Absolute cheapest car to buy and run?
Discussion
Hi all, I'm looking to buy my first car (the Fiesta doesn't count) and have decided to go for the cheap shed route, build up some NCB, save the money for booze and birds etc. etc.
So I need some recommendations for something that will cost next to nothing to run, be cheap to buy (£400, tops), never break, and maybe, just maybe, be OK to drive?
I've researched a lot of cars, but the Peugeot 106 1.5D seems to be coming out on top so far. Get one for a few hundred quid, 60+mpg, reasonable to insure (more than the 1.1 petrol but the fuel savings should balance it out), reliable. As far as I've seen, nothing can really match it in terms of pure cheapness. Any other ideas?
It needs to be able to do about 400 miles a week. Ideally in some comfort and quiet but what with me being 18, the insurance companies don't much like the idea of me driving anything bigger or sturdier than a biscuit tin (yes, I've done many a quote). I'll just get some earplugs instead...
Anyway... over to you
P.S. I realise it's late; I'll bump this tomorrow. TIA
So I need some recommendations for something that will cost next to nothing to run, be cheap to buy (£400, tops), never break, and maybe, just maybe, be OK to drive?
I've researched a lot of cars, but the Peugeot 106 1.5D seems to be coming out on top so far. Get one for a few hundred quid, 60+mpg, reasonable to insure (more than the 1.1 petrol but the fuel savings should balance it out), reliable. As far as I've seen, nothing can really match it in terms of pure cheapness. Any other ideas?
It needs to be able to do about 400 miles a week. Ideally in some comfort and quiet but what with me being 18, the insurance companies don't much like the idea of me driving anything bigger or sturdier than a biscuit tin (yes, I've done many a quote). I'll just get some earplugs instead...
Anyway... over to you
P.S. I realise it's late; I'll bump this tomorrow. TIA
Edited by twazzock on Tuesday 23 November 02:12
I wouldn't be looking at a specific model. I'd probably search autotrader for all cars with under 60,000 miles and have a look. Doing that today you end up with this..
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...
Which seems to tick all your boxes, should even be a bit of a laugh to drive. No mention of MOT though.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...
Which seems to tick all your boxes, should even be a bit of a laugh to drive. No mention of MOT though.
Pug 106 or Saxo 1.1 are as cheap as each other, parts are cheap, scrap yards are full of them get the least mileage example you can there wouldn't be much difference in a petrol 1.1 that had done 50k to a 1.5D that had done twice that. Id probably opt for the petrol the engines can take some abuse believe me a mate had a 1.1 106 for years 4 up thrashing it to death to try and maintain 70mph on a motorway.
Fiat Cinquecento or Seicento.
So long as it's maintained, it'll soldier on forever, simply because they come from a time when Fiat overcompensated for their previous rust worries by galvanising everything to within an inch of its life, and they're so simple there is literally nothing on them to break anyway. They're pre-2001 and under 1565cc, so attract the lowest tax bracket you're going to find on a properly cheap car, the smaller-engined versions are in insurance group 1, and in the right places you might even get classic insurance on the Cinquecento.
Also, if you get a yellow Cinquecento and fancy making a bit of money back on resale, replace the passenger door with a red one and sell it as an Inbetweeners replica. Some wag will buy it in the same way they buy 'Del Boy' Reliant Regals.
So long as it's maintained, it'll soldier on forever, simply because they come from a time when Fiat overcompensated for their previous rust worries by galvanising everything to within an inch of its life, and they're so simple there is literally nothing on them to break anyway. They're pre-2001 and under 1565cc, so attract the lowest tax bracket you're going to find on a properly cheap car, the smaller-engined versions are in insurance group 1, and in the right places you might even get classic insurance on the Cinquecento.
Also, if you get a yellow Cinquecento and fancy making a bit of money back on resale, replace the passenger door with a red one and sell it as an Inbetweeners replica. Some wag will buy it in the same way they buy 'Del Boy' Reliant Regals.
Bear in mind that while diesels generally do more MPG, diesel is more expensive, and they usually have shorter service intervals, so its not always the most economical car that wins. That said my old Citroen ZX TD made me about 10p/mile profit on 100,000 miles worth of mileage claims duo to averaging 50mpg, being very reliable (power steering pump and heater matrix were the only non consumable failures before the radius arm bearings went at 196000 miles), and being worth bugger all when I started so not depreciating.
twazzock said:
Hi all, I'm looking to buy my first car (the Fiesta doesn't count) and have decided to go for the cheap shed route, build up some NCB, save the money for booze and birds etc. etc.
