As I do quite a long commute daily [80 miles total in a small 1.3 L Suzuki Ignis manual], I'm thinking of buying a cheap large automatic [petrol as no diesel available in my budget which is ~£1500].
By delving through Auto Trader, following cars appear to be available in my budget [all of them are having ~150k mileage and engine size not more than 2.0 L]. I am not willing to go engines over 2.0 L because fuel consumption will be terrible then.
Mercedes E class [1995-1999]
Honda Accord/Civic [1995-2000]
Ford Mondeo [the old shape]
Toyota Avensis
Audi A4
Audi A6
I understand at this price range it is a gamble and any major failure will write the car off [then I'll be back to my Suzuki, which I owned form new].
The only reason I am willing to buy a bigger car is because my Suzuki is too small to survive any motorway crash [if that ever happens].
So which one will be your suggestion?
PS: Commuting by train is not an option.
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Honda Accord.
But you can't really call 2 litres large. Be brave and go for a Legend - I doubt it will be that much more thirsty, and what a motor for not much more than peanuts.
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If you can better 24-25mpg from a Legend you're doing well!
Motorway crashes aren't the biggest killers : A-road 60mph head-to-heads are the nastiest.
Sell up and buy a newer NCAP rated car if safety is now a top priority.
Anything 10yrs or more old is probably compromised in safety since Euro NCAP became the gold-standard in Europe.
If you look for footage of Volvo vs Modus on Youtube you'll see modern cars, even small ones, punch right through older generation cars.
Check Espace vs Espace for an even more gruesome mashing of metal/plastic (no dummies harmed, honest).
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>>If you look for footage of Volvo vs Modus on Youtube<<
Quite an eye opener that, I would never have adam & eved it :-O
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>> The only reason I am willing to buy a bigger car is because my Suzuki
>> is too small to survive any motorway crash [if that ever happens].
If it's a bad smash, then there is very little that will survive. Motorways are generally the safest roads, AFAIK.
A quick look in Autotrader with minimal options selected shows a range of bigger autos (why an auto?), inclufing a lot of those funny-looking Toyota things.
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A 1995 mid size barge will offer you no more protection in a smash. Thats not the reason to buy a another car for motorway use. I could understand buying one that quieter and more comfortable for that regime.
Last edited by: Zero on Mon 10 May 10 at 17:59
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Of course the other advantage of buying an old but sound clunker for your long commute without selling your Ignis is that when one of them needs fettling you have a spare car. We are currently without an extra one at the moment which is unusual for us and it feels slightly daring given that we both rely so heavily on having the means to travel. I suppose though that my new found situation as a company car driver ameliorates some of the risk. I guess "they" would have to take care of any lack of car on my part.
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You've asked this forum what to buy, and even offered multiple choice, with 'Mondeo' as one of the options! Is this a test?
Usual advice when buying at this end of the market is to look at age and condition rather than mileage or badge, and to keep some cash in reserve in case something goes wrong. By extension, that also means choosing something that's easy and cheap to fix, and abundant on the market so you can be choosy.
All that says mass market, and probably Ford or Vauxhall - you'd probably get a newer Vectra for your money than a Mondeo. But I'm concerned that you're considering entrusting your drive to work - and with it, possibly, your livelihood - to an untried (by you) £1,000 banger. I commute 500 miles a week in a seven-year-old car, but only because it's grown old in my keeping. If it fell apart tomorrow I'd replace it with something new because I can't afford to be without it.
I admit I'm in a fortunate position, in that my job pays enough to make the commute worth the time and cost. If your situation is more marginal, wouldn't it be better to look for something closer to home rather than have to choose between safety and reliability?
My apologies if that comes across as condescending; that's the last thing I'd want. My situation came about because the supply of jobs locally had dried up, and now I'm established I'm moving myself and the family closer so we get more time together. That option may not be open to you, but consider as many as you can before throwing money at a car that may not give you what you need.
Or, to quote the Bottle Rockets:
If a thousand dollar car was really worth a damn
Then why would anybody ever spend ten grand?
Oh why did I ever buy a thousand dollar car?
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I re-read the bit in the OP about keeping the Ignis. Even so, I'd rather have one car that was fully up to the job than two that weren't quite.
