Used car advice-help

[alchresearch]

I'd get a diesel one if you can, they tend to me much more reliable.

 

Try and avoid the "rapier" trim as its very basic. Try for an LX at the very least.

[jon smith]

avoid anything french is my advice

[omen]

avoid anything french is my advice

 

second that go for a jap

[GrannyGranny]

I'd get a diesel one if you can, they tend to me much more reliable.

 

Try and avoid the "rapier" trim as its very basic. Try for an LX at the very least.

 

That's not strictly true. Modern diesels are much more complicated than petrols and unless you are doing lots of miles there is no advantage. Diesels are more expensive to buy in the first place and will have more miles on them.

 

I would recommend a small petrol.

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201111381986907/sort/pricedesc/usedcars/transmission/manual/price-from/1000/engine-size-cars/1l_to_1-3l/seller-type/trade_adverts/price-to/2000/quantity-of-doors/3/postcode/s24ap/page/1/radius/10?logcode=p

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201111381969658/sort/pricedesc/usedcars/transmission/manual/price-from/1000/engine-size-cars/1l_to_1-3l/seller-type/trade_adverts/price-to/2000/quantity-of-doors/3/page/2/radius/10/postcode/s24ap?logcode=p

[Shogun]

Froggy cars are rubbish! go for a Japanese car every time , even Fords are are better than French cars.

[rossyrooney]

Yes, about £150 insurance and £155 Road Tax, can't beat £6 a week fixed costs.

 

My wifes KA costs only £30 a year to tax.

[alchresearch]

That's not strictly true. Modern diesels are much more complicated than petrols and unless you are doing lots of miles there is no advantage. Diesels are more expensive to buy in the first place and will have more miles on them.

 

Surely that all depends on the car, its age, the previous owner and usage and the budget of the purchaser?

 

I wouldn't say that the OP in this thread would be getting anything "modern" like you say.

 

For example a Peugeot 306 diesel, around 1996-97. Virtually no engine electronic management systems.

 

You can pick up a sub 100k mile one for under a grand, £500 if you're willing to go for one with more miles on.

 

And they'll run and run and run and you'll regularly see them with 150,000 180,000 or even 200,000 miles on and still going strong, even looking pretty immaculate inside and out. You can't say that for the equivalent 1.4 petrol model.

 

You only have to look on the specific car forums to see where the problem cars lie - modern petrol ones. I'm a regular on a 307 forum and aside from the anti-pollution fault on some 110BHP diesels the rest of the common faults are either generic (the ABS sensors for one) or petrol specific.

 

And I believe diesels now outsell petrols in the new car sales:

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1300664/Diesel-cars-popular-petrol-driven-vehicles-Britons-evaluate-budgets.html

[GrannyGranny]

I was probably thinking of modern diesels more when I wrote it but I still think a small petrol engine is better when the journeys are mainly short with the occasional long journeys. Diesels, whether old or new don't like short journeys. They never get up to working temperature so aren't efficient. Also they are more likely to have done higher miles.

The Peugeot diesels are known for doing high miles but the OP has £2k to spend.

I still think a 1.2-1.4 petrol would be a better choice.

[alchresearch]

I was probably thinking of modern diesels more when I wrote it but I still think a small petrol engine is better when the journeys are mainly short with the occasional long journeys. Diesels, whether old or new don't like short journeys. They never get up to working temperature so aren't efficient.

 

I can vouch for that. My 1.3 diesel Punto kept getting its EGR filter blocked because it was used for short local journeys and eventually needed the associated sensor replacing (not cheap). Great on fuel, nippy and cheap tax (£35 a year) but not worth the hassle.

[parsoncross]

wouldnt touch a ka not at all