Where have all the cheap cars gone??
Discussion
My Dad's elderly Mondoe finally bit the dust at the weekend so he is need of a new set of wheels.
Requirements are minimal – four doors, petrol, manual, hatchback. That's it
Budget is £1000.
So over to eBay... 6 cars within budget within 25 miles...
two are spares or repairs
leaving a Laguna with an ABS light on, two big people carriers, a Saxo and a Subaru estate....
Looking at the local paper's website leads me (surprisingly) to the Pistonheads classifieds, which has the grand total of 1 car within 50 miles of me, a BMW 323
Auto trader isn't much better...
So where do people try to flog the old cars? Just need something reliable and boring – a Nissan Almera, Toyota Corolla, the stuff that excites no one.
Requirements are minimal – four doors, petrol, manual, hatchback. That's it
Budget is £1000.
So over to eBay... 6 cars within budget within 25 miles...
two are spares or repairs
leaving a Laguna with an ABS light on, two big people carriers, a Saxo and a Subaru estate....
Looking at the local paper's website leads me (surprisingly) to the Pistonheads classifieds, which has the grand total of 1 car within 50 miles of me, a BMW 323
Auto trader isn't much better...
So where do people try to flog the old cars? Just need something reliable and boring – a Nissan Almera, Toyota Corolla, the stuff that excites no one.
CubanPete said:
Facebook local ad pages.
As above, people don't want to pay for adverts at this price level.
I don't mean to disappoint you but that has failed me massively. A lot of them have been crap the owners have given up on. The ads are promising, albeit poorly worded yet they don't portray the car's true issues.As above, people don't want to pay for adverts at this price level.
It is a lot harder thank it used to be IMHO. TBH I've barely managed with my W124 this time around!
The trick is to go for cars no one wants but are sound. Mk3 Mondeos are in such a category. Also, don't get strung up on mileage. At that price it's all about the condition.
Inflation and people seeing how pricey cars are in Europe hasn't helped matters. A lot of VAGs I know have been sold to Poles who unlike local people didn't haggle. They turned up with the cash and then just went on!
SebringMan said:
Inflation and people seeing how pricey cars are in Europe hasn't helped matters. A lot of VAGs I know have been sold to Poles who unlike local people didn't haggle. They turned up with the cash and then just went on!
On that note, ever tried to buy an old commie car? The export market is supposedly MASSIVE for them. A friend of mine has ran a few over the years, I remember him mentioning the last 2 Lada's he sold (a couple of fairly tired Riva's) where shipped straight to Russia on sale. They don't have the reputation there as they do here so sell like hotcakes, for good money. The way the exporter phrased it was, rust doesn't kill Lada's, and they are mechanically simple, the only reason you can't find them in the UK anymore is because the Russians are taking them back. Agree Gumtree. Also, because of Ebay's feedback system, if you select auction only, and only look at cars from sellers with 100% positive feedback who've been Ebay members for years, they're unlikely to gloss over known faults for the sake of boosting the price a couple of hundred quid, if it means their feedback would be spoilt. Couple of thousand, maybe. But few would con anyone at the risk of their feedback for a couple of hundred.
I thought Autotrader had a much lower price for cars under £1000. Maybe they should include cars under £1500.
I thought Autotrader had a much lower price for cars under £1000. Maybe they should include cars under £1500.
I'm in deepest darkest Devon, so the numbers are against me a bit.
Tried Facebook local selling groups. They're quite a laugh (one guy trying to sell a Volvo S60 describes it as "a beast" and boasts how it "will see off any Subaru") but most of them seem to be chavved up Peugeots with coilovers and window stickers.
Gumtree is looking better, except that it includes South Wales (a 3 hour drive away) in its results which makes picking through them a bit tedious.
Modelwise, I'm looking for something like an Almera or Corolla, something cheap, dependable and not at all exciting. I think a Mondeo is too big for them really. There are a few Megan's/Scenics around but are they as terrible for reliability as they are made out to be?
Tried Facebook local selling groups. They're quite a laugh (one guy trying to sell a Volvo S60 describes it as "a beast" and boasts how it "will see off any Subaru") but most of them seem to be chavved up Peugeots with coilovers and window stickers.
Gumtree is looking better, except that it includes South Wales (a 3 hour drive away) in its results which makes picking through them a bit tedious.
Modelwise, I'm looking for something like an Almera or Corolla, something cheap, dependable and not at all exciting. I think a Mondeo is too big for them really. There are a few Megan's/Scenics around but are they as terrible for reliability as they are made out to be?
boyse7en said:
I'm in deepest darkest Devon, so the numbers are against me a bit.
Gumtree is looking better, except that it includes South Wales (a 3 hour drive away) in its results which makes picking through them a bit tedious.
Yeah, I lived in North Devon for 12 years and I found the same thing. Cars are noticeably more expensive there, perhaps cos there aren't many to choose from round there. And I, too, found that if I selected up to 50 miles on ebay, 80+% of what came up was in South Wales, actually 125 miles away by road. Bought three cars during my time living in North Devon. Bought em all elsewhere. London, Cambridgeshire, Bath. More choice; cheaper.Gumtree is looking better, except that it includes South Wales (a 3 hour drive away) in its results which makes picking through them a bit tedious.
boyse7en said:
I'm in deepest darkest Devon, so the numbers are against me a bit.
Modelwise, I'm looking for something like an Almera or Corolla, something cheap, dependable and not at all exciting. I think a Mondeo is too big for them really. There are a few Megan's/Scenics around but are they as terrible for reliability as they are made out to be?
At the 1grand price range make and model start becoming far less important and general condition combined with past/present maintenance will give a much better idea of which cars are worth buying. Modelwise, I'm looking for something like an Almera or Corolla, something cheap, dependable and not at all exciting. I think a Mondeo is too big for them really. There are a few Megan's/Scenics around but are they as terrible for reliability as they are made out to be?
Also, when people come out with statements about specific cars and reliability, if a car has made it to 10+years old/100k then it's likely to have only been an issue on a few cars that's been completely blown out of proportion.
What about a honda civic or jazz
aka_kerrly said:
At the 1grand price range make and model start becoming far less important and general condition combined with past/present maintenance will give a much better idea of which cars are worth buying.
Also, when people come out with statements about specific cars and reliability, if a car has made it to 10+years old/100k then it's likely to have only been an issue on a few cars that's been completely blown out of proportion.
What about a honda civic or jazz
Thats true. Most of the cars Im looking at are around 2002/2003 ear, so if they have made 15 years there can't be anything too problematical.Also, when people come out with statements about specific cars and reliability, if a car has made it to 10+years old/100k then it's likely to have only been an issue on a few cars that's been completely blown out of proportion.
What about a honda civic or jazz
Main worry I've got is hidden corrosion as that will be uneconomical to sort out.
Honda Civic would be ideal...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Cars/9801/i.html?Model%...
Avoid the rusty ones, go for the estate, plenty of cheap spares out there unlike older Japanese cars when the parts are dealer only and 5 times the older Merc prices!
P
Avoid the rusty ones, go for the estate, plenty of cheap spares out there unlike older Japanese cars when the parts are dealer only and 5 times the older Merc prices!
P
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