Tight Arse Motoring Options?

[gtd2000]

I was thinking about buying a very cheap low capacity car that does mega MPG and has ridiculously cheap road tax, almost at small capacity motorcycle levels.

 

This isn't going to be a car that's used as a daily driver, just for occasional use when I'm back in the UK.

 

The sort of cars I've thought about, include the Toyota Aygo (and clones), Suzuki Alto and possibly KIA Picanto due to having cheap road tax and insurance.

 

I think the road tax is around £20 or £30 per year for most of those models with a manual gearbox...which appeals greatly.

 

If you had a budget of up to say £2000 (but closer to £1000 if possible...) what would be the ultimate cheap shit, shite, mingebag motoring option?

 

This would obviously involve a "post 2001" car due to the cheaper tax brackets....

 

Here's a now 12 year old KIA Picanto to drool over but the photo was taken 8 years ago

 

*Bonus Mazda 121 (DB) content*

 

[dollywobbler]

Four figures is not tight arse motoring!

 

Without doubt, my Perodua Nippa is the cheapest car I've ever bought. £300 with 24k miles on the clock. It needed a steering rack gaiter for the MOT and I had to lubricate one of the wiper wheelboxes. It does over 50mpg and you can't get more than £18 worth of fuel in it. Cheaper tax bracket too. Personally, I'd probably seek a Kelisa as you get a few more creature comforts and I think they are young enough to get even cheaper road tax.

[dollywobbler]

Now with pics. 

 

Nippa

 

Kelisa

[twosmoke300]

I've always reckoned that a 106 / Saxo 1.5 d had got to be the cheapest car to run . Mega mpg and peanuts parts / tyres etc .

A fiesta without terminal rot has to be fairly close .

Just tax is a bit higher .

Watch those picantos , on some the cambelt spkt wears the end of the crank away

[vulgalour]

Aixam?  They're fucking awful and far too expensive to buy but everything else about them is cheap.

[Doctormop]

Yaris Dizzler,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TOYOTA-YARIS-1-4-D-4D-GS-DIESEL-SILVER-3-DOOR-30-TAX-LOW-MILEAGE-MOT-/291677331270?hash=item43e952df46:g:EhUAAOSwa-dWs4KM

 

Low mileage Micra maybe a bit pricey but only 24k, tax could be a bit higher as well,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-24K-MILES-2000-NISSAN-MICRA-GX-1-0L-FSH-IDEAL-FIRST-TIME-DRIVER-/252274763238?hash=item3abcbf65e6:g:Q-AAAOSwzhVWsJMA

 

Or 495 BIN for similar Micra with 79k on clock,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-Nissan-Micra-1-0L-S-3-door-blue-only-79k-miles-ideal-first-car-495-ono/262270864160?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140122125356%26meid%3Dda908568da5f4bcd9c62918c20322266%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D252274763238

[Dave_Q]

Cavcrafts Perodua innit.

[sierraman]

I wouldn't. I'd spend £6-700 on a normal car. Then spend the £1300 on the additional expenses of running a slightly bigger car. That way I wouldn't be sat cooped up in some tin box and hopefully stand a fighting chance of walking away if someone runs into the back of me.

[Matt]

Alto's apparently do 57 MPG combined and if memory serves correct they allegedly get up to nearly 70 MPG on a longer run. £30 tax too.

 

Pros: Better than an Axiam

 

[320touring]

£250 on a 306 derv. run it on veg.

 

It costs me 4.7p per mile in fuel.

 

mingebag motoring at its finest, in a capable car with capacity for actual people and handling too boot:)

[twosmoke300]

The problem with suzukis and some of the Korean stuff is that the parts prices can write cars off so easily . If you can get them at all

[eddyramrod]

How often are you likely to be in the country, and for how long at a stretch?  And where?  Surely some nearby Shiter can meet you at the airport with a cheap snotter in exchange for some folding, which you can then flog on to another Shiter as you leave, thus ensuring you have transport to/from your flights to boot.  On those terms pretty much anything with MoT will do, won't it?

[dave21478]

I have never understood worrying about tax costs - Its a small amount per month and it can now be done pretty much month by month as you need it.

A four figure budget is actually quite a lot of money to buy a car. To me it makes more sense to spend up to a max of 500 on a car you want to own and the rest on running costs for several years to come. 

A 250 quid car will still be worth more or less 250 after a year or two of ownership, but a 1000 pound car will be unlikely to hold value unless you get pretty lucky.

[doobietoo]

This seems to meet all your criteria........

[bub2006]

The alto looks good for the price. Steer away from aixam. Yes they are economical but the diesel are very slow,road tax is also pre 2001 sub 1500 tax irrelevant of age due to quadricycle category. Parts are expensive,tyres etc and gearboxs are woefully unreliable.

