Shed buying advice

[vtecstu]

Firstly an apology - I know this has been covered many times before, but the search function is down and there are too many pages of GG to look through...

Looking at buying a shed for the OH. To someone whose experience of engines doesn't extend beyond checking oil levels, what should I be looking for?

Budget probably about £600-800 and will be something small and common - guessing a Fiesta / Corsa / Clio or similar. I know that a long MOT is key and will hopefully ensure that further expenditure will be limited for the first 10-12 months (should the seller be able to show if there were any advisories which I guess could lead to earlier and larger costs?). Obviously tyres being legal is another good start. I think I also read something about 'mayo' under the oil filler cap being a bad sign for an engine, or is that less likely to be representative of a problem in something 10+ years old?

Also suspect that FSH is relatively unimportant at that age / budget - is this correct?

Is there any make that should be avoided? I suspect that older Fiats didn't have a great reputation for reliability, while buying French looks a little cheaper than a Fiesta or Corsa, but I guess is cheaper for the same reason.

I know that there's a large degree of luck in this kind of low budget car purchase - could either get something that will happily run for another 3+ years, or could have bits falling off it within a few hundred miles, but is there anything else that an idiot (me) should be able to look out for?

Thanks in advance!

By the way, this isn't meant to be a 'what car' - I know that Pumas and some Kas are well thought of on here - really just any advice for anything obvious to look out for. Cheers!

[spikeyhead]

If you want to buy a shed, buy a big car. Unless you need low insurance then you'll get a lot more car for your money.

Something like an Omega will have far fewer potential buyers than a Fiesta.

[Fordo]

unpopular marquees will also get you more for less- mg/rovers for example, make decent enough sheds.

As mentioned above, anything large is less sort after.

Also anything with an old man image, also gets you more, and has more chance of not been thrashed through its life. For some reason ive ended up with an mg zr diesel as my shed- the rover 25 equivalent would probably have been cheaper to buy and insure, and in essence, the same car.

My other half has been driving around in a rover 218 vvc coupe for the last two years- £800 it cost her. Has discs all round, abs, air con, full leather, and a removal t bar roof. (which is pointless, but ho hum), and pokey little 1.8 vvc engine- its a hoot to drive and a great shed. Has been perfect for two years, even took us 5000 round europe, even taking in the ring and some swiss passes.

Not saying it would suit you, but goes to show, if you pick an unusual car in good condition, you can get a very decent car. £800 would have also bought any old fiesta or corsa, but they wouldnt have come with the leather, air con, etc

FSH doesnt bother me too much in shed territory, but its a good sign

Edited by Fordo on Wednesday 11th August 14:42

[Fordo]

The Crack Fox said:

Take your time and you can find some great sheds.

thats the key to shedding right there.

Have no badge prejudice, and do lots of hunting. Eventually, you'll find something that'll make you go- hmm, i wouldnt have thought of that, but....

[edo]

Nice straight 6 (great mileage if true).

1991 BMW 5 SERIES 520i SE 4dr Saloon
Price: £590
58,000 miles
MOT AND TAXED END OF JAN 2011,PREVIOUS MOT'S,4 Door Saloon, Petrol, Manual.PAS,REMOTE CENTRAL LOCKING,FRONT AND REAR ELECTRIC WINDOWS.ELECTRIC DOOR MIRRORS,ELECTRIC SUNROOF,BOSH BATERY,GOOD CONDTION INSIDE OUT,2 SPARE KEYS.ALLOY WHEELS.
Trade Seller:
MH MOTORS

[Fordo]

edo said:

Nice straight 6 (great mileage if true).

