Advice on buying older car

[hongman]

So the last 4/5 years I have been spoilt with nice lease cars, so I have been out of the second hand car game for a long time. In fact I have only ever bought 1 car which turned out to be a death trap :D

My Beemer is going back start of Feb, and instead of leasing again I am going to buy a car. Will have to be super low budget, til I can afford something nicer in 18-24 months or so.

Still not 100% how much I can set aside yet for this but currently looking in the £1500-2000 range. As such, looking for advice on what pitfalls to look out for on higher mileage motors...quick check on AutoTrader gives results back anywhere between 60K - 100K+ miles.

Will probably go for something common, i.e Focus/Golf/etc as will be cheaper and easier to fix up if needed.

I know beggars cant be choosers but some personal pref's:

1. Diesel
2. Nothing bigger than say a Vectra...but nothing smaller than Fiesta (i.e feck off Panda's etc)
3. POWAR!! (1.6 min but much prefer 1.8+)

Currently my Beemer really suits my driving style. If I want to put my foot down the grunt isnt too bad, but if I want to drive sensibly the MPG will stay up. Best of both worlds.

[fizzwheel]

If you are looking at Focus' ( or should that be Foci )

Check the bushes on the front and rear suspension or get them checked if you dont know what to look for.

The way the Focus suspension is designed means that the bushes are not renewable, so if they are worn or damaged you have to shell out for new suspension arms as its a one piece unit and its not cheap.

I had to get the front ones done on ours during its last service, was circa £200 a side...

The seem to show signs of wear at anything around the 60K and onwards mark.

Dont assume Fords are cheap to get parts for either. Our Focus also needed rear brake pads, at the same time the front pads on our Audi A6 needed doing. Parts price wise, the Focus brake pads were more expensive than the Audi ones were...

[Biker Biggles]

Tricky price range that.Have you thought about going really cheap(a few hundred quid)and just throwing it away when it breaks?Old Nissan Micra spings to mind,but it probably wont break as they are so reliable.
If you want a bit bigger a Volvo V or S40 is cheap.

[Littlepeahead]

Get one like mine! The seat will probably go far enough forward for you to reach the pedals and we can get you a booster seat.

[Specialone]

Id get a focus tdci, parts are easy to get as they are common, always 2nd hand parts available on eBay.

[Thunderace]

Just bought myself a Mondeo ST 200 2.5 v6 for £550, 2001 (y plate) great car had tax but no MOT when I bought it and sailed straight through when tested. MPG not good but I drive like I ride. 87,000 miles and the engine is LUUUURVELY.
Lots of similarly priced ST 200 & ST 220'S on flea bay.

Now this thing about Ford parts? Admittedly I've never owned a Focus but Mondeo parts are cheap as fook (except clutch and flywheel on the dervs), find the part no for your pads and such and type that into flea bay for some bargains.

On my fourth Mondeo now and I'd say great cars, avoid the diesels, the derv engines (especially the 2.2) do pull like a train, but replacement clutches are very expensive! Hence the reason why I no longer have a new car but an 11yr old one, it was half the price of fixing the clutch!

[Bibio]

skoda fabia. good all round cars but like them all not without their faults. biggest fault is leaking door cards so check foot wells for dampness.

[hongman]

Tricky price range that.Have you thought about going really cheap(a few hundred quid)and just throwing it away when it breaks?Old Nissan Micra spings to mind,but it probably wont break as they are so reliable.
If you want a bit bigger a Volvo V or S40 is cheap.

Thought about this but I dont think I could live with it haha :s

Get one like mine! The seat will probably go far enough forward for you to reach the pedals and we can get you a booster seat.

I have a booster seat! I can fit in my son's one lol.

Id get a focus tdci, parts are easy to get as they are common, always 2nd hand parts available on eBay.

It's on my hit list for sure! Was going to go ST170 route but fuel is a concern.

Just bought myself a Mondeo ST 200 2.5 v6 for £550, 2001 (y plate) great car had tax but no MOT when I bought it and sailed straight through when tested. MPG not good but I drive like I ride. 87,000 miles and the engine is LUUUURVELY.
Lots of similarly priced ST 200 & ST 220'S on flea bay.

Now this thing about Ford parts? Admittedly I've never owned a Focus but Mondeo parts are cheap as fook (except clutch and flywheel on the dervs), find the part no for your pads and such and type that into flea bay for some bargains.

On my fourth Mondeo now and I'd say great cars, avoid the diesels, the derv engines (especially the 2.2) do pull like a train, but replacement clutches are very expensive! Hence the reason why I no longer have a new car but an 11yr old one, it was half the price of fixing the clutch!

£550 for a decent car like that is defo a bargain and a shade of luck!

Will have a gander at ST200/220's but I expect the mpg's will be similarly poop.

I do understand I am asking for good MPG and good power which kind of opposites but....;)

[BigBaddad]

Old shape Skoda Octavia. 1.9 pdi vw engine is good for mega miles, bomb proof motor.

