Biggest bargain car you've bought
Discussion
My BiL knows a lot of people and he was given ,for free , a 2002 BMW 320 ci.
It had some faults but he drove it round to my place and the roof worked.
It did catch fire some months later though and so got scrapped.
He often seems to be offered exceedingly cheap cars and often buys them and then doesn't tell my sister.
It had some faults but he drove it round to my place and the roof worked.
It did catch fire some months later though and so got scrapped.
He often seems to be offered exceedingly cheap cars and often buys them and then doesn't tell my sister.
1995 Toyota Rav4. Not as glamorous a bargain as many on this thread, but it's a cracking little car.
1 Lady owner since new, 57,000 on the clock with full yearly Toyota service history. £300.
Stuck a set of A/T tyres on it and it goes everywhere, shooting, dog duties, mountian biking. Bargain. Will be with me for many years.
1 Lady owner since new, 57,000 on the clock with full yearly Toyota service history. £300.
Stuck a set of A/T tyres on it and it goes everywhere, shooting, dog duties, mountian biking. Bargain. Will be with me for many years.
My current car probably, 2005 Laguna 2.2Dci Initiale Automatic 'sport' tourer.
90% of all the electronics work, granted the sat nav stuff was long removed when I got it, good tyres, I've done about 7k so far of the 'just add fuel and screenwash' variety. Passed it's MOT too, might even think about giving it an oil change and replacing the duff thermostat soon.
Cost? £0! Granted every day is a game of Modern Renault bingo, but I bought AA cover the day after getting it so WCPGW?
The one before was my last ZX 1.9td. £450 from a PHer actually. Front wheel fell off on the way home so £50 refunded to repair that, then 4 years of nothing more than an oil change twice, running on veg oil for most of it, and a set of tyres. Passed every MOT with no drama.
Sold it for £50, so £100 a year for trouble free (ish, but the ish's were mainly of my own causing) motoring.
SWMBO's current one is her Zafira. 2008 1.8Sri, 120k on the clock, some history, recalls done... £250 from her sister, who had got a company car, and was fed up of it costing her money to be sat outside her house. Granted it was an utter skip inside and out but 2 weekends of fairly hardcore detailing and removing (and not replacing) the smashed and gaffa taped front splitter helped there. We also sold her old Meriva that we had had £1000 of use out of for the past 5 years and 2 children for £250, so man maths tells me that the zaf is another free car (and much nicer in most ways than the meriva, even though it's still a vauxhall)
Our fleet at the moment (£0 Renault and £250 vauxhall) is probably the first time I'd not be too upset at a total loss insurance incident. "The value Mr Insurance? Well here's millions of £2,300 2008 Zafira's, and here's several £1000 Laguna2's... I'll take a cheque.
90% of all the electronics work, granted the sat nav stuff was long removed when I got it, good tyres, I've done about 7k so far of the 'just add fuel and screenwash' variety. Passed it's MOT too, might even think about giving it an oil change and replacing the duff thermostat soon.
Cost? £0! Granted every day is a game of Modern Renault bingo, but I bought AA cover the day after getting it so WCPGW?
The one before was my last ZX 1.9td. £450 from a PHer actually. Front wheel fell off on the way home so £50 refunded to repair that, then 4 years of nothing more than an oil change twice, running on veg oil for most of it, and a set of tyres. Passed every MOT with no drama.
Sold it for £50, so £100 a year for trouble free (ish, but the ish's were mainly of my own causing) motoring.
SWMBO's current one is her Zafira. 2008 1.8Sri, 120k on the clock, some history, recalls done... £250 from her sister, who had got a company car, and was fed up of it costing her money to be sat outside her house. Granted it was an utter skip inside and out but 2 weekends of fairly hardcore detailing and removing (and not replacing) the smashed and gaffa taped front splitter helped there. We also sold her old Meriva that we had had £1000 of use out of for the past 5 years and 2 children for £250, so man maths tells me that the zaf is another free car (and much nicer in most ways than the meriva, even though it's still a vauxhall)
Our fleet at the moment (£0 Renault and £250 vauxhall) is probably the first time I'd not be too upset at a total loss insurance incident. "The value Mr Insurance? Well here's millions of £2,300 2008 Zafira's, and here's several £1000 Laguna2's... I'll take a cheque.
My first car I got for £0. was a mk3 fiesta with 64,000miles on it. i owned it for 5 years and took it to 110,000miles, sold it for £150 scrap.
In the time i owned it all it needed was.
- new battery
- new alternator
- new exhaust
- some CV joint for the steering.
other than regular filter/oil changes and pads it never let me down. started all the time.
In the time i owned it all it needed was.
- new battery
- new alternator
- new exhaust
- some CV joint for the steering.
other than regular filter/oil changes and pads it never let me down. started all the time.
kiethton said:
layercake said:
kiethton said:
E39 BMW 540i sport
Bought from BCA at 115k miles in Jul-13 for £2,900, in the car whilst sorting insurance to drive away I found an invoice for 3 months prior for £6k in repairs! (cooling, suspension etc.).
