Can somebody recommend a car for less than €800 please

LaLucy

Hi everybody. I'm looking for a car for less than €800, has to be hatchback because I can't drive a car with a big boot. Erm would be great if there were 4 doors. Petrol. Very low litre under 1.3 to keep insurance low as possible. That's all the requirements really. I have previously owned honda civic and a toyota corolla (which I found too bulky). Would a volkswagen polo be a safe car? Thanks for any replies

mawk

a polo is indeed a safe and good car, but itd be tough out to find one for 800e.
an ibiza or a cordoba are both more of less polos with different badges.

you might get lucky with a corsa, they are solid good cars and come off better in crashes with oak trees.

mikkael

I'd go with the Ibiza / cordoba but not the VW or Opel. Both the Polo and Corsas tend to have the crap driven out of them, and they can be hit or miss when they get old. The Seats, on the other hand, slip below the radar of such drivers ( with exceptions of course ) and have the VW engines.

What about a Skoda Felicia? VW engine again, no image, looks okay and is cheap to buy.

racso1975

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Fiesta/1.3-NCT-/200924193096164/advert?channel=CARS nct till 05/10 and only 44k on clock

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Hyundai/Accent/1.3-GL/200937195192780/advert?channel=CARS a little bigger and newer

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Skoda/Felicia/1.3,-Tax/200934194989726/advert?channel=CARS

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Toyota/Starlet/1.3-GREA/200942195530909/advert?channel=CARS

run_Forrest_run

racso1975 wrote: »

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Fiesta/1.3-NCT-/200924193096164/advert?channel=CARS nct till 05/10 and only 44k on clock

holy crap, mywheels.ie says it had 34 owners!! the proper village biycle:)

SV

So a new owner every 1300 miles..
I'm calling shenanigans!

Mr Benevolent

'01 Punto (post HG problem model)

emurphy

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Toyota/...t?channel=CARS

from post above. Definately the one to go for. My mam has one since new 1999 and its still running perfectly not a problem and she does a lot of driving.
Jap reliability and quite nippy too. Plus this one has nct which is huge. You dont wanna buy a car for 800 quid that'll need nct 2 months later you could end up puttin another 800 quid into fix it up.

cascade35

Stay away from puntos.

onq

My first car - a Renault 4 TL - cost me IR£2,000 back in 1988 so I'd be worried what you're getting.

That being said a Nissan Micra - with or without the automatic 'box - seems to be one of those that go forever.

Best of luck with it.



ONQ.

YourName

I have a Seat Ibiza, got it within the price bracket you are looking for, great little car. Mines a 1 litre so great with the insurance, can't really fault it.

Mr Benevolent

cascade35 wrote: »

Stay away from puntos.

The post '00 model is as reliable as an equivalent condition Corsa or Accent. Nothing wrong with them.

bazz26

On an €800 car there is no such thing as a reliable brand. €800 might buy you a piece of crap Polo or a sound Punto. Judge the individual car on current condition rather than reputation.

Above all make sure a mechanic checks the car out before buying it.

beachlife

for 800 euro I'd be going for a punto!!! the up to 1999 model 8valve engine
People talk about the head gasket problem but what they don"t realize is that any mechanic will do a punto head for less than the price of an average service!!! these cars are great for a cheap run around. main problems are heater rad leaks (usually from driving with the head gasket gone) clutches/an gearboxes. but at this stage any one you look up will have had some work done to it. My punto was bought with 57,00mls(genuine) and just had four new tyres and a clutch fitted before i got it.It is 1998 four door hatch. I bought it for 999 two years ago, it sailed through the nct this year and i've not done any repairs to it except for its yearly service(which costs 130 euro in the local garage) so for me it's cheap motoring!!!!!

drunkmonkey

this might be a smart little car, would they let of go for 800?

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Nissan/Micra/Nct-2010/200940195394381/advert?channel=CARS

there a real easy car to drive..

