Are old cheap cars always a false economy?

99problems

So I need a car and I unfortunately do not have the credit history or the cash to splash out on a new model or even a decent second hand one.

I am looking at buying maybe an 05 Micra or corsa as they seem to be the cheapest.

I only need a petrol car as I travel maybe twenty miles a day to work, I am just wondering will I be looking at buying another car next year again if I don't spend the money on buying something newer.

screamer

You might and you might not that's the gamble with old cars. Make sure whatever you go for has somewhat of a reputation of being reliable. Apart from the car make sure you can get insurance before you buy anything as Insurance companies are Increasingly not insuring cars first purchased over 10 years old. If you owned it in year 9 then they will renew but buying it at 10 years old you might struggle to find cover at any sort of decent price.

gerard2210

Depends on how well it was looked after, a car of that age could give you a few years without costing a fortune, or it could be a money pit.

Moomat

All depends on what you get. I bought a '96 Toyota Corolla 3 years ago. Paid 800e, they included 1 year tax worth 350ish and NCT'd it the day I bought it. So far, 20k miles later, it has just needed a clutch and 2 tyres. Sailed through the 2 subsequent NCT's.

I'd still probably get a few hundred back for it as it's very clean.

The only downside is insurance. Jumped by more than 100% last year but managed to talk them down to a more acceptable 20% increase.

phormium

A lot of it is pure luck with an old car, I have always had older cars and yes got caught for a few fixes but nothing major or madly expensive.

My present car is an 02, have it nearly 3 yrs, bought it for €800 and have replaced back shocks only in that time plus usual services. Do around 12,000 km annually, not daily driving as such but lots of long trips. Last week alone went to Dublin in one day, 3 hrs each way and this week Galway, similar distance.

I will probably replace it later this year for no other reason that it's becoming more expensive to insure and this year being over 15 yrs I will probably have no options but existing insurer who no doubt will be bumping it up again.

99problems

screamer wrote:

You might and you might not that's the gamble with old cars. Make sure whatever you go for has somewhat of a reputation of being reliable. Apart from the car make sure you can get insurance before you buy anything as Insurance companies are Increasingly not insuring cars first purchased over 10 years old. If you owned it in year 9 then they will renew but buying it at 10 years old you might struggle to find cover at any sort of decent price.

I get that much , my corsa at the moment is a 00 and I seem to get insurance no problem, I always found it to be reliable for me so I'm looking into a newer model corsa.

99problems

gerard2210 wrote:

Depends on how well it was looked after, a car of that age could give you a few years without costing a fortune, or it could be a money pit.

Is there anything I should look out for especially?

BorneTobyWilde

I'd go for Micra than a Corsa, that is first thing to do.

How are Micra's of 2005? Do they suffer any problems like a VW Polo for example, ie high emissions and failing engines.
Are Micra's reliable. They come across as just that...

BorneTobyWilde

Get a Micra with a test for over a year.
Few on Done Deal with tests up to 10/18 for under 1400

99problems

BorneTobyWilde wrote:

Get a Micra with a test for over a year. Few on Done Deal with tests up to 10/18 for under 1400

Are Micra's reliable though ?

theteal

This thread title is so wrong......especially considering the bangernomics thread is one if the most popular around here.

Cars don't just turn to dust because they're 12 years old. A well maintained car will go on for considerably longer than that. Look for service history, check for rust, look up common problems with a model that takes your fancy, bring a knowledgeable friend when test driving.

Also, Micra over Corsa any day of the week. The 98 Micra I learned to drive in (and my 2 younger brothers....and cousin subsequently) would still be on the road if the aforementioned cousin didn't implant it into the back of another car last year.

Reventon93

theteal wrote: »

Also, Micra over Corsa any day of the week. The 98 Micra I learned to drive in (and my 2 younger brothers....and cousin subsequently) would still be on the road if the aforementioned cousin didn't implant it into the back of another car last year.

Like this, all 4 of us in my family had older micras (my parents had a 96, my sister had a 95 and I had a 98) and they're basically indestructable things. Most people I know have owned one at some point and haven't had much, if any, reliability issues. Just the usual maintenance bits and pieces.

