Most reliable option - 3k budget

YellowLead

Want to buy a car to do me for a couple of years (max 2) have 3k to spend and want to minimise the risk of buying for 3k and then having to put another few grand on top of that when things break down.

Buying from a garage and not private seller as I know nothing about the cars and have more trust in garages not to sell me a dud.

Will mainly be used for short journeys with generally one other passenger, and I don’t have dogs. I prefer a saloon type or estate or any kind of larger car as I’m not a fan of what I called roundly little girly cars (no micra’s). An angular looking small one would be fine though. Quick acceleration is important for safe overtaking though I don’t want more than a 2 litre engine for tax/insurance cost purposes.

Any recommendations?

colm_mcm

Garages selling €3k cars are usually not going to give you any meaningful comeback in the event of a failure.

YellowLead

colm_mcm wrote: »

Garages selling €3k cars are usually not going to give you any meaningful comeback in the event of a failure.

This is probably true - but I think I still have more trust and a little more comeback than a private seller - if still not much. I’ve paid for lots of cars over the years but never been the person to actually make the decision and purchase before, so I am nervous.

duffman3833

Toyota Corolla Saloon

cheap to run, should be reliable, not quick but cant go wrong with them

colm_mcm

The flipside of buying from a dealer is that they are far more experienced in selling than your average punter buying or selling a car.
A dealer who buys something from auction, or a trade in that a dealer doesn’t want to sell themselves, or from a cash-for-cars purchase - has no clue about the history of the car, any faults it has etc.

You can tell a lot about a car from its owner, before you even see the car itself. They’ll usually be more honest in their answers about the car, or if they’re lying it’s usually easier to spot.

Buying a cheap car from a dealer is more risky in my opinion than buying privately.

YellowLead

colm_mcm wrote: »

The flipside of buying from a dealer is that they are far more experienced in selling than your average punter buying or selling a car.
A dealer who buys something from auction, or a trade in that a dealer doesn’t want to sell themselves, or from a cash-for-cars purchase - has no clue about the history of the car, any faults it has etc.

You can tell a lot about a car from its owner, before you even see the car itself. They’ll usually be more honest in their answers about the car, or if they’re lying it’s usually easier to spot.

Buying a cheap car from a dealer is more risky in my opinion than buying privately.

Fair enough. Thanks for the insight. Maybe I should reconsider.

MetzgerMeister

At that price range, I wouldn't rule out private sales. A number of years ago I was looking for a stop-gap car and had a budget to stick to. I went to a few dealers who had cars that fitted the budget but they were dog-rough.

I ended up buying a Ford Fiesta privately for under budget and it was probably the most reliable car I ever owned. I had it for 3 months and then sold it to someone I know. He kept it for 1.5 years and had no issues at all before selling it on.

Whichever car you have in mind, do your research on it first. Find the common faults, check them when you view the car, ask the seller about these issues and if they have been addressed. If not, bargain them down on price in order to look after them yourself. Obviously a car with an long NCT is better too.

IMO for 3k, your chances of getting a good car privately are much higher than from a dealer.

You can post links to cars here and we can advise you if possible.

YellowLead

Thanks very much MM - very helpful. I think I will go down the private route afterall. And good tips on the researching of common faults - though for somebody who knows zero about cars, they would need to be easy to check

biko

Me, I'd go Japanese. Corolla has been mentioned, perhaps Yaris, Jazz.

SmartinMartin

Agreed on corolla or yaris. Condition and low mileage would be top considerations with your budget. Fine example here

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/o6-toyota-yaris/27468983

And another;

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-yaris-long-nct/27439902

bazz26

Plenty of Honda Civic saloons well below your budget there. 1.8 litre petrol engine is a solid motor, nippy and fairly frugal too. They also came in 1.3 litre petrol hybrid but I'd be cautious about the life of the batteries in them at that age. They feel a bit more modern than a similar Corolla.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars/Honda/Civic/Petrol?sort=price%20asc&verifications=nct&bodyType=Saloon&country=Ireland&engine_from=1800