Should I Buy a Second Car?/Best Car for Around a Grand
Discussion
Part 1: I currently own a 2007 350z. I use her as my daily and the miles are building up at an alarming rate. I'm looking to buy a second car.
The thing is, I probably won't use the 350 all that much if I have a second car (or first car, depending on which way you look at it), but I don't want to sell up. During the winter she'd be SORN'd and tucked up in bed, saving a sum in tax - not to mention a small fortune in petrol. Having just bought my first house (November), I question the wisdom of doing this. What would you do in the same position? Money wouldn't be an issue barring a catastrophe, although saving a bit on petrol wouldn't hurt.
Which brings me on to part 2: suggestions for engaging cars for less than £1500. Cheap to run, cheap to repair, fairly practical (in the very least more so than the 350) and not so old and haggard that they struggle to keep pace with traffic. My only caveat is that mileage should be below 70,000.
I look forward to dismissing your suggestions out of hand.
The thing is, I probably won't use the 350 all that much if I have a second car (or first car, depending on which way you look at it), but I don't want to sell up. During the winter she'd be SORN'd and tucked up in bed, saving a sum in tax - not to mention a small fortune in petrol. Having just bought my first house (November), I question the wisdom of doing this. What would you do in the same position? Money wouldn't be an issue barring a catastrophe, although saving a bit on petrol wouldn't hurt.
Which brings me on to part 2: suggestions for engaging cars for less than £1500. Cheap to run, cheap to repair, fairly practical (in the very least more so than the 350) and not so old and haggard that they struggle to keep pace with traffic. My only caveat is that mileage should be below 70,000.
I look forward to dismissing your suggestions out of hand.
wolves_wanderer said:
I have an MGZS 180 that I bought for £950 about 3 years ago. I doubt they have appreciated much since 
It's funny you mention the ZS; a cursory search of Autotrader (edit: and PistonHeads, ahem...) seems to yield little else! I have seen a couple of Focuses at that price point, however I'm hoping for something more interesting which is why I ask the PH massive. I fully appreciate my criterion are narrow! Edited by Alias218 on Monday 8th February 16:31
Are you able to lift share? I am in a similar position to you and also drive a fuel hungry Nissan therefore lift sharing is my option of choice as right now I can't justify the outlay of a 2nd car.
I love the ZS & ZT's but make sure you check out how much tyres are going to cost, I seem to remember wheel being on the larger size. Maybe a Rover 45/75 instead, the Club versions of the 75 came with dinky wheels
I love the ZS & ZT's but make sure you check out how much tyres are going to cost, I seem to remember wheel being on the larger size. Maybe a Rover 45/75 instead, the Club versions of the 75 came with dinky wheels
It's a somewhat slippery slope, well if you're a muppet like I am. Long story short, from buying a daily runner I've ended up with four cars! Three of which are pampered and one is the daily workhorse.
I can't help but get attached to them! Be warned hahaha
That said I'd recommend a daily driver, you can pick up a decent car for very little money and you'll enjoy knowing that your 350 is safe at home, not in all the sh*tty weather and not putting many miles on it.
If you want something fun, buy a Clio 172. You'll get 35mpg out of it easily and 40mpg+ on a steady run. That said my daily is a Saab (albeit deisel) and it's serves me very well indeed, a hell of a lot of well built car for the money.
I can't help but get attached to them! Be warned hahaha
That said I'd recommend a daily driver, you can pick up a decent car for very little money and you'll enjoy knowing that your 350 is safe at home, not in all the sh*tty weather and not putting many miles on it.
If you want something fun, buy a Clio 172. You'll get 35mpg out of it easily and 40mpg+ on a steady run. That said my daily is a Saab (albeit deisel) and it's serves me very well indeed, a hell of a lot of well built car for the money.
TooMany2cvs said:
Is there any rational logic behind that, or just some kind of mad whim?
I want to put the miles on it. That's pretty much the rationale behind it, although I am open to a well serviced high miler. The only problem is that at this price that's going to be like finding a grain of salt in a sea of sand. Generally speaking, lower miles will mean less wear and less lurking nasties assuming all else checks out. This is not always the case, I know, but in the budget market most of these cars aren't going to be well kept, even less so the higher the mileage.
