What car for £2k ish - Low 12 mth opportunity cost is focus
Discussion
Hi All,
I'm usually the one answering these type of threads but I'm about to buy a vehicle in an area of the market that I'm not constantly looking at so would like a bit of advise please.
I currently have a Z4 and have done for the past 3 years. It is now time to move on and my intention is to get into something cheap to own & run for 12 months, save up some further cash and then go out and buy something sporty again.
With this in mind, I'm thinking about what I could purchase for around the £2k mark that would present a low overall opportunity cost so... cheap to buy, good to sell on and wont cost a lot to run whilst I own it. My criteria is therefore:
Budget - upto £2k (although could spend more if I could get most of it back again in 12mths)
Fuel Type - Diesel would be my preference but not set in stone
Vehicle type - Anything really although I don't really need an estate but would still consider it
Drive - manual
Miles - not bothered as long as the engine is proven to do big figures
Entertainment value - would be nice if it was fun but certainly not imperative
Age - Ideally > 1995 (M/N)
So far I have been thinking of the following (and appreaciate that they are quite different vehicles) as I feel they would cost very little over 12 months. I'd appreciate some feedback on my choices and also any further suggestions if you have them.
Mazda Mx5 Mk1 - 1.6 or 1.8 £1.5k various ages and mileages
VW passat 1.9tdi ~ £1.5k for 1999, 120k with good service
VW Bora 1.9 tdi ~£2k for 2000, 120k with good service
Pegeout 306 1.9 (either turbo or non turbo) ~ less than £1k for 1997-2000, 120k with good service
BMW E36 3 series (various petrol from 1.8-2.3) approx £1k for 1995 - 1997, 120k ish
I'm fairly sure that the VW's would be good buys as they are well put together, the Pug is just cheap as chips all round and might be a lottery whether the car itself holds together for 12 months but the engones seem strong and the BMW seems a lot of car for the money.
Are any of these potential money pits and are there other things that I should take a look at? I'm also happy to go cheaper again if there are cars out there that would fit the bill.
Cheers
Tom
I'm usually the one answering these type of threads but I'm about to buy a vehicle in an area of the market that I'm not constantly looking at so would like a bit of advise please.
I currently have a Z4 and have done for the past 3 years. It is now time to move on and my intention is to get into something cheap to own & run for 12 months, save up some further cash and then go out and buy something sporty again.
With this in mind, I'm thinking about what I could purchase for around the £2k mark that would present a low overall opportunity cost so... cheap to buy, good to sell on and wont cost a lot to run whilst I own it. My criteria is therefore:
Budget - upto £2k (although could spend more if I could get most of it back again in 12mths)
Fuel Type - Diesel would be my preference but not set in stone
Vehicle type - Anything really although I don't really need an estate but would still consider it
Drive - manual
Miles - not bothered as long as the engine is proven to do big figures
Entertainment value - would be nice if it was fun but certainly not imperative
Age - Ideally > 1995 (M/N)
So far I have been thinking of the following (and appreaciate that they are quite different vehicles) as I feel they would cost very little over 12 months. I'd appreciate some feedback on my choices and also any further suggestions if you have them.
Mazda Mx5 Mk1 - 1.6 or 1.8 £1.5k various ages and mileages
VW passat 1.9tdi ~ £1.5k for 1999, 120k with good service
VW Bora 1.9 tdi ~£2k for 2000, 120k with good service
Pegeout 306 1.9 (either turbo or non turbo) ~ less than £1k for 1997-2000, 120k with good service
BMW E36 3 series (various petrol from 1.8-2.3) approx £1k for 1995 - 1997, 120k ish
I'm fairly sure that the VW's would be good buys as they are well put together, the Pug is just cheap as chips all round and might be a lottery whether the car itself holds together for 12 months but the engones seem strong and the BMW seems a lot of car for the money.
Are any of these potential money pits and are there other things that I should take a look at? I'm also happy to go cheaper again if there are cars out there that would fit the bill.
Cheers
Tom
Out of those 5 buy the mx5 but make sure it isnt rotting away underneath and the sills.
The others, well, i dont buy into this full service s
te because i have had a Bora tdi with an immense history and it was an unreliable dog that cost me a fortune.
Same goes for a BMW 318 with the same huge service history, absolute turd of a car.
The peugeot will be solid but probably nothing will work.
I do like the focus though but havent had one (unless you count the one that i had for about 100 metres before it broke down so i gave it back!).
The others, well, i dont buy into this full service s
te because i have had a Bora tdi with an immense history and it was an unreliable dog that cost me a fortune. Same goes for a BMW 318 with the same huge service history, absolute turd of a car.
The peugeot will be solid but probably nothing will work.
I do like the focus though but havent had one (unless you count the one that i had for about 100 metres before it broke down so i gave it back!).
tomwoodis said:
Is the Alfa known for its reliability though?
Alfa's are rarely known for their reliability, but I never had any major problems with the 156. I did 25k miles in the year, including jaunts to Bournemouth and Shetland, and it never missed a beat. I spent about £500 on it in those 12 months.Might be better off going Japanese, though.
edo said:
mate of mine bought a focus and it was an unreliable piece of st (twice your budget).
Buy an mx5 now whilst it is still cold. They don't go wrong (just check for rust), and sell in the summer. You shouldn't lose much at all.
yes, I've had quite a few older fiesta's and well..... lets put it this way, I have been put off Fords for lifet (twice your budget).Buy an mx5 now whilst it is still cold. They don't go wrong (just check for rust), and sell in the summer. You shouldn't lose much at all.
I am tempted by the Mx 5 idea, just seems like good value fun
Jw Vw said:
The Passat diesels are bulletproof and run to high mileages, the MX-5 will be a sporty reliable little runaround for quite a small outlay. Out of your original choices I would be choosing between these two.
funnily enough, these 2 are ranked 1 and 2 for me at the moment so thats good to heartomwoodis said:
been there and done that but great shout. Used to have a Mk2 imported turbo, hell of a lot of fun but being realistic, for 2k it would be an N/A and I just know I would spend the time wishing I had my turbo back 
spend a bit more and get a mk3 then, if you buy the right car you will lose next to nothing over a year.Personally I'd go for a complete contrast. Buy something like a Mercedes W124 diesel and run that for a year. It'll be slow, refined, relaxing, all the things a sports car isn't. Enjoy the contrast, then in a years time you'll move it on and buy something sporty again. Or buy something sporty as well.
Either way a W124 derv would fit all your criteria and should be cost neutral over the year as they're increasing a little at the moment.
Either way a W124 derv would fit all your criteria and should be cost neutral over the year as they're increasing a little at the moment.
A quick look in the classifieds gives you alot of choice. How about an fto? Or like someone else said go for something wafty and enjoy contrast xj6? Or a big Lexus. There are plenty of e46 bmw's in budget they seem to hold value quite well. A couple of Clio 172's but maybe moneypits at that kind of money?
Failing that I would go for a decent mx5, I'll shut up now.
Failing that I would go for a decent mx5, I'll shut up now.
Octavia TDi 110. Get an SLX and you get climate etc. Retro-fit the cruise control enabled indicator stalk from a Passat and job jobbed. Mine has been absolutely bomb proof for nearly 3 years and 97k miles! My £2k hack budget will be going into a Skoda for as long as they represent the excellent value for money they have done for the past 10 years. 
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff