New cheap run about car

Where are you located? I'm not saying go buy at auction as if you've no real mechanical knowledge or experience of how the whole process works and fees involved it could end badly - just letting you know that the trader has probably picked that car up for about £800, cleaned it and if you're lucky changed the oil and filters (unlikely though) then slapped a pricetag of nearly £2k more than he paid for on it.

I take it you want to buy from a trader of some sort?

There are so many of these cars about you can be picky on price and condition - I personally wouldn't bother about the mileage, if anything the car hasn't really been used much which can be a bad thing. I simply wouldn't pay more than about £12-1300 even from a trader for one of these locally. Depending where you are you might need to add a bit more but that price is daylight robbery

Edit - just stuck in a random Derbyshire postcode, 40 mile radius focus under £2k up to 10 years old and there are loads there under £13/1400 - you'll be able to cross some off right away but that's only me spending 2 seconds on auto trader. Check gumtree, pistonheads, ebay and look round the local garages too.
 
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rodenal said:
Where are you located? I'm not saying go buy at auction as if you've no real mechanical knowledge or experience of how the whole process works and fees involved it could end badly - just letting you know that the trader has probably picked that car up for about £800, cleaned it and if you're lucky changed the oil and filters (unlikely though) then slapped a pricetag of nearly £2k more than he paid for on it.

I take it you want to buy from a trader of some sort?

There are so many of these cars about you can be picky on price and condition - I personally wouldn't bother about the mileage, if anything the car hasn't really been used much which can be a bad thing. I simply wouldn't pay more than about £12-1300 even from a trader for one of these locally. Depending where you are you might need to add a bit more but that price is daylight robbery

Edit - just stuck in a random Derbyshire postcode, 40 mile radius focus under £2k up to 10 years old and there are loads there under £13/1400 - you'll be able to cross some off right away but that's only me spending 2 seconds on auto trader.
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Nottingham area. The garage has the full history behind the car and I beleive has always been with them selves cant remember quite what he said but something that they were one of the owners then a lady brought it off them who lives local then they brought it back off her all the services tickets have been with them. Say it goes through a proper service inspection which i do believe as we have known and used them for a while. However, i guess they are sales men at the end of the day. Here is the car

If it is possible or if you have some time later would you be able to post some links of the options you would chose? Just so I have an idea of Value for money etc. I do agree at that current price tag I think it is rather pricey. As i say I only really need the car for a year during my placement but just don't want to be spending money on repairs or it being at the garage a lot.

Edit- went to see some over Focuses and they were considerably cheaper but were just in such poor condition.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...d/page/2/radius/20/postcode/ng161df?logcode=p

What your opinion on the above?
 
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They may well have some sort of history on the car (or they could be at it) but as you say they will not have paid more than trade price for the car - stick the details onto the likes of the vauxhall value my car site and see what comes out, this is not by any means accurate but will be close enough.

The problem with picking cars out for you is that anything can look decent in pictures, you really need to get a feel for the seller and see the car ideally. If you do the same search as i've just done (but with your postcode) you'll see just how overpriced that specific car is, regardless of history. Could probably swallow an extra couple of hundred for an exceptional example but remember it's a focus - rarely do they break in an expensive way. Will try and look a few out later for you to have a look through if it helps, i'm sure others can do the same
 
Don't pay that much, I picked up my 03 Focus with 56k and full Ford service history for that 12 months ago and I thought I paid a bit over the odds back then. I paid that much because it was the best out of the ones I looked at and I got a reasonable trade in price for my old car.
 
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rodenal said:
They may well have some sort of history on the car (or they could be at it) but as you say they will not have paid more than trade price for the car - stick the details onto the likes of the vauxhall value my car site and see what comes out, this is not by any means accurate but will be close enough.

The problem with picking cars out for you is that anything can look decent in pictures, you really need to get a feel for the seller and see the car ideally. If you do the same search as i've just done (but with your postcode) you'll see just how overpriced that specific car is, regardless of history. Could probably swallow an extra couple of hundred for an exceptional example but remember it's a focus - rarely do they break in an expensive way. Will try and look a few out later for you to have a look through if it helps, i'm sure others can do the same
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Janesy B said:
Don't pay that much, I picked up my 03 Focus with 56k and full Ford service history for that 12 months ago and I thought I paid a bit over the odds back then. I paid that much because it was the best out of the ones I looked at and I got a reasonable trade in price for my old car.
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Yea very good point there thinking about it. I do believe they have the history and they are not lying about what they said but i guess it does not hide the fact that it is overpriced. When I first saw the car (I don't know about cars) I thought it was very overpriced. I put it in Vauxhall and it came out at £1395 - £1525. I think if the car was around ~£1750 I would be very tempted.