I had the same thought process as you a couple of years back. Couple of glasses of wine on a Sunday evening, Checking out eBay ads, one bid and 2 hours later.....and......Bingo:
£560 for a 2001 Alfa 147 manual 2Litre TSpark Lusso, leather interior with 110k on the clock. I actually thought it was a 1.6 litre when I bought it - I blame the wine !
Ran the car for 2 years, annual service, breezed through the MOT, couple of tyres , replacement bulbs, the odd warning light that would light up the dashboard for a day or two (that's Alfas for you !!) Fantastic little car to drive, road tax was £290 but worth it. Only let the car go due to parking issues for a second car.
Look for one that's had a cambelt / waterpump change in the last 3 years, or just haggle hard and budget circa £350-400 from an independent.
£560 for a 2001 Alfa 147 manual 2Litre TSpark Lusso, leather interior with 110k on the clock. I actually thought it was a 1.6 litre when I bought it - I blame the wine !
Ran the car for 2 years, annual service, breezed through the MOT, couple of tyres , replacement bulbs, the odd warning light that would light up the dashboard for a day or two (that's Alfas for you !!) Fantastic little car to drive, road tax was £290 but worth it. Only let the car go due to parking issues for a second car.
Look for one that's had a cambelt / waterpump change in the last 3 years, or just haggle hard and budget circa £350-400 from an independent.
TommoAE86 said:
Are you able to lift share? I am in a similar position to you and also drive a fuel hungry Nissan therefore lift sharing is my option of choice as right now I can't justify the outlay of a 2nd car.
I love the ZS & ZT's but make sure you check out how much tyres are going to cost, I seem to remember wheel being on the larger size. Maybe a Rover 45/75 instead, the Club versions of the 75 came with dinky wheels
I'm not keen on the idea of lift sharing. I've done that before and people get fed up with the inconvenience of it. Plus I'd like a car for shopping duties. A Rover 75 isn't a bad shout! I'd end up looking at the wrong specs though I love the ZS & ZT's but make sure you check out how much tyres are going to cost, I seem to remember wheel being on the larger size. Maybe a Rover 45/75 instead, the Club versions of the 75 came with dinky wheels
Alex_225 said:
It's a somewhat slippery slope, well if you're a muppet like I am. Long story short, from buying a daily runner I've ended up with four cars! Three of which are pampered and one is the daily workhorse.
I can't help but get attached to them! Be warned hahaha
That said I'd recommend a daily driver, you can pick up a decent car for very little money and you'll enjoy knowing that your 350 is safe at home, not in all the sh*tty weather and not putting many miles on it.
If you want something fun, buy a Clio 172. You'll get 35mpg out of it easily and 40mpg+ on a steady run. That said my daily is a Saab (albeit deisel) and it's serves me very well indeed, a hell of a lot of well built car for the money.
I have though about a Clio 172. A lot of car for not much cash. Same goes for the Saab. I can't help but get attached to them! Be warned hahaha
That said I'd recommend a daily driver, you can pick up a decent car for very little money and you'll enjoy knowing that your 350 is safe at home, not in all the sh*tty weather and not putting many miles on it.
If you want something fun, buy a Clio 172. You'll get 35mpg out of it easily and 40mpg+ on a steady run. That said my daily is a Saab (albeit deisel) and it's serves me very well indeed, a hell of a lot of well built car for the money.
I'm not sure whether it would meet the 'practical' requirements, but I suspect if I were in that situation (and as a big fan of sporty Japanese cars) this is where my money would go.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...
Or on the least rust-affected 1.7 Ford Puma I could find- yesterday I collected a pretty tidy 2002, one owner from new, 72,000 mile Puma that my cousin had purchased for a whopping £600. It was an incredibly enjoyable way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon!
But both of those would be heavily prioritising the 'fun' aspect ahead of practicality.
I was in the situation back in October of looking for a cheap, comfy estate car to use for general duties- at the same £1,500 budget. At that point however I noticed how much of a difference another £500 made and went for 2004 Accord Estate Executive 2.4 petrol, fully loaded with all the toys at £2k.
