What's the best sub £1000 car today?

[trigger]

So, this afternoon i decided to give my 190E a good polish and wax and clean up all the cruddy bits and stuff in readiness for the Goodwood revival this weekend (which I'm mega excited by, I've got a outfit and everything).

 

 

 

 

Anyway this got me thinking, I personally think this car is one of the best used sub £1000 cars you can buy, the build quality can put most new cars to shame, it's a joy to drive (if a bit sedate) and i believe it's depreciation proof, There's only one way the values can go on these.

 

What cars do you think could match it?. It needs to be a used car that you could buy today for under a grand, run for a year as a daily hack, look and feel as nice as any new car on a forecourt and still make you money when you come to sell it on?.

[320touring]

That £300 mondeo v6 auto for sale on here has to be up with a shout.

 

Decent lump,badermatic,cow and pine and acceptable fuel consumption.

 

That or my whanton 735;)

[sporty-shite]

At the moment, there are bucketloads, so I'll just list a few that I wouldn't mind being seen in.

 

1. Ford Puma. Fairly quick, nimble, look good and sure to cotton on to OSF tax soon, as all the rusty ones get scrapped and they become rare.

2. Alfa GTV. Look good, go well and ALFA. Again, poor condition and substandard maintenance will see off most of the bad ones, then values will rise.

3. Audi coupe. Well built, and have aged well. Also must now be at the bottom of their depreciation curve.

 

That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure I'll come up with more.

[wuvvum]

Renault Vel Satis 3.0 DCi.

[Cavcraft]

Are you absolutely certain you want everyone's answer to your question?

[mercrocker]

No need for any more answers.   You wont do better for a bag of sand than a nice 190E.   PHAKT.    With added bonus of old-money class as in "I could afford a new one but they are shit"  

[Cavcraft]

Well, you did ask...

 

 

 

 

Thread over, I've won.

 

 

 

[Spiny Norman]

Loads of 'em. I'm biased because I had one but for a bit of retro charm I'd nominate the old Saab 900. Decent turbos are hard to find for under a grand, but the standard 900i is still a depreciation proof daily hack.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1992-SAAB-900i-SE-3-door-/281433334166?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4186bbe196

 

[garethj]

Vauxhall Calibra is a hidden gem, I reckon.  But I agree with most of the others on this thread, except for the red Corsa, natch

[Partridge]

Old Jag. They never* go wrong.

[Pillock]

I feel this is going to look very similar to a "what cars do autoshiters have for sale right now" thread.

[Shep Shepherd]

A good Volvo 900 estate will always find a ready buyer and potentially re-sell for more or less what you paid for it. Ditto the estate version of the Mercedes-Benz W124

[cms206]

Shep has it nailed - W124 wagon or a late 940 Estate. Depreciation proof.

[trigger]

I love the idea of buying a older car which is totally capable of everything a new car can do, running it for a year or so and being able to sell it on for a tidy profit to boot.

 

I think those 240/740 Estate have to be high on the list too as are Calibras, Not so sure about the Corsa though Billy!

[cort16]

I recon a mk3 cavalier Sri would do the trick. Still pretty quick with the reliability of reasonably modern efi but not the electro fuck wittery you get with really modern cars.

[twosmoke300]

I agree with spiny Norman . Even the shitbox of a Saab 900i auto I took to shitefest was a lovely drive. A good one must be brilliant

[EssDeeWon]

Interesting as I have recently been looking at this price bracket for something 'nice' with FSH. For less than a grand you can end up with a serious crock of shit, especially dealer fodder so best to look privately.

 

I ended up with a very tidy well looked after BMW (E36) 318is Coupe Auto with 100k, FSH for 800 quid. For the money I probably would of struggled to do much better, some of these cars are up for £1200+ and you can see from the pics its an abused POS.

 

Not at that stage of my life to own a 90s Volvo just yet but I would say for a grand these are GR9 VFM.

[dollywobbler]

E36s are very much on my radar. They seem pretty unloved right now, but there are some nice ones amongst the barried dross. Saab 9000 another good one - I prefer them over the 900 myself. Mercs of that era do have a wonderful, engineered feel. I should try a 190 as the W124 was pretty good bar its enormity. Still want to try a Rover 600 too. 

[Craig the Princess]

4 £250 Rover R8s. Hatch, saloon, coupe and tourer. Superior interiors with that added quality and surely 1 out of the four would be non K-seried.

[EssDeeWon]

E36s are very much on my radar. They seem pretty unloved right now, but there are some nice ones amongst the barried dross. 

 

I wasn't actually looking to buy another one but this one was local and stood out as a really genuine straight car, and it is. As you say though, some examples (especially 2 door models IMHO) have been barried up and I would not touch one of those.

[Bobthebeard]

I love the idea of buying a older car which is totally capable of everything a new car can do, running it for a year or so and being able to sell it on for a tidy profit to boot.

 

I think those 240/740 Estate have to be high on the list too as are Calibras, Not so sure about the Corsa though Billy!

Surely an old Vauxhall is just as capable* as a new one?

[EssDeeWon]

Does reliability come into it? If not then a Rover 75 would also get my vote, but the cheap screen price could soon be outweighed when all the belts need replacing or slave cylinder / master cylinder go pop. 

 

I still want one though despite the fact I know I would regret it.

[sporty-shite]

I love the idea of buying a older car which is totally capable of everything a new car can do, running it for a year or so and being able to sell it on for a tidy profit to boot.

 

That's pretty much how I own cars. Except I change every six months and don't make a profit. Don't lose either, though, so it's depreciation-free motoring.

[HillmanImp]

Old Jag. They never* go wrong.

 

Hey, I have had mine for 2 weeks now and have only spent £240 on repairs. 

[Station]

I'd love a Merc e class again in estate form, but in diesel. Trigger's one looks great, and they are the build quality is second to none (meaning they have the best build quality from that era).

 

[Geep]

That 190 is lovely. Not helping restrain my new found Mercedes urge either.

 

Vauxhall Frontera*

 

*Buy in summer and sell at first sight of omgsnowchaos.

[CortinaDave]

for sheer worthiness.... 90s Nissan Micra/Primera.

 

Both unspeakably dull but fantastically reliable and competent in every way, and yours for under 500 quid any day of the week you like.

[jonathan_dyane]

I'd love a Merc e class again in estate form, but in diesel. Trigger's one looks great, and they are the build quality is second to none (meaning they have the best build quality from that era).

 

Are you sure? I loved my 190D but never really got on that well with my W124 300TD. I found it clumsy, desperately slow and horrendously uneconomical.

[Vince70]

How about an old late 80s early 90s Audi 80 preferably with the 5pot lump.

[Roverageous]

Does reliability come into it? If not then a Rover 75 would also get my vote, but the cheap screen price could soon be outweighed when all the belts need replacing or slave cylinder / master cylinder go pop. 

 

I still want one though despite the fact I know I would regret it.

I'll go with that. I've run two 75s in two consecutive years and don't regret it one bit. They've certainly got the "as competent as a new car" nailed - especially for motorway travel. You can get some very good diesels and the V6 engines with the mostly bulletproof autobox for cheap. Although mine have both been spanish waiters, and I've not had a moment's trouble with the clutch & hydraulics on either. Does happen though.