What cheap/reliable work commute car?
Discussion
Currently use my "21" Mustang GT as my only car.
The commute to work is 18 miles each way, usually 6 days a week. Mostly on tightish B roads that don't perfectly suit the Mustang either.
I always run the GT on V power (currently £1.56), its eating through rear tyres, and have hit the 1st service in just over 6 months!)
The ford App says im doing around 1050-1370 miles a month, costing around £350 a month on fuel, adding to the tyres and servicing, let alone the depreciation from added miles to the car. I think i need to find a commute s
tter
So say budget of around £1500, what should i get that will do 40MPG, reliable, cheap to run, and would be nice if its still a bit fun the hustle around some B roads! Preferably located around Bristol/Gloucestershire ish.
What do we think?
Ive had a look on autotrader, but doesn't seem £1500 gets much these days?
The commute to work is 18 miles each way, usually 6 days a week. Mostly on tightish B roads that don't perfectly suit the Mustang either.
I always run the GT on V power (currently £1.56), its eating through rear tyres, and have hit the 1st service in just over 6 months!)
The ford App says im doing around 1050-1370 miles a month, costing around £350 a month on fuel, adding to the tyres and servicing, let alone the depreciation from added miles to the car. I think i need to find a commute s
tterSo say budget of around £1500, what should i get that will do 40MPG, reliable, cheap to run, and would be nice if its still a bit fun the hustle around some B roads! Preferably located around Bristol/Gloucestershire ish.
What do we think?
Ive had a look on autotrader, but doesn't seem £1500 gets much these days?
£1,500 is a tight budget these days.
If you need a bit of occasional practicality I’d be looking for a hatchback. Petrol. Manual.
Ford Fiesta / Focus or Suzuki Swift would be my shout.
Shopping with £3k would be better and if you buy right and look after it you’ll get most of it back when you sell.
If you need a bit of occasional practicality I’d be looking for a hatchback. Petrol. Manual.
Ford Fiesta / Focus or Suzuki Swift would be my shout.
Shopping with £3k would be better and if you buy right and look after it you’ll get most of it back when you sell.
The spinner of plates said:
£1,500 is a tight budget these days.
If you need a bit of occasional practicality I’d be looking for a hatchback. Petrol. Manual.
Ford Fiesta / Focus or Suzuki Swift would be my shout.
Shopping with £3k would be better and if you buy right and look after it you’ll get most of it back when you sell.
Yes i understand. Last time i bought a car for this budget there was a whole ocean of decent stuff available.If you need a bit of occasional practicality I’d be looking for a hatchback. Petrol. Manual.
Ford Fiesta / Focus or Suzuki Swift would be my shout.
Shopping with £3k would be better and if you buy right and look after it you’ll get most of it back when you sell.
The thing is i can spend more, but i see it if a £1500 banger dies and end up scrapped - thats life.
But if the same happens to a £3K banger...........
I was thinking around the lines of a fiesta
Hyundai i10 are a good little commuter car, not very quick but reliable , good mpg and cheap to insure and run, there’s a few on AT but they’re over £2k for a decent one. Easy to DIY service as well. My daughter’s has been faultless in 20k or so miles and 3 years, just regular services and a set of tyres so far.
V8 Stang said:
So say budget of around £1500, what should i get that will do 40MPG, reliable, cheap to run, and would be nice if its still a bit fun the hustle around some B roads! Preferably located around Bristol/Gloucestershire ish.
What do we think?
Ive had a look on autotrader, but doesn't seem £1500 gets much these days?
True, which is a shame, but being prepared to travel to go see or purchase a car should be considered a necessity and even a change of scenery.What do we think?
Ive had a look on autotrader, but doesn't seem £1500 gets much these days?
As with any cheap old budget car, there's always the risk that things are going to go wrong with it.
That said, if you're handy and don't mind a few weekends tending to a few bits and pieces under the bonnet, getting the interior all shampooed and giving the car a new lease of life (as I did in May last year having been without a car for nearly 9 months) then the only way is to go to the very bottom of the listings and work your way up, as opposed to buying someone else's aggroat market price and then having to spend even more.
