Buying a cheap car

[Julia9054]

Thinking about passing my 12 year old Renault Clio on to my son when he passes his test. Need to replace it with another cheap run around that I can drive for a couple of years and then pass on to my younger son. I do around 3000 miles a year if that. Budget max £2000
Cars bore the pants off me so thought I would start my research by asking those of you more interested in them than me what you would recommend. Is it better to buy older with lower mileage or as new as I can get with higher mileage?

 

[Slick]

I would always go older with lower miles as newer higher mileage could have had a hard life and due to get everything replaced.

I would also avoid lots of kit in the cab as that can start to breakdown at that price point.

 

[biggs682]

I would go with low miles on an older car as should be simpler to fix but then 2k can get you a fairly newish car

 

[I like Skol]

Which ever is in the best condition...…..

Not really any help but I would say buy purely based on condition and nothing else. Old low mileage or newer high mileage could both be either ready for the scrap yard or excellent cheap buys, there is no hard & fast rule. Really need some experience yourself or take someone along who knows about cars.

 

[Julia9054]

Which ever is in the best condition...…..

Not really any help but I would say buy purely based on condition and nothing else. Old low mileage or newer high mileage could both be either ready for the scrap yard or excellent cheap buys, there is no hard & fast rule. Really need some experience yourself or take someone along who knows about cars.

How the hell do you tell?
I bought my last car because it was for sale in a garage near my house, it was a nice day and I couldn't be arsed trailing round because i wanted to go for a bike ride! Not the best strategy, i admit!
Though this time will be the first time I am buying a car for reasons other than the previous one having just catastrophically dropped to bits!

 

[Slick]

How the hell do you tell?
I bought my last car because it was for sale in a garage near my house, it was a nice day and I couldn't be arsed trailing round because i wanted to go for a bike ride! Not the best strategy, i admit!
Though this time will be the first time I am buying a car for reasons other than the previous one having just catastrophically dropped to bits!

Paperwork helps. Obviously a full mot and any history of failure, although there is no guarantee. Check pedals steering wheel for excessive wear which are all clues but can all be changed or hidden.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

What's your favourite colour?

 

[Julia9054]

What's your favourite colour?

Whichever one shows the dirt the least

 

[Pumpkin the robot]

Whichever one shows the dirt the least

Grey then.

 

[Pale Rider]

Years ago the motor group Henlys used to put a sticker over the odometer on used cars - you couldn't see the numbers.

The idea was to force the customer to buy on condition, not mileage.

I don't think there's a foolproof way of avoiding risk when buying.

Provenance helps, is there a colleague or someone you know who is selling their car?

As, presumably, an employee of the local authority, is their a county council staff message board you could use?

Still no guarantee, but you would at least know who you were buying from.

 

[Smokin Joe]

On older cars mileage does not matter, it is all about condition. I would in fact avoid an older car with well below average mileage, exhausts and batteries do not like sitting round doing nothing and will probably fail in a short time, and fluid seals and hoses will have dried out and perished. Oil that does not get hot won't burn off condensation so internal corrosion can be a problem, and unleaded petrol starts to go off after about three months leaving gummy deposits in the fuel system.

I'd go for Japanese too, they seem to be well made and reliable.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Was the Clio the right size?
As to the actual buying I tend to buy from the person rather than on the car, on a much as does their story check out etc.

 

[Julia9054]

Provenance helps, is there a colleague or someone you know who is selling their car?

As, presumably, an employee of the local authority, is their a county council staff message board you could use?

I'm an employee of an academy chain but i get your point!
Which is why giving Joe my car seems less risky for him than him buying one. He is having lessons and plotting his escape from living in the grottier bits of central Manchester which, in his line of work, means that driving is essential.

 

[Julia9054]

Was the Clio the right size?
As to the actual buying I tend to buy from the person rather than on the car, on a much as does their story check out etc.

I don't need anything bigger or more powerful than a Clio. I haven't liked it much - it looks scruffy and it rattles - but very little has gone wrong with it in the 4 years I've had it. Whatever I buy is eventually going to be passed on to my other son so it needs to be cheap to run and for a young person to insure.

 

[midlife]

I'd check on insurance as well, insurance companies do not like young drivers / new drivers with cheap cars as they think they will be abused/crashed.