UKC

The Astra of Doom has developed an ominous death rattle and, with 230k miles on the clock and the MOT about to expire, isn't worth fixing.

Suggestions for a replacement, please? Needs to be under £1k (so will be fairly well used), not interested in whether it's fun to drive or not (it'll be used mostly for commuting along the busy bit of the M6, which I refuse to believe can possibly be fun *ever*) but decent fuel economy, a reasonably large boot and a reputation for reliability/longevity would be plus points.


(Also, anyone want to buy a shagged astra? 230k miles, comes with a range of sound effects instead of a working radio and has the a*se end held together with gaffer tape. :

In reply to Wingnut: For that age (10+), I'd say a pertol ford focus. Should be a few of them about and plenty of spares.

In reply to Mike Stretford:


Like for like age/condition/milage wise Mondeos are cheaper to buy, not sure about running costs.

jk

take a look at skoda fabia. As reliable as Volkswagen's, but cheaper.

In reply to jkarran:


Maybe, but I think the focus of that era is a better car*

*subjective opinion

In reply to Wingnut:

Another Astra? Astra G, common as chips, nicest to drive of the boring cars and bulletproof.

In reply to Wingnut:
Hi
At that price the car is old and not worth fixing. So it stops being a matter of reliability, more luck. So there's no point choosing a "reliable" model.
What you can do is concentrate on buying the best condition whatever, for the lowest amount.

In reply to Wingnut:

I agree with DavidRiley. You are in the tombola zone under 1k. I hold firmly to the view that with modern cars, mileage is the main thing to look for because miles age cars more than years. I'd be looking for as low mileage as I could get, then when inspecting the car I'd be making sure the mileage wasn't fake, and checking for excessive rust.

In reply to Wingnut:

Rover 75 from the "Members' Cars For Sale" section of the ZT/75 owners' forum. Budget for clutch changes if my MG Zt-T is anything to go by :-/

In reply to M0nkey:

Regular servicing more important than mileage (to an extent). I would take a 150K car with receipts for oil changes and belts etc, over 100K car with no history.

In reply to Wingnut:

Another vote for a focus. The estate is great, if you need that much space. I'd echo the point about the older focus being better than the older mondeo too. euro NCAP certainly think so...

If you're doing lots of miles (and it looks like you are by the mileage on the astra) I'd go diesel. At that age the price difference is much less than new, so it pays back quicker. The TDDI engine is really reliable, but not refined or fun, the newer TDCI is more efficient and nicer to drive but has things like a DMF which might cost more money. Either way, make sure it's had a cam belt, they are quite expensive on a diesel focus. Check for rust too, they don't age as well as say a VW, and once it gets into the sills it'll eventually eat everything.

In reply to Wingnut:

Peugeot 306 diesel (Turbo 1905 for preference). Mine is on 300 000 miles plus. Currently getting about 53mpg (12/l?) I have taken it to the Alps etc. Can be driven as a boring car, but car perform better than most upmarket cars if I feel in that mood. I paid £300 for it 2.5 years ago and have spent £700 since, including tyres, and MOT fees x 2. For some reason some of my friends call it George!
Remember that any cheap second hand car is a gamble. You may get a good one (like mine)or a heap of shite. The prettier it looks the more likely it is that it has been fixed to sell!

In reply to Wingnut:

I'm looking at selling my Audi A4, 1.9TD, 1999, 190K on it, prob looking for about £800. Has an extensive service history. Just serviced it. Passed MOT in Feb with no advisories.

If I hadn't just bought a Land Rover as a toy then i'd be keeping it, but the costs of running 3 cars is slightly too high

In reply to Wingnut:

Look for good owners who service regularly and don't thrash generally reliable cars that have cheap parts (stuff will probably go wrong). Someone's relative is always selling something like this and they often get scrapped, when a willing Wingnut might go wanting.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

I would avoid Rover if you can for the simple reason - parts. I had an old Rover (not THAT old) and found getting spare parts for it murder. I resorted to scouring scrap yards. So basically a cheap Rover will need spares and these may be hard to source.

In reply to Duncan Bourne:


+1

Rover 75 is a joke anyway

In reply to Jack B:

>>If you're doing lots of miles (and it looks like you are by the mileage on the astra)

Yes, doing a hundred-mile round trip to customer site every day. Taken the astra from 80k to current mileage in four years. :

Already considering getting a diseasel this time round.

In reply to Wingnut:
My dad has a Mazda 2 Antares diesel, its possibly the dullest car I could imagine but that said he gets a lot of mpg and has had minimal work done to it now getting on for 9 yrs old and 150k miles
Quite spacious, average spec, medium size.

Ive got a 1.8 astra H and thats now done 102k miles in 5 years again minimal work done, but probably not available in the sub £1k band yet. Astra G 1.8 or 1.7 might be suitable, cheap parts and easy to service

In reply to Wingnut:

Buy Dingbat's Audi.

In reply to Removed User:

I've been driving a Fiat Punto Grande 1.4 for two years without any issues at all. Two MOTs, sailed through last year and only a tyre needed earlier this week for a new ticket. Not huge boot but I can take three passengers for a day trip to the hills and even big guys fit in the back. Might be the best car I've ever had. Just my two'pennorth of ''wisdom''.

In reply to M0nkey:


I disagree. Proper servicing is the key. I've had 3 cars in the last 27 years. I put over 240,000 miles on each of the first 2, and my latest's on 206,000 now. This one had 81,000 on it when I got it and I expect to run it to at least 250,000.

I don't drive "conservatively" nor slowly. What I *do* make sure of is proper servicing, with regular oil changes etc. There's also how the car is driven.....a low mileage car that's been used for short urban hops is likely to be less reliable than a high mileage one that's done a lot of motorway miles.

In reply to Wingnut:

I'd go for an old volvo; plenty to be had at that money and they seem to run into 300,000 miles quite confortably. The big estates have plenty of room, a large boot and are pretty comfy. Petrol would be more fun but heavy on fuel so a disel could work.

In reply to Wingnut:



I'd be considering a budget B&B and saving myself 400 miles a week!

In reply to Rob Naylor:

If you are buying a car with high mileage then yes I'd look for a service history. I'm not too fussed about service history with lower mileage cars. If its in the 60-100k miles range then you can pretty safely gamble that it was properly serviced for the first few years of it's life when under warranty. It probably had regular servicing therefore until at least 30k miles or thereabouts. Even if there is no paperwork to confirm it most of those cars will have had at least an oil change or two in the interim so I'd be happy to gamble on them. Having a look/sniff at the oil on the dipstick will give you a clue, also looking at the oil filter which often has a service date on it is another thing.

Beware the mileage clockers though. They are rife in this price bracket. I've spotted a few when looking at cars for mates. In one case I found a service receipt for a service done at 60000miles when the car odometer only read 37000. It also drove like a pig - my bet is it was far on the wrong side of 100000 miles.

In reply to LastBoyScout:
>>I'd be considering a budget B&B and saving myself 400 miles a week!

What I'm *actually* considering is a new job ...

In reply to M0nkey:

>> In one case I found a service receipt for a service done at 60000miles when the car odometer only read 37000. It also drove like a pig - my bet is it was far on the wrong side of 100000 miles.

I used to have a fiesta where the odometer only *had* 5 digits. It showed (IIRC) 60k miles, but I'd suspect it had been round the clock at least once before I got it.