I don't know anything about the newer ones, but they apparently same the same chassis as a renault clio. Says my mechanic anyway. I'd be more inclinced to go for one over a corsa any day of the week.

Jodotman

No older cars don't mean trouble. I have an 05 avensis and sailed through the NCT the last three years except for wheel bearings that cost around 100 quid one year.

People go on about diesels here and have a friend driving a 05 2.2 diesel accord and never had a bother with it doing feck all mileage the last five years except 16km back and to from work.

Go for a relaible model with a fresh enough NCT and you will be grand.

People have more trouble with newish enough cars than older cars in my opinion.

Just don't get something with 300,000 kms and you'll be grand.

Micras are cheap to fix and mantain, older ones will go forever.

You could get a 05 with a 140000 kms compared to 2012 with 220000kms. I know which I'd prefer!

Moomat

Jodotman wrote: »

Go for a relaible model with a fresh enough NCT and you will be grand.

Stick the reg into https://www.ncts.ie/ to make sure the NCT is genuine.

Last time I was car shopping there was a surprisingly large amount of cars out there with dodgy discs. Perhaps it's less now.

Isambard

buy an old car and throw it away when it breaks is possibly the cheapest form of motoring.

Insurance on old cars might prove a stumbling block though..

The Rape of Lucretia

Quite the contrary.
The only certainty, is that new cars are a false economy. Within reason, the older you buy, the cheaper your motoring. Those with cash to splash, chasers of the newest gizmo, or those simply slaves to snobbery, are the ones who gain from newness. Not those valuing good economy.
Old cheap cars are the true economy.

JohnBoy26

99problems wrote: »

So I need a car and I unfortunately do not have the credit history or the cash to splash out on a new model or even a decent second hand one.

I am looking at buying maybe an 05 Micra or corsa as they seem to be the cheapest.

I only need a petrol car as I travel maybe twenty miles a day to work, I am just wondering will I be looking at buying another car next year again if I don't spend the money on buying something newer.

Nothing wrong with good condition older cars. Id avoid both of those though tbh, especially the corsa because that model is pure dung. The micra is a better car by a bit but the k12 micra is not a great car by any means and suffers from it's fair share of problems and it isn't all that economical either.

The best car in that class at the time was the 1999-2005 yaris and it's one of these I would recommend if you want a good well built reliable car that is easy to live with and cheap to run and maintain.

99problems

JohnBoy26 wrote:

The best car in that class at the time was the 1999-2005 yaris and it's one of these I would recommend if you want a good well built reliable car that is easy to live with and cheap to run and maintain.

Funny you should say that actually , my fiance drives an 02 yaris that has been going forever , 250,000 miles plus but laquer is peeling quite rapidly and she wants to upgrade.

99problems

Has anyone had any experience with Renault Clio the older models maybe 04-05 ?

sandra06

i had a clio heap of cxxp ,to much eletronics to break down but that was my car used to have to start it with a knife the keycard broke and i got it replaced to no joy ,,,i got a corolla at the min never had a ounce of trouble over 250 thousand miles still drives like new just passed nct for another yr but insurance is a killer ..any older corolla or nissan are great and parts are cheap

Del2005

99problems wrote: »

I only need a petrol car as I travel maybe twenty miles a day to work, I am just wondering will I be looking at buying another car next year again if I don't spend the money on buying something newer.

If you buy new you loose several thousand Euro as soon as you own it, that is 2 or 3 bangers or a major repair. What's the better value?

Isambard

if you are at all handy you could buy a banger of the same type as you were replacing and use the old one for spares.
For someone not doing many miles, it's the way to go

JohnBoy26

Isambard wrote: »

if you are at all handy you could buy a banger of the same type as you were replacing and use the old one for spares.
For someone not doing many miles, it's the way to go

it an old 00 corsa though

Reventon93

I had an 05 clio. It was the best little car. Only thing wrong with is was that my wiper motor went on it. Only money I ever spent on it. Had over 8000 put up on the clock in the 6 months I had it. I absolutely loved it. And it basically cost nothing to run. My sister had a mk1 and the gearbox went on it. But she got 3 years of running between Galway and Mayo before that happened.

And speaking of the older yaris. Both my parents have one. The one my mother has, was only a couple of years old when she got it. Now 13 years later with over 270,000 on the clock, its still going brilliantly. She's been really happy with it.

My vote would be an older yaris, micra or the mk2 clio

ironclaw

Old body Yaris, 1999 to 2005 is bullet proof. You'd be hard pressed to kill that engine. Regular oil changes and thats about it. The water pump can go at higher mileage but you can replace that yourself in an hour as its very handy to get at. Downside is that they are more expensive to buy initially.

Personally I'd avoid the Clio. Electrics are terrible in them and I've never had a conversation with an owner that didn't include lamenting about them. The engines are also notoriously 'soft', right up the RenaultSport models.

antodeco

What's your budget OP?

99problems

antodeco wrote:

What's your budget OP?

3.500 is my budget

Ubbquittious

To really save money you'd have to do some bit of mechanicing yourself. If you are running to the main dealer for every bushing and wiper that needs replacing I can see how it would turn into a false economy in some cases. Although you can be lucky, buy a car for €500, drive it for a year with nothing but an oil change and sell it on for the same

sandra06

99problems wrote: »

3.500 is my budget

buy a car for about a grand use the rest for insurance and if there any left over go on holiday:cool:

antodeco

I'll sell you my 2006 Almera for less than half that,and you can keep the rest and get yourself a holiday!

A car, insurance, tax and a holiday and still within budget

voz es

99problems wrote: »

3.500 is my budget

I looked at your profile, it seems your in cork:

Some options I would consider if I had the needs you outlined:

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/ford-fiesta-1-2-67000-km-only/15388035

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/05-2005-yaris-5dr-terra1-0-nct-09-2017-51k-kms/15006207

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/06-suzuki-swift-low-milleage/15226248

Hope it helps

AndrewJRenko

20 miles each way or 20 miles round trip?

99problems

voz es wrote:

I looked at your profile, it seems your in cork:

voz es wrote:

Some options I would consider if I had the needs you outlined:

I've never even been to cork lol , I live in Laois, but Thank you.

99problems

Ubbquittious wrote:

To really save money you'd have to do some bit of mechanicing yourself. If you are running to the main dealer for every bushing and wiper that needs replacing I can see how it would turn into a false economy in some cases. Although you can be lucky, buy a car for €500, drive it for a year with nothing but an oil change and sell it on for the same

Well I've become quite handy with my corsa but that's only because I know it inside out at this stage , I suppose I could learn with a different car too.

99problems

sandra06 wrote:

buy a car for about a grand use the rest for insurance and if there any left over go on holiday

Well I'm going to spend atleast 1500 and my insurance is 1000 now but it could go up.

99problems

antodeco wrote:

I'll sell you my 2006 Almera for less than half that,and you can keep the rest and get yourself a holiday!

antodeco wrote:

A car, insurance, tax and a holiday and still within budget

I can't drive big cars yet , I like smaller cars really it's what I've always driven.

antodeco

Almera isn't that big in fairness. Great reliability and I moved to it in 2006 from a Micra

boardsuser1

99problems wrote: »

I've never even been to cork lol , I live in Laois, but Thank you.

Ah jasus, why didn't you say earlier.

C'mon down boy, we'll look after ya here like!!!

kfrp

Micra is bulletproof.

Had a 2003 1.0L petrol for the last 5 years in the house and only had to replace two wheel bearings for €70 each and get the headlights lenses polished as had gone fuzzy.

2003 would be the same model as 2005.

Passed all NCT's

99problems

KC161 wrote:

C'mon down boy, we'll look after ya here like!!!

KC161 wrote:

Ah jasus, why didn't you say earlier.

Well I'm a dub so people in cork don't like me already.

boardsuser1

99problems wrote: »

Well I'm a dub so people in cork don't like me already.

Not where i'm living. loads of Dubs here.

Lived in Finglas for a while myself, never had an issue, but unless you were to ask you wouldn't know i came from Cork, never really had the accent,still don't.