I got a 1.6 Cruze for only £500 that was listed on ebay as a PX to clear. Straightforward car to work on. I must have spent a few hundred tinkering with it myself, fixing a couple of electrical glitches and getting a mobile valeted to deep clean the interior.
It's a relatively cheap car for parts (rebadged Astra J), and it's reliable and pretty decent to look at, drive and sit in.
As for getting a Cruze itself, £1,500 should be able to get you something. 1.6 is a bit sluggish and the 1.8 would be better IMO, but it's perfect for driving around town etc and is fairly okay on country roads.
I'd otherwise suggest checking to see if there's something Japanese around. I'd expect that there are plenty of 2000s Civics and Corollas within £1,500. In the alternative, older used Kias (Rio, Ceed) are surprisingly cheap as well.
captain.scarlet said:
True, which is a shame, but being prepared to travel to go see or purchase a car should be considered a necessity and even a change of scenery.
As with any cheap old budget car, there's always the risk that things are going to go wrong with it.
That said, if you're handy and don't mind a few weekends tending to a few bits and pieces under the bonnet, getting the interior all shampooed and giving the car a new lease of life (as I did in May last year having been without a car for nearly 9 months) then the only way is to go to the very bottom of the listings and work your way up, as opposed to buying someone else's aggroat market price and then having to spend even more.
I got a 1.6 Cruze for only £500 that was listed on ebay as a PX to clear. Straightforward car to work on. I must have spent a few hundred tinkering with it myself, fixing a couple of electrical glitches and getting a mobile valeted to deep clean the interior.
It's a relatively cheap car for parts (rebadged Astra J), and it's reliable and pretty decent to look at, drive and sit in.
As for getting a Cruze itself, £1,500 should be able to get you something. 1.6 is a bit sluggish and the 1.8 would be better IMO, but it's perfect for driving around town etc and is fairly okay on country roads.
I'd otherwise suggest checking to see if there's something Japanese around. I'd expect that there are plenty of 2000s Civics and Corollas within £1,500. In the alternative, older used Kias (Rio, Ceed) are surprisingly cheap as well.
I forgot about the Honda Civic, that sounds like a decent bet. Will have a look at these.As with any cheap old budget car, there's always the risk that things are going to go wrong with it.
That said, if you're handy and don't mind a few weekends tending to a few bits and pieces under the bonnet, getting the interior all shampooed and giving the car a new lease of life (as I did in May last year having been without a car for nearly 9 months) then the only way is to go to the very bottom of the listings and work your way up, as opposed to buying someone else's aggroat market price and then having to spend even more.
I got a 1.6 Cruze for only £500 that was listed on ebay as a PX to clear. Straightforward car to work on. I must have spent a few hundred tinkering with it myself, fixing a couple of electrical glitches and getting a mobile valeted to deep clean the interior.
It's a relatively cheap car for parts (rebadged Astra J), and it's reliable and pretty decent to look at, drive and sit in.
As for getting a Cruze itself, £1,500 should be able to get you something. 1.6 is a bit sluggish and the 1.8 would be better IMO, but it's perfect for driving around town etc and is fairly okay on country roads.
I'd otherwise suggest checking to see if there's something Japanese around. I'd expect that there are plenty of 2000s Civics and Corollas within £1,500. In the alternative, older used Kias (Rio, Ceed) are surprisingly cheap as well.
Think im going to pop down and have a look at this Civic:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110118...
The guy said no warranty (wouldnt expect much at this price), but looks ok, only MOT till march.
But doubt i will get much better than this for the budget.
If it drives ok, i might take a punt..... especially if i can get it down to £1700.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110118...
The guy said no warranty (wouldnt expect much at this price), but looks ok, only MOT till march.
But doubt i will get much better than this for the budget.
If it drives ok, i might take a punt..... especially if i can get it down to £1700.
Sorry, other thing I forgot to mention was try and search for private listings before trade listings. No guarantee that a private seller won't try and do you over, but a lot of traders will probably have gotten the car from an auction and are just trying to flip it.
