I've only about £800 to £900 to spend, so I'm wondering what you guys would look for. I'm not looking for anything fancy, just a good solid motor to last a couple of years. So, what make and model is best to go for.
Cheers
Go for something popular (a late cavalier/early vectra perhaps) as the parts will be readily available from scrap yards.
Avoid anything bought recently. Look for something that the owner is selling after driving for a year or two. Listen for nasty noises from the engine and gearbox and look for any twists in the chassis. Avoid anything that's been resprayed.
Don't buy unless you feel confident the seller is a genuine driver rather than someone trying to make money.
Depends what you want but I just sold my MINT condition mk2 Golf GTI for £900! It had 120K on the clock but was as solid as they come and will do another 120K miles without any problems!
One important thing is a decent MOT. Most cars over 8 years old have no value with no MOT.
Parts for french cars can be a bit pricey at times and whatever you buy=20 at that price it will probably need some work done on it sooner rather=20 than later .
So a basic escort would probably be ideal .
Either way , Spending =A340 on one of those highly visible 'yellow'=20 steering wheel anti theft devices will probably be the best money you=20 will ever spend on it as the neds dont even bother trying to jimmy the=20 lock or tanning the windows when they see one fitted .
--=20
You want my Primera, you do.... at a bargain £300. ;-)
As opposed to an indecent MOT?
-- Malc
Not true. We had a stolen vehicle in the car park here a while ago. After breaking it off, the thief had placed the anti-theft device back on the steering wheel to try and make the car not look like it was stolen. Halfords used to use a star system for such devices, rating them for whether they would slow a thief down by 1 minute, 2 minutes or 3 minutes.
I use one of these devices myself but I wont pretend it will stop a thief who took a fancy to the car. It is money well spent and, if security is a worry, it's also worth looking for a car with a deadlock locking system.
_____________ Either way , Spending £40 on one of those highly visible 'yellow' steering wheel anti theft devices will probably be the best money you will ever spend on it as the neds dont even bother trying to jimmy the lock or tanning the windows when they see one fitted .
Parts for french cars can be a bit pricey at times and whatever you buy at that price it will probably need some work done on it sooner rather than later .
So a basic escort would probably be ideal .
Either way , Spending £40 on one of those highly visible 'yellow' steering wheel anti theft devices will probably be the best money you will ever spend on it as the neds dont even bother trying to jimmy the lock or tanning the windows when they see one fitted .
Agree, basic Escort or Astra should be fitting. However I run a Citroen ZX 1.4 which is excellent. Most parts are not dear. Brake discs £23 a pair, pads £17 oil filter £3 etc very cheap on parts from places like German Swedish French. Also good for whole door mirror unit (£23) and central locking motors (£22 each) prices which I doubt you'd beat with any car.
I was lucky that my ZX belonged to my mother in law and she had covered
12,495 miles in 8 years! The main dealer offered her £650 in part exchange which we were glad to pay her for it! The body needed a damn good t-cut and polish and touching up and I've had several other things to do including reversing light switch, cam belt, all fluids - nothing extraordinary though.MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.