1K Car recommendations

joelk2

joelk2

joelk2

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Joined
22 Nov 2010
Posts
5,796
if you had 1k to buy a car that needed to do around 40 miles a day as a mixture of a roads and motorway what would you choose.

dont need fast, dont need pretty just need cheap to run, insure and something thats likely to be reliable.
 
Don't look for a specific car, look around for a good condition car with not too many owners, some service history looks clean etc for this budget
 
Anything Mondeo sized with a petrol engine. Small cars tend to be in high demand so you want to aim for something that is cheap because they are hard to sell, rather than cheap because they're shagged.
 
Funky-Melon said:
Honda Civic
Toyota Yaris
Nissan Micra (old style)

Any of those will likely go on for a bit without throwing much money at them.
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I second the Yaris. I use a first gen and not too much to go wrong with it - such a simple car. Did have a wheel bearing go in the last 3 years but it's a 16 year old car. Small car though but I use around town and on motorway trips. 1.3 would be better, mine's only a 1litre
 
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cool cheers chaps, yeah im not worried about fast. literally just used for work and back.

seems like japanese is the way to go though.
 
You used to be able to get the indestructible Hiluxes this cheap. But thanks to Top Gear they are now an appreciating classic :P
 
Nasher said:
You used to be able to get the indestructible Hiluxes this cheap. But thanks to Top Gear they are now an appreciating classic :p
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Must admit I'm fancying an FJ Cruiser at the moment for this reason, strong pricing & future classics but already expensive to buy. They're like tanks. Doubt I will buy one though but having a look anyway. We didn't get any in the UK so all of them are imports. Would only be for weekend go anywhere fun.

joelk2 said:
the yaris's locally already have 110-130k miles on, would that be an issue?
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Wheel bearings are a weak spot I think. And the auto box. Other than that they're pretty robust I believe. Dont think i'd pay over £700 or so with one with 110k miles although I don't know the current pricing of them (have they gone up recently?)
Mine still has < 45k miles despite my much heavier use in the last 3 years. Been in the family since 2008 :)
 
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joelk2 said:
the yaris's locally already have 110-130k miles on, would that be an issue?
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The Yaris is pretty solid. Not great for motorway cruising though.

If you can find an old T-Sport Yaris for 1k it might be worth the compromise as they a quite fun (and overlooked by most, so quite rare). I think they are on the up as well now though :D
 
ShivP said:
Don't look for a specific car, look around for a good condition car with not too many owners, some service history looks clean etc for this budget
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Autotrader, gumtree, Facebook marketplace. Don’t go looking for a particular car, buy on MOT history, servicing and condition, miles at this price range will be high but think in terms of per year. A twelve year old car with 140k miles might seem like a lot but that’s only 12,000 a year, slightly below average if anything.
 
InvaderGIR said:
Ask @Acme, he's the kind of cheap sheds!
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I realise this was probably tongue in cheek but ill put my 2c forward anyway :p

I would say MK1 Octavia diesel. One of the 90 or 110HP 1.9 VE TDI ones. I got 70+ MPG out of mine whenever i went near an open road. Well known for being bulletproof, no PD system, used as taxis up to moon miles... Friend of mine has approaching 500K miles on his ex taxi Octy.

But youre only doing 40 miles a day, whereas i was doing over 3x that..

Boring Jap stuff is always a good shout. Corolla, Civic, Yaris etc... 15K a year is a bit much for most people to want to do in a tiny car like a Yaris though, especially with motorway time. Accord, Avensis?

Someone said "old micra" yes, but be careful of rust issues. They are mechanically bulletproof but rot. Also a bit tinny to blat up and down the motorway... :D

You can probably get a half decent forum favourite Mondeo for that too. But im not sure how they compare.
 
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I might get a corsa as they seem cheap but ppl rave about em and im learning to drive in one tho the instructors one is 2015 i think and best id probs get is 2008 or less for under a grand. I hear polo ones are suppose to be good and theres micras or ka's tho them two types seem a bit small and few other types that come up on autotrader when u search fow low millage cars under 1000. You might also be able to get a fiesta.
 
Acme said:
Boring Jap stuff is always a good shout. Corolla, Civic, Yaris etc... 15K a year is a bit much for most people to want to do in a tiny car like a Yaris though, especially with motorway time. Accord, Avensis?
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I don't mind small to be honest. I once had an extended test drive in a seat Mii and thought it was superb. Considering how cheap they are new I was gutted none are even remotely close to my budget
 
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