Another spec me a banger thread..

Tenzo

Tenzo

Tenzo

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23 Jan 2012
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I can keep this brief :)

Effectively I have a about £500-£1k to spend on something to get me to work and back. It's about 8 miles each way, therefore not overly fussed on the economics of fuel consumption and it needs to be fairly practical - ie. not an MX5

I've read a lot of the other threads on these subjects and they all trend back to a MK1 Focus or Mondeo. That's fine and likely where I will end up but I like my jap cars too, so any suggestions for a sensible option - not a MR2 or dog rough Impreza for example.

That said, I've seen a tidy looking 95 plate gen6 celica GT coupe, 143k on the clock and a long MOT, for £900 locally. Perhaps a bit of a luxury (i.e not sensible) option but thought i'd throw it out there for thoughts - i've heard they are pretty reliable, as are most japanese motors? (Has a 6 month warranty too by all accounts)

Thanks for your help :)
 
Mk3 Golf.

There is owner bias included in this post. ;)

Bought my Mk3 with 80k up it for 324 quid, had it half a year or so then MOT'd it again a few months back, Epic bangernomics. :cool:
 
Just bought a £400 Peugeot 306 with a years test and some ticket for my little sis, has leather seats and everything !
 
The gen6 celica is quite a good car and reasonably practical for a coupe, i'd go take a look at it - the 2 litre is vastly better to drive but the 1.8 vastly better on fuel, take yet pick. The non mivec FTO is cheap as chips and not too impractical too - crazy insurance though as they're all imports (at this price)

Other than that the accord, 626 and old school primera are all worth a look, as is the 2000ish on toledo, mondeo, focus - the list goes on
 
4T5 said:
Mk3 Golf.

There is owner bias included in this post. ;)

Bought my Mk3 with 80k up it for 324 quid, had it half a year or so then MOT'd it again a few months back, Epic bangernomics. :cool:
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paid 215 for mine , cost 8 quid and half an hour on google to fix the locking that was probably stopping people bidding and then needed a wheel bearing at MOT time to make it through with no advisories

no one wants them because they look a bit naff compared to the mk2 and mk4 so the market for them is rock bottom
 
For the budget you have, its a case of pick the best you can find - if the celica fits the bill, then bonus!

I'd consider something larger too, the bigger the car, often the more you get for your money, £500 - £1k small cars are always going to be in demand.
 
Volvo 850. Loads around so its not too hard to find a good one, dirt cheap to buy especially in saloon form and very comfy, plus great reliability. Only downside is 30mpg ish
 
V8 Toyota soarer if you love with an auto and not do great fuel economy. Fits the Bill being jap, and will give a good level of comfort.
 
No disrespect and no offence, I have spent some time on this forum on and off and it the advice seems to go along with posters previous cars cars. Mondeo (cheap) then onto BMW.

There are loads of cheapish cars, however running them could be a minefield. Celica's do seem cheap and being Jap should be reliable, however you could get Alfa 147/156's/GTV in your budget but likely to be more expensive to run. If hot hatch is your thing then Nissan Almera GTi about the same age as the Celica. There again there are occasionally nice 3 series BMW's that turn up.


At that price range when I have bought cars I tend to look at everything in the price range and weigh it up to condition and what I am attracted too. At 38 years old I must admit I have owned loads of cars in this price bracket. With your limited mileage I would say you could look at a huge variety of cars and buy the best of the bunch without being tied down to just a few models.
 
I'm going to look at a 2001 Mondeo, 2.6V6 Ghia X, FSH, 12 months MOT for £1k

Only problem is it has done 185k - is that actually a problem these days?
 
Tenzo said:
I'm going to look at a 2001 Mondeo, 2.6V6 Ghia X, FSH, 12 months MOT for £1k

Only problem is it has done 185k - is that actually a problem these days?
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Likely to be coming towards the end of its useful life, but if the car is appropriately priced (I.e not far above scrap) it could still be worth taking
 
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