Is £3000 enough for a reliable 2nd-hand hybrid car?

[KFaff]

Hi!

Does anyone know a good amount about hybrid cars?

About to give birth (due mid-Dec) and just been told that the flat we were due to move into has fallen through, as our friend has now decided not to move abroad until next year.

Unfortunately we were also going to acquire the use of her Honda Jazz and won't have that either now! We've been out of the country until recently so don't have either a flat or car (currently staying in small room with family).

My friend got her car for cheap off FB Marketplace. I've looked on there and can see some hybrids for £3000. Obviously I'd have to get any car checked out and see paperwork, but does anybody know if this is just unfeasibly cheap for a reliable hybrid? I know nothing about cars! Thank you 🤓Oops - accidental emoji and won't let me delete.

Thanks!

Kat

Don't know but I'd be interested in any replies to this too.

What age of car? Second-hand car prices are very high just now so £3,000 seems pretty cheap to me unless it's a pretty old car.

Problem is if you are buying off FB from a private seller then it's caveat emptor.

Sounds pretty cheap to me. I guess you could pick up an older Prius for that sort of money. That sort of money to me is in the car "danger zone".

If you pay less and end up with something that requires a lot of work you can just bin it. But once you start getting much above that then you start to get into a zone where it could require a lot of work, thousands of pounds worth, but is too much money to just scrap if that eventuality arises.

I would never by a car over say 2-3K without being prepared to spend at least 2k on it in case it suddenly develops a major fault. If it turns out you don't need to then I'd view that as a bonus.

That does seem cheap. What model, how old and what mileage?

Are they about to require something really expensive like a new battery or have they been written off or something?

I think that sounds very cheap. I just bought a second hand car and was shocked at how much prices had gone up. A few years ago you could get something fairly decent for £1,500 but the cars I test drove even at £2k felt like a piece of junk.
I ended up spending £2,700 on an 8 year old car and it’s still not a brilliant drive.

It does seem cheap. We considered getting a second hand hybrid last year but they were out of our price range so we ended up with a petrol with a small engine.

At that end of the market it is going to be down to luck. You might find a £3k car that lasts years or days. At that price you will be better off going for a small petrol engine because most garages will be able to fix problems. If the motor or battery breaks you might have to take it to a main dealer.

www.parkers.co.uk/car-valuation/

Do your research. I'd not look for a hybrid but a petrol one. Something like a Fiesta or Corsa.
Look at how much the insurance and tax will be, and factor in running costs, maintenance and possible repairs, and car tax.

Whatever you get, get the FSH (full service history)
There will be maintenance that needs to be done at certain points, like timing belt, and if not done can result in expensive repairs.

I would go with that.

I have a Ford at the moment. It is as cheap as chips to run, the parts are cheap and all mechanics can repair them (if you can't repair a Ford you are out of business as a mechanic). I guess Vauxhall are similar.

If you are that budget limited go for something with the simplest engine possible (petrol). Hybrid at that price probably will not save you that much fuel and just has a load of extra stuff in it to go wrong.

Japanese cars do have a rep for being expensive to repair, but very good quality, esp. Honda I believe. My experience of the German marques is they are both unreliable and expensive to repair.

Is there any particular reason you want a hybrid? They really are a poor compromise between battery electric and combustion. The extra weight carrying batteries, good for only a few miles, reduces the mpg of the combustion engine. I had a hybrid and then rented a petrol car and was shocked at how much more efficient modern petrol engines are (I drove diesels for years). I’m now in 100% electric and love it but they’re very expensive cars to buy and older ones are older technology so I would not recommend.

As PP have said get the newest and most efficient petrol car you can afford on your budget. Look for good mpg and low road tax and you will find many more options open to you.

Thanks @GasPanic .

My cars over the years have all been second hand, and all have been reliable.
I've had Fiestas in total over 20 years and they were reliable, dependable, and other than wear-and-tear, cost next to nothing.

If anything goes wrong, the parts are easily available and not expensive.
I'd also consider a Focus, which will have more room.
A 5-door is much better than a 3-door if you have a family.

Not owned a Corsa, but Vauxhalls tend to last well.
French cars are fine but tend to have dodgy electrics.
Honda Jazz is always recommended by Honest John

Don't buy a cheap used Audi, BMW, Mini or VW. It will be a money pit. In general, avoid the status cars (evoque, beemer, golf, A3, convertible etc), or that were previously from car supermarkets (one's bought on an £x per week/month basis), because they tend to have owners who don't look after them.

A car with an average mileage is likely to be more reliable than one with a high or very low mileage. Avoid diesels with a low mileage.

Get your car serviced regularly at a decent non-dealership garage. Get word of mouth recommendation.