UKC

Just because I know how much UKC love a car discussion. 
 

I’m after recommendations of which direction to go with a used car as my current car needs a repair that will cost well over its value. Here’s my wish list of needs:

• Under £2000, I don’t really have any money but I will have to scrape some together!
• Fairly economical and well known as a high mileage workhorse - I cover 250-400 miles a week for work and with a few long distance trips I tend to cover at least 20k per year. At my budget the mileage is going to be high already. 
• Able to hold its own in winter conditions - I commute to either Llanberis over the pass at 360m or to Pwllheli over the Migneint at 490m. I’ve used AWD vehicles before but I’m open to the winter-tyres/2WD argument if people have first hand experience over these sort of elevations. 
• Fast-ish! It would be good to know I can overtake with confidence as my commuting routes can be slow in summer…. 
• Big, probably an estate. Family of 4 plus a dog, need space for holidaying too. 
   

I’ve previously had a Subaru Forester that I bought at 134k and sold at 168k (lots of little but expensive repairs, not great mpg at around 30 but very solid in all conditions) and a Hyundai Sante Fe that I bought at 141k and is now needing a torque converter and an engine strip down at 157k (ok winter handling, fast enough with petrol V6 but thirsty at 24mpg). My previous Citroen Relay was useless in the snow!

Looking forward to the Skoda Octavia suggestions and the dislikes for not being able to afford electric, thanks!

Well, this being UKC, let me begin by suggesting exactly the thing you said you didn't want

If you are covering 20,000 miles a year in a car delivering 30mpg, then you're spending about £330 a month on petrol alone.  Add in VED, MOT, depreciation on the £2000 purchase cost, and even minor running repairs, and you won't be getting much change from £400/month.

You can lease the lowest spec e-Niro on a four year 20,000 mile deal for £420 a month with no downpayment.  No VED, no MOTs for the first three years, fuel cost around £250 for an entire year if you get Octopus Go and charge at 5p/kWh overnight.  Brand new, reliable, very unlikely to have an repair cost at all in your four years (and if you do the warranty will likely cover them).  Accelerates like a nutter.  Are you sure you can't afford an EV?

Admittedly not the biggest boot, and I don't know yet how well it handles in the snow - it is front wheel drive only.

You don't want to hear this but used car prices have gone nuts over the last 5 months (around a 20% mark up). If you possibly can, try and hold off until some sanity returns to the market.*

*saying that, I held off buying my first house for about 5 years waiting for the "bubble" to burst. It didn't and it still hasn't, so what do I know?

I suspect you must work for yourself.

If not, and your employer expects you to drive 250-400 miles a week for work in all conditions, then I would rather hope a decent employer would be helping you to afford more than £2k for your vehicle.

Good luck with your search anyway.

Martin

My winter experience in it is relatively limited but in other respects an Octavia would indeed meet your requirements. At that price though, you'd have to accept that it could fall apart very quickly if you were unlucky, and would undoubtedly need some money spending to keep it going. You're probably looking at something 10-15 years old with 150k+ already on the clock.

(Ps I drive a VRS which meets your fastish requirement but you won't get one for that price. The older basic diesels will feel pretty slow I'd have thought. If you don't need quite so much space, a Fabia estate would be a better option, you'll get something in better condition for your money.)

30 mpg for a modern vehicle is being rather pessimistic, skewing the calculation a bit. 

Probably not if he wants something fastish for under £2k.

I guess it depends how you drive it....

I know the 2nd hand car landscape has changed over the last decade, so too has the way cars are repaired. It may still work though?
I used to go the banger 'nomics version of car ownership. 
Buy cheap - 500 quid. Get really unfashionable cars so the insurance is cheaper, and they are likely to be looked after as no racers will touch them. Often larger "rep"/ motorway vehicles - 5 door. With an OK sized engine/ diesel engine as they last well - 100-200 000miles. Pick a common make as they are easier to get spares and repair. The actual car is a gamble given the price, but the right one will give lots of miles before giving up. The moment it incurs a large repair bill (that you cant nurse along any further) - replace it with another. 

However, being a little richer these days, I'd go newer with less running cost/ hassle. But thats cos I'm lazy and not a great DIY mechanic for the little things - brakes etc

If you want the rest of your spec, and something remotely reliable, then £2k won't do it.

When I was in a similar position I had a series of cars that were bought for £50 with a few miles left on the MOT.  This was not a safe way to travel, but it was cheap.  However, I did spend almost as much on oil as petrol.

The last of those £50 cars moved me into a different model of transport - for about a year I went just about everywhere by AA relay.  I think they may have changed the rules so that this is no loger possible; indeed I may have been part of the cause of the rule-change.  This model requires lots of time, no fixed deadlines and a reasonable ability to chat up AA staff to bend their rules a bit.

Realistically I'd swallow the inevitable opprobium and get a high mileage, but young, diesel - a sales reps' car.  Diesels are cheap now and even cheaper with 100k miles, but if they've done them all on motorways, they should go for another 200k.

All your good-in-the-snow points are mostly about how you drive, and in the noise really for the main decision.

Another Octavia recommendation. Winter experience is limited to the Alps, where it has been fine on ski holidays, only needed chains a couple of times, all the rest on summer tyres.

We picked ours up about 18 months ago for £1800. 07 plate, had 90,000 miles on at the time. Has been fine with the admittedly major exception of a gear box explosion, fortunately we got a 6 month warranty when we bought and was fixed with no fuss.

I was considering a VRS recently, you can find them for around £2000 and around 140K miles

Skoda Octavia VW Passat Ford Mondeo then get a spare set of steel wheels and winter tyres should get you anywhere 

If you can find one in your budget then an Octavia scout,  not cheap to tax but AWD that works in the snow especially with winter tyres and decent ground clearance.

I had one a 2l diesel with the 140bhp pd engine and it moved well, handled really well and would do  early around 60mpg on the motorway and mid 40's around town, I sold it not long back to get a petrol because most of more journeys are short and I wasn't doing it much good.

I'm actually surprised they aren't more popular on here

Edit: I was going to link to an eBay add for one for £2.5 but UKC won't let me.

I'd expect a Scout at £2k to have spaceship mileage and a high risk of big bills. They are very good cars though.

The one for £2.5k is at 138k which isn't that much for a modern ish diesel tbf. Only really expensive thing to go is the clutch/clutch slave cylinder/flywheel as they're all in the gearbox bell housing, ask me how I know

That sounds like a bargain, and probably worth a punt. You could probably run it for a couple of years and sell it for not much less. As to the expensive bits, I don't want to know and hope not to find out.

Yeah I was gonna say this 300 mile a week at 45p a mile and you could probably just about lease yourself a new S-Class with the mileage 😂

(so probably not getting mileage for this?)

Houses and cars are a bit different, as you can easily build your way out of a shortage of cars, much harder with houses.

Assuming you have enough ICs which has been the major hold up recently.

Yes, true, once that situation resolves itself building can speed up again and prices come down.

Scout all the way for me. 

My previous Octavia 4x4 Kombi did miles in muddy fields and never let me down. My current Scout  is being pampered a bit more since I'm now retired but it has a bit more ground clearance and plastic protection so I'm sure it could cope. As for being "fastish", I've never had a more relaxed cruiser and I've never been one to indulge in traffic light racing so it's good enough. 

Honda Civic? 

Focus sized with a much bigger boot and priced so maybe not as big as you need...... Had one the past few weeks and its a total peach. Great to drive and brilliant on fuel for a 1.8 petrol

Not had it long enough to have personal experience but all the reviews tell me they're bulletproof even by Honda standards.