Going Rate for a Banger?

[sierraman]

Very generically speaking, what's the going rate for a decent car, maybe 13-14 years old that's got a good few years left in it? Something generic like an Astra, Focus, Vectra etc...

 

It used to be £500 and you could get something fairly decent, at that budget now its just old rubbish, either with imminent serious problems or just generally a shed. The general starting point now seems to be £8-900 for something not about to disintegrate. I've just realised that in my 15 or so years of buying cars I've never adjusted for inflation.

 

Back in about 2005 it would have seen you in a tidy late Sierra or a decent Cavalier. But by the same token unleaded was 78p a litre and a pint of beer could easily be had for £2.

[DodgeRover]

Define decent car? I get offered plenty of £150/200 it's what it stands me at/ need it out of the way type cars, a lot of those will have several years life left.

[Kiltox]

You need to sift through a lot of arse but £500 still buys a decent banger IMO

[Captain Furious]

I think its a combination of scrappage schemes culling the numbers and the fact that EVERYONE now thinks their old heap of shit is 'only going up in value' and one barn find ebay ad away from being the next Mk1 Escort RS1600.

[gadgetgricey]

The price varies dependant on if you need a car or not.

 

As can be seen by the number of cars I currently own to my wife's disgust,  I never buy a car when I need a car.

Always buy cars when you don't need them so can afford to be picky and find the bargains.

 

Current daily driver is a 75 diesel tourer automatic, that cost £300, but then by a really weird chance bumped into the previous previous owner who wanted the personal plate on the car.

 

If you are searching then £1000 would get you sorted. (That lovely Accord in the other thread springs to mind), if just browsing you should be able to get something really good for less than £500

[purplebargeken]

Anything from free to 500 quid. 

[garbaldy]

Last week it was an Audi A3 TDI with mot at £80, the week prior an astra 1400 with mot to November I think £100 two weeks before a Passat TDI estate with mot £180 and another for £250 it's definitely a buyer's market for sure.

[John F]

a £900 banger is just a more expensive £500 banger in many cases. It could even be worse.

 

Another vote for anywhere between free & 500 quid from me.

[Captain Furious]

Also, I don't think people have the appetite for selling cars anymore, they'd rather just punt it in px for 50 quid because at least it saves the hassle of dealing with some timewasting ebay cunt.  I can't say as I really blame them.

[dome]

The bad ads are the best. Also if you're handy bangers can be had cheap. My Auris cost me £250 and was on Facebook with a stock photo as the car was parked outside a garage somewhere after it broke down. Needed a gearbox though...

[Eddie Honda]

I've just realised that in my 15 or so years of buying cars I've never adjusted for inflation.

 

From my perspective, they're like computers and, if anything, decent chod has got cheaper and cheaper.

 

And with t'internet, no need to get up early doors once a week to bag the E&M or Auto Trader.

[Kiltox]

The bad ads are the best. Also if you're handy bangers can be had cheap. My Auris cost me £250 and was on Facebook with a stock photo as the car was parked outside a garage somewhere after it broke down. Needed a gearbox though...

Only bad ads through being a bit internet averse rather than bad ads due to being a scummy fuckwit who is trying to fuck people over - it’s a fine line to distinguish

[Dick Cheeseburger]

From my perspective, they're like computers and, if anything, decent chod has got cheaper and cheaper.

This. Generally speaking, secondhand cars in this country are silly cheap.

[vulgalour]

£300 and below - get your spanners out, unless you've been really lucky

£600ish - generic banger, shouldn't give you grief until the MoT expires, unless you're really unlucky

£1000 and up - luxury bangers, or properly sorted banger-aged cars that should last you for a few years without too much grief.

[Kiltox]

£1000 and up - a £300 car being sold by a trader

[beko1987]

I got many many months out of a free car, probably would have got more if it wasn't a scary potential fix. Currently on month 7 of sterling service from a £150 car that flew through its mot 3 months after I bought it.

 

Their out there, generally on here!

[Kiltox]

Beko’s free car was my £400 car

[sierraman]

a £900 banger is just a more expensive £500 banger in many cases. It could even be worse.

 

Another vote for anywhere between free & 500 quid from me.

Sometimes the £1000 stuff is crap, other times the £500 stuff is what youd politely describe as 'end of life'

[DodgeRover]

And with t'internet, no need to get up early doors once a week to bag the E&M or Auto Trader.

AdMag twice a week in my case back in the day

[Eddie Honda]

AdMag twice a week in my case back in the day

I could of added Scottish Motor Mart, the Gateway notice board and the Helensburgh Advertiser.

[BorniteIdentity]

£500 - 30 mile radius - see what’s got the longest MOT whilst also being Japanese, petrol and NA.

 

Game over.

[SRi05]

Personally now I'd only buy anything sub 1k on here, folk are open and honest about what they're selling. Plus in that price bracket your mostly dealing with utter scrotes elsewhere

[gadgetgricey]

Personally now I'd only buy anything sub 1k on here, folk are open and honest about what they're selling. Plus in that price bracket your mostly dealing with utter scrotes elsewhere

 

I agree. Only ever buy from Forums. Here, French Car Forum, 75 owners club, UK Saabs.

Everyone is able to string a sentence together, and if anything is over critical as dont want to upset a "friend" on the forum.

 

Also most of the cars purchased are not that type of car. Purchased the wife's Focus from the 75 forum.  3 and a bit years later its just gone through 48K, and not had anything go wrong.

[Dan_ZTT]

Back in about 2005 it would have seen you in a tidy late Sierra or a decent Cavalier. But by the same token unleaded was 78p a litre and a pint of beer could easily be had for £2.

Come to Redditch, there's at least 3 pubs here that have pints under £2, well they're £1.99, but still... not much else going for the place though I admit.

[busmansholiday]

Come to Redditch, there's at least 3 pubs here that have pints under £2, well they're £1.99, but still... not much else going for the place though I admit.

Local 'spoons is that but only £1.65 on a Monday. Mate has just sent his tested C4 over the bridge as he CBA with eBay for £140.

[treehugger]

Buy from somebody on here?

[Bren]

You can still get a gem for a few hundred. You just have to seek them out - a lot of £1500 cars are, quite frankly, fucked.

 

Patience is the key - and not being too fussy about what your mates think.

[Faker]

I'm inclined to agree with the 1k range shitter. I very recently mot'd my Octavia 2 tdi, and spent £400 on bits alone!!! 4 x calipers (both offside calipers were stuffed... so all 4 changed). £279 on calipers, 2 x new rear springs (one broken) new widescreen washer pump motor, and a few other bits... add the cost of the mot = £400.. no labour as I did all the work...

 

In saying that I paid £190 for felicity the felicia and she's lasted 2 years. In saying that she's a proper shitter and not to everyone's taste...

[Captain Furious]

I’d agree with buying off here, never has their been a place where sellers are so candid about a cars faults. There will also likely be a thread about it with a hilarious running commentary about every niggle and fault since collection. And if it does all go south you can probably roffle it on within 3 days and make a proportion of your money back.

 

It’s another reason I’d probably stick around the 500 quid, people are likely to take a punt on a £10 roffle, but unless it’s something amazing (like junkmans Range Rover) then £20 is a tough sell.

[fred]

Here - Or just look for an advertisement which actually spells the name of the damn car correctly, and uses full words and not bloody TXT speak. Its a lot easier now you can check their MOT history . They cant lie about it now !

 

And yes there is a plethora of cars between £300 - £900 and quite new (ish)