in.

The car I learned to drive in cost us £100. But that was 20 years ago.

Plus due to safety features, etc. a more modern car can be cheaper to insure than an older one.

That said £10k is still pretty high, I'd be looking at the £4-5k range and shopping based on condition rather than range.

victor2

If insurance for a newly qualified 17 year old driver is included in the 10K budget, it will make a very significant dent in it. Much more so than insurance for a provisional licence holder.
A new driver's first "mishap", is likely to be little more than cosmetic damage that can be cheaply repaired, and fairly inevitable, but it still hurts if on a nice shiny vehicle!

rsvtoddy

Have a look at a Hyundai or Kia - you may be able to get something in budget that still has some manufacturer warranty left.

GunJack

Herzlos said:

HampshireH said:

Wow 10k for a car at 17.

My first car was £900 was still going strong 3 years later.

The days of the sub £1000 runabout are long gone. Have a look on autotrader and under £1000 you won't find anything that's usable - it's all MOT failures, spares and repairs or 'trade in to clear'. You might get lucky if you know someone in the trade or who is about to trade an older car in.

The car I learned to drive in cost us £100. But that was 20 years ago.

Plus due to safety features, etc. a more modern car can be cheaper to insure than an older one.

That said £10k is still pretty high, I'd be looking at the £4-5k range and shopping based on condition rather than range.

nah, still good stuff (yes older) around for £1k, you just have to look a little harder to find them...my current one is 20 years old, very cheap to tax, run and insure...

Herzlos

GunJack said:

Herzlos said:

nah, still good stuff (yes older) around for £1k, you just have to look a little harder to find them...my current one is 20 years old, very cheap to tax, run and insure...

I've trawled through autotrader nationally a few times and rarely find something that runs properly.

Admittedly it may be that the sub £1k car sellers don't use autotrader though. I've had a look on Facebook and there seems to be some decent cars there though well over half still need work for MOT's or are otherwise non-runners. Assuming the sellers of the good cars are honest there's probably something there for a new driver, but much more choice if you can go up to £2k.