Next car advice required small under £700

[George-Roper]

End of this month sees the Vauxhall farmed out as its mot time and I am not bothering this year. I am looking to spend £700 tops and need a small car with mot and tax. Looking on ebay I can see a few things that interest me which include Proton compact and the Fiesta shape Mazda 121. Anyone any real knowlege of these as in pitfalls etc?. Any other suggestions of cars to look out for petrol or diesel would be great. The cars not used every day and cheap tax band would suit.

Cheers Chaps and Chapeses.

[Baz]

K11 Micra is a good, reliable, cheap little car to own.

[barrett]

There are lots of cheap motors on here at the moment, how about the lovely Bluebird??

[Mr Lobster]

Suzuki Alto would be my pick I reckon. Cheap, reliable, cheap tax.

[eddyramrod]

Hard to argue with a little Suzuki, that would be my first choice too. Small Fiats also fit the bill, but you do have to go over them for rust of course. Seen any Toyota Starlets lately? Plenty over here...

[George-Roper]

Suzuki Alto would be my pick I reckon. Cheap, reliable, cheap tax.

 

Yes funnily enough have looked at these on the bay of e along with Daihatsu sirion's. Are they good though?

[Albert Ross]

It's a Maruti. Made in India. I know of a 53 plater with about 54k on the clock, slight damage (sort of repaired) to the front, Red with a pair of badger stripes, I reckon you could get it for about 750ish if you bargained with the bloke. £30 a year tax, MOT till August.

[Cavcraft]

There are lots of cheap motors on here at the moment, how about the lovely Bluebird??

 

*Commission in post.

 

Erm, in the event of being repetetive and predictable, for my money it'd be a Corsa B everytime. 1.2 or 1.4 8V best bet.

[Mr Lobster]

Yes funnily enough have looked at these on the bay of e along with Daihatsu sirion's. Are they good though?

 

We had one for a couple of years and it was a cracker. Mechanically unbreakable, really good on fuel and not unpleasant to live with. Pretty basic but thats not always a bad thing.

 

Sills can rot but other than that they are pretty good. I'd certainly have another.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

BMW 750iL

[Father Ted]

+1 on K11

 

Haynes manual for these reads

 

Page 1 - Congratulations on purchasing a K11 Nissan Micra

Page 2 - The End © Haynes Publishing 1998

[Richard]

[George-Roper]

Is that yours MR Ted?. What trim has it got as I have seen some horrible patterns in those.

[barrett]

I dont quite understand the locationx3 reference, but i'm always happy to see a picture of Kirsty 'Tory twat' Allsopp

[Father Ted]

Is that yours MR Ted?. What trim has it got as I have seen some horrible patterns in those.

Slightly clearer on this one - I threw away the crappy trims which were cracked anyway and painted the wheels silver and then fitted Mk1 K11 center caps.

Much better IMHO and suit the car more than those bloody silly bin lid things.

[M'coli]

FT, I think he meant the interior trim...

[Lord Sterling]

+1 on K11

 

Haynes manual for these reads

 

Page 1 - Congratulations on purchasing a K11 Nissan Micra

Page 2 - The End © Haynes Publishing 1998

 

+ 2

 

I've got one of these, great, fun little cars to drive and own. They go on forever easy to work on. Mine has just come out of 1 year storage, passed its MOT only needing a battery.

[Father Ted]

FT, I think he meant the interior trim...

I are such a fookin numpty.

 

Inside its mostly grey with little flecks of green. Not hideous orangey yellow like some you can get.

Here is me thinking "somone has noticed the wheels!"

[George-Roper]

FT, I think he meant the interior trim...

 

Yes sorry maybe I was not that clear. Thanks I might start looking into the Micra route.

[M'coli]

FT, I think he meant the interior trim...

I are such a fookin numpty.

 

Inside its mostly grey with little flecks of green. Not hideous orangey yellow like some you can get.

Here is me thinking "somone has noticed the wheels!"

Hey, don't feel so bad - the wheels look great.

[Lord Sterling]

Here is me thinking "somone has noticed the wheels!"

 

Actually I did notice the wheels, I did write something about them, but I thought, thats a bit obvious.

 

Earlier pre-facelift K11 wheels. I once had a centre cap from one of them and stuck it onto the Black steelie, US Cop Car style.

[Father Ted]

FT, I think he meant the interior trim...

