Second hand car

[Disturbedguy]

Hi all,

Last week I was involved in a bit of a bump, a lorry decided it wanted to mate with my car.

The damage is drivers side, rear quarter up to and including front quarter - dents and scratches and what looks to be sill (possible frame damage) also. The car is being looked at this week to see if its repairable or not.

Due to this, I am preparing myself for the worst possible scenario that the car is written off due to the frame damage so I am looking for possible second hand cars.

From looking at sites such as we buy any car and such, the car has been valued at about 4K, so I have been looking at second hand cars for around the 3K price range.

Was wondering if anyone could recommend a particular make or even model to go for, as a second hand car?

I have quite long legs so needs some decent leg room up front.

Cheers,

[scaryjim]

Hmmm, normally I'd make some comment about Kias, given they have a 7 year warranty, but even going up to £4k you'll struggle to get one less than 6 years old. Beyond that I'm a bit out of the loop on used car reliability (since I haven't owned a car in almost a decade).

When I last bought I was initially looking in the £3k price range, but given the age and condition of cars I was looking at I decided to drop down to £1k and just buy a car that would do. You'll be getting older cars that way, but tbh if you buy anything over 5 years old I reckon you're likely to be spending money on it within the first couple of years anyway. And yes, I did end up spending a reasonable amount of money on that car, but that was more down to me not doing my research first and just falling in love with a Rover 414i....

Sorry, that wasn't much use in the end, was it!

[Zak33]

Toyota Auris petrol

great value and v reliable.

leg room ok too.

[Ttaskmaster]

Something with the ASZ 1.9TDi 130PD engine should be pretty darn decent - That gives you things like the VW Golf, Bora/Jetta or Passat, Audis, Seats, even a Škoda Octavia (my personal favourite, of course).
Three grand would get you a very good nick mkI Octavia in full L&K trim with all the toys... same for a decent C-Class Mercedes, with loads of room.

Bar four wheels and leg room, are there any more requirements to us help narrow down the thousands of possible cars that fit the spec?

[jimbouk]

I'm also looking for a car at the moment. My £3k option is a nice practical (read ruinous and stupid) RX-8. Maybe spend more and get a Volvo C30 or take out a loan and stretch to a GT86. I think my requirements (almost 4 seats, something quirky and fun that doesn't look like every other car) are probably different!

Petrol or diesel? Fuel economy or performance? Genuinely seats 4 adults or 2 and a squeeze?

Agree with scaryjim's comment about a cheaper car though, £3k's not going to get you anything with manufacturers warranty so unless you're after something specific then maybe something cheaper with a bit maintenance budget?

[DanceswithUnix]

With no guidelines/constraints, I would suggest:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...01702031954665

2 door, but long wheelbase so plenty of room up front and actually pretty decent in the back too. Only 150BHP, but if that seems pedestrian the engines can generally be mapped up to 190BHP.

Not checked the prices of the diesels, but the wife's V6 petrol seems to be going up in value rather than down which is always nice

[Disturbedguy]

Something with the ASZ 1.9TDi 130PD engine should be pretty darn decent - That gives you things like the VW Golf, Bora/Jetta or Passat, Audis, Seats, even a Škoda Octavia (my personal favourite, of course).
Three grand would get you a very good nick mkI Octavia in full L&K trim with all the toys... same for a decent C-Class Mercedes, with loads of room.

Bar four wheels and leg room, are there any more requirements to us help narrow down the thousands of possible cars that fit the spec?

Has to be bigger then 1.2 engine and generally reliable and preferably bigger then Ford Ka and that size.

I'll have a look at your suggests as they are all ideal and what was in the back of my mind anyway

[SHare]

The suzuki swift sport is a seemingly excellent car in that sort of price bracket. Simple but rev happy naturally aspirated engine coupled with great handling, should be decent on fuel and have fairly modest servicing costs too.

[Dashers]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...01702182446782

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...01702212547051

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...01702152348253

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...01701261693052

Some ideas for something fun to drive with a bit of leg room. All reputable brands that should be easy enough to find good mechanics and parts for.

The only one I've got first-hand experience with is the TT, I had a MK1 and ran it to over 100K miles no major problems - I'm also six foot with longish legs if that helps.

As with all cars of this age and spec, you need to get one that has been serviced (preferably by an independent specialist instead of the apprentices at the main dealers), and check buying guides for the models to find out what common parts fail and how much they are to replace.

e.g. the MK1 TT had a problem with the dials on the dashpod failing, it's only about £100 to fix, but it requires posting your dash off to a repair company.

[PES2018]

Ford Focus at £3k would get you a lot of car. There are just thousands of them available and they are very well made.

[EndlessWaves]

I think my requirements (almost 4 seats, something quirky and fun that doesn't look like every other car) are probably different!

Toyota iQ? A cute little french car (designed by Toyota ED² in Nice) that almost has four seats.

Works best in white for me.

[Disturbedguy]

My last post was a little brief, wanted to leave work and beat traffic (I didn't beat the traffic).

Has to last at least two years
Fuel Type: Petrol
Eco or Performance: Not overly fussed but something with a bit of performance would be nice
Seats: 4 will be fine, very rarely anyone in the back of my car
Current Car: Corsa - I dont want another Vaux though


The big thing for me will be insurance, once ive got a list of cars i can insurance hunt.

Do like the suggestion of golf / bora / passat and ofc scooby are all nice shouts.

[jimbouk]

The big thing for me will be insurance, once ive got a list of cars i can insurance hunt..

That rules the Scooby out from those 4 linked! Suzuki Swift Sport would be a good shout, there are a few of the leggier cars around for less than £3k.

[GoNz0]

My last post was a little brief, wanted to leave work and beat traffic (I didn't beat the traffic).

Has to last at least two years
Fuel Type: Petrol
Eco or Performance: Not overly fussed but something with a bit of performance would be nice
Seats: 4 will be fine, very rarely anyone in the back of my car
Current Car: Corsa - I dont want another Vaux though


The big thing for me will be insurance, once ive got a list of cars i can insurance hunt.

Do like the suggestion of golf / bora / passat and ofc scooby are all nice shouts.

Mrs G went from a Corsa to a Mini Cooper Clubman, stupid amount of legroom in the front, i'm 6.2 and need to move the seat forward a few inches.

[Dashers]

If you can fit in a Corsa then you can fit in anything.

I'd had said TT again, but insurance might sting you on that. Still 225 bhp with four wheel drive is a hoot for a daily driver. Emergency back-seats too.

[Ttaskmaster]

If you can fit in a Corsa then you can fit in anything.

We got a full double bed into the old Corsa, once... No way that'd go in the saloon Merc that replaced it. Jus' sayin...