Lia_lia

Op I've had a 05 Fiesta for the last few years. It cost me around 2500 two years ago. They are surely cheaper now. No problems at all with it. The only thing I've had to pay for was a few new tyres. Passed NCT twice. Insurance is low. It has just hit 200k km on the clock but it's in very good condition.

Posy

I'm in a similar situation to the OP- I'd be looking for a small car to learn in, so don't want to splash the cash when I'll probably bump/scratch it along the way.

What are people's thoughts on Peugeots? My old family car was a Peugeot (106 I think) and my uncle has a 2004 Peugeot 307 that's no bother.

I was thinking something like this? Or a 206?
Or would I be better off sticking with an '05 Yaris as I see another couple of posters have recommended them?
I've seen the 1.25L ford fiesta mentioned too on this forum, and in the above post- any particular years to recommend/stay away from, like the Yaris?
I know there's no guarantees with any used car for under 4k, but I'd rather give myself a fighting chance!

Mountainsandh

I have no interest in new cars, so ever since I'm driving here in Ireland, I have bought old cars. They're great !

I have had an 80s Ford Fiesta (written off after accident it was perfect), an 80s Opel Corsa (like this without the fancy wheels ! http://selectedmag.pl/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/tr02.png) it was a brilliant car, gave it away in perfect running order.
This was all between 1997-2004.

I had a dodgy early 90s Opel Astra then, my only regret of the lot. Didn't last long.

I have switched and stuck with Toyota Corollas since, I'm on my third. I buy cheap, pay cheap insurance and tax, drive them like I'd drive any other car (long and short trips, every day commuting 30 km x2).

The Corollas have all been brilliant. My 90 Corolla had very high mileage when I finished with it, so the guy changed the engine, and it's back on the road. The 98 one I upgraded from last year is driving around no bother, I see it regularly in town (with a pinch of sadness).

My uber-modern 03 Corolla has just passed the NCT with flying colours. Well no, I have to change a light bulb and re-test, but it's my fault, I thought there might be other things wrong so I didn't bother changing the light bulb before the test.

I have no head for numbers so don't remember them, but I did do very elaborate calculations for the 90 and 98 Corollas, to see how much they had cost me yearly and finally(all fixes, tax, insurance, original cost included), and whether I'd be better off getting a newer car. The answer was a resounding NO, I was driving around for a pittance, with both.

Still no interest in getting a newer car, apart from the insurance issue with age.

Reventon93

Posy wrote: »

I'm in a similar situation to the OP- I'd be looking for a small car to learn in, so don't want to splash the cash when I'll probably bump/scratch it along the way.

What are people's thoughts on Peugeots? My old family car was a Peugeot (106 I think) and my uncle has a 2004 Peugeot 307 that's no bother.

I was thinking something like this? Or a 206?
Or would I be better off sticking with an '05 Yaris as I see another couple of posters have recommended them?
I've seen the 1.25L ford fiesta mentioned too on this forum, and in the above post- any particular years to recommend/stay away from, like the Yaris?
I know there's no guarantees with any used car for under 4k, but I'd rather give myself a fighting chance!

If you're looking to start learning and you plan on getting a fiesta, get an insurance quote first! When I was looking around axa wouldn't insure me on 1.25l despite being 22. I also know of a guy who bought a 2008 one first, and was then quoted €4000 to insure it. I have absolutely no idea why insurance on them is so expensive. So double check everything because insurance is what most of your money is going to go on.

boardsuser1

The 2000 Peugeot 306 i bought last week is the reason some old cars aren't a false economy.

Only ever had a lady owner
NCT'd until April 2018
cost €400
Tis a grand spare car.
I might get the timing belt done soon on it.
Naturally it does have a few 'age related marks' but hey, for the money it is a fine buy.

somefeen

In the last 10 years of driving old second hand cars, even with replacing them and major repairs I still haven't spent what I would have on a brand new car.
Been stranded at the side of the road a few times but if you are practical and willing to learn most running repairs you will do yourself. Most problems don't actually need a skilled and experienced mechanic and when it does its probably time to replace.

Even better if you are going petrol, I always found them a bit handier ( as long as its EFI but everything is now)