In my ownership it had 4 tyres and an oil change, plus an alternator, S/H PAS pump and a gearbox rebuild (£2.4k total). Written off in December 2016 and paid out £5.5k, so ££200 profit.
I then bought it back for £500 and fixed the car for £800. I then sold it again last week for £2,500 (too cheap in hindsight, gone in 3 hours!)
Total profit = £1,500 effectively paying for 4 years of ownership
That was a lovely beamer, pretty sure I did contact you about it, but obviously you had too much demand, personally 2500 was giving it away i'd have asked for atleast 3k, but end of the day you sold it quicker and not out of pocket Bought from BCA at 115k miles in Jul-13 for £2,900, in the car whilst sorting insurance to drive away I found an invoice for 3 months prior for £6k in repairs! (cooling, suspension etc.).
In my ownership it had 4 tyres and an oil change, plus an alternator, S/H PAS pump and a gearbox rebuild (£2.4k total). Written off in December 2016 and paid out £5.5k, so ££200 profit.
I then bought it back for £500 and fixed the car for £800. I then sold it again last week for £2,500 (too cheap in hindsight, gone in 3 hours!)
Total profit = £1,500 effectively paying for 4 years of ownership
My currently owned 1981 Mercedes 500 SEL. I paid £1300 for it almost 3 years ago, it was advertised at a very smart dealers for £2k and I haggled hard over a few days until they finally accepted my offer.
I was advised by an expert the other day that it would probably fetch between £5000-£6000. I currently have an agreed insurance policy on it for £4000, so will have to enquire about upping it when I renew in August.
I was advised by an expert the other day that it would probably fetch between £5000-£6000. I currently have an agreed insurance policy on it for £4000, so will have to enquire about upping it when I renew in August.
Twas 2007 and purchase a 1.6 focus on 120K off a mates company for £2000. It had been ragged as a pool car. Put on anther 30K and and p/x'd it for £2000!
at car supermarket in 2009..
just after the market crash where 4x4's hit bottom. The focus was traded in for a 18month old Discovery 3 S with only 9000 miles. Ex mobility car. We paid £ 17,995!
Kept for 2 years and 12K later sold for £19,500
at car supermarket in 2009..
just after the market crash where 4x4's hit bottom. The focus was traded in for a 18month old Discovery 3 S with only 9000 miles. Ex mobility car. We paid £ 17,995!
Kept for 2 years and 12K later sold for £19,500
layercake said:
kiethton said:
layercake said:
kiethton said:
E39 BMW 540i sport
Bought from BCA at 115k miles in Jul-13 for £2,900, in the car whilst sorting insurance to drive away I found an invoice for 3 months prior for £6k in repairs! (cooling, suspension etc.).
In my ownership it had 4 tyres and an oil change, plus an alternator, S/H PAS pump and a gearbox rebuild (£2.4k total). Written off in December 2016 and paid out £5.5k, so ££200 profit.
I then bought it back for £500 and fixed the car for £800. I then sold it again last week for £2,500 (too cheap in hindsight, gone in 3 hours!)
Total profit = £1,500 effectively paying for 4 years of ownership
That was a lovely beamer, pretty sure I did contact you about it, but obviously you had too much demand, personally 2500 was giving it away i'd have asked for atleast 3k, but end of the day you sold it quicker and not out of pocket Bought from BCA at 115k miles in Jul-13 for £2,900, in the car whilst sorting insurance to drive away I found an invoice for 3 months prior for £6k in repairs! (cooling, suspension etc.).
In my ownership it had 4 tyres and an oil change, plus an alternator, S/H PAS pump and a gearbox rebuild (£2.4k total). Written off in December 2016 and paid out £5.5k, so ££200 profit.
I then bought it back for £500 and fixed the car for £800. I then sold it again last week for £2,500 (too cheap in hindsight, gone in 3 hours!)
Total profit = £1,500 effectively paying for 4 years of ownership
Just search what your after - e.g. 540i and it'll give everything that matches - normally pretty good (although some examples are pretty ropey!)
Edited by kiethton on Thursday 27th July 18:10
I'm gonna have to vote for my £1800, 2003 Toyota MR2. Was a decent price given the price/mileage/condition of equivalent cars, but in general, these are not expensive cars...
However, when you have a knackered Z4 Coupe needing a gearbox rebuild, and need money for a house move, finding yourself on the bones of your arse, to end up with what turns out to be a poor mans Elise for less than the price of a decent holiday along with a pocket full of notes makes it bloody good VFM in my book.
Because of that, I've bonded with it in a way few cars have managed, and frankly I'm not bothered whether it appreciates in value or not, it's here to stay!