Trying to combine all the things you are after at £1,500 is going to be difficult. I guess, as already mentioned, a Clio 172/182 would be a decent shout.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...
Or on the least rust-affected 1.7 Ford Puma I could find- yesterday I collected a pretty tidy 2002, one owner from new, 72,000 mile Puma that my cousin had purchased for a whopping £600. It was an incredibly enjoyable way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon!
But both of those would be heavily prioritising the 'fun' aspect ahead of practicality.
I was in the situation back in October of looking for a cheap, comfy estate car to use for general duties- at the same £1,500 budget. At that point however I noticed how much of a difference another £500 made and went for 2004 Accord Estate Executive 2.4 petrol, fully loaded with all the toys at £2k.
Trying to combine all the things you are after at £1,500 is going to be difficult. I guess, as already mentioned, a Clio 172/182 would be a decent shout.
nw28840 said:
I had the same thought process as you a couple of years back. Couple of glasses of wine on a Sunday evening, Checking out eBay ads, one bid and 2 hours later.....and......Bingo:
£560 for a 2001 Alfa 147 manual 2Litre TSpark Lusso, leather interior with 110k on the clock. I actually thought it was a 1.6 litre when I bought it - I blame the wine !
Ran the car for 2 years, annual service, breezed through the MOT, couple of tyres , replacement bulbs, the odd warning light that would light up the dashboard for a day or two (that's Alfas for you !!) Fantastic little car to drive, road tax was £290 but worth it. Only let the car go due to parking issues for a second car.
Look for one that's had a cambelt / waterpump change in the last 3 years, or just haggle hard and budget circa £350-400 from an independent.
As much as I admire Alfa, I can just see myself parting ways with £600 and driving straight to the nearest scrapyard. I've always wanted one, but the stories (and residuals - not that that matters here) have scared me off. But I suppose for £600, who cares?£560 for a 2001 Alfa 147 manual 2Litre TSpark Lusso, leather interior with 110k on the clock. I actually thought it was a 1.6 litre when I bought it - I blame the wine !
Ran the car for 2 years, annual service, breezed through the MOT, couple of tyres , replacement bulbs, the odd warning light that would light up the dashboard for a day or two (that's Alfas for you !!) Fantastic little car to drive, road tax was £290 but worth it. Only let the car go due to parking issues for a second car.
Look for one that's had a cambelt / waterpump change in the last 3 years, or just haggle hard and budget circa £350-400 from an independent.
Alias218 said:
I have though about a Clio 172. A lot of car for not much cash. Same goes for the Saab.
The Clio is actually a reliable little car, the engines are good for a fair few miles but keep in mind the cambelt and dephaser pulleys can need doing. I sold my last one with only 60k on the clock but had the cambelt and dephaser done by me. Everything worked well in terms of electrics and mechanically it was fine. I think the next owner had a few wear and tear bits to sort but it was fundamentally sound.
My Saab is (in my opinion) very impressive. Cost me £1,200 and although it has a few niggles it's a lot of car for the money. Everything works, it's comfy, economical but again any niggles it has I suspect will be wear and tear rather than fundamental issues.
I can only speak from experience as there's so much out there but good luck either way. I totally back you up on the whole second car thing though.
Alex_225 said:
Alias218 said:
I have though about a Clio 172. A lot of car for not much cash. Same goes for the Saab.
The Clio is actually a reliable little car, the engines are good for a fair few miles but keep in mind the cambelt and dephaser pulleys can need doing. I sold my last one with only 60k on the clock but had the cambelt and dephaser done by me. Everything worked well in terms of electrics and mechanically it was fine. I think the next owner had a few wear and tear bits to sort but it was fundamentally sound.
My Saab is (in my opinion) very impressive. Cost me £1,200 and although it has a few niggles it's a lot of car for the money. Everything works, it's comfy, economical but again any niggles it has I suspect will be wear and tear rather than fundamental issues.
I can only speak from experience as there's so much out there but good luck either way. I totally back you up on the whole second car thing though.
A Clio may have less potential for outrageous bills should something go wrong. A friend and my brother have each had a 182 in their time, and both have been great if a little rough and ready.
Keep the ideas coming, people! I'm open to any suggestion so long as you can justify it.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff