What cars to consider under €1000 that will deliver the best economy

voz es

I am at a place where I can not afford to pay over €1000 for a car that will provide me with the lowest running costs possible.

Lowest MPG
Lowest Tax
Well recognized as having low maintenance costs
Some what comfortable as i'm 6 feet tall
Storage space.

I expect to be travelling both urban and rural. I'm driving along with aprox 800-1000 miles a month motorway/ N road driving. And stopping and starting up to four days a week in the city.

From what I have learned the 1.3 Toyota Corolla lift back with the pre-VVTI engine is by far the best bet 1996-1998 as the shape went up to 2002 the are quite nippy for that they are, they rarely break down and they will provide me with plus 40 mpg and good boot space.

If anybody has alternatives I would be very interested in hearing your point of view.

vw4life

I get about 600 miles from a tank in my 00 Astra 1.7 diesel

Atlantic Dawn

Has to be a 1 litre car if you want lowest tax surely that rules out the Corolla?

voz es

vw4life wrote: »

I get about 600 miles from a tank in my 00 Astra 1.7 diesel

Thanks for the reply, how is the reliability? how much to fill the tank?

voz es

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Has to be a 1 litre car if you want lowest tax surely that rules out the Corolla?

I also have an issue with comfort Atlantic Dawn. I'm tallish and I can be very uncomfortable in a small car. I appreciate your advise and your right a 1l will be the cheapest to run, but I'm hesitant getting a small hatchback.

stefanovich

Toyota Corolla from the start of the century would be your best bet although with insurance companies refusing cars older than 12 years it might be an issue.

thadg

1 litre cars are usually very small, if you value your life buy something abit bigger and safer . plenty Nissan almeras and primeras 1.4 or 1.6 for handy money on donedeal

vw4life

voz es wrote: »

Thanks for the reply, how is the reliability? how much to fill the tank?

Usually around €50
When I got it at 130,000 miles it needed a new head gasket which had failed due to the previous owners neglect.
Has 240,000 now and I've replaced a wiper linkage and starter motor in the last couple of years.
I also change the oil and filter every 5000 mls and change the air and fuel filter once a year before the nct.
I bought it 8 years ago as a cheap runaround and now I wouldn't sell it for love or money

JohnBoy26

voz es wrote: »

I am at a place where I can not afford to pay over €1000 for a car that will provide me with the lowest running costs possible.

Lowest MPG
Lowest Tax
Well recognized as having low maintenance costs
Some what comfortable as i'm 6 feet tall
Storage space.

I expect to be travelling both urban and rural. I'm driving along with aprox 800-1000 miles a month motorway/ N road driving. And stopping and starting up to four days a week in the city.

From what I have learned the 1.3 Toyota Corolla lift back with the pre-VVTI engine is by far the best bet 1996-1998 as the shape went up to 2002 the are quite nippy for that they are, they rarely break down and they will provide me with plus 40 mpg and good boot space.

If anybody has alternatives I would be very interested in hearing your point of view.

A corolla is a good option or a Honda civic. The corolla will be a bit more economical though (if both are 1.4)

CJhaughey

If you want a comfortable car for tall people the Mazda Demio is a very practical small estate. 2000 model onwards is a better drive.
I have a friend who is a basketball player, he finds it hard to get comfortable in many cars but the Demio was very comfortable for him.
Cheap insurance, reliable and fuel efficient.
Also not sought after by boy racers which helps both insurance and theft ratings for insurance.

polan

B5 Passat 1.9 TDI.

vandriver

polan wrote: »

B5 Passat 1.9 TDI.

Lowest tax?

ba_barabus

1.4 Corolla vvti or a 1.6 Avensis

The Sidewards Man

633cc cunttogetinto

polan

Considering maintenance costs and fuel economy it would make sense though.

Del2005

In the sub €1k bracket you'll have to dig though a lot of cars to find what you want. Best bet is to check cars local and try and get someone else to look at the cars with you, ideally it should be a mechanic but at that price range you'll soon spend more for mechanics, so that you hopefully don't miss anything with 2 sets of eyes looking.

I wouldn't discount any car or brands once you decide how much tax your willing to pay as for every car with a bad reputation a lot are still good and "bulletproof" cars sometimes get very little maintenance.

JohnBoy26

polan wrote: »

Considering maintenance costs and fuel economy it would make sense though.

For Fuel economy it would but that's about it. The Passat won't be cheaper to maintain than the petrol alternatives mention in this thread.

ted1

Is it worth taxing a car that's greater than 1.4k that costs less than 1,000?
Would it not be cheaper to let them seize it?

Top Dog

I'm currently driving a '98 Mazda 323F as a bangernomics beater. Cost me €400 back last August with a years test on it. So far all I've had to put into it is fuel, windscreen wash and a drop of oil. Its a 1.5 so not the cheapest to tax (€116 for 3 months) but its averaging 42mpg over the last 8k miles so even if it blew up on me tomorrow I've definitely gotten my value out of it.

