To hope that I can get a reliable good car for £3000

[wheelycote]

Need a car for new job....they don't supply a car. Its a fantastic opportunity...start in March. I need a car and have been turned down for car loan...previously had a debt management plan 5 years ago...all resolved and paid up now however its still affecting my credit...which is fair enough. Past years have not missed any payments with anything and been excrutiatingly good were money is concenred.

I have 3grand saved (painstakingly saved for towards a house deposit over the past couple of years) (Two jobs one full time and one satueday/sunday job). I was hoping for the loan but now that is not possible unless I want a high APR 35 per cent ish apr.

I might beable to stretch to 4 grand at an absolute push, but would be skinting not only the savings account but the birthday account. I rent and worried if the landlord wants the house back I will have to find the deposit and moving costs for another place with higher rent :()

Is it possible to get a good reliable car for 3000 ish that would be used for about 15000 to 20000 miles a year or am I delusional and need to grovel to my employer that im serving notice with and apologise to the new one saying I cant get a car.

So fed up...I've a few Gnt's on my todd (my kids are dtweens, they are safe) and fed up as I don't know what. Am I car snob and are there good cars out there for 3grand that wont have to pour money into

Thank you for listening to my drunkard worriying ramble

My hot hatch (renaultsport clio) is currently on auto trader for £1800 - old and lots of miles, but just passed the MOT with no work required. It's a great little car, has been doing 20k miles a year for ages and no work other than usual maintenance. And it's fun!

There's plenty like it available, as well as younger, more boring ones for similar prices. Also don't forget classified ads, auto trader etc people expect the price to be negotiable.

Do take a hard-nosed friend with you when looking at cars - to tell you to walk away when salespeople are being too pushy (or equally - trying to induce a sense of obligation in you).

Do not spend 3k. Don't go above 2 max, you need an emergency fund.

Another vote for Toyota or Hyundai or Honda. Anecdotally I understand that the first generation A Class was fairly problematic (dad is in the industry) so I'd steer clear. And as PP said Mercedes servicing can tear you a new one.

We have a 19 y.o. C Class, 59000 miles, cost £750 2 years ago. Kicks ass on the highway. I plan to hang on to it until it dies.

I'd recommend a Skoda. Mine is ancient. Worth a lot less than £3000! Does more miles than you plan. Passed its last two MOTs. Has never broken down (touch wood!). Repairs are cheap when needed as the parts are cheap.

I think I paid about 3k for my vauxhall meriva 08 in 2012. No problems with it apart from usual wear and tear. You will easily get a decent car for that money.

My advice would be to buy privately from someone who has owned the car a long time. You will be able to tell from the state of their house etc how the car is likely to have been looked after. I know that sounds judgy but it's a good indicator.

I bought a fairly low mileage 2002 diesel Passat sport a year ago for £2250 from someone who was quite clearly OCD when it came to cars, that's the kind of person you want to find! I've done 15k miles with no major issues, and it's just gone straight through an mot. I do spend the money on it in terms of servicing (good, local independent garage).

If you buy from a dealer you have no idea who owned it before. You might be buying a polished turd.

Another satisfied Toyota Corrolla owner. Mine's 20 years old. I bought it for 400 quid. 4 years ago and it has only needed new tyres, brakepads and a back box.

So yes, a reliable car is easily within your means. However I would try and get a full service history, old MOTs and receipts for any work done. Avoid anything with a short MOT.

Also check if/when the cambelt was changed and budget for that too if it needs to be done. If the cambelt snaps you are looking at a 3k paperweight.

Whilst I'm a big fan of Toyotas, shopping at that budget-ish end of the market, I'd draw up a list of makes/models you'd consider and buy the best car that you find for your budget rather than focusing on a single model.

Yes Toyotas are reliable but a 250k miler ex-minicab Toyota which hasn't had an oil change since Blair was PM will probably give you more grief than a Skoda Fabia with a FSH and 80k motorway miles on the clock.

stay away from any of the modern turbo diesels

when they go wrong, you will just have to bin a 3k car because of the expense

Yes , we got an astra estate about six months ago for £2400 dh shopped around I love it its very roomy.

You've also got to think about parts and servicing when you buy a car. With a Mercedes or BMW that's ££££.

I'd look at something like a VW, if you're doing a lot of miles then a diesel. We've got a Golf and a Polo, they're reliable and economical, or look at Seats, or Skodas.

Toyotas, Hondas, and Hyundais are good, reliable cars too.

