Cheap Bastard Challenge

2,012 · January 1

1 hour ago, somewhatfoolish said:

Clio in a colour.

Private seller but px welcome..... for a £500 car.

Seeing more and more traders using Gumtree on the side

3,009 · January 1

That looks quite nice...

42,019 · January 2

This is on my drive wanting a new owner

18,766 · January 2

the auto astra in the ebay thread

34,558 · January 2

27 minutes ago, hairnet said:

the auto astra in the ebay thread

Came to say the very same. That looks like a smashing car. No ULEZ so no for me, but a very nice little offering.

The good thing about £500 is it's a tenner raffle when you're bored again.

8,394 · January 2

12 hours ago, bangernomics said:

BERONTE Convertible.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202411196444371

Probably just surface bubbles….should polish out.

2,917 · January 2

https://www.gumtree.com/p/vauxhall/vauxhall-astra-hatchback-2001-manual-1598-cc-5-doors/1490985820

Looks not half bad for £300.

6,469 · January 2

41 minutes ago, Ohdearme said:

Probably just surface bubbles….should polish out.

What a nice polite honest advert,though.

3,009 · January 2

14 minutes ago, Marm Toastsmith said:

https://www.gumtree.com/p/vauxhall/vauxhall-astra-hatchback-2001-manual-1598-cc-5-doors/1490985820

Looks not half bad for £300.

300 quid for a car with 12 months of MOT is insane value. You cannot lose.

1,129 · January 2

I've been doing this challenge since 2020 without realising!

Back then I worked at a Mitsubishi dealership. My daily commute was 20 or so miles. The car I used for commuting was spectacularly written off by a Ford Ranger. So I needed a cheap car quickly.

A Mitsubishi Colt was sitting at the back of the yard. It had been brought in from another garage who said they thought it needed an ECU, this was confirmed by my predecessor. Sales offered them a good deal so they got another car and the Colt sat there for about a year before I started. Mine for £100!

Checked the car, no communication with Engine ECU but Engine showing in CAN system. No signal or voltage out of ECU at pin 36 or whatever it was. Took top off ECU, terminal leads to small chip then to big chip. Big chip obviously ok if it shows up in CAN network. Googled number off small chip, a transistor. Desoldered and checked it, open circuit! Punched number into google. Roll of 15 of them = £25!

However, they were advertised as 'Epsom printer repair transistors'. Had a rake about at work, found a dead printer, smashed pcb out of it, located transistor. Carefully soldered it onto Colt ECU. Car started and ran perfectly, no fault codes or anything!

Car £100, tyres £80, brake shoes £30, MOT £25 and back on the road!

Done nearly 50,000 miles in it since (with my driving that equates to 75,000 miles of normal driving!) It needs a windscreen and the rear axle bushes have been advised just about every year since 2017 (I've got some, I've just not fitted them yet!) but it is still my daily driver.

Its HERE!

23,297 · January 2

7 minutes ago, delux said:

I've been doing this challenge since 2020 without realising!

Back then I worked at a Mitsubishi dealership. My daily commute was 20 or so miles. The car I used for commuting was spectacularly written off by a Ford Ranger. So I needed a cheap car quickly.

A Mitsubishi Colt was sitting at the back of the yard. It had been brought in from another garage who said they thought it needed an ECU, this was confirmed by my predecessor. Sales offered them a good deal so they got another car and the Colt sat there for about a year before I started. Mine for £100!

Checked the car, no communication with Engine ECU but Engine showing in CAN system. No signal or voltage out of ECU at pin 36 or whatever it was. Took top off ECU, terminal leads to small chip then to big chip. Big chip obviously ok if it shows up in CAN network. Googled number off small chip, a transistor. Desoldered and checked it, open circuit! Punched number into google. Roll of 15 of them = £25!

However, they were advertised as 'Epsom printer repair transistors'. Had a rake about at work, found a dead printer, smashed pcb out of it, located transistor. Carefully soldered it onto Colt ECU. Car started and ran perfectly, no fault codes or anything!

Car £100, tyres £80, brake shoes £30, MOT £25 and back on the road!