I'm just 6 ft tall and there's sufficient head/leg/elbow room for me. Practical enough being a 5 door with folding rear seats. Tis no stunner, but definitely one of the best VFM cars we've had on the driveway.

Cee-Jay-Cee

If you can find a 99/00 Civic 1.4 (EJ9) saloon or hatch that hasn't been destroyed by some boy child racer and has less than 100k miles on it. They're very reliable, very cheap to repair in the unlikely event something does go wrong and will do 40-44mpg all day long on mixed journeys.

saabsaab

How about Seat Arosa/VW Lupo, min tax 40ish to the gallon, 5 speed. Carries a lot with rear seat down. Good head room for 6ft plus. Reliable too

beauf

Might want to consider getting a quote for insurance first. People are finding it hard this year.

Special Circumstances

Cheap to buy
Cheap to tax
Cheap to insure
Cheap to fuel
Cheap to keep running
For sale within a reasonable distance.

Pick 3 id say.

voz es

I find it interesting that nobody recommends the 1.4 golf. They were something that I was wondering about but nobody seems to talk that highly of them as opposed to the ones mentioned here

johnayo

voz es wrote: »

I find it interesting that nobody recommends the 1.4 golf. They were something that I was wondering about but nobody seems to talk that highly of them as opposed to the ones mentioned here

They are a fine car if you could get a well maintained one. Unfortunately they don't like the use of cheap oil in the engine. Also not the lightest on fuel.

JohnBoy26

voz es wrote: »

I find it interesting that nobody recommends the 1.4 golf. They were something that I was wondering about but nobody seems to talk that highly of them as opposed to the ones mentioned here

The engine in the 1.4. Golf isn't the best. It's known to give oil and emmision problems. It's also not the most powerful 1.4 out there.

bazz26

voz es wrote: »

I find it interesting that nobody recommends the 1.4 golf. They were something that I was wondering about but nobody seems to talk that highly of them as opposed to the ones mentioned here

The chances of finding a sub €1k Golf 1.4 that isn't burning oil like a Kuwaiti oil field or needing other work costing more than the car is worth are very slim. Any good ones you will find will be going for more than €1k.

My advise is stick to the likes of a 1997 to 2000 Toyota Corolla 1.3 litre EFi if you want cheap motoring.

Examples:

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-corolla-nct09-16-tax02-16/11292460

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/99-toyota-corolla-1-3-petrol/11269115

voz es

Thanks for all he help folks. he 97-00 corolla efi is what i have been looking at. I like the 1.4 civic coupe also but the very practical lift back corolla would seem to be the best bet for my needs.

Special Circumstances

voz es wrote: »

Thanks for all he help folks. he 97-00 corolla efi is what i have been looking at. I like the 1.4 civic coupe also but the very practical lift back corolla would seem to be the best bet for my needs.

Have you checked insurance on these... especially a civic? You could be in for a nasty shock to your tight budget!

9935452

voz es wrote: »

Thanks for all he help folks. he 97-00 corolla efi is what i have been looking at. I like the 1.4 civic coupe also but the very practical lift back corolla would seem to be the best bet for my needs.

The corolla are a grand reliable car . My mother has a 98 one of them but as im 6 foot 6 tall i find there is very little space in it for me. Knees on the dash job . And i find the steering wheel very low too.

I had a 02 1.4 golf up to last year myself for nearly 10 years. i knew the car from new. apart from standard servicing the car caused me no problems whatsoever. It did burn a small bit of oil but never had emission problems.
Loads of space in that car for a tall person.
The car was getting 35/40mpg driven on with 50/50 long short drives. Drive like a granny and she would get 45mpg
She would have been worth more than a grand though

voz es

Special Circumstances wrote: »

Have you checked insurance on these... especially a civic? You could be in for a nasty shock to your tight budget!

The insurance is 120 on top of my current 1.8 petrol i was surprised and glad of this message prior to viewing. I went ahead and bought the car. It was a 5 door hatchback with 118 miles on it. I go it for €200, it need about 300 work including parts. i will have this car going for 700 it is inside budget but if i wasn't in such a rust I would have held out for the corolla life back 97-99 1.3.

Still fingers crossed on happy motoring.

JohnBoy26

voz es wrote: »

The insurance is 120 on top of my current 1.8 petrol i was surprised and glad of this message prior to viewing. I went ahead and bought the car. It was a 5 door hatchback with 118 miles on it. I go it for €200, it need about 300 work including parts. i will have this car going for 700 it is inside budget but if i wasn't in such a rust I would have held out for the corolla life back 97-99 1.3.

Still fingers crossed on happy motoring.

If you don't mind me asking What kind car did you buy?