Please help me find a reliable and economical second hand car

realgirl

Hi, I drive a 95 Suzuki cultus, almost identical to a swift. It's by no means a looker but is super easy and fun to drive, very economical (practically runs on air), and amazingly reliable. Had it 9 years and it has never broken down once. It's time for a new car now and I'd like to get something similarly reliable and efficient but perhaps a bit more good looking too, and roughly the same size, for less than €2000. Not sure what makes/models to go for although I think the Suzuki jimnys look good - any suggestions?

cnocbui

People who can find a reliable and economical car for under €2k are very lucky. I am not saying it is impossible, but I think the probability of finding such a thing is slim.

You might be better off putting the money towards maintaining what you have.

GavMan

cnocbui wrote: »

People who can find a reliable and economical car for under €2k are very lucky. I am not saying it is impossible, but I think the probability of finding such a thing is slim.

You might be better off putting the money towards maintaining what you have.

This....better the devil you know with that kind of budget

barura

realgirl wrote: »

Hi, I drive a 95 Suzuki cultus, almost identical to a swift. It's by no means a looker but is super easy and fun to drive, very economical (practically runs on air), and amazingly reliable. Had it 9 years and it has never broken down once. It's time for a new car now and I'd like to get something similarly reliable and efficient but perhaps a bit more good looking too, and roughly the same size, for less than €2000. Not sure what makes/models to go for although I think the Suzuki jimnys look good - any suggestions?

For 2000 you could get a nice focus from 2000-2002. The 1.6 is very reliable but will be a little thirstier compared to your current yoke. If you wanna keep lower tax and engine, I'd look for a 1.2litre Polo or something along those lines.

If you want a Jimny, they're are a few about. Try and get one with NCT and tax for abouit 1500 and keep the rest for its next service and get anything niggly done on it.

cnocbui wrote: »

People who can find a reliable and economical car for under €2k are very lucky. I am not saying it is impossible, but I think the probability of finding such a thing is slim.

You might be better off putting the money towards maintaining what you have.

Don't be silly, it's not luck, it's just using some sense. Check for the obvious things:
"Mayo" under the oil cap for head gasket failing. Also check out the coolant to make sure that there is no murkyness caused by head gasket leaking as well.

Check tyres for uneven wear to see if the tracking is okay/suspension is broken.

Service history that you can ring the garage it came from.

Ask them to drive it to see how they treat their car. Then on your own drive, you will find out if there is any problems, ie. if thereis something wrong and you don't call them up on it and buy the car, then that's just plain silly.

Oil where the car is parked could show a leak, also water leaking from radiator, etc. Should be noticable on a dry day.

I could go on and on! 2k would buy a lovely reliable car!

GavMan wrote: »

This....better the devil you know with that kind of budget

Again, as I said above. She also notes that the car she has is doing her fine, so I'd hardly call it the devil!

Again OP, if your car is working, I'd stick it out until the car you want appears, you'd be suprised what sort of deal you can get if you're patient!

curiousb

Jimny is great (have one for the last 2 years), cheap to tax and insure but it is heavy on juice for its size.

realgirl

Thanks everyone for all the helpful suggestions. I'm not sure my car will last too much longer so that's why I'm on the lookout for something new

bazz26

Toyota Yaris:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=2213286211444520

Fiat Panda:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201203206660092

Ford Ka:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201204206750491

Raskolnikov

If you're happy with the lack of power in the Cultus, then you certainly don't need to be looking at a 1.6 Focus. You could try the Suzuki Alto if you're happy to stay with the Suzuki brand, although these cars are rare enough. Another possibility would be the Toyota Yaris 1.0 VVTi - the reliability in these cars is exceptional, although they aren't cheap. After that, it would be a toss-up between the VW Polo (try to get the 1.2 litre, it's only slightly more expensive to tax and insure, but will be much better to drive) or the Opel Corsa (cheap, reliable, but awfully noisy). The Polo can be prone to lots of niggles and rusting, the Corsa is just really unrefined (although you are probably used to that!).

It's most important to buy a car that has been looked after most of all though. Dirty and smoke stained upholstery is a definite no-no. Check for oil leaks under the car, vigorously test the brakes, make sure blow heaters work hot and cold, check all electrics (windows, wipers, etc.), make sure clutch isn't slipping, make sure to go through all the gear changes, look out for warning lights on the dash when the car has started, check under the oil cap for white sludge/mayonaise, check tyres thread depth (trick using a 1 euro coin! - http://www.semperit.com/generator/www/de/en/semperit/tires/themes/safety/tread-depth-en.html).

Raskolnikov

bazz26 wrote: »

Toyota Yaris:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=2213286211444520

Fiat Panda:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201203206660092

Ford Ka:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201204206750491

I would avoid the Ka to be honest. The Endura-E engine that would be common in older models is prone to head gasket failure if it isn't serviced on the button. It's also incredibly noisy and the build quality is poor (even for a compact car). Certainly do not even consider buying the car without putting it up on a jack. My wife had a 2003 model that is rotten with rust underneath the sills and wheel arches.

Max Power1

Raskolnikov wrote: »

I would avoid the Ka to be honest. The Endura-E engine that would be common in older models is prone to head gasket failure if it isn't serviced on the button. It's also incredibly noisy and the build quality is poor (even for a compact car). Certainly do not even consider buying the car without putting it up on a jack. My wife had a 2003 model that is rotten with rust underneath the sills and wheel arches.

I would take that with a large pinch of salt. The 1.3 endura engine, while very noisy and somewhat uneconomical, is ridiculously bulletproof. I had one in a fiesta and it went to 115k miles before I scrapped the car. It would have kept going and going, there wasnt an ounce of engine trouble with her at all.

Agreed with the rust aspect, all Fords of that era seem rust prone. Especially in the sills and wheel arches for some reason

mad muffin

What about Daihatsu's?

http://www.autotrader.ie/search/Daihatsu/YRV/HATCHBAC/201205206861611/advert?channel=CARS

http://www.autotrader.ie/search/Daihatsu/Terios/1.3-4WD-/713241399383750/advert?channel=CARS

http://www.autotrader.ie/search/Daihatsu/Terios/J100-05D/201150206070102/advert?channel=CARS

http://www.autotrader.ie/search/Daihatsu/Terios/SX-1.3/201143205203512/advert?channel=CARS

http://www.autotrader.ie/search/Daihatsu/Sirion/1.0-CL-M/201205206854160/advert?channel=CARS

http://www.autotrader.ie/search/Daihatsu/Cuore/1.0/201207206952801/advert?channel=CARS