Short term motor required - What and where ?

[chrisdk]

A bit of advice would be appreciated.

To cut a long story short, I'm returning to the UK on 01 March after 18 months abroad and will need a car from day one (give or take a couple of days) to start my new job. I know the motor I want, it's an Mk2 MX5 but I'm having trouble finding a decent example at a fair price. My dad has been to view a couple for me and reckons I should just hang on and wait until I see the best example and then snap it up.

This will leave me with a gap in car ownership so I've been looking at something to fill the gap and think I might go down the bangernomics route, something with a a few months ticket on it which I can then move on a few weeks later at zero loss (ideally).

So the question is, if you had to go and buy a car today / tomorrow so you could start at work on Monday:
a) what would you buy (ideally something interesting)
B) where would you buy it ? E-Bay, PH, AutoT, advert in a post office window ?

Not the most original post, but I'd be interested in hearing people's opinions...

Thanks,

Chris

[Ozzie Osmond]

chrisdk said:

So the question is, if you had to go and buy a car today / tomorrow so you could start at work on Monday:
a) what would you buy (ideally something interesting)
B) where would you buy it ? E-Bay, PH, AutoT, advert in a post office window ?

I'd rent, and make a real push on finding an MX-5 asap. There's thousands in the classifieds.

[carmadgaz]

Honestly if I am in desperate need of a vehicle I'm not even remotely fussed to what it is, as long as it has a long MOT (tax is a bonus). Go on condition.

2 out of 3 times I've ended up with Ford Escorts but they did the job as transport, both were under £400 with long MOTs and lasted until a different vehicle was found / My proper car came back from the bodyshop.

Added bonus was I bought the last one for £300, ran it for nearly 5 months and sold it for £300

[chrisdk]

R.e. renting, I think you've hit the nail on the head there, there are probably two more options I'm missing:

c) Hire for a couple of weeks
d) Become a bit more open minded about MX5s.

The Phoenix special edition has caught my eye but they only seem to available from dealers at what seems like a hefty premium so I'm hoping to find something cheaper, but perhaps if that is "the price" I should either go for it or consider another model.

[vit4]

+1 on Ford Escorts. Even if they do go wrong, parts are generally dirt cheap. Not losing any more value and generally very reliable if they've been looked after, if a bit dull. In my experience anyway

[Chucklehead]

MX5's aren't going to get any cheaper as we head in to Spring so I'd sort asap.

Buy a £500 snotter and it'll still be worth £500 in a month or so though. Could use the money for tyres or insurance I suppose..

[R60EST]

Ebay , set your search criteria to nearest first and don't specify any type. There will be 100's of cars within a 5 mile radius of where you live. Add the likely candidates to your watched items and then go and see the ones you like best.

Try not to fixate on one model or manufacturer , buy something which meets your budget , required size and mpg expectancy. The newer the car , longer MOT and some tax will make it easier to sell on later.