Under £800 quid motoring

[passmethegun]

Bought a '94 520i for £260 in 2007, 1 owner, something like 28000 miles on the clock. Budget entry barge, ran like a dream for 2 years, great car. Sold it to a whippersnapper who proceeded to dismantle it in his parents garage to "learn about cars". Last I heard it had all the suspension and wheels removed, the guy was trying to figure out how to get it back up his 1:1 sloped driveway!

[HMC]

A £500 Merc w126 500sel was a bit of a gamble. Yes some of the paint was a bit tired, but the clue to its previous life was the radiator shell that had the plating polished off by an enthusiastic chauffeur. Total reliability as a daily ( we'll overlook the shredded alternator belt) indestructible build quality and an almost NASCAR- esque roar on demand. Sold for what I paid for it and undoubtedly the best £VFM I've ever had out of a car. Yes as you can tell I miss it!

[Junkman]

...being a more modern feeling car.

 

Sounds positively awful.

[EssDeeWon]

When I lived on London town NW3 don't you know, I wanted something really cheap to schlep to Essex and back in, so I bid and won a 1989 Golf 1.8 GL Auto for £151, obviously expecting the worst upon collection from Basildon it was actually bloody nice and went like a dream with the 1.8 Auto, never let me down despite sitting on the London inner ring road for ages sometimes, used it for 6 months then some dick cunt in a Volvo 850 (I think) turned into a side road, I followed him in but he decided to stop and reverse out without looking and straight through the front of the Golf, got £20 for it scrap. This was a few years ago!! 

 

The guy was a complete shitter, wouldn't except liability, no witness's and police not interested (he could of turned round and said I drove into the back of him) so I learnt that day to grab a witness if you have a shunt or shitters like this guy blag it and get away with it.

 

A week later my dad found me a Carlton Diplomat locally for £500 to get me by, that was well nice with all the toys and leather etc...

[Six-cylinder]

My recent buy, a black 1998 BMW 323i Sport Coupe dressed to look like a M3 is a fantastic car and if I had not loaned it to my son you could buy it from me for £800!

 

[Guest Breadvan72]

Proper classics apart, Bangernomics are the only way.  That Bimmer would have been ultra megabucks when new, and is probably pretty much bang on as a motor for 800 quid.   

 

I cannot now believe that I ever used to buy recent cars and pay many, many  thousands for them, still less that I twice bought brand new cars.  What the Hell was wrong with me?  

[trigger]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiesta-Car-/231154246889?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&nma=true&si=ig8RYFrczUIbjEZUoD9zm%252BaZ3IE%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

I'm kicking myself this morning for oversleeping and missing this, listed in the wrong section, needs a front spring (around £100 for a pair fitted) and i doubt the smoking is much, £585 finishing price bargain for a 1.4 TDCi.

[eddyramrod]

In 1984 bought a 101 Estate for a princely £15.

 

Jack Regan had one of those too, once...

[ProgRocker]

5 of the 7 cars I owned cost £800 or less. The most surprising one was the one that cost the least - the white ex-Police 1994 Escort saloon 1.8 L diesel, owned for 6 months during the spring and summer of 2010. It had optional ABS and power steering too. £250, plus 6 months road fund licence costing £112.50 = £362.50.

 

Insurance aside, all it cost me to run was the fuel. The fuel guage needle went down very slowly indeed so hardly refuelled it.    The only real problems with it were the driver's door lock which failed after a fortnight of ownership and my rear passengers complained of it being bumpy (rear shocks on the way out I guess). Only carried rear passengers on 2 occasions and the passenger door lock worked OK so I put up with those problems.

 

1994 Ford Escort 1.8 LD diesel by ProgRocker77, on Flickr

 

It was on borrowed time so once I got my finances straightened out, got £250 trade in for it against my current Almera.

[Rusty Pelican]

600 notes for for a 1986  E30 318i in glorious Carmine ( and very patchy ) red  , still running fine after 3 years ownership 

[Heidel_Kakao]

My 1995 Volvo 940 estate 2.3 SE turbo is probably my best ever car purchase at £400, big reliable RWD turbobrick with leather interior, the only downside being the fuel economy but I walk to work so what do I care!

[cms206]

Never paid more than £695 for a car; two were free (Rover 414i Sprint and Hyundai Accent). Best is probably the Council Estate, 20 months, 2 MOTs in and £150 purchase price make for an attractive* package.