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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To Want a Cheap Used Car???

10 replies

Applefruitcake · 31/01/2023 23:12

I'm looking for a very basic cheap automatic car, not looking for anything special. My conditions are:

  • Must be automatic
  • Must be in driveable condition
  • Ideally small (1.4 engine or less)
  • ideally can be delivered but not essential

Any make or model is fine. My budget is £2,500 but could potentially extend to £4,000 for something worthwhile.

Is it even possible? Seems like mission impossible so far. Any suggestions much appreciated! Thank you

OP posts:
WuTangGran · 31/01/2023 23:19

Look on Autotrader. You can filter by all those criteria without specifying a make/model.

Crucible · 31/01/2023 23:29

Cargurus is good. I'd look for a Polo.

Fourcandleforkhandle · 31/01/2023 23:30

My Car broke down back in October and was deemed unrepairable. It was scrapped. I have been searching for a Car with similar requirements to yours except for it to be a manual Car. Every day I am looking on Autotrader, Fb Marketplace, Gumtree, Motors.uk but have not found anything.
Just my luck that I need a Car when prices are so high.
I am doing online Mot checks for Cars that I'm interested in but most have advisories like oil leak etc or are Cat N or S.
It is an absolute nightmare. I am beginning to think I will never find anything suitable with my budget.

PaniniHead · 31/01/2023 23:31

It’s definitely possible. I found mine on Facebook marketplace through a reputable dealer. Peugeot 3008, 61 plate, 85000 miles, full service history and mot pass with only front tyres as advisory. Cost me £3k.

VioletLemon · 31/01/2023 23:36

DH is a v experienced mechanic and has bought and sold many of this type of car. He usually goes Japanese, Mazda, Honda etc or Renault. Check out its mot history for advisories, many small cars have been young guys 1st cars and may have classic things wrong. Try to get one previously owned by an older person, Honda or Suzuki small engine.

SavoirFlair · 01/02/2023 00:39

Is it even possible? Seems like mission impossible so far.

it is nothing of the sort @Applefruitcake . It really isn’t.

Your OP is cleverly worded though - if it’s “mission impossible”, more people will come on and post links saying “no it isn’t, look here!” And you get people doing the search work you should be doing.

I think also this post is

“help me find a small used car but I have hidden criteria which is making me reject everything I’ve seen so far in the budget”.

Usually in the UK it comes down to two things:

• Manufacturer (the brand is unfamiliar, the image could be perceived as naff)
• Mileage (everyone is looking for some weird unicorn of a car that’s done 27,000 miles yet costs £3k. low mileage is bizarrely the the indicator of being well kept. Not how frequently it’s been serviced etc.

I found a fistful of Honda Jazz examples at your budget. Wonderful , strong car with good room inside and ULEZ friendly.

Mileages under 70,000 which is good for the age.

All 1.4 engine size.

Is there anything wrong with the above - is there more criteria we need to know?

DesperateHousewife2023 · 01/02/2023 00:46

We ended up getting a Japanese import. Absolutely love it. It’s quite big but Japanese dealers also bring in smaller cars that are already driven in UK like the Jazz, so no problem getting parts. They can also help source.

Original poster
Applefruitcake · 01/02/2023 16:30

Thank you all for the suggestions. There are a few sites suggested that I hadn't looked at, so very helpful.

OP posts:
blueberry2012 · 01/02/2023 16:33

Fourcandleforkhandle · 31/01/2023 23:30

My Car broke down back in October and was deemed unrepairable. It was scrapped. I have been searching for a Car with similar requirements to yours except for it to be a manual Car. Every day I am looking on Autotrader, Fb Marketplace, Gumtree, Motors.uk but have not found anything.
Just my luck that I need a Car when prices are so high.
I am doing online Mot checks for Cars that I'm interested in but most have advisories like oil leak etc or are Cat N or S.
It is an absolute nightmare. I am beginning to think I will never find anything suitable with my budget.

That's interesting because I am seeing a lot of more reasonably priced and newer manual cars on the market, but not so much automatic.

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