What car £1500?
Discussion
Bill - that sounds a very good way of going about things...I doubt I'll be so sensible and will only go for a car I have pre-selected
Andy665 said:
I picked up an 02 plate Saab 9-5 Aero last November
Everything works perfectly, loaded with equipment,, full service history, long MOT - cost me £1200, absolutely love it
Sounds great, would like to think I end up with something similar. Is it manual? What sort of mpg do you get? So this would be a 230bhp model, any issues with sludge/doing a sump drop?Everything works perfectly, loaded with equipment,, full service history, long MOT - cost me £1200, absolutely love it
Going to sound a little out there but how about pitching up at BCA/Manheim and seeing what goes through, cap yourself at £1.1k bid to allow for the fees/make good fund and you can't go too far wrong (if you know what your looking for and inspect it before it rolls in/as its started etc.)
Can be a good day out - print of a catalogue a day before, identiy the cars you think will ebd up in the price range and you'll be good.
My experience is stuff at your money goes cheap, its the ex-fleet white goods that make strong money - some bargains to be had for less desirable petrols/older cars!
(I got my 540i this way for well under £1k below what other private cars were going for)
Can be a good day out - print of a catalogue a day before, identiy the cars you think will ebd up in the price range and you'll be good.
My experience is stuff at your money goes cheap, its the ex-fleet white goods that make strong money - some bargains to be had for less desirable petrols/older cars!
(I got my 540i this way for well under £1k below what other private cars were going for)
From experience I'd be cautious of the E46's, had an E36 which was great, simple and indestructible. The E46s have all been fairly problematic, usually small niggly stuff that can be fixed in an hour or two but unless you fancy spending a fair bit of time with the spanners out maybe give those a miss.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Citroen-Xsara-2-0i-16v-2...
Ugly 306 GTI with 5 speed box and many years newer
Ugly 306 GTI with 5 speed box and many years newer
Bill said:
iacabu said:
Bill - that sounds a very good way of going about things...I doubt I'll be so sensible
Look at the Mazda 6 then, they hadn't registered before I bought one but were car of the year one year.
kiethton said:
Going to sound a little out there but how about pitching up at BCA/Manheim and seeing what goes through, cap yourself at £1.1k bid to allow for the fees/make good fund and you can't go too far wrong (if you know what your looking for and inspect it before it rolls in/as its started etc.)
Can be a good day out - print of a catalogue a day before, identiy the cars you think will ebd up in the price range and you'll be good.
My experience is stuff at your money goes cheap, its the ex-fleet white goods that make strong money - some bargains to be had for less desirable petrols/older cars!
(I got my 540i this way for well under £1k below what other private cars were going for)
It's a good idea and one I have thought of as I have a very local auction house to me. Been a few times but never with any intent to buy so definitely worth a look once I have the funds.Can be a good day out - print of a catalogue a day before, identiy the cars you think will ebd up in the price range and you'll be good.
My experience is stuff at your money goes cheap, its the ex-fleet white goods that make strong money - some bargains to be had for less desirable petrols/older cars!
(I got my 540i this way for well under £1k below what other private cars were going for)
W41RU5 said:
From experience I'd be cautious of the E46's, had an E36 which was great, simple and indestructible. The E46s have all been fairly problematic, usually small niggly stuff that can be fixed in an hour or two but unless you fancy spending a fair bit of time with the spanners out maybe give those a miss.
I have heard a few times now that people have had a lot of issues with certain BMWs, in particular the 3 series (not so much e34 and e39 to some extent). My old E46 had things needing sorting and were fairly expensive fixes.ToothbrushMan said:
you do indeed get a lot of saab for your money at this level. of that original list i would be looking at a loaded up 9-3 or 9-5 2.0t's minimum 175bhp tune or the aeros, the 2.3t's not so much although im not sure if they stopped those with the 9000.
I like the positiveness towards Saabs as I am keen on the idea of one.PaulGT3 said:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Citroen-Xsara-2-0i-16v-2...
Ugly 306 GTI with 5 speed box and many years newer
I just don't think I could, shame because I know it will be a fun drive...yes, badge snobbery. No, I don't care. Ugly 306 GTI with 5 speed box and many years newer
Somnophore said:
Anyone run a 2.0 mondeo. A ghia x from 2002/3 looks a reasonable buy in terms of comfort and a bit of poke. Just don't wanna spend loads on it.
I picked up a late 2003 a few weeks ago with FSH for a grand. Really nice condition, nice to drive. There is an intake manifold issue to be aware of up to late 2003....mike-r said:
Never had a problem with any of my E36/E46s. Get a chain driven 6-pot with decent consumables and you're set. I find the extra I pay in fuel I save by the car being indestructible. Just give the cooling system a look over.
...and the suspension, boot floor, and vanos... I love the E46, but they've got a few potential expensive issues :-(iacabu said:
Sounds great, would like to think I end up with something similar. Is it manual? What sort of mpg do you get? So this would be a 230bhp model, any issues with sludge/doing a sump drop?
Mine is manual, probably fewer of them than autos but was my preferenceMines an early facelift so 250bhp, over 4000 miles I have averaged 33mpg, around town its about 23mpg but on a motorway run 37mpg is not difficult at all
No sludge, Aeros were less affected as they were always specified to run on fully synthetic and as long as this has been maintained then there should be no real issues. One I bought had already had it done anyway and it was found to be pretty clean
Engineer1 said:
Find the least knackered one with the best service history and condition.
Another +1 for this. Was looking for a frugal 5 seater to complement the MX-5, ended up with this for £540 with new belts and 11months MOT. Needed a few tweaks but still came in at £800 inc. new tyres all around. Diesel, 5 seats and a CD player, all I need 
Another vote for the E36. My 318is's only actually required repair was a new wheel bearing, in the last 1.5 years I've owned it. And in return i get to drive a brilliant car that for some strange reason only cost my £900. My other E36 I've run for the last 3 months has only given me the problem of a blowing manifold gasket, which is a £10/30 minute job.
Not sure about the 6 cyl's, they sound awesome but they seem less reliable from what I've read about them. But i've never owned one so i'm not sure.
Then again looking around for the right one is important, there is a sea of sheddy/rusty examples on ebay.
Not sure about the 6 cyl's, they sound awesome but they seem less reliable from what I've read about them. But i've never owned one so i'm not sure.
Then again looking around for the right one is important, there is a sea of sheddy/rusty examples on ebay.
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