Cheap suggestion

[The Octopus]

So I will be returning to the UK soon after spending the last 10 years in South East Asia. Not looking forward to the cold and drizzle, but can't wait for the abundance of reasonably priced cars. (My MkVI GTI cost 60,000 pounds in Singapore) They now cost 100,000 pounds new!

I need to save a deposit for a house before any silly purchases but will still need a weekend run about for me, wife and two young kids aged 5 and 2.

As I am saving most cash for a year or so I need to find a car with a very modest budget of around 5-6k. If you were in my situation what would you get with that money? I am thinking about maybe a good condition Peugeot 1.9 GTI but am open to all sorts of suggestions.

Thanks

[The Octopus]

Thanks for the response.

I guess to narrow it down 3 or 5 door would be fine. Not really into convertibles. Its only for weekends, rarely more than 50 mile trips with the monthly exception of a 200 mile round trip to see family.

Prefer something sporty. No wood veneer! Not worried too much about age, although something reliable would be preferable over something with lots of 'character'. Ideally I would like an air cooled 911, but the house must come first for the time being.

Kids are both very young so as long as I can squeeze them in the back and there is a boot that can take an overnight bag then space is not really a priority.

There is a BMW 840CI in the classifieds for around 6k that looks in good nick. Not sure about the colour though.

Thanks again

Edited by The Octopus on Friday 23 August 10:54

[The Octopus]

mikeyr said:

OP - out of interest have you looked on UK sites like Autotrader etc?

Sounds like prices here are so different to those you are used to that you might be pleasantly surprised by the wide range available to you.

Was a good article in Evo mag this month with some 4k heroes that might fit the bill, was particularly surprised to see that the Impreza RB5 was that cheap or indeed a nice tidy Clio 182?

What are petrol/insurance/road tax costs like out there?

Petrol is about 75p a litre. Insurance for the GTi for a mid 30s with 2 years no claims was about 900 pounds. Road tax is 600 pounds a year. Also every 10 years you have to purchase a certificate of entitlement for your car which is valid for 10 years. This is built into new car prices but if you keep the car for 10 years you have to pay again to renew it. If you buy a second hand car that has a certificate that expires you have to pay to renew it. The current cost for a certificate is, wait for it, 38,000 pounds.

Had a look around Autotrader and here, but there are so many cars at that price I just was kind of hoping for a few ideas for some good bargains. Thanks agian.