1991 BMW 5 SERIES 520i SE 4dr Saloon
Price: £590
58,000 miles
MOT AND TAXED END OF JAN 2011,PREVIOUS MOT'S,4 Door Saloon, Petrol, Manual.PAS,REMOTE CENTRAL LOCKING,FRONT AND REAR ELECTRIC WINDOWS.ELECTRIC DOOR MIRRORS,ELECTRIC SUNROOF,BOSH BATERY,GOOD CONDTION INSIDE OUT,2 SPARE KEYS.ALLOY WHEELS.
Trade Seller:
MH MOTORS

that, is a peach of a find

[djt100]

Go onto Autotrader,etc, Set max price, set miles to low,say 40-60k max then see what comes up, the unpopular cars as said before go very cheapy for something quite new. Well thats what I'd do

[vtecstu]

Cheers for the responses so far. Sorry - should have mentioned that low insurance is a concern, as she has no NCB (due to not having owned her own car before, not due to crashing while texting / applying makeup / looking at an unusual dog), so probably some of the larger, more interesting options will have to be overlooked.

[cheadle hulme]

Skoda Felicia. Deeply unpopular, VW mechanicals, usually owned by a pensioner.

I got one from ebay with FSH, 44k for £350. Price included original spare wheel/tyre.

Basically, as others have said, something that young people wouldn't be seen dead in is your best bet.

[crofty1984]

vtecstu said:

Cheers for the responses so far. Sorry - should have mentioned that low insurance is a concern, as she has no NCB (due to not having owned her own car before, not due to crashing while texting / applying makeup / looking at an unusual dog), so probably some of the larger, more interesting options will have to be overlooked.

fk me! An unusual dog? Where?
You'd be surprised about the insurance.
People that crash a lot tend to be new/young drivers in the insurers' eyes. And what type of car do new/young drivers tend NOT to hang round McDonalds in?
I'll put my big tarry brush of generalisation away now.

[magpie215]

K11 Micra....the end

[sjc]

Something like this, no better value
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1947471.htm

And another if you could stretch the budget a bit
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1932365.htm

Edited by sjc on Wednesday 11th August 16:38

[vtecstu]

Cheers guys. Stupid question (even in comparison to the others I've already asked), but would very low mileage on an old car (say 40-50k on a 12 year old car) be seen as a good thing, or would it suggest too long unused / very short journeys only which could lead to other problems?

[sjc]

vtecstu said:

Cheers guys. Stupid question (even in comparison to the others I've already asked), but would very low mileage on an old car (say 40-50k on a 12 year old car) be seen as a good thing, or would it suggest too long unused / very short journeys only which could lead to other problems?

You have to go with your gut feeling on each individual car.
I bought a 2001, one owner (83 years of age, so not thrashed from cold etc) automatic (so didn't have to think about the clutch being ridden etc) top spec Rover 75 with 28K miles on the clock last year for barge duties for the grand sum of 2300 quids.I have the original receipt for 26 grand, and so far in 10 months and 8000 miles it's cost me two 40 pence bulbs.There were others that were cheaper/dearer but this one just felt right,like most successful car buying does, expensive or otherwise.



Sod the image,not bad really is it?

Edited by sjc on Wednesday 11th August 17:25

[vtecstu]

magpie215 said:

K11 Micra....the end

Think we have a winner! OH isn't keen on anything bigger, and there look to be some really tidy sub-£1k examples around.

Cheers all!

[Liquid Knight]

http://www.shedstore.co.uk/?gclid=CIqu6taus6MCFRMs...

[magpie215]

vtecstu said:

magpie215 said:

K11 Micra....the end

Think we have a winner! OH isn't keen on anything bigger, and there look to be some really tidy sub-£1k examples around.

Cheers all!

good all round cars (also cam chain so no belt to worry about)

common faults

rusty crossmember under radiator (front of car just behind bumper)
rusty sills near rear wheel arch
lumpy idle/hesitant acceleration (throttle body/afm)
loose windows (regulator mechanism detached from glass)
heater blower only runs at full speed (resistor card)

[Nimbus]

sjc said:

I bought a 2001, one owner (83 years of age, so not thrashed from cold etc) automatic (so didn't have to think about the clutch being ridden etc) top spec Rover 75 with 28K miles on the clock last year for barge duties for the grand sum of 2300 quids.

Nice car, and a great deal, but hardly a shed at that price...

[joshpiston]

Liquid Knight said:

http://www.shedstore.co.uk/?gclid=CIqu6taus6MCFRMs...

Its a wooden one for me, no question!