LaLucy

Wow thanks so much to everyone to going to so much effort I really appreciate it! I didn't like the look of the skoda looks like an old man car. The nissan micra is for old women and it's too tiny inside. I like the VW polo because of the look of it mainly and it seems like a reliable make. The honda and toyota I had never gave me any problems ever. The honda was an 88 too so I don't really mind it having loada mileage. I just want a reliable make, not too ugly looking and I probably won't have it more than 2 years. I would love an audi tt or new mini but I shall dream on! Any other recommendations welcome

mikkael

No offense, but I'd forget about style @ €800. I based my recommendations on the assumption that you want reliability foremost? Believe me, you'll pick up a 1995 BMW 525i for less than €800, but it will likely need €2 - 4k. of repairs, if you're blessed.

I think you need to be focused about what you want. I bought my first car because it looked clean and nice and the colour was lovely. I got to admire the colour every 100km. or so when it broke down, so I have some experience of what I'm talking about.

On the other hand, there's nothing worse than owning a premium / semi - premium brand and not being able to afford the repairs. Indeed if I bought a small common hatchback ( which I'd recommend ) I'd be looking at having another €800 'war chest' for repairs just in case.

There are no shortage of cars out there at the moment. Where you'll score imho is with a car like the Ibiza / Felicia, but hey, it's entirely your decision and my opinions. Yes, you're right, the Felicia seems a bit of an old man's car. Or even worse, an old ladies car. That was exactly my point: when did you last see an OAP doing a handbrake turn at a crossroads?

The very points you take as negatives are the good points of my arguement. This isn't universally applicable, but here's my thinking:

*VW Polo = good car, certainly not great, and prone to mystery faults
*Seat Ibiza / Cordoba / Skoda Felicia = unlikely to be driven hard as the buyers fall into more staid category
*Daewoo Lanos = very cheap, just about passable looking ( from behind ) and reliable

On the other hand, older Hondas ( and I say this as a Honda fan ) are likely to have been raced by young fellas at some point in their life. For many good cars, this is their downfall when they get old. You'll likely be buying problems. That is why I ( and some others ) on the thread have recommended good cars with low image.

There's nothing wrong with having higher aspirations ( don't we all ) but if I were you I'd forget about image and save up over the next couple of years for something you really want and do it properly, while el camel keeps you going in the meantime.

Best of luck,

Tony.

PS: Never assume that mileages are correct. The amount of 'clocking' that goes on here is unreal. I'd rarely pay a premium for 'low mileage'.

LaLucy

I really appreciate your advice. I don't know anyone who knows a thing about cars. The toyota I had was so sluggish to drive, it just had a heavy feeling. I looked up the daewoo and I really like that one. Saw a 2000 one for under 800 so feeling lucky! So that's definately a reliable car then? Insurance would be low enough I'd say. Yipee!

mikkael

LaLucy wrote: »

I really appreciate your advice. I don't know anyone who knows a thing about cars. The toyota I had was so sluggish to drive, it just had a heavy feeling. I looked up the daewoo and I really like that one. Saw a 2000 one for under 800 so feeling lucky! So that's definately a reliable car then? Insurance would be low enough I'd say. Yipee!

You're welcome

I'm not an expert I hasten to point out, but I've never heard of anyone having problems with Lanos. Personally, if I wanted a runabout it'd be my choice because even if the proverbial hits the fan, every breaker's yard in the country have at least one of them!

Hope my last post didn't sound arrogant, I've been there and got my fingers burnt lots of times lol, that's all.

Regards,

Tony.

LaLucy

No not at all I know I should cop on looking for any style with that amount of cash . What do think of the daewoo matiz? I just saw one on a site and it's really lovely. Is it as good as the other daewoo?

mikkael

LaLucy wrote: »

No not at all I know I should cop on looking for any style with that amount of cash . What do think of the daewoo matiz? I just saw one on a site and it's really lovely. Is it as good as the other daewoo?