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A lexus GS300 is cheaper and more reliable than any. A LS400 is even bigger and more fun..
All for under £1500...
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As Madf, or indeed a Camry or Nissan QX.
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Looks like I better continue in my Ignis :) It is 2006 car with 4 airbags [along with ABS/EBD, new tyres] and very well maintained.
Other option is sell the Ignis and buy a newish car like 2005-6 Honda Accord (but that will be quite pricey).
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Toyota Camry surely? Id have had one like a shot if I could have afforded the petrol. Nissan QX also worth a look. You still pay for the badge on older cars so you can get a better example of these two for the same money.
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I agree - something Japanese and petrol-powered should suit, although Volvo S60s are also worth a look - very comfortable and solid.
Maybe hang on to the Ignis for a bit and save a couple of thousand to put in towards its replacement.
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my primera cvt auto was very economical on the motorway 2.0 litre
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From first hand experience (>2 years ownership now)...
You'll struggle to beat a BMW E38 728i for ownership costs in the 2nd hand luxo-barge market.
Fuel economy: Up to 35mpg (that's ford mondeo territory!) but mixed driving with some "booting it" (torquey inline-6's are too much fun not to) sees 30mpg.
Road tax: Buy before is it march 2001? and it's £200/year.
Parts: Surprisingly cheap. Even the dealers are competitive now. Of course you can get aftermarket tat if budget is really constrained -- tie rod ends for under a tenner etc.
Can't beat it for comfort, it's autobox (almost imperceptible changes, very good at being in the right gear too) and silence. For a luxo-barge, it doesn't half handle! All the toys are great for me too but you have to like that kind of thing.
Not everyone's cup of tea for various reasons, but with 3 cars in the driveway and a brand new car just last week, my 7er's going nowhere and it's still seeing lots of use!
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Mercedes W124 E420 if you can find one.
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To be controversial - how about a Citroen XM? Real armchair luxury.
I never had any trouble with my two and you'd possibly get a diesel auto for the budget?
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>>To be controversial - how about a Citroen XM? Real armchair luxury.<<
Shouldn't this be moved to the motoring jokes thread mods?
Tehe! only kidding :)
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A 2.0/2.3 Granada/Scorpio.
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>...how about a Citroen XM?
Or, just as realistically, a Triumph 2000? Out of 13,377 adverts currently on Autotrader for Citroens, one is for an XM -and that's a manual. Although, to be fair, the only ad for a 2000 is asking nearly £4,000.
This, to me, highlights the pointlessness of the "Which ancient used car should I look for?" type of question, at least in the abstract. (Apologies to Movilogo - and to Stu, who took some ribbing for a similar question the other day - I don't mean this personally.) If the question began:
I'm thinking of buying this orange 1992 Onehorse Hopalong (or even this red 1997 Rover 400). Would you?
then there'd be good and bad points to discuss and the discussion could go somewhere. But all we have here is a quasi-random list of shouted-out models, many of which have long since retired to the scrapyard or its mobile waiting room the minicab company, and some, like the XM, that are unlikely to be found at any price.
And this, while I'm in Grumpy Old Beest mode, is in response to someone whose stated budget is £1,500, yet is being advised variously to buy a big old Citroen, a probably sound but vastly complex V8 Lexus, a four-litre Mercedes and a BMW 7. Any of which were reliable in the 90s, but now? I had two 90s Saabs over seven years and had no trouble with either; would I advise a friend on a budget to buy one now? Doubt it.
/ }:---(
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>> a four-litre Mercedes
four-point-two-litres actually.
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Out of 13,377 adverts currently on Autotrader for
>> Citroens, one is for an XM -and that's a manual. Although, to be fair, the
>> only ad for a 2000 is asking nearly £4,000.
Quite a few on ebay that met the criteria when I last looked. :>)
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>> Quite a few on ebay that met the criteria when I last looked. :>)
Don't know if this will work: tinyurl.com/23chh9k
Last edited by: Focus on Thu 13 May 10 at 13:46
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Will, first hand experience i still defend the 728i as a sensible COST EFFECTIVE purchase. They go for pennies because noone believes they are affordable to run.
Fuel and insurance are in family car territory. Tax & MOT are the same as any other 10 year old 1.6 litre or above.