So I need some recommendations for something that will cost next to nothing to run, be cheap to buy (£400, tops), never break, and maybe, just maybe, be OK to drive?
And for my next trick I'm going to invent a perpetual motion machine!!!! ta-da! So I need some recommendations for something that will cost next to nothing to run, be cheap to buy (£400, tops), never break, and maybe, just maybe, be OK to drive?
twazzock said:
I've researched a lot of cars, but the Peugeot 106 1.5D seems to be coming out on top so far. Get one for a few hundred quid, 60+mpg, reasonable to insure (more than the 1.1 petrol but the fuel savings should balance it out), reliable. As far as I've seen, nothing can really match it in terms of pure cheapness. Any other ideas?
It needs to be able to do about 400 miles a week. Ideally in some comfort and quiet but what with me being 18, the insurance companies don't much like the idea of me driving anything bigger or sturdier than a biscuit tin (yes, I've done many a quote). I'll just get some earplugs instead...
Anyway... over to you
P.S. I realise it's late; I'll bump this tomorrow. TIA
Comfort and quiet in a Pug 106 diesel It needs to be able to do about 400 miles a week. Ideally in some comfort and quiet but what with me being 18, the insurance companies don't much like the idea of me driving anything bigger or sturdier than a biscuit tin (yes, I've done many a quote). I'll just get some earplugs instead...
Anyway... over to you
P.S. I realise it's late; I'll bump this tomorrow. TIA
Edited by twazzock on Tuesday 23 November 02:12
If it's of any interest I compiled a list of cheap to run yet reliable cars in this blog: http://www.osv.ltd.uk/latestnews/main-osv-news/wha...
SlowStig said:
Otherwise you are prob best looking for something jap like a micra. Micra's are like roaches, even after a nuclear war they will STILL be going
My girlfriends old Micra has been driven flat out everywhere for seven years - She's always said it'll be replaced with a Cooper as soon as anything goes wrong but the damned thing just keeps on running faultlessly no matter how hard it's driven, year after year. It's as tough as a bloody Gurkha!
All the manual petrols return around 45mpg, low weight & small size make the 1.0 quick off the mark in traffic and manoeuvrable around town & it loves revs but you may get a 1.3 or 1.4 for your budget which are faster.
I found the ZX handled like a boat when I have driven them and the brakes seem to either be fully on or not on at all.
And sorry did I just read that a 1.0 micra is quick off the mark??? When I had one (just as a run around) I could grow a beard in the time it takes to get to 60! Damn thing refused to die though and it got a lot of abuse.
And sorry did I just read that a 1.0 micra is quick off the mark??? When I had one (just as a run around) I could grow a beard in the time it takes to get to 60! Damn thing refused to die though and it got a lot of abuse.
The Suzuki Swift was also quite good, this one is cheapish:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2231685.htm
My dad bought one with lower miles and air-con for the same price though, I think he did 60,000 miles in it and the only times it went wrong was when he overloaded it and buggered the rear shocks + bearings. It went on to become my first car, where it was never serviced for two years, thrashed everywhere and never cost me a penny!
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2231685.htm
My dad bought one with lower miles and air-con for the same price though, I think he did 60,000 miles in it and the only times it went wrong was when he overloaded it and buggered the rear shocks + bearings. It went on to become my first car, where it was never serviced for two years, thrashed everywhere and never cost me a penny!
My mum had a 1988 Peugeot 205 'Style'. It was a 4 speed, 1.1 as I recall. She bought it with 30k on it and sold it 12 years later with 130k on it. In that time I drove it like a 17 year old lad, as I was a 17 year old lad (bottomed it out crossing a dual carriageway from a side road with 4 of us in it and wore through the handbrake cable which baffled my dad). It also took me to and from University on it's suspension bump stops every term and was used to do short shopping trips and long drives to pretty much everywhere in the country. Largely flat out.
When it went there was no a spot of rust on it, and it started first time every time and ran like a sewing machine.
You cannot break them - highly recommended.
When it went there was no a spot of rust on it, and it started first time every time and ran like a sewing machine.
You cannot break them - highly recommended.
The Crack Fox said:
"Absolute cheapest car to buy and run?"
Who cares ? For 5% more than your budget you can probably find something that won't make you self-harm each time you look at it...
Yeah i agree completelyWho cares ? For 5% more than your budget you can probably find something that won't make you self-harm each time you look at it...
A £400 car would drive me to the edge of sucide where as a £420 car would pull birds like you wouldn't belive
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