Cheep car suggestions - circa 3.5k

[FourGears]

Or do I shell out £350 a month on a fully maintained (inc insurance) on an id4 through work? Leased obvs

13k renting a car is what I can't get on board with. Plus it's alot of cash each month on a car that wont get much use.

Hence the £3.5k budget.

Currently looking at petrol
Astra 1.6/1.8
Focus 1.6/1.8

What else should I consider?

Don't want to be paying £400+ on RFL each year.

Car will do 80 miles tops a week in stop start traffic to work ( will prob train it a bit more as it's an option. Could cycle but would then be shelling out for an e bike)

The odd motorway trip 100 miles or so, so around 7k a year miles.

The car will need maintenance due to age/mileage so what has cheap plentiful parts and isn't going to need to be worked on every weekend.

Needs to seat 4 and at least Corsa/Fester sized but would prefer bigger ( an estate would be lovely) however beggars can't be choosers. Plus you can buy a roof box

Cheers

[Huntsman]

Honda Jazz?

[FourGears]

Huntsman said:

Honda Jazz?

Anything to avoid on them? Is the auto an option or best stick to manual

[Jiebo]

How have you gone from 13k for a rental to a 3.5k budget? 3.5 in this market gets you garbage, you need at least 10k to get something relatively new (under 5 years old) and not driven to the moon.

[FourGears]

Jiebo said:

How have you gone from 13k for a rental to a 3.5k budget? 3.5 in this market gets you garbage, you need at least 10k to get something relatively new (under 5 years old) and not driven to the moon.

If I was spending 10k I'd lease the car. By the time you've added on insurance, servicing, maintenance, replace a tyre eyc over 3 years it will be more money.

Edited by FourGears on Wednesday 19th February 19:13

[Jiebo]

FourGears said:

If I was spending 10k I'd lease the car. By the time you've added on insurance, servicing, maintenance, replace a tyre eyc over 3 years it will be more money.

Edited by FourGears on Wednesday 19th February 19:13

Have you done the sums? Eg getting a Kia ceed under 7 year warranty for £10-12k + 3 years insurance, maintenance, perhaps £2.5k. Resale after 3 years £6-7k. Should be a fair bit less than the lease.

Go have a look at what you can buy for 3.5k, it’s mostly sheds, which will no doubt throw some unexpected bills at you. False economy.

[dan98]

Something like this maybe?
5 years old, 60k, maybe get them down to 3000. Should go for another 10 years with minimal running costs:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202502179...

[andyb28]

I just got my son a 2008 Suzuki Swift to learn to drive in. We were lucky and found one which was used by an old guy to go to the shops once a week. So it had 40k miles.

But, I am super impressed with the little car. 4 doors, A/C, not bad sized boot.

[a340driver]

Another vote for Honda Jazz!

[FourGears]

Jiebo said:

Have you done the sums? Eg getting a Kia ceed under 7 year warranty for £10-12k + 3 years insurance, maintenance, perhaps £2.5k. Resale after 3 years £6-7k. Should be a fair bit less than the lease.

Go have a look at what you can buy for 3.5k, it’s mostly sheds, which will no doubt throw some unexpected bills at you. False economy.

I don't want to spend £10k buying a car I don't want. I wouldn't by a Kia Ceed. If I was spending £10k i'd buy a car I liked and wanted.
Also the £10k ia capital outlay not from the monthly. So different pots.

I shouldn't have mentioned the lease deal. My bad

[loskie]

just get something like a Fabia

[NuckyThompson]

dan98 said:

Something like this maybe?
5 years old, 60k, maybe get them down to 3000. Should go for another 10 years with minimal running costs:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202502179...

Interesting the x1 on your search there. What’s the deal with that. An import but seems cheap cheap to me

[ZX10R NIN]

Go for the 1.6 Astra it's a great option:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202407041...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202502058...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501308...

1.4T:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501238...

1.6T GTC SRI:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501107...

Add one of these & you'll have all the modern connectivity you'll need:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186475649643?_skw=astra...

[jaydeeuk1]

FourGears said:

Anything to avoid on them? Is the auto an option or best stick to manual

Rust mainly, check past mot history for advisories - more of an issue if it's lived its life near the coast. Toyota Yaris is just as good an option.

The CVT autos are decent, like Toyota CVT boxes, as the robotised manuals aren't as reliable. They just take getting used to (some people hate the eCVT boxes due to the drone noise) .


If you have off road parking then I'd also consider a Nissan leaf. Plenty of choice, peanuts to run, £3500 will get a later first gen car, are very reliable and will do the 80 miles a week no problem. The 30kwh version should achieve 100 miles in one go if you keep to around 60.

Edited by jaydeeuk1 on Wednesday 19th February 21:35

[sixor8]

FourGears said:

Jiebo said:

How have you gone from 13k for a rental to a 3.5k budget? 3.5 in this market gets you garbage, you need at least 10k to get something relatively new (under 5 years old) and not driven to the moon.

If I was spending 10k I'd lease the car. By the time you've added on insurance, servicing, maintenance, replace a tyre eyc over 3 years it will be more money.

Yes, but he will still own a car after 3 years, and not just be handing one back, if it's still a runner.

[66HFM]

Volvo V50 / C30 or as mentioned earlier a Skoda Fabia or one of its VAG stablemates a Seat Ibiza

[Scootersp]

Jiebo said:

Go have a look at what you can buy for 3.5k, it’s mostly sheds, which will no doubt throw some unexpected bills at you. False economy.

I might be a false economy but loads of cars still around that aren't sheds.

Something like these

Is250 (and suck up the £400 tax)
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/24410927...


Old Passat (or VW/skoda equiv) estate with a PD enigne if not needing ULEZ.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/92177554...

[Jiebo]

Scootersp said:

I might be a false economy but loads of cars still around that aren't sheds.

Something like these

Is250 (and suck up the £400 tax)
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/24410927...


Old Passat (or VW/skoda equiv) estate with a PD enigne if not needing ULEZ.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/92177554...

Maybe it's a matter of opinion, but to my eye these cars = sheds! These sorts of 20 year old cars would have sold for £500-1k pre pandemic.

[joshcowin]

For fiesta 1.4 petrol. I had one and put 60k on it commuting to uni.

Sold it with 120,000 and i still see it now guessing it must be near 200,000.

[dave_s13]

Nissan Leaf