Replacing all common serviceable items for older cars is still economical and not likely to cause a writeoff as long as you keep on top of it...:
Brakes all round: Discs, Pads & Fluid - ~£250 OEM, £200 aftermarket
Engine: all filters, all fluids inc P/S & coolant, sparkplugs, grease £205 OEM, ~£120 aftermarket
Exhausts: stainless from factory, on my original 2 and at 10 years old they're both in v good nick
Battery: £100 OEM, £100 halfords
Suspension inc arms, shocks, springs excl subframe mounts & engine mounts: £1800 OEM, £800 aftermarket
If needing more major repairs then it's likely more economical to do swaps:
New engine: £450 used, £800 recon
Exchange autobox: £300 used, £650 recon
Exchange diff: £180
Exchange brake calipers front (big brembo static 4 pot beasties they are too): £350
If money's tight or a few items come up at once, shopping around you can pick up brand name aftermarket parts which will do the job for less money.
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>Will, first hand experience i still defend the 728i as a sensible COST EFFECTIVE purchase
I'll second that CraigP. Excellent cars that are strong and durable, you would find it hard to break one. I used to think of BMW's as sophisticated but fragile and expensive to run. Not anymore.
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Any number of decent 5 year old Honda Accords between £ 5 /6000 on Autotrader. Try and get an EX with all the extras included, satnav,very comfy heated electric leather seats ,etc ,etc
I can recomend them Movilogo. Solid, reliable and as its a Honda so unlikely to break. The Civic is not nearly so nice. I've driven the Legend abroad and its a bit too old lady stodgy for my taste.
Accords can be a bit pricey on fuel , my 2.4 Exec is lucky to get 30 mpg round town and when I give free rein to the 200 horses under the bonnet and it accellerates like the proverbial off a shovel the mpg drops dramatically.
A 2 litre will do you proud if you want to be prudent but a 2.4 sport is fun fun fun......
Last edited by: retpocileh on Thu 13 May 10 at 16:03
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Retpocileh>> Any number of decent 5 year old Honda Accords between £ 5 /6000 on Autotrader.
>> Try and get an EX with all the extras included, satnav,very comfy heated electric leather
>> seats ,etc ,etc
>>
>> I can recomend them Movilogo.
Shame is, OP has only £1,500 to spend...
I'd go for an early A6 for one third OP's budget.
Last edited by: Mapmaker on Thu 13 May 10 at 17:01
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"Any number of decent 5 year old Honda Accords between £ 5 /6000"
Couple of Maybachs on there too that are also well out of budget.
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Daewoo Leganza. Damn good car for the money. Full leather, climate, good motorway cruiser. You can get an 51 reg version with about 70k for £1000.
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Leganza isnt a bad call actually, would avoid getting something too old. In the same vein, Hyundai Sonata V6 is a pretty nice car for pocket change.
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All you gentleman who criticised my post,read the whole thread please before jumping in feet first.
I know its out of OP's original budget BUT .......
.....I refer you to the OP's post of the 10th May.....
....Other option is sell the Ignis and buy a newish car like 2005-6 Honda Accord (but that will be quite pricey).....
As an owner of such a 5 year old Honda Accord I was giving my opinion and experience
Last edited by: retpocileh on Fri 14 May 10 at 09:13
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Over the past 16yrs I've helped loads of folks buy/run older cars and often in the £1500 bracket. I fully accept that there are genuine one-off stories of running larger/unusual/older prestige cars on a budget but taken over an average it can be a route to disaster. It is far better to get something mainstream where every local garage knows them inside out and parts are freely available at low prices.
It seems movilogo is going to stick with his existing car anyway but for the use he mentions at the price stated in the original question I'd go for a Mondeo III which would minimise his risk given daily reliance for a longish commute.
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Yes gentlemen, I decided to stick to my known Suzuki for the time being instead of relying on a 10+ year old banger (without a proper history).
Some TV shows earlier featured that airbag effectiveness may reduce after 7 years. So, I may be safer in a 2006 small car than a 1996 luxo barge.
In the meantime, I'll stack up some savings so that can buy a newer [3-4 yr old] large car end of this year.
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What old large automatic - Mike Hannon