I shall have a good look through auto trader and piston heads and try and short list a few. Yea I agree with that point shall take my dad along when looking at cars as he is very good at reading people and getting that 'hunch' if something feels wrong if that makes sense?

Thanks for that would be a great help just to give me an idea of what to look for in adverts off someone who is more knowledge able. I really like the new Fiesta 08/09 models is it shame I can't afford them :/. Shall also have a look at Ford Fiesta also? Whats your opinions on VW polo? Or are they slightly outside my price bracket .


Cheers for that Jansesy. Look like this one is far tom uch
 
Here few examples of some Polo if you could let me know what you think:


2001 Volkswagen Polo 1.4 SE 5dr [60bhp] Hatchback


2000 VOLKSWAGEN Polo 1.4 SE

VOLKSWAGEN Polo 1.2 E 55

VOLKSWAGEN Polo 1.4 Sport 100

VOLKSWAGEN POLO 1.2 S 55 3DR - Looks very good condition

Volkswagen Polo 1.2 Twist 5dr 2005 Special Editions



Or would you still reccommend going down the Ford route much prefer the lucks of the polo. And a few years ago got given a VW golf as a courtesy car and thought it was great to drive
 
What you want is what everyone else wants and every dealer is buying for pennies polishing and flipping, if it were me I'd be looking at a private sale with one owner just because it hasn't been 'in the trade'
 
I'd either go for something from Japan if you wanted reliability, say a Micra or a small peugeot if you want cheap to maintain. All hail the 106. :D Millions of the little buggers around, parts are cheap, sweet FA to go wrong if you get a diesel one.
 
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[TW]Fox;21880413 said:
And Tesco pay 10p for the milk you buy for 70p, what's your point?
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If I could easily go to the supplier tesco use and pay 10p for said milk then I would do.

Or if somebody else sold the same milk for only a 30p uplift on the 10p cost that's where I'd be looking

That's my point :p
 
Had a quick look

The 306 is ludicrously priced - I didn't think they done a na diesel at that age but regardless it's not worth thinking about twice.

Focus looks resonable enough but it's a 2004 car not a 2005, wonder what other little errors they've made in the listing. Still a bit steep mind would have thought that was £2k worth of car personally.

The Jazz looks ok, I would go and drive one of these as well as a focus though as they're a world apart - good, practical little cars though.
 
rodenal said:
Had a quick look

The 306 is ludicrously priced - I didn't think they done a na diesel at that age but regardless it's not worth thinking about twice.

Focus looks resonable enough but it's a 2004 car not a 2005, wonder what other little errors they've made in the listing. Still a bit steep mind would have thought that was £2k worth of car personally.

The Jazz looks ok, I would go and drive one of these as well as a focus though as they're a world apart - good, practical little cars though.
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yea just showed my mate who said the same thing. Need to use the vauxhall evaluation thing more.

That is a very good point need to start becoming more aware of things like that but i guess it shall come with practice.

The car only has to last me a year or two so as long as it gets me to work I am not to bothered about how fun it is to drive. As one I turn 21/22 I can look at getting a better car with cheaper insurance ClioSport is what I want.

003 HONDA Civic 1.6i VTEC Inspire S

What your opinion on that? Look pretty tidy inside?

Nomisf said:
Non turbo derv, 70bhp. Pretty damn good on diesel, but tedious to drive.

When looking at these, turbo dervs start at 90bhp , anything under is lacking the blower and as such, will be like piloting a tedious canal boat. Although can be had cheap, but not that one!
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Thanks for your input much appreciated shall cross that one of the list
 
rodenal said:
If I could easily go to the supplier tesco use and pay 10p for said milk then I would do.
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The general public cannot easily pop to auction and buy a car for the price it goes through at. Buyers premiums for non-traders can often add a suprising amount to the price and then of course there is the gamble factor on whether the car is any good or not. The trade is well qualified to spot the dogs and turns over enough cars to absorb the cost of not spotting a dog. The general public generally don't, especially somebody like the OP who seems like a normal chap who wants advice on what to buy rather than a car expert.

Quoting auction values in a thread where its obvious the OP will buy from an independant trader or a private seller is misleading IMHO :)

For a savvy enthusiuast, absolutely, but that isn't what this thread is.
 
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