Reliable used cars
Discussion
Long story short: I need a reliable used car. The recent banger experience at £1k didn’t work with the 20 year old 100k plus miles car having issue after issue.
My budget is now £12k and I want the newest lowest mileage car I can get. My fiend says I can get a reliable car for half that price.
It needs to be a nice car too, but has to handle a 70 mile commute once a week, and then a 500 mile trip once a month when I have to visit head office.
Some cars I’ve seen :
Abarth 595 (2020) - £12k - probably not really an option, but looks and sounds good.
Ford Fiesta ST Line (2020) - £11.5 - really surprising driver dynamics.
Thoughts?
My budget is now £12k and I want the newest lowest mileage car I can get. My fiend says I can get a reliable car for half that price.
It needs to be a nice car too, but has to handle a 70 mile commute once a week, and then a 500 mile trip once a month when I have to visit head office.
Some cars I’ve seen :
Abarth 595 (2020) - £12k - probably not really an option, but looks and sounds good.
Ford Fiesta ST Line (2020) - £11.5 - really surprising driver dynamics.
Thoughts?
Edited by thebullettrain on Saturday 11th November 08:17
Reliable and Fiat don’t usually appear in the same category… my Abarth in my short ownership have multiple sensor failings and broken trim/door handles. It didn’t feel built to last, but it was comparatively cheap.
Toyota and Lexus are known for being bulletproof. But they’re very different propositions to an Abarth or Fiesta…
Toyota and Lexus are known for being bulletproof. But they’re very different propositions to an Abarth or Fiesta…
Reliable cars are easily available for half your budget. As others have suggested, I’d be going Korean. It won’t be fun, but it’ll work. The issue is that it seems you don’t only want a reliable car. Instead, you want reliable, “nice” (never really defined), and given your immediate shortlist, fun or sporty. And that does narrow the field somewhat.
You don’t say what your non-commuting use cases are. Are there family duties?
There’s a huge gap between 100k miles £1k cars and £12k cars too. A £1k car today would have been a £400 car 4 years ago.
You don’t say what your non-commuting use cases are. Are there family duties?
There’s a huge gap between 100k miles £1k cars and £12k cars too. A £1k car today would have been a £400 car 4 years ago.
When I opened a post about reliable cars and the first 2 suggestions were a Fiat and Fiesta most likely with the dodgy wet belt ecoboost engine I was somewhat surprised.
They will both be entertaining cars, but that wasn't the question.
I'd be trying to find a Suzuki Swift Sport Boosterjet that should just be in budget. (or one of the previous generation as a 'reliable car for half that budget')
Or be dull but reliable and go for a Jazz, Yaris, Auris, etc.
They will both be entertaining cars, but that wasn't the question.
I'd be trying to find a Suzuki Swift Sport Boosterjet that should just be in budget. (or one of the previous generation as a 'reliable car for half that budget')
Or be dull but reliable and go for a Jazz, Yaris, Auris, etc.
If you have £12k to spend you'll get something modern enough to largely be reliable by default. If you're looking at older cars and a lot less cash then you'd need to be a little more particular.
I bought a 12 year old E Class for £4k with 100k already on the clock, it never ever let me down. I did 1k a month in it and did 40k overall. Genuinely one of the best cars I've owned.
I bought a 12 year old E Class for £4k with 100k already on the clock, it never ever let me down. I did 1k a month in it and did 40k overall. Genuinely one of the best cars I've owned.
I would go for anything Japanese or German. After lots of research I`ve just bought an Audi A3 1.4 TFSi . The post 2014 1.4 petrol models get rave reviews on reliability and economy, 50+ mpg and £20 road tax. Mine has a full history since new, only faults in 50K miles were a couple of ABS sensors. Don't be put off by tales of huge Audi Dealer servicing costs. Any decent small Indy will be able to look after one.
As with any used car its a matter of how the car was used and maintained, plus luck?
As with any used car its a matter of how the car was used and maintained, plus luck?
Alex_225 said:
If you have £12k to spend you'll get something modern enough to largely be reliable by default. If you're looking at older cars and a lot less cash then you'd need to be a little more particular.
I bought a 12 year old E Class for £4k with 100k already on the clock, it never ever let me down. I did 1k a month in it and did 40k overall. Genuinely one of the best cars I've owned.
Granted mine was newer, but I’d echo the merc option. I bought a 75k mile 5 year old E220 cdi (we’re they CDI in 2014? I can’t remember) and in 3 years and by the time I sold it with 135k miles it never missed a beat. Drove it long distance, short distance, loaded with builders crap for tip runs, sat idling in traffic for hours and it was perfect every time. I bought a 12 year old E Class for £4k with 100k already on the clock, it never ever let me down. I did 1k a month in it and did 40k overall. Genuinely one of the best cars I've owned.
Not exactly an abarth, but I sold it for 9k a few years ago so it’s probably a 6k car now and it’ll keep going as long as you service it I guess.
stupidbutkeen said:
If your just looking for a realiable car, Look for a lexus/toyota.
You could easy get a ct200h, Mine is a 2016 with 77k miles and its only worth aprrox 10k now for example.
I’d agree with that. If you’d rather not see the inside of a dealership from one year to another, just buy a Lexus.You could easy get a ct200h, Mine is a 2016 with 77k miles and its only worth aprrox 10k now for example.
AlmostUseful said:
Alex_225 said:
If you have £12k to spend you'll get something modern enough to largely be reliable by default. If you're looking at older cars and a lot less cash then you'd need to be a little more particular.
I bought a 12 year old E Class for £4k with 100k already on the clock, it never ever let me down. I did 1k a month in it and did 40k overall. Genuinely one of the best cars I've owned.
Granted mine was newer, but I’d echo the merc option. I bought a 75k mile 5 year old E220 cdi (we’re they CDI in 2014? I can’t remember) and in 3 years and by the time I sold it with 135k miles it never missed a beat. Drove it long distance, short distance, loaded with builders crap for tip runs, sat idling in traffic for hours and it was perfect every time. I bought a 12 year old E Class for £4k with 100k already on the clock, it never ever let me down. I did 1k a month in it and did 40k overall. Genuinely one of the best cars I've owned.
AlmostUseful said:
Monkeylegend said:
Just make sure you check the rear subframe for rust, and if it has adblue .................................run.
Ah, yeah, mine wasn’t an adblue one. Assume no rust, can’t recall ever looking but imagine the MOT man would have picked it up.
Anyway, great car!
Sometimes the first thing you know about it is when the rear suspension collapses.
Edited by Monkeylegend on Saturday 11th November 11:39
Generally you want something Japanese with a normally aspirated petrol (piston!) engine for best reliability. Then just be aware of rust.
My 2007 Merc has been relatively pricey to keep running. You may get lucky, and there are at least specialists out there who can keep them on the road for less, but they feel a couple of steps less reliable than the Japanese cars I've had.
I'd go Toyota or Lexus.
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