[Specialone]

My mate had a st170 focus and never got over 25mpg, sometimes much lower.

[L3nny]

I drove a few st170s and they are more like a tepid hatch than a hot one.
I would go for a pug 206 hdi. You should get a decent one for that price about 7 years old.

Will do 40mpg minimum.

Check the insurance though cause weirdly it's quite expensive.

[Thunderace]

My mate had a st170 focus and never got over 25mpg, sometimes much lower.

Yep! Mine is thirsty, only had it a few weeks and the best I've got on a long run is 25.9 mpg, but it is very fast and too tempting to drive slowly. Maybe if I go steady that would improve?

[andrewsmith]

Skodas anything from 2000 on (all based on VW's)
If you want a rapid one, Fabia VRS diesel

or get a old transit connect

[suzukigt380paul]

If you are looking at Focus' ( or should that be Foci )

Check the bushes on the front and rear suspension or get them checked if you dont know what to look for.

The way the Focus suspension is designed means that the bushes are not renewable, so if they are worn or damaged you have to shell out for new suspension arms as its a one piece unit and its not cheap.

I had to get the front ones done on ours during its last service, was circa £200 a side...

The seem to show signs of wear at anything around the 60K and onwards mark.

Dont assume Fords are cheap to get parts for either. Our Focus also needed rear brake pads, at the same time the front pads on our Audi A6 needed doing. Parts price wise, the Focus brake pads were more expensive than the Audi ones were...i was told the bush's on my mondeo rear are not replaceable,but my tame mechanic(ford trained) tells me different.i think all ford bush's are replaceable.maybe with after market parts,and most ford parts are as chip as chips from a motor factors or ebay,i get coil springs supplied and fitted for £80,4 disc's and pads about/under £200 fitted,i would say ford petrol engine's go for very high milage'and on there common rail diesel's the injectors tend to go wrong at 100k,the pumps go for ever unless its ever been misfueled(and i mean ever,even a egg cup full in a full tank,may take years and several k, but it will shortain the pump life),focus diesel mpg are almost as good as there vw audi counterparts,55mpg
just looked, and all the front bushes are available,or the lower wishbones complete are about £50 delivered for a pair,so i advice avoiding dealer prices and find a good independent garage

[sv_rory]

I've got a nice 2002 vauxhall corsa 1.2 sxi for sale, or a vauxhall vectra. only thing is there both petrol engines

[Tim in Belgium]

E36 BMW 328i - 36+mpg on the motorway, close to 200hp. If you can find one without rust buy it.

[flymo]

So the last 4/5 years I have been spoilt with nice lease cars, so I have been out of the second hand car game for a long time. In fact I have only ever bought 1 car which turned out to be a death trap :D

My Beemer is going back start of Feb, and instead of leasing again I am going to buy a car. Will have to be super low budget, til I can afford something nicer in 18-24 months or so.

Still not 100% how much I can set aside yet for this but currently looking in the £1500-2000 range. As such, looking for advice on what pitfalls to look out for on higher mileage motors...quick check on AutoTrader gives results back anywhere between 60K - 100K+ miles.

Will probably go for something common, i.e Focus/Golf/etc as will be cheaper and easier to fix up if needed.

I know beggars cant be choosers but some personal pref's:

1. Diesel
2. Nothing bigger than say a Vectra...but nothing smaller than Fiesta (i.e feck off Panda's etc)
3. POWAR!! (1.6 min but much prefer 1.8+)

Currently my Beemer really suits my driving style. If I want to put my foot down the grunt isnt too bad, but if I want to drive sensibly the MPG will stay up. Best of both worlds.

I have a car for sale that doesn't meet either point 1 or 2, but mentioning in case interested :-)

Silver Volvo V70 estate, 2.4 petrol in good condition - 95000 miles, yours for £800.

[Paul the 6th]

Mondeo 2.0 tdi (130bhp version). 47-49mpg, nippy, comfy, tonnes of car for your money (cruise control, air con, full trip computers, heated front screen etc), within your budget, very comfy, massive huge giant boot, and lots of 2nd hand parts.

I love mine, only snag is it suddenly needs a new power steering pump & the exhaust has started blowing at 2 points. Www.carparts4less.co.uk is your friend..

[Paul the 6th]

P.s. if you hate money buy a petrol

[Dicky Ticker]

Hong,one car not mentioned is the V40 diesel Volvo,you can pick up a decent one for your budget[sub100,000],loads of room for kids bikes etc Don't be put off by the mileage ,we have one as a run about for work and it has 170k on the clock and has been trouble free.They have all the bells and whistles so unless you intend doing astronomical mileage it would fit the bill as it is fairly economical at 48-50mpg on a journey and about 40mpg about town.

