£2000 small reliable car?

barnettgs

barnettgs

barnettgs

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Joined
22 Jan 2005
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N Ireland
My girlfriend's 2001 206 1.1i had its gearbox replaced last week...and now, there might be a problem with clutches, etc! :rolleyes: Not impressed with it, we're sure that when we get one thing fixed, another problem developed!

We decided it would be best to trade it in at car dealers and buy the car that is cheap to insurance (group 2-3) and cheap to maintain. I have looked at Ford Fiesta, might go for 1.3 version as 1.25 zetec has higher insurance group.

Or, for a peace of mind...I know you would object to this. Get a brand new Ford Ka Climate - Trade 206 in for £2000 and pay monthly of £169 with very small interest of £500ish over 3 years and she gets 3 years warranty.

Or do you have any better recommendation? No french car please. :)
 
Fair enough. I'd recommend a Ford KA however. Maybe not a brand new one though. KA's are remarkably good value for money, fun to drive and reliable. Although i will say get one that is 03 onwards with the Duratec engine, as they are much better than the Endura engine.

EDIT: Woah! i just noticed that you were thinking about buying a 7.5k KA?! No. No. No. No.
 
Ok, Ford Ka then I guess. I have thought of Nissan Micra but parts may be expensive if it breaks. Throttle body for example, may need replacing for £500!

IMO, 1.3 is much better than a modern 1.0, more torquey and less hard-working! 1.0 is fragile and runs too hot just like my girlf's 1.1!
 
I'm not particularly against Ford KA's, new cars, and finance. But I don't really see much sense in all 3 combined :)

KA's and Fiestas are both perfectly fine cars, but don't kid yourself that just because it's not new, it'll go wrong.

Just put a little aside for repairs, rather than lose a horrendous amount in depreciation!


Also, FWIW the 1.25 is a much nicer drive than the 1.3. Although I do appreciate insurance premiums are high in NI
 
Gaygle said:
EDIT: Woah! i just noticed that you were thinking about buying a 7.5k KA?! No. No. No. No.
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Ok, it's cos of 3 years warranty but I just found some 2006 Ka that are much cheaper than I thought. (After seeing some 2001 and 2002 Ka for not so good value for money)
 
barnettgs said:
Ok, it's cos of 3 years warranty but I just found some 2006 Ka that are much cheaper than I thought. (After seeing some 2001 and 2002 Ka for not so good value for money)
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Yeah the KA's before 03 plates were a bit nasty... but they are a good little car now. And i'd much rather have one than a Micra. But definately definately don't go for a new KA look for 2006/2005 models and they'll be a bargain somewhere in there.
 
ive had a r reg 1.0 micra for 5 years so far and not a thing has gone wrong, its passed the mot's without a problem only thing its need is the normal stuff like oil & filter and tyres which at £25 each aint too bad :) £190 to insure too :D this is just my opinion, could look at corsa's also
 
Gaygle said:
But definately definately don't go for a new KA look for 2006/2005 models and they'll be a bargain somewhere in there.
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You mean don't go for new Ka over 2005/06 Ka?

Anyway, I wasn't thinking clearly about buying new Ka, my head is getting cleared now. :)
 
All i'm saying is 2005 or 2006 KA's are just as good as a brand new one. lol you scared me there, i thought u were seriously considering buying a new one! :p . Just don't buy a new car because it has a warranty.

TBH i've had my KA for 3 years now and the only thing thats gone wrong with it is a sensor (which is bloody good considering how its been driven! :p ). Services are £99 from the main dealer, fuel consumption is 40-45mpg, cheap parts.
 
Micra's do seem a great buy, they hardly break and perfect for people who want a small reliable car ;)
 
i got a micra as i cant afford anything else. cheap to fill up cheap to run and most of the 1litre engines will do over 100k miles if you look after them

Also.... I hear a new ford ka is now 5000quid (just noticed poster above me also says this :p ) so you should get a good used one for 2000. i would recommend the fiesta 1.25 over the 1.3 any day its a much better engine.
 
webmonkeyuk said:
ive had a r reg 1.0 micra for 5 years so far and not a thing has gone wrong, its passed the mot's without a problem only thing its need is the normal stuff like oil & filter and tyres which at £25 each aint too bad :) £190 to insure too :D this is just my opinion, could look at corsa's also
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had my micra 18 months done 6k miles and had no problems apart from breaks and tyres which dont really count.
 
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