Any trader who is saying there's no warranty is probably one of those car flippers and trying to have you believe you've no recourse or legal rights, which you will do initially in a B2C relationship.
If you've an OBD 2 scanner (I got a fairly ordinary Foxwell one for about £45) then take that with you. I do remember though that with one shed I purchased several years ago, the seller had disconnected the battery prior to my arrival so as to reset the ECU. Test driving it there were no issues other than the electric windows being a bit hesitant.
About a day later when the ECU had reconfigured itself, the windows had sorted themselves out but the EML had came on and I was stuck thereafter trying to figure out why the fuel economy and consumption on 1.6 engine were worse than a 6 litre!
Any trader who is saying there's no warranty is probably one of those car flippers and trying to have you believe you've no recourse or legal rights, which you will do initially in a B2C relationship.
If you've an OBD 2 scanner (I got a fairly ordinary Foxwell one for about £45) then take that with you. I do remember though that with one shed I purchased several years ago, the seller had disconnected the battery prior to my arrival so as to reset the ECU. Test driving it there were no issues other than the electric windows being a bit hesitant.
About a day later when the ECU had reconfigured itself, the windows had sorted themselves out but the EML had came on and I was stuck thereafter trying to figure out why the fuel economy and consumption on 1.6 engine were worse than a 6 litre!
Well the Civic was a waste of time, i wasn't expecting a showroom condition, but it was nothing like the photo's, duck tape on the roof, bumper falling off, monumental paint fade. I didn't even bother discussing it, i just got straight back in my car!
will have a look around at private listings.
will have a look around at private listings.
Any good ?
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201311...
Few quid on replacement parts, Smart repair on the bonnet (if you can be bothered, for a commuter I wouldn't bother) 50 quid on the air bag reset tool.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201311...
Few quid on replacement parts, Smart repair on the bonnet (if you can be bothered, for a commuter I wouldn't bother) 50 quid on the air bag reset tool.
Might be able to find an Octavia/Golf/Passat/A3 with a 1.9 diesel in budget. If you can find one with reasonable bodywork and service history the engine should keep going on with minimal maintenance. Just beware it will probably fall foul of emissions zones so depends where your commute goes.
V8 Stang said:
So say budget of around £1500, what should i get that will do 40MPG, reliable, cheap to run, and would be nice if its still a bit fun the hustle around some B roads! Preferably located around Bristol/Gloucestershire ish.
What do we think?
Ive had a look on autotrader, but doesn't seem £1500 gets much these days?
Gumtree and Facebook market place are better at the lower end budget. If you can accept 30+ MPG then there some more interesting options. My go to car for around a £1k for the last decade has been the Lexus IS200 - the mpg not spectacular but reliable, comfortable, more enjoyable than you'd think. Certainly a better bet than a Merc C class of BMW 3 series at the low budget end of the spectrum. What do we think?
Ive had a look on autotrader, but doesn't seem £1500 gets much these days?
Some random finds....
dull but ought to trouble free - toyota corolla
https://www.gumtree.com/p/toyota/2006-toyota-corol...
Saab 9-3 cabriolet turbo.
https://www.gumtree.com/p/saab/2007-saab-9-3-2.0t-...
MIni Cooper S- supercharger
https://www.gumtree.com/p/mini/mini-cooper-s-r53/1...
Ford Focus ST170 - it's the right blue and could turn out to be something that appreciates to offset running costs.
https://www.gumtree.com/p/ford/ford-focus-st170-ha...
These are just from the first few pages!!
https://www.gumtree.com/cars/bristol/page5?max_pri...
V8 Stang said:
Currently use my "21" Mustang GT as my only car.
The commute to work is 18 miles each way, usually 6 days a week. Mostly on tightish B roads that don't perfectly suit the Mustang either.
I always run the GT on V power (currently £1.56), its eating through rear tyres, and have hit the 1st service in just over 6 months!)