Don't get me wrong, you might be lucky @ €800 but it's very risky. You'll get the style but you might get a lot of expense too! Wouldn't touch the Matiz tbh it's tinny and sure, great for a little commute around town but ( personal opinion again ) that tiny engine is going to be working like mad on medium / long journeys.

In terms of carrying space forget it. Again, never heard anything bad on the reliability front, but you're moving from one size category to another with the Matiz: it really is tiny ( and tinny )

kildarelad

Daewoo Matiz arent a great car.<SNIP>

psycho-hope

speaking from experience would be very careful with a polo mum has one thats is only fit for scrap now beacuse of various mystery electrical problems, it even has msl confused:rolleyes:

a friends sister picked up a 98 corsa for 800 recently she loves it the only downside is no power steering

kildarelad

speaking from experience would be very careful with a polo mum has one thats is only fit for scrap now beacuse of various mystery electrical problems, it even has msl confused

a friends sister picked up a 98 corsa for 800 recently she loves it the only downside is no power steering

As you didnt specify what year polo it was i presume its a year 2000> onwards Polo which are a disaster with electrical stuff.The pre 00 cars which is what i have were way better built.
I wouldnt fill a gap in the hedge with a corsa their only 3 cylinder and a peice of scrap

mikkael

psycho-hope wrote: »

it even has msl confused:rolleyes:

Been down that route myself with a Vento. Same result.

Alanstrainor

If people have cars to sell use adverts and put a link in their sig, on thread "pimping" can't be allowed.
Cheers,

Graham_B18C

Car for less than 800 quid...Micra, cant beat em

Volvoboy

ive 2 and a half words for ya toyota carina e

itarumaa

LaLucy wrote: »

No not at all I know I should cop on looking for any style with that amount of cash . What do think of the daewoo matiz? I just saw one on a site and it's really lovely. Is it as good as the other daewoo?

Don´t even think about Matiz, it will give you trouble sooner or later. I had one and list of problems were endless, parts are also suprizingly expensive.

bmm

toyota starlet or honda jazz for reliability.

bazz26

bmm wrote: »

toyota starlet or honda jazz for reliability.

Not with a €800 budget though.

nkay1985

bazz26 wrote: »

Not with a €800 budget though.

Exactly what I was about to post!

I agree with the recommendation for the Lanos. My parents had a 00 model back in 05/06 and it never gave an ounce of bother. They're not great to look at. You're not goign to be driving along at 100 mph but they'll get you from A to B consistently and that's exactly what you want if you're going to buy a car for €800.

biko

You can easily look above your budget but just offer 800, if the seller is desperate s/he'll take.

http://www.adverts.ie/showcat.php?cat=2
http://cars.donedeal.ie/find/cars/for-sale/Ireland/?sort=price&start=2500

spoonface

(offered;sold)

tailgunner

beachlife wrote: »

for 800 euro I'd be going for a punto!!! the up to 1999 model 8valve engine
People talk about the head gasket problem but what they don"t realize is that any mechanic will do a punto head for less than the price of an average service!!! these cars are great for a cheap run around. main problems are heater rad leaks (usually from driving with the head gasket gone) clutches/an gearboxes. but at this stage any one you look up will have had some work done to it. My punto was bought with 57,00mls(genuine) and just had four new tyres and a clutch fitted before i got it.It is 1998 four door hatch. I bought it for 999 two years ago, it sailed through the nct this year and i've not done any repairs to it except for its yearly service(which costs 130 euro in the local garage) so for me it's cheap motoring!!!!!

Agree with this. The head gasket problem is really very minor compared to what you might have to do to an old BMW or something. And besides that issue, those Puntos are actually very reliable little cars in my experience. I've had far more problems with the post-'00 model.

LaLucy

Thank you so much everybody for your help it's really given some good choices. Any other suggestions definitely welcome or any tips etc

Max Power1

cant go wrong with a mondeo or accord!
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Honda/Accord/1.8-LS/200931194783829/advert?channel=CARS