£1.5k Beater Estate

[NordicCrankShaft]

Looking to buy an estate with the above budget. It will mainly be used for carting the dog about and general winter duties as the TVR goes inside for the winter. I have a van for work, so this will alleviate the need to lump the poor sod into the front of the van which he now seems to be out growing.

Something low maintenance, cheap as chips to run/tax would be helpful.

[the-norseman]

I bought a SAAB 9-3 for dog duties a few years ago, my budget was 3.2k though which enabled me to get a V6 (high tax).

Decent size boot and a range of different engines.

[ZX10R NIN]

Vauxhall Signum overlooked under priced & a decent car for your budget:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202505072...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/267332278561?_skw=vauxh...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/376409857441?_skw=vauxh...

Mazda5:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501248...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202506133...

Zafira SRI:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507104...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202506043...

Elite:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507084...

407 SE:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202504081...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202504191...



If you don't mind a CAT car (& a little budget stretch) you can get something newer.

Zafira Tourer:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507074...

[drgoatboy]

1.5k doesn't go very far anymore. I would literally search auto trader for up to £1500, estate and within 15 miles and see what comes up.
Sadly it's now the very bottom of the market so it's taking a gamble on anything.

My go to estate would be an Octavia but suspect there will be more choice if you are happy to look for an astra or focus.

[p4cks]

Avoid AT for your search, you won’t find much.
At that budget you need Gumtree, there are bargains but avoid anything where the V5 isn’t present as it suggests it’s a duffer they’re looking to quickly move on

[TT86]

My 2006 2 litre diesel Octavia was absolutely brilliant. Comfortable, pretty quick and a huge boot for the dogs. Sold it a couple of years back for 2k with 98k on the clock.

A quick MOT check shows it's sailed through the last two and is now on 115k but seen them with moon miles.

The rear axles can be quite rusty so worth a good check.

[MiniMan64]

Surely at this price point it’s just whatever is available locally?

[Pickle_Rick]

£1500 was banger territory 10 years ago, now unless you're handy with spanners youre just buying someone else's wreck.

I'm assuming owning a TVR your garage has more tools than a local Halfords

[Jamescrs]

Facebook marketplace would be my go to for this budget

[OutInTheShed]

If I was selling at this kind of value, I'd try Gumtree first.
FB marketplace second.

Ebay is always worth a look, but all the cars you fancy on there will always be 200 miles away.

Just look for anything that ticks the essential boxes and go for something you feel you can trust both the car and the seller.


There are OK estates at this price point, but there are many more which need scrapping.

[66HFM]

I'd be looking for a Volvo V50 for your budget via FaceBook Marketplace or Gumtree or eBay

[7 5 7]

Vectra estate
Insignia estate
Avensis Estate
Volvo V70 (P3 Platform)
Mondeo Estate

...swerve balls....

what about an S-Max or Vauxhall Zafira
(more like jacked up estates in my eyes, than an MPV's)


...all plenty about for that amount, and all voluminous boot space - roll of a dice in terms of if any are any good at this price point, get a petrol one for less borkage, with long enough MOT and crack on

Edited by 7 5 7 on Monday 21st July 10:07

[RazerSauber]

Vectra or Mondeo estate will fit this bill perfectly

[mikeyr]

As others have said, hard to find much at that price. I spent a similar amount on a Pug 3008 which was ideal for lugging around things, including two dogs that like that it has a split tailgate for jumping in/out. Amazing how much you can get in one with the seats down, certainly bigger than an estate. So far it's been reliable but also think that's as much luck as judgement!

[nobrakes]

E220cdi

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507144...

Well proven. Everything can go bang at this stage, but these can go on for 100s of thousands of miles.

[CaptainScarlet1967]

Off the cuff, but a lot of medium-sized hatchback-derived estates or people carriers may fit the bill, do the job and, in this day and age, be large enough to fit a dog, run errands etc:

Ford Focus, Focus C Max, Astra, 308 as mentioned above, Corolla Verso, C3 (or other) Picasso, Megane, Megane Scenic, Panda, Yeti.

I haven't checked prices, but as others have said, it may be down to pot luck on that budget.

A fair few will no doubt be from last week's car auction and the endeavours of car flippers which may have hidden gremlins. Stick to private sellers and double-check the listing history and mobile number (on Google) of Gumtree sellers, not to mention hyperbole in the listing/title (e.g. '350,000 motorway miles', 'German technology', 'Japanese reliability' etc). It's a basic way of establishing who is a genuine seller and who is out to make a quick quid.

In my experience, the 'bargains' may need a bit of money and time spending on them - e.g. part exchanges to clear, which end up in auctions anyway, and vehicles for spares/repair can be overlooked and not actively sought by wheeler dealers. If there are any decent used car dealerships, they'll no doubt have some knocking around for a quick cash sale in the yard. My current shed was one of those and has now been with me for 4 years.

Breakers' yards may also have a few intact cars that they may be willing to let go of. A shame so many useable cars are destroyed, but that's another topic.

[arbitmusings]

some 201X Superb may turn out to be good deal in thar range

[OutInTheShed]

nobrakes said:

E220cdi

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507144...

Well proven. Everything can go bang at this stage, but these can go on for 100s of thousands of miles.

A diesel that's done 4000 miles in the last 4 years?
What could possibly go wrong?

[nobrakes]

OutInTheShed said:

nobrakes said:

E220cdi

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507144...

Well proven. Everything can go bang at this stage, but these can go on for 100s of thousands of miles.

A diesel that's done 4000 miles in the last 4 years?
What could possibly go wrong?

That’s fair. It probably just needs a good run.