Cheapest car to run?

daylers

What's eveybodys opinion on what the cheapest car to run is that can be bought for about 1500?

My Thought would be micra?

colm_mcm

Suzuki Alto, Daihatsu Cuore

Seweryn

daylers wrote: »

What's eveybodys opinion on what the cheapest car to run is that can be bought for about 1500?

Probably one of these:

Volkswagen Polo 1.4 Diesel

Daihatsu Charade 1.0 Diesel

Mervyn Skidmore

It's got to be a petrol really, far less to go wrong with it. Probably a Yaris or a Micra or a Seicento or something small like that.

dogmatix

daylers wrote: »

What's eveybodys opinion on what the cheapest car to run is that can be bought for about 1500?

My Thought would be micra?

If is the Micra K12 model then make sure the timing chain has been replaced if it is an early example. Otherwise it is a resonably cheap car to run.

Seweryn

Mervyn Skidmore wrote: »

It's got to be a petrol really, far less to go wrong with it. Probably a Yaris or a Micra or a Seicento or something small like that.

What is likely to go wrong in a Diesel I proposed, say the Volkswagen? They are easily as reliable as a good petrol engine.

bazz26

Seweryn wrote: »

What is likely to go wrong in a Diesel I proposed, say the Volkswagen? They are easily as reliable as a good petrol engine.

Plenty can go wrong with them too. Like any car it can depend on how it was maintained.

Seweryn

bazz26 wrote: »

Plenty can go wrong with them too. Like any car it can depend on how it was maintained.

Yeah, like with any car. But my point is that there is nothing more to go wrong with them that with an equivalent petrol engine car.

unkel

daylers wrote: »

What's eveybodys opinion on what the cheapest car to run is that can be bought for about 1500?

We can't answer that until we know a bit more:

Define cheapest car to run. Cheapest in total cost of ownership or cheapest in yearly running costs - after the car is paid for with cash / loan and not taking into account depreciation?

What's your annual mileage and how long do you intend to keep the car?

Toyotafanboi

Seweryn wrote: »

Yeah, like with any car. But my point is that there is nothing more to go wrong with them that with an equivalent petrol engine car.

Injector failure seems far more common in diesels... blocked egr valves, faulty dual mass flywheels (not sure if that polo has one), turbo problems etc.

The diesel engine in that polo simply has a lot more intricate, expensive components that are somewhat prone to failure than a similar age micra or yaris.

draiochtanois

This post has been deleted.

Toyotafanboi

draiochtanois wrote: »

I doubt it would be much different from the UK

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-reviews/62858/cheapest-cars-run

only problem is, i wouldn't be seen dead in any of those cars. Maybe the aygo or the corsa, but if i could afford either, i'd buy something different, like a mk4 punto.

draiochtanois

This post has been deleted.

bazz26

The OP hasn't really defined "cheap to run". Does it include the purchase price of the car, depreciation, servicing, etc or is it just down to fueling, tax and insurance?

Seweryn

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

Injector failure seems far more common in diesels...

Injector failure in that generation of Diesel, are you serious?

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

blocked egr valves.

There is no EGR Valve there...

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

faulty dual mass .

There is no dual mass in it...

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

turbo problems etc.

There is no turbo there...

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

The diesel engine in that polo simply has a lot more intricate, expensive components that are somewhat prone to failure than a similar age micra or yaris.

Which components exactly are more expensive in that VW than in a similar petrol engined car (that are likely to fail)?

Toyotafanboi

I never clicked your link. I was expecting you to have linked to a 6n2 polo. Not a photo of a model that has been unavailable to buy used on the irish market for possibly a decade or more? That would just be stupid, but i guess until the OP confirms they are looking to buy a car and not just asking a rhetorical question in 'what is the cheapest car to run ever?' then i cant call you a troll.

Seweryn

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

I never clicked your link. I was expecting you to have linked to a 6n2 polo. Not a photo of a model that has been unavailable to buy used on the irish market for possibly a decade or more? That would just be stupid, but i guess until the OP confirms they are looking to buy a car and not just asking a rhetorical question in 'what is the cheapest car to run ever?' then i cant call you a troll.

That Polo is rare, but you can still buy a VW Golf with very same engine (+200ccm) and a good one will be just as cheap to run and as reliable. The only extra cost will be in higher tax.

yumyum10

Micra, punto tax is 360 a year.

Seweryn

bazz26 wrote: »

The OP hasn't really defined "cheap to run". Does it include the purchase price of the car, depreciation, servicing, etc or is it just down to fueling, tax and insurance?

That would be the way I understand a cheap to run car philosophy, i.e. cheap to run with all costs included and with a purchase price of up to €1,500, as suggested by OP.

Then, the choice (after narrowing down to reliable enough models) would be between cheaper to tax petrol (anything below 1,000 ccm) with lower standing charges, and better fuel economy in a small Diesel (1.6 VW Golf, 1.5D Citroen AX, Toyota Starlet Diesel, Daihatsu Charade Diesel, etc.). It depends on the annual mileage which option would be cheaper.

But the crucial factor here is to find a reliable, good car for small money, so you are not pumping the money into repairs.

KathleenF

I bought a 1.3 98 Corolla hatchback for 1500 cash 3 years ago, it costs buttons to run. Roughly 55e a week, including 30 petrol, and the rest is the cost of tax, insurance, services and NCT for the year divided by 52. Rough figures I know, but it's never let me down, one of the best purchases I've made full stop. That car has made me into a Toyota evangelist!

Roosterreid

Toyota Yaris..... pretty bulletproof in terms of reliability and easy on insurance / fuel costs etc

9935452

Seweryn wrote: »

Probably one of these:

Volkswagen Polo 1.4 Diesel

Daihatsu Charade 1.0 Diesel

The charades were never really a success. The books said they would get 90mpg and to be fair they would nearly run on an oily rag.
But they had a habit of overheating. 50mph was perfect for them. 60/70 and they were under serious pressure/flat out.
So you would have thought they were more suited to city driving but the radiator wasnt good enough to keep them cool in traffic.
This is one reason they were never continued.

yumyum10

I own a punto 03 and drive 1200 kms a week. Not a bother on it. Near 200000 miles now.