need a new car.....ideas?

[tvradict]

Ok, My bloody car is costing a small fortune to run just now, it probably has something to do with that fact that I am always hooning it about the place, but thats not important!

My requirements are, quick, fun, some space for all my crap, cheap to by, tax and insure, and something that doesn't cost a fortune to keep on the road!

Budget is around £1000, and insurance needs to be under £1000.

TIA

Stuart

[DennisTheMenace]

*cough* i dont want to say this but *cough* Nissan , toyota , mazda anything jap is reliable , just get a quote before you buy

[tvradict]

If anyone else said that I would stab them, but your helpful with car electrics and alarms so I think I'll spare you.......for now

Hmmm, Jap, Dunno, maybe, was thinking german myself, but insurance for those things is horrendous!

Cheers Dennis I'll look into it!!

[smeagol]

Old style mini cooper. I got one and never regretted it (mine was a bit more pricey though £6.5k). The quick bit is more nippy but the rest applies. £1k isn't a great deal though if £2k budget get a quote for insurance first and then spend the difference.

[tvradict]

£1k budget is car only!!

Oooh, Mini Cooper *Drool*

Another superb idea brought to me by Pistonheads!

[chris.mapey]

Mini - top idea

dont buy a cooper tho' too much money, mine was a £200 City when I got it, £500 S/H Downton 1310cc, £20 Roll cage, £25 Seats (cheers Grant!), insurance is only £85 for the year (Herts ins, 3000miles)

GREAT FUN & Quicker than most boy racers expect!!

Chris

[DennisTheMenace]

Hate to say it but mini's are trouble if you want something to run on beer mat money it's got to be jap , i had a nissan cherry for about a year never done anything to it other than stick gogo juice in it and insurance was cheap

[CarZee]

DennisTheMenace said: *cough* i dont want to say this but *cough* Nissan , toyota , mazda anything jap is reliable , just get a quote before you buy

woah there Denny..

Jap cars are okay if they've been looked after properly. If not, they're at least as expensive as German cars to fix. Potential bills of the moocho grande variety. And the bodywork is tinfoil. Especially Hondas. That said, Mrs Zee sold an E reg Civic to a guy we used to work with and it's still going with ne'er a hiccup. £700 she got for it.

I'd imagine that in Stuarts economic bracket the most mechanically simple cars would be the prime candidates.

Not, however, the most likely to need enormous welding and a subframe or two. So avoid Minis. Hilarious fun but not for long journeys. They're difficult to work on in some ways because of all the kit crammed into such a tiny package.. working under the bonnet requires the (ahem) arms & fingers of a small child.

Remember, they were British Leyland.. lovely car but manufactured from rust and mud, because that's what people liked in them days. Especially when working 3 day weeks.. not long enough to heat up the furnesses you see.. plenty of time for foraging in woodlands for a bit that would make a good rear quarter though

>> Edited by CarZee (moderator) on Sunday 9th March 01:00

[Umar B]

Easy choice.

MK1 MR2
Mid engined
RWD
TWIN CAM engine
Easy to get one for under 1k

Only downside is it only has 2 seats

Umar B

[deltaf]

And whuts wrong with Jappo cars denny? ?
Cheap reliable and value for money!
Not sure if the Mr2 would be big nuff tho Umar!

[yertis]

What happened to the Audi 90 quattro idea then?

I suppose they are quite expensive to insure.

[mikes]

Other problem with a Mk 1 MR2 for less than a grand is that it will last till the MOT excpires, and then when you try and weld the rust to the rust it won't work! I tried to buy several, but they were all rotten, and usually overpriced by their apparently blind owners!

Try a Peugeot 309GTi 1.9. A barrel of laughs, bid enough and cheap. Plus they don't rust if their not crashed, although the interior can be a bit brittle.

Failing that something Jap, eg Primera eGT.

Mike.