The ford App says im doing around 1050-1370 miles a month, costing around £350 a month on fuel, adding to the tyres and servicing, let alone the depreciation from added miles to the car. I think i need to find a commute stter
So say budget of around £1500, what should i get that will do 40MPG, reliable, cheap to run, and would be nice if its still a bit fun the hustle around some B roads! Preferably located around Bristol/Gloucestershire ish.
What do we think?
Ive had a look on autotrader, but doesn't seem £1500 gets much these days?
Mercedes C160 SEThe commute to work is 18 miles each way, usually 6 days a week. Mostly on tightish B roads that don't perfectly suit the Mustang either.
I always run the GT on V power (currently £1.56), its eating through rear tyres, and have hit the 1st service in just over 6 months!)
The ford App says im doing around 1050-1370 miles a month, costing around £350 a month on fuel, adding to the tyres and servicing, let alone the depreciation from added miles to the car. I think i need to find a commute s
tterSo say budget of around £1500, what should i get that will do 40MPG, reliable, cheap to run, and would be nice if its still a bit fun the hustle around some B roads! Preferably located around Bristol/Gloucestershire ish.
What do we think?
Ive had a look on autotrader, but doesn't seem £1500 gets much these days?
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201030...
Chevrolet Cruze (this is an Astra) a very simple car that'll do exactly what you need:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202032...
2.0i Focus Ghia
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202032...
Citroen C4
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202012...
Plenty of stuff about still as long as you aren't too fussy.
Ford Fiesta 1.4 TD - low miles, FSH (supposedly), £30 a year to tax, 50+ mpg
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201111...
Ford Focus 1.6 LX
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112040...
Early E90 BMW 320d (they were still using the more reliable M47 engine at this point) - looks like it'll need a front numberplate!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202042...
Honda Civic 1.8 i-VTEC EX
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202022...
Suzuki Swift 1.5 GLX with a long MOT
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201261...
Renault Clio 1.2 16v - another long MOT
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201241...
Seat Ibiza 1.4 16v Sport with long MOT for £999
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201201...
Toyota Yaris 1.3 VVT-i
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201231...
Saab 9-3 1.9 TiD with ropey bodywork
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202052...
Ford Fiesta 1.4 TD - low miles, FSH (supposedly), £30 a year to tax, 50+ mpg
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201111...
Ford Focus 1.6 LX
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112040...
Early E90 BMW 320d (they were still using the more reliable M47 engine at this point) - looks like it'll need a front numberplate!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202042...
Honda Civic 1.8 i-VTEC EX
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202022...
Suzuki Swift 1.5 GLX with a long MOT
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201261...
Renault Clio 1.2 16v - another long MOT
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201241...
Seat Ibiza 1.4 16v Sport with long MOT for £999
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201201...
Toyota Yaris 1.3 VVT-i
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201231...
Saab 9-3 1.9 TiD with ropey bodywork
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202052...
Edited by georgeyboy12345 on Saturday 5th February 16:53
Cheers guys, ive decided to up the budget a smidge.
And have come across this Toyota Auris SR180, it actually looks not too bad, and has a bit of poke for a small thing.
Going to have a look in the morning.
https://www.clsautosolutionsltd.co.uk/used-cars/to...
And have come across this Toyota Auris SR180, it actually looks not too bad, and has a bit of poke for a small thing.
Going to have a look in the morning.
https://www.clsautosolutionsltd.co.uk/used-cars/to...
V8 Stang said:
Cheers guys, ive decided to up the budget a smidge.
And have come across this Toyota Auris SR180, it actually looks not too bad, and has a bit of poke for a small thing.
Going to have a look in the morning.
https://www.clsautosolutionsltd.co.uk/used-cars/to...
Have a good check for signs of corrosion. Anything Japanese over 10 years old has a tendency to rot and some evidence in the previous mots of the suspension mounts needing attention. And have come across this Toyota Auris SR180, it actually looks not too bad, and has a bit of poke for a small thing.
Going to have a look in the morning.
https://www.clsautosolutionsltd.co.uk/used-cars/to...
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