[JonGeorge]

People are forgetting the trusty old L series engine in the Rover/MG's. I own a mg zs turbo diesel pushing out 150bhp from some scrappy injectors and a de-cat. I paid 1800, i've done 35,000 miles in it in just over a year. Absolutly solid cars and has never ever let me down.

[chris8886]

People are forgetting the trusty old L series engine in the Rover/MG's. I own a mg zs turbo diesel pushing out 150bhp from some scrappy injectors and a de-cat. I paid 1800, i've done 35,000 miles in it in just over a year. Absolutly solid cars and has never ever let me down.

i had a rover 200 and blew the head gasket (very common problem), i would definately suggest stearing clear of them!

[Paul the 6th]

i had a rover 200 and blew the head gasket (very common problem), i would definately suggest stearing clear of them!

Guessing that was on the petrol rover 200's though Chris? I had a rover 214 Si, fast as feck for a little 1.4 but the head gasket went on mine. I'd imagine the diesels to be more reliable as above :)

[chris8886]

Guessing that was on the petrol rover 200's though Chris? I had a rover 214 Si, fast as feck for a little 1.4 but the head gasket went on mine. I'd imagine the diesels to be more reliable as above :)

yeh it was, i wasn't aware that they came in any other form than petrol :confused:

[L3nny]

Mate of mine got a mondeo and it's a nice car. He paid about 1800 for a 2004 with 104k.

Unfortunately 3 months later ye had to fork out 1200 for a new clutch and flywheel.

[Paul the 6th]

Mate of mine got a mondeo and it's a nice car. He paid about 1800 for a 2004 with 104k.

Unfortunately 3 months later ye had to fork out 1200 for a new clutch and flywheel.

Ah yeah the Dual Mass Flywheel's are a bit of a lottery item on the mondeo's. If the car has been driven hard the DMF can wear out (teeth and bits of metal start to come away) and then it needs replacing = gearbox off, and then while you're at it you might as well stick a new clutch in there = ££££ average price seems to be about £900 for the DMF and clutch doing.

Watch out for any juddering under acceleration as it can be a sign the DMF is going. Mine's been pretty fine til now :)

[suzukigt380paul]

P.s. if you hate money buy a petrolto compare petrol and diesel as just mpg aint telling the whole story,when buying and running a used or high milage car,yes a diesel will do more mpg,but when its done 100k or so,the turbo may need replacing,or injectors or pump repaired or replaced when the low pump pressure warning light comes on,and if it has ever been mifueled you run the risk of having the pump loose pressure and pack up prematurely,and with common rail these are not a diy repair,and can cost over a grand to put right,and at the moment petrol is cheaper then diesel,so you have to consider all the (possible)running cost of a used a diesel

[Paul the 6th]

you have a point paul in all fairness Paul. Consider the overall costs.

And diesel mpg is relative, my mate has a bmw 530d which costs £90/£100 to fill and returns about 300-350 miles without even thrashing it. It's something insane like 20-23mpg from a 3.0 tdi. Goes like feck mind. Then my 2.0 tdci mondeo takes £65-£70 of diesel (55 litres) and gives 500-550 miles on a tank even when I drive like an absolute ding.

Saxo VTS road legal track car = £50 to fill with around 40 litres of petrol, drive sensible and you get 300-350 miles, drive it track-nam style and you get 230 miles at best.

Diesels are generally better economy but it's not an absolute guarantee.

[Dicky Ticker]

Not quite relevant considering Hongs budget but when I was looking for cheap wheels[7--8k] the difference between buying a 1.6--2.0lt diesel as to a smaller 1.4--1.6lt petrol meant that I got a much newer petrol version of the same/similar brands.Admittedly if you go up to the 2.0lt and 2.0lt plus cars a diesel is much cheaper to run as far as mpg is concerned
Example 2.0lt diesel Honda Accord[30k miles] compared to a 1.4lt Honda Jazz[14k miles].both do 48mpg but a Jazz was 2 years newer and half the insurance cost,with cheaper servicing
I came to the conclusion that taking depreciation into the equation I would need to be doing in excess of 40k miles per annum with the diesel to break even but as I only do 10-12k miles per year the Jazz won on economy grounds although not my preferred choice of car.
Probably a better comparison would be a 1.4petrol Golf against a 1.9diesel Golf

[BigBaddad]

Look, just buy a Skoda diesel 1.9 pdi.

[suzukigt380paul]

Look, just buy a Skoda diesel 1.9 pdi.
if thats the same engine and gearbox that they put in the vw caddy about 8 years ago,then from the example we had i wouldn't go near one,i know as a pick up it had a bit of abuse,and you can always find some one who has had trouble with something,when others have had them trouble free,but it was a pain in the ar$e,and we had problems with just about every thing,the gearbox went south,and you had so much play in the gear lever you coudlnt find the gears,the pipe to the power steering pump would fall off,the thing did not like starting in the cold and the common rail pump had to be repaired,and all this with under 60k on the clocks, i believe it went in the farm sale as spares or repairs