Recommend a grand's-worth of rock-solid motor

June 11, 2009 2:33 AM

UK second-hand car market: what would be the best choice for roughly £1,000 when longevity and reliability are the priorities?

A family member needs to buy a second hand car with a budget of around £1,000, so will be looking at fairly old cars. However the purchased car needs to last for a good few years with relatively minimal maintenance costs, so excellent reliability is critical. Image is not an issue, helpfully, but something larger would be better - need at least a large-ish hatchback.

So what would be a good choice in this situation?

posted by thoughtless to Travel & Transportation around United Kingdom (10 answers total)

I have a 12-year-old Ford Escort that is very reliable, needing only replacement of things you'd expect to wear out over the years (brake pads, exhaust pipe rusting, etc.) Parts and servicing are cheap. It's probably worth about £500.

A tip: Traders who advertise cars in the local paper are meant to add (T) after their phone number to show it's a trade sale. (This means it's covered by consumer law, which gives rights to buyers if the car is not fit for purpose, or as described, etc. Private sales don't have the same protection). Motor traders often get rid of cheap cars they've taken in part-exchange by listing them in the small ads.

But traders trying to sell pieces of junk will not put (T) in the advert. So if you reply to an ad where there's a mobile number, just say "I'm phoning about the car" and if they say "which car?" then you know it's a trader trying to offload a pile of crap, masquerading as a personal seller to avoid being covered by Sale of Goods legislation.
posted by essexjan at 4:11 AM on June 11, 2009 [4 favorites]

I've been very happy with my Rover 420 SLDi. I bought it two years ago and it seems almost indestructible. They're based on the old Honda Civic design, which has lasted well. The boot is enormous, and because it was a high-end model (in 1998), it's a comfortable ride with all the upgrades and extras.

Diesels in general are a good bet, because they tend to be good for far more miles than a petrol engine of a similar age. I bought mine at under 100,000 miles and I'm pretty confident it'll still be going at 200,000.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 4:18 AM on June 11, 2009

You're talking about older cars (probably early 1990's) bought from private owners, not dealers. Your relative will need to scan Craigslist or some other classifieds and start making calls. I don't think you need a particular model recommendation so much as you need a friend who's good with cars to help sort through ads, test-drive, point out obvious problems. When they finally find a likely-looking car, a professional inspection will be in order.

Some maintenance costs will be inevitable unless this car is only for occasional use. If it's to be used daily on a commute of any length, you're probably expecting too much.
posted by jon1270 at 4:19 AM on June 11, 2009

Older Peugeot diesel models were highly loved by the owners I knew when I lived in the UK. They were always telling me how cheap to run and few repairs were needed. I suspect the durability of diesel engines had a lot to do with it, so you might want to steer them toward diesel, assuming they will be looking at a car wiith a lot of kms on the clock.
posted by bystander at 4:55 AM on June 11, 2009

For under a grand, I just bought an '01 Primera, higher milage than some I'd looked at, but in good condition, so you're certainly not after something pre-2000 if you look hard.

A good trawl through autotrader set on under 2 thousand and on cars under ten years old should find you a lot to look at...

But anyway, while the Nissan may cost a bit more on maintenance and fuel, it's reliable and cheap due to the times we are in. My parents also just got round to replacing their car, and similarly went for something slightly more expensive to run, because it was so cheap to buy at the moment. Diesels are what's started to be expensive...
posted by opsin at 5:13 AM on June 11, 2009

Oh, I will add that I went for the Primera so as to get something I enjoyed driving more (better handling and slightlier haughtier engine than most of what I had to look at), but things like Almeras might be available in that price range in your area...
Older Peugot diesels may be OK, but everyone I spoke to when looking at cars recently talked of how test driving second hand Peugots involved the rattliest, squeakiest drives ever, and that their build quality has gone way down hill... But that's second hand knowledge, ymmv.
posted by opsin at 5:16 AM on June 11, 2009

We had an old Peugeot 405 turbo diesel estate for 2 years. It was a money pit. Don't go there unless it's got full sevice history. I'd actually suggest Toyota as a more reliable brand, probably either a Carina e or an early Avenis (though that might be on the edge of your price range).
posted by Chairboy at 9:58 AM on June 11, 2009

don't know how much they cost in the UK, but in America, you can get a Volvo 240 that will run forever and take lots of abuse for about $1500, which is close to a thousand pounds.
posted by Jon_Evil at 10:51 AM on June 11, 2009

Best answer: Some good advice here:
http://bangernomics.tripod.com/
posted by Lanark at 3:35 AM on June 12, 2009

Response by poster: Thanks to all for the input! The bangernomics site in particular looks to be a goldmine.
posted by thoughtless at 7:00 AM on June 12, 2009