Reliable/economical car for under €5k

qwq

Looking for some advice on buying a car for €5k or less.
I have been renting cars when needed for the past 18 months but we have a baby on the way and want to get something before that.
My annual mileage would be low, 12000 to 15000km.
I live in an area of Dublin with good public transport so mostly the car would be used on weekends for motorway driving to visit friends and family around the country as well as the odd trip to the shops.
I want something reliable and economical. My last car was a Citroen C4 and it gave me nothing but headaches.
Have been looking at used Prius and Honda Civic's online but can't make up my mind.
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

KevinCavan

You don’t go wrong with Japanese cars overall. Pretty bullet proof.

Peatys

You can pass this onto your child in 18 years

http://www.adverts.ie/15528118

duffman3833

Civic Hybrid

Peatys

http://www.adverts.ie/15284406

qwq

Thanks all for the suggestions. Hadn't considered any of those. Have a few more ideas now.

Tabnabs

Honda Jazz, as mentioned above, is about the absolute most reliable car you'll get your hands on for that money.

Ardennes1944

2006-2012 Civic 1.8

FionnK86

qwq wrote: »

Looking for some advice on buying a car for €5k or less.
I have been renting cars when needed for the past 18 months but we have a baby on the way and want to get something before that.
My annual mileage would be low, 12000 to 15000km.
I live in an area of Dublin with good public transport so mostly the car would be used on weekends for motorway driving to visit friends and family around the country as well as the odd trip to the shops.
I want something reliable and economical. My last car was a Citroen C4 and it gave me nothing but headaches.
Have been looking at used Prius and Honda Civic's online but can't make up my mind.
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Can't go wrong with a Yaris, mind you a bit noisy on the motorway.

biko

https://www.reliabilityindex.com/top-100
Most reliable at top

chicorytip

qwq wrote:

Looking for some advice on buying a car for €5k or less. I have been renting cars when needed for the past 18 months but we have a baby on the way and want to get something before that. My annual mileage would be low, 12000 to 15000km. I live in an area of Dublin with good public transport so mostly the car would be used on weekends for motorway driving to visit friends and family around the country as well as the odd trip to the shops. I want something reliable and economical. My last car was a Citroen C4 and it gave me nothing but headaches. Have been looking at used Prius and Honda Civic's online but can't make up my mind. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Ford Focus 2010-11 1.6 diesel. Something like that ought to be suitable and well within your budget. Look for one with a full service history.

bazz26

The 1.6 PSA diesel engine found in that vintage of Focus would not be near the top of my list if reliability is the main thing the OP is looking for.

colm_mcm

Prius really.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-prius-2008-hybrid-automatic-only-54000-mile/18473927

This one has the 9 speaker JBL system, satnav, factory bluetooth, cruise control etc.

Would be double checking service history as mileage is very low.

kermitpwee

colm_mcm wrote: »

Prius really.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-prius-2008-hybrid-automatic-only-54000-mile/18473927

This one has the 9 speaker JBL system, satnav, factory bluetooth, cruise control etc.

Would be double checking service history as mileage is very low.

Is it safe to buy a 10 yr old Prius and hope to get 2-5 yes out of the hybrid battery?

colm_mcm

There’s always an outside chance of battery issues, they’re not common, and there is even a company near me that reconditions the batteries.

Any used cars have risk, a clutch failure on a manual car is more likely than battery problems on a Prius.

kermitpwee

colm_mcm wrote: »

There’s always an outside chance of battery issues, they’re not common, and there is even a company near me that reconditions the batteries.

Any used cars have risk, a clutch failure on a manual car is more likely than battery problems on a Prius.

Some good points. Having read about reconditioned batters in the us forums i would be worried. Only the bad cells are replaced and often the other cells can go bad later on.
For me an older Prius is a big risk but hey what do i know!!

colm_mcm

kermitpwee wrote: »

Some good points. Having read about reconditioned batters in the us forums i would be worried. Only the bad cells are replaced and often the other cells can go bad later on.
For me an older Prius is a big risk but hey what do i know!!

The fact that the battery pack is modular and you can replace cells individually is a big plus IMO.

kermitpwee

colm_mcm wrote: »

The fact that the battery pack is modular and you can replace cells individually is a big plus IMO.

Ah I'm just over cautious! You gotta risk it for a biscuit!!