[UltraWomble]

£250 will have you sat comfortably on a SYM Dismally Symply with road tax at £17 a year you cant go far wrong and MPG into the 100's*

[Angrydicky]

Can't believe there's been 14 responses and no one has suggested a Reliant Robin yet. 

 

Cheap low capacity car - Check

Mega MPG - Check

Ridiculously cheap road tax, exactly at motorcycle levels - Check.

Can be purchased for between £1000 and £2000 (maybe less depending on condition) - Check

Driven almost exclusively by tightwads - Check

No rust to worry about - Check

Really fun to drive - Check

You will feel (and look) like a winner while driving it - Check.

[twosmoke300]

Erm - no rust ! Isn't the chassis steel ?

Aren't some parts almost impossible to find and v expensive ?

[Squire_Dawson]

Easy, trawl ebay, gumtree, whatever for something under 500 quid. Job done.

[Angrydicky]

Erm - no rust ! Isn't the chassis steel ?

Aren't some parts almost impossible to find and v expensive ?

Galvanised after 1983. Don't think there's anything that's really expensive, apart from maybe the axles - and it's unlikely you'd need a replacement. There's a few specialists and ex dealers out there so I don't think spares availability is too bad. Even if scrapyards aren't full of them, it's worth it to mean driving something cool instead of a modern piece of junk.

[scaryoldcortina]

they didn't galv the front arm though, I used to see plenty that failed a MoT for that rotting through, and they aren't easy to get.

[billyboy406v6]

Buy some shoes ? Cos all these cars are crap.

[skattrd]

Kei car or Daihatsu, or a Daihatsu kei car ... but they do rust.

[Alexg]

Astra ECO4. These puppies were offering £30 road tax long before people knew it could be done. Different gear ratios and aerodynamic undertray and other bits were used to make a normal 1.7 Diesel Astra hit the MPG figure of (iirc) 84mpg if you believe Vauxhall, which you shouldn't; but they'll still be better than any small capacity petrol super-mini. It's based on the fleet favourite LS but at least has Aircon and CD. Most were bought by mega-miles punters so will have well over 100k, and some normal LS models are listed as 'ECO4' when they are not, so check the emissions - should be 118g/km.  He's a typical £1200 eBay example.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2003-Vauxhall-Astra-1-7-DTi-16V-LS-5dr-ECO4-AC-5-door-Hatchback-/262249119458

[anonymous user]

Having had recent Fiat Pandas and a Suzuki Alto I will confirm that pence per mile running costs are low, but that was with me doing 20k miles per year, Will it be looked after/driven/garaged when you are not using it and how often would you use it?

If you are leaving it without it being used anything will suffer, therefore my suggestion is sod the economy and just buy the cheapest thing going (with a V8) that's tax exempt and can be put on a classic policy.

 

Failing that a Smart car, or if you're leaving it in Scotland a Volvo

[twosmoke300]

Those eco4 astras are good but think the gearing isn't great for local driving

[plasticvandan]

Can't believe there's been 14 responses and no one has suggested a Reliant Robin yet. 

 

Cheap low capacity car - Check

Mega MPG - Check (average 55mpg)

Ridiculously cheap road tax, exactly at motorcycle levels - Check.(£80 now)

Can be purchased for between £1000 and £2000 (maybe less depending on condition) - Check

Driven almost exclusively by tightwads - Check

No rust to worry about - Check (chassis,even half can rot badly as the chassis were stockpiled outside before being sent for galving)

Really fun to drive - Check (last one nearly killed me)

You will feel (and look) like a winner while driving it - Check.

Parts are expensive, much is now unobtainable and won't be remade,and thee mechanicals were getting worn out now. Examples.swingarm, £160,front shock £100,fuel tank £170,kingpin £50. They aren't cheap to run any more.

[Alexg]

Those eco4 astras are good but think the gearing isn't great for local driving

 

Yeah, that's true tbh. I always found 30mph a bit of a pain, 3rd or 4th never felt like the right gear.

[plasticvandan]

In any case,all you lucky bastards who can afford to run as car are not even in the same austerity tightarse situation I'm rolling

My every day and only vehicle is a 1974 Honda C90.

150 mpg

Free tax (£17 if not exempt,but obvs I want ultimate cheep)

Mot £25

55 mph

Tyres £22 for posh Michelin's

Etc etc.

[gtd2000]

I've got a 110cc Super Cub for the £17 road tax and over 120MPG

 

Also have a 50cc Ludix Trend two stroke scooter.

 

All of the above balanced out with a GSX-R-750 at roughly 35 MPG....