You can easily get a really decent car for around £2K and to be honest these days I'd never pay more than that. I have a 19 year old Peugeot 306 diesel, with 200K on the clock, I paid 1000 for it four years ago, just passed its MOT and only needed new tyres. Starts every time and is really economical on the diesel.

I think with the less fancy older cars, there's less to go wrong on them. Any repairs I've had to do on my car (just general wear and tear) have never cost that much. I love my little car.

My car cost £750 with 30k miles on the clock. The only thing I've needed to do to it is top up the oil!

Everyone has their own opinion and experiences with cars.......... I would not buy a cheaper older diesel engines car as there are too many expensive parts that can go wrong, for example the turbo.

For 3k I would look at a non turbo petrol engine as you will get a newer one with lower miles for the same money. You absolutely CAN get a good reliable car for £3000 though, even £1500 is enough if you have someone mechanically minded who can pick you a good one.

The government MOT history checker website allows you to see what the car has failed on and track the mileage over the last few MOTS which can give some indication as to whether the car has been looked after or not or even if it has been clocked.

Love all these tips!!! thank you!!!

Lots of food for thought...and will bill be googling. What paprameters do you think I should be looking for..(theres so many cars around that price)

Im thinking:

low mileage

full service history

one owner (preferably a little old dear)?

petrol or diesel? (are petrol cars cheaper to get repaired)

milkysmum :) that's my new job

one owner (preferably a little old dear)?

Not necessarily no. A car that has low mileage, but has only been used for short stop-start journeys isn't a good thing. Slow speed stop-start driving means the engine never reaches its optimum operating temperature.

Clutch, brakes and suspension are likely to have taken more wear if driven through town. By way of illustration compare the number of times you accelerate, brake and change gear in a 15 minute journey through town with an hour on the motorway.

peaz1 and whimsical Sorry just seen....Live in Halifax. Not opposed to traveling within a 150-200 mile radius for a car. Peaz1 wish the motability was a little closer

I had a 06 c-max up until 3 years ago.....was a fab car until the turbo went and after that lots of things went wrong.

Do most cars have turbos now? or is that just with diesels??

Theres quite a few of you saying to be cautious with regards to turbos going...not sure who said it but love the....3k paperweight comment [Smile]

Make sure you allow for insurance costs as well, depending on what car you get and where you live, that can be a lot. My first insurance bill was about £700 and that was for a 30+ woman. And then road tax on top as well. If you have 3k car budget, then really your actual car money is closer to 2k.

Jeeeezzz the govt mot checker is [thorough]....im ruling out a lot of cars....

I've had a lot of cars and my BMW was no more expensive to fix than any other car.

I wouldn't go for a merc. Anything within your budget will most likely have high miles. And repair costs will be expensive.

If you want something reliable and value for money, go for something un trendy! Try and see past age, and look for evidence that the car has been looked after. Full service history, 1 owner, 4 good tyres (all same brand)...... And clean inside is always a good sign it's been looked after! If you know someone who knows about cars, take them with you.

I wouldn't even say you have to pay £3k.......

wheely very new petrol cars are often a lower capacity turbocharged engine for efficency purposes.

However this is a very recent trend, so the petrolcars you'll be looking at won't have a turbo charger.

Old petrol cars are turbo charged too so I think that's misleading to op but it will say it has a turbo and will be a larger engine.

www.gumtree.com/p/hyundai/hyundai-elantra-1.6-si-2002-low-miles-1-owner-car-/1152810001

For example @ £495

I wouldn't be blowing your life savings on a car, if you're saving for a house deposit.

As long as you're not fussy, there is absolutely no need to spend £3k on something to get you from A to B.

Old petrol cars are turbo charged too so I think that's misleading to op but it will say it has a turbo and will be a larger engine

Sorry you're wrong, until about five years ago it was almost the preserve of performance cars. Petrol powered mainstream family cars were almost never turbocharged. I assume the op isn't in the market for a used Ford RS200 or Lamborghini Countach.

The Twinair engine in the Fiat 500 started the trend for small capacity 2 or 3 cylinder petrol engines fitted with a turbocharger from about 2011 onwards.

I assumed the op wasn't looking to buy an RS200 or

Finding this thread really interesting as I'm about to by an older car.
This will be a run around just for me and a Dc, so can be small. For some reason, I'm drawn to the cars I wanted when I was eighteen. Anyone know how reliable pink vitara Jeeps are?