Done nearly 50,000 miles in it since (with my driving that equates to 75,000 miles of normal driving!) It needs a windscreen and the rear axle bushes have been advised just about every year since 2017 (I've got some, I've just not fitted them yet!) but it is still my daily driver.

Its HERE!

This have to be one of my favorite car buying and repair stories ever.

Fixing car ecu with part from a broken printer, that's just brilliant.

17,512 · January 2

That is a bloody heroic level fix!!!!

4,171 · January 2

2 hours ago, Ohdearme said:

Probably just surface bubbles….should polish out.

You have to question someones logic when they fit 4 x tyres to a car with gaping rust holes on view

6,810 · January 2

1 hour ago, Stinkwheel said:

You have to question someones logic when they fit 4 x tyres to a car with gaping rust holes on view

Was probably going to fit a mot pass spec body kit👍🏽

18,536 · January 2

this is still hogging a space on my drive

6,469 · January 2

Perhaps someone should start a YouTube channel about buying under£500 cars.Could call it "Not Half Grand"!

12,003 · January 2

My old Toyota Diesel FE58RZD is getting in the way. Everything works except radio,Engine sounds a bit tappy when cold (has done for years) and its never been the fastest of cars but has a good heater for the winter and nice cold AC in the summer. Ten months MOT too. Make a good alternative to a van. £475 (in Kent twenty mins from Dartford crossing).

2,574 · January 2

6 minutes ago, Joey spud said:

MY old Toyota Diesel FE58RZD is getting in the way. Everything works except radio,Engine sounds a bit tappy when cold (has done for years) and its never been the fastest of cars but has a good heater for the winter and nice cold AC in the summer. Ten months MOT too. Make a good alternative to a van. £475 (in Kent twenty mins from Dartford crossing).

And here I am bothering to MOT cars.

17,512 · January 2

Dartford isn’t the ends of the earth but it’s a bit too far away for me at the mo, but that’s a fair old bit of vehicle for the money 😊

17,143 · January 2

1 hour ago, Dobloseven said:

Perhaps someone should start a YouTube channel about buying under£500 cars.Could call it "Not Half Grand"!

Monkey ~~Tennis~~ Bingo.

18,766 · January 2

says someone that lived in teh south

3,009 · January 2

My absolute best 500 quid purchase was this.

Needed a wheel bearing but had a year's MOT. An absolutely awesome machine. Manual Aero estate, the perfect 9-5. I got it Noob'd and then swapped it on here for an R53 Cooper S. I miss it and I would have it back tomorrow if I could.

3,009 · January 2

£500 in cash today surely takes this. Short MOT but WCPGW?

January 2

I thought the days of £500 cars were done. Obviously out there if you look hard

4,171 · January 2

36 minutes ago, reductiongear said:

I thought the days of £500 cars were done. Obviously out there if you look hard

Honestly, dont even have to look that hard. Days of 500 quid cars have been back with us for a while

2,012 · January 2

One of my best buys is my current daily from @UltraWomble of this parish for £300 with nearly full ticket.

A few service bits and changed the water pump as it had a tiny leak and changed a front wing for £10 but it's been faultless. I can re MOT it in a couple of weeks and looking forward to holding on to it

They're out there folks

17,512 · January 2

Some sound suggestions floating around folks!!!

17,512 · January 2

The Suzuki looks interesting, never owned a Suzuki before. A window regulator is around 30 quid or so. Just the location is not in my favour, had a second spine op on Xmas eve and it’s going to be a long recovery, an extensive train journey and so on is not going to be good.

1,129 · January 2

4 hours ago, gm said:

this is still hogging a space on my drive

I saw this when it 1st appeared on here and remember thinking it was a good deal.

I have too many cars and have no use for it but thats genuinely a good car for the price!

More surprised its still available!

34,558 · January 2

Having had my arse pinched a couple of times; I would now follow these filters in order of importance.

1. MOT length. 9-12 months only. Vital.

2. Distance to me. Fucked if I’m driving 500 miles on a bank holiday for a wreck these days - especially a daily car.

3. Ease of repair. If it’s fancy, elaborate or even prestige when new then nope. Needs to be intimately familiar to a fast-fit garage.

We are back in the times of proper Bangernomics, and doing it properly means making decisions purely based on sense rather than feel.

Cheap Bastard Challenge

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