[QUOTE 3569665, member: 9609"]At that age I would consider that it won't be worth repairing come next MOT, so I would ultimately base my decision on that - £750 for 7 months ?
You could get years out of it or it could fall to bits next month. [/QUOTE]
I had you as more frugal than that.
I've been living off of
ebay for my motoring (pretty much) for the last decade or so and work on the theory of £600 tops per year for the car. So if I spend £450 on a Mondeo I'll be buying something with a long MoT and be happy if it makes the next one, but not expecting it. I get a mate (who I trust and knows what he is doing) to give it the once over to make sure it's safe (an MoT means very little). If I decide, for some reason to go over £600 for a car, then it needs to last more than a year. Currently I'm on year 2 of an 05 Toyota Verso that cost me £1500 but I knew the history of and year 3 of a diesel Peugeot 406 that cost me £450 and refuses to die, I expect to get 300,000 out of it barring accidents.
Checking here -
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/renault/scenic-1999/?section=good - isn't a bad call if you don't know what you are looking at, and knowing a bit about modern cars (or knowing someone who does) is invaluable if you're trying to keep something cheap running.
My general rules of thumb (you will notice I don't stick to them that strongly)
Don't buy Italian, French or Vauxhall.
If possible buy Ford or Japanese.
Mileage isn't as important as condition.
Don't believe anything the seller has done unless it has cast iron paperwork with it. (Then just mistrust it).
Look for service intervals and budget accordingly.
Check the tyres, dead ones make a cost difference at this price point.
AirCon never 'just needs a recharge' this is a lie, the AirCon has broken and will never work again.
Things that should make you walk away (and I really should pay them more attention)
The story changing, especially last minute work that wasn't deemed 'important' for the advert.
Evidence the car has been sitting for a long time.
That gut feeling that you're being lied to.
If it feels too good to be true, it probably is.
The point where you start convincing yourself 'I'm sure that bit will be fine really', it never is.