£1500 - reliable, presentable

[okgo]

My brother is in need of a new car fairly urgently as his has died and he travels with work, he is in a fairly tight spot cash wise, but can do £1500, maybe push for £2k.

Only real requirement is that it doesn't cost a fortune to insure as he's only 23, and that is looks half way presentable as he does a lot of visits to clients etc, so while it doesn't need to be a picture of wealth something that isn't falling apart at the seams would be the order of the day.

I initially thought about Ford fiesta, but it seems the more modern shape go for a bit over £2k, looks like vdubs are all quite strong money for even old models.

What do the PH bods think? And no, he can't drive a 750il before the barge brigade come in

[dapearson]

For that money i'd suggest something like a rep-mobile, especially if it needs to fit in with the rest of the office car park.

He'll get more for his money and possibly better reliability going for a petrol over a diesel.

Accord 2.0 vtec? Should get something 8-9 yrs old. First of the newer shape so look quite modern still.

Failing that, Mazda6?

[Jazzy Jefferson]

okgo said:

And no, he can't drive a 750il before the barge brigade come in

740?

[Toaster Pilot]

There's so much out there for that kind of money at the moment - I'd look for larger cars though rather than the kind of stuff that is popular with people looking for a first car.

I got a favourable insurance quote on a 728i the other day and I'm 22......

[ImpossiblyDaft]

Ford Mondeo, Honda Accord, Toyota Avensis, Saab 9-3 or 9-5 ? Loads of choice.

[SebastienClement]

Can't go wrong with a Mondeo or Accord surely? They look decent & sensible and are known to be reliable. Should get a very decent one for that kind of money.

[NadiR]

Jazzy Jefferson said:

okgo said:

And no, he can't drive a 750il before the barge brigade come in

740?

That came quicker then expected!

I agree with the others, you can't go wrong with an Accord.

[surveyor]

Some very plain jane stuff being suggested that I would not consider doing miles in myself.

Saab 9-5

Hard to date, driven by individualists, economical (even the Petrol if it's manual), comfortable.

Volvo S80. as above, but a bit more boring.

[james_gt3rs]

Ford Focus.

[Session8]

surveyor said:

Some very plain jane stuff being suggested that I would not consider doing miles in myself.

Saab 9-5

Hard to date, driven by individualists, economical (even the Petrol if it's manual), comfortable.

Volvo S80. as above, but a bit more boring.

I use a SAAB 9-3 (Petrol) for my weekly 600 mile commute, best £1200 I've spent in the last 10 years.

[TIGA84]

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...

[Zeemax_Mini]

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...

Dom

[p1esk]

I have the very thing: Peugeot 406 HDi in china blue - very smart car, pleasant runner and extremely economical.

Actually, I know the Mondeo has been mentioned (though not sure if that was a diesel) but with 182,000 on the clock my Pug 2.0 HDi engine has been completely untouched apart from one clean-out of the EGR valve. Engine oil and filter have been changed every 6,000 miles, and that seems to have kept it very happy.

[okgo]

News just in, needs to fit large things in the boot (he builds lighting units) so probably gunna be a hatch, or a saloon where seats are easy to put down?

[beko1987]

Boring silver astra estate? Unless his clients are used to their tradespeople turning up in rangerovers or jag xf's he should get away with it.

[kiethton]

A few options:

Nissan Primera - loads around for sub £1,500 for the newer shape and should be bulletproof and insurable in 1.8 form

BMW E39 5 series - near bottom of depreciation curve - many owned by grandad's and well maintained - make sure that essentials have been done - £2k will get you a very good pre-facelift SE

Volvo S60/V40 - very reliable in manual form, very comfortable and look smart

Ford Mondeo 1.8 - Should get a good 2003/03 for sub £1k - can't really go wrong?

[chrisw666]

Volvo V40, get a clean one and it looks fairly modern. Not exciting to drive but plenty of boot space, comfy and reliable.

[J4CKO]

Another vote for a Saab, we know it isnt that far removed from the Vectra of the same vintage but it doesnt shout Motorway Maintenance like a Vectra.

[Rawwr]

You can get an awful lot of Mondeo for £2k.

[okgo]

Rawwr said:

You can get an awful lot of Mondeo for £2k.

Yes so it would seem, whats the boot situation like, with regards to seats down and the like?