However, when you have a knackered Z4 Coupe needing a gearbox rebuild, and need money for a house move, finding yourself on the bones of your arse, to end up with what turns out to be a poor mans Elise for less than the price of a decent holiday along with a pocket full of notes makes it bloody good VFM in my book.
Because of that, I've bonded with it in a way few cars have managed, and frankly I'm not bothered whether it appreciates in value or not, it's here to stay!
angels95 said:
I bought this at auction last year. It's a Peugeot 306 D Turbo. It had been owned by the same lady owner for 20 years after she bought it from the supplying dealer. It came with 19 service stamps and had done 147k. The MOT had run out. After fees it came to £103.
Straight away I knew it needed two front tyres for the MOT as both were bald with the cords showing. I took it down to the local scrappy where two part-worn branded tyres with 6mm+ tread were fitted and balanced for £30! It then flew through its MOT (£50). I then paid £20 to have it mopped and polished, which made the car look far more presentable.
Ended up with this with a full MOT owing me £203!
Used it for a few weeks (didn't miss a beat) and sold it on for a decent profit. A young lad flew from Northern Ireland to Gatwick to pick it up, and then drove it all the way back again. Judging by the response the ad got I could have sold it for more, but was pleased to see it go to someone who really wanted it.
That'll be 'felt spec'd now.. lowered to as low as it can go, big sunvisor stripe and black bumper from the excess unburnt red diesel bellowing out of its now modified exhaust.Straight away I knew it needed two front tyres for the MOT as both were bald with the cords showing. I took it down to the local scrappy where two part-worn branded tyres with 6mm+ tread were fitted and balanced for £30! It then flew through its MOT (£50). I then paid £20 to have it mopped and polished, which made the car look far more presentable.
Ended up with this with a full MOT owing me £203!
Used it for a few weeks (didn't miss a beat) and sold it on for a decent profit. A young lad flew from Northern Ireland to Gatwick to pick it up, and then drove it all the way back again. Judging by the response the ad got I could have sold it for more, but was pleased to see it go to someone who really wanted it.
My best bargain was the car everybody said would bankrupt me , a 2009 Impreza WRX bought in 2013 for 7k , sold in 2016 for 7k.
A guy at work laughed when I bought it , insurance, fuel £500 tax , I had the last laugh though , his £250 a month golf diesel cost him 9k in rent plus insurance , mine cost me nothing, probably the cheapest car to run I've ever owned , a service a year and 4 tyres
A guy at work laughed when I bought it , insurance, fuel £500 tax , I had the last laugh though , his £250 a month golf diesel cost him 9k in rent plus insurance , mine cost me nothing, probably the cheapest car to run I've ever owned , a service a year and 4 tyres
HannsG said:
Where do you guys buy all these cars from?
Gumtree, Ebay or Autotrader?
With me knew the boras previous owner down the pub. He'd just got a company car so was looking to get rid urgently knew it had no mot, a dented wing, 150k on the clock and a noisy 5th gear. He was looking to get rid of it with minimal aggro. I was looking at another same spec 100k mile Bora for £2.5k and asked him if they were any good he said yes and I could have his for £240 if I was after one and willing to do a bit of work to it.Gumtree, Ebay or Autotrader?
The Alfa was parked on the previous owner's mum's drive for a bit on sorn and she'd told him to get rid of it. I was friends with his housemate and in conversation said I'd pick it up for £200 the next day if it was running to save him scrapping it. He agreed it.
The 03 focus I saw on gumtree went to look at it. My mum gave me a lift down there to pick it up the next day and it turned out the person selling it was one of my parents friends who hadn't seen me since I was 4 years old so we didn't recognise each other. The garage that the fsh and last 4 motd were from was also a garage I used to work at so I rang my former boss who said it was a good car mechanically.
Back in 1996, my local Alfa dealership sold a brand new 164 cloverleaf for £32k. 6 years later the guy traded it in for a new 166. The 164 was too old to sit on the dealers forecourt so I bought it off them for what they gave the guy to trade in-£1500. I ran it for a year or so then sold it for £3000.
About 2 years after that, I saw it on Top Gear being cut in half and welded to a Saab 9000 to make a double-fronted limo.
About 2 years after that, I saw it on Top Gear being cut in half and welded to a Saab 9000 to make a double-fronted limo.
Brand new 2015 Mazda MX5, bought for £16240 straight off the boat via the local Mazda dealership.
One year, a few track days and over 30 laps of the ring (in one weekend) I got £16250 part exchange for it against a new Civic Type R.
I've made more on classic porsches but to win on a brand new mas produced car felt good.
The Type R is going to absolutely rinse me mind you, so the balance of the universe is restored.
One year, a few track days and over 30 laps of the ring (in one weekend) I got £16250 part exchange for it against a new Civic Type R.
I've made more on classic porsches but to win on a brand new mas produced car felt good.
The Type R is going to absolutely rinse me mind you, so the balance of the universe is restored.
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