Here ya go - its actually a bit more multicoloured than I thought - Im obviously used to it.

My Mk 1 K11 was a dull herringbone grey pattern.

[AnthonyG]

Micra is a good little car, Fiesta 1.25 is more fun to drive but more rust prone. Check any Mk4 Fiesta very carefully for rust!

 

The later Mazda 121s are Fiesta's with Mazda badges on, they were built in Dagenham on the same line, so don't believe anyone telling you they were 'better quality' or made in Japan!

 

Also the Corsa's Cavette mentions are tough little cars, still plenty of M-P reg ones around long after other cars have rusted into the ground. Avoid the 1.0 three cylinder ones though.

[MK5 Escort]

The mk4 Fiesta is a great little car to drive and the 1.25 is a very sweet, refined engine indeed. However as already suggested, check for rot. Rear arches in particular. I know of pretty much no other car in it's era that shows corrosion as much.

 

I can also second Cavette on the Corsa B. A more substantial motor than some may think. The 1.0 12v jobbie really is woeful though and from my experience, offers almost no extra economy over the much brisker 1.2 16v. Late (and road legal) models are just coming within your £700 budget on eBay now, too.

[Futuramic]

There are lots of cheap motors on here at the moment, how about the lovely Bluebird??

 

*Commission in post.

 

Erm, in the event of being repetetive and predictable, for my money it'd be a Corsa B everytime. 1.2 or 1.4 8V best bet.

 

Are you feeling alright? I know of a few bright, warm places where they can offer help, support, perhaps even a shoulder to cry on for those with such serious personality disorders as your own. The food's free and the walls padded. After a few months of non-threatening discussion with lentil eating caring types I'm sure you can regain the esteemed position you once enjoyed in what you may perceive as the "ordinary world".

The world of those who live without delusion, are free from hallucinations and unacceptable ideas. Those who know that the Corsa B is a terrible car. Mine may have been a rotten example. However I cursed its very existence. It broke down. When working it did nothing well. It was cheap, and cheap feeling. The engine was as exciting as a beetle drive in the village hall. With no jacket potato buffet.

 

I nearly took out whole suburbs of Colchester with lethal understeer. I had to abandon it in Sainsbury's car park when it died completely. For those few months of ownership I thought it worse than famine, world war and voracious disease. Combined.

 

I replaced it with a Bluebird, which incidentally was a fantastic car. I loved that thing and wish I still had her to this day.

 

I'd reccomend a Fiesta over a Corsa. Better in every way. They rust but the 1.25 Yamaha Zetec is jewel-like and the pushrod lumps indestructible.

 

My friend had a Punto. It wasn't great but it was, crucially, a great lugh to drive. One to consider? Other than that the suggestions of Micras and the like are good. Another friend had a white one and said it was superb. As for Sirions, they are an unknown quantity. Someone else I knew drove an automatic version. It seemd fine, I think the main hindrance to sales was the somewhat bizzarre styling.

[M'coli]

The world of those who live without delusion, are free from hallucinations and unacceptable ideas. Those who know that the Corsa B is a terrible car. Mine may have been a rotten example. However I cursed its very existence. It broke down. When working it did nothing well. It was cheap, and cheap feeling. The engine was as exciting as a beetle drive in the village hall. With no jacket potato buffet.

 

I nearly took out whole suburbs of Colchester with lethal understeer.

I'll assume it was a very early one, prior to the HBL model!

[George-Roper]

Corsa's are out as thats whats going out to pasture at mot time in 2 weeks. Any other cars to interest me?

[Guest]

I reckon you should buy a Holden Torana SL/R 5000.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

Corsa's are out as thats whats going out to pasture at mot time in 2 weeks. Any other cars to interest me?

 

When I'm forced to buy a cheap car in a hurry I usually end up buying second or third choice cars. Ones that I'd like to try, but aren't the most suitable or appealing at the time. It has led to some semi interesting buys though.

Anyway, you'll just have to see what's on offer and isn't a complete shitheap at the time, many small cars get their arses ragged out of them with minimal servicing and care - might be the case that none of these suggestions are any good, even Hirst's.

[ruffgeezer]

i'm selling my 1.4 xsara now that the blunderbus is on the road.

 

Its a 1998 model in blue, 80k, new exhaust and front pads, recent clutch and headgasket, mot til march but short tax. £600 would seal the deal.