Ayde

iTrader: (6)

Decided its time to get a second car ideally it has to be very low on the insurance as I would be starting with no ncd.
I am not bothered about looks or drive (got the scoob for that) just cheap and reliable.
Really I want to spend around £1k but would consider spending a bit more, So far I have found mid - late 90's Nissan Micra 1.0's going for around the £1k mark and the insurance is fairly cheap. So has anyone any other ideas that I can look at?

Cheers,

Ayde

Andy M3

Cheap = Fiat Scecentio (sp?) Sporting ins group 2/3 probably pick up 30k cars for that money or a Saxo 1.1 desire more 2k stuff but 3/4 year old car

Or a high millage Polo CL 1.9d / 1.4 petrol

korean models are so cheap, Hyundai, Daewoo etc - often parts bins of older cars, but newer in age so another option there !!!

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

If you want reliability and an abundance of choice of cars driven by old ladies, then you've already hit the nail on the head with the bubble micra.

Alteratively, the 106 diesel is IMO the cheapest to run - if you find a good one.

Ayde

iTrader: (6)

Had a few Fiats and never had any issues with the build quality (always sold them before they started to fall apart) but I think for the price range I am looking at it could be an issue.
I will have a look at some of the Korean stuff though as that may be a better option?

Cheers

misty

If you look hard you don't have to pay anything like that. I've just got for a friend of mine, a 1990 1.1s rover metro 4 door, 38,000 genuine miles, two owners, 12 months mot, 6 month tax, a really nice car....................£400.00!!! A genuine bargain that will probably be good for a couple of years before it needs anything serious.
dave

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

I picked up a 306 ST Sedan, 2ltr 8v, ex demo, 2 other owners, fsh, very clean car, needs a little bit doing on the bodywork (has a small dent in the door, a slight scratch on the rear arch and the front wing needs re spreying) cost all of 150 quid to do right, drives like a dream (only has 38k on the clock!!) all previous MOT's etc, cost me less than 1400 (grp 9 insurance v grp 12 for the XSi hatchback)
You could also have a look at the 306 TD's, i saw one last week in the autotrader with 60k on the clock for 1k.

Tony

moses

toyota corrolla or a nissan s13

Marky-San

Just a thought mate, but have you asked your current insurance company if they would allow you to use some 'years' off your current NCB?

I did this and only stuck a year on my 2nd car - it was an XR2 (I am talking 6- years ago) and that single year was worth 35%

If you get this, get a little civic - magic reliable little cars I got my N reg coupe for 2K - and its been superb!

chris's scooby

A late 90's micra should be under a grand. They do have a problem with their throttles(not too sure what) but it costs £500-£600 to fix.

vindaloo

Citroen ZX or Xantia
Peugeot 306 or 406
Renault Clio
Older Rover 214 or 216 (square rigger type)
Nissan Primera
FIAT Punto or Cinc.

s70rjw

iTrader: (2)

Nissan Micra 1.0 runs on charity built like a Tank

AdiM

Don't laught, but I've got a 1995 1.0 Micra. I've had it for about 2 years and 20,000 miles. It's cheap to insure, cheaper car tax and I can service it myself, i.e. just change the oil/plugs/filters/belts etc. I've never had any problems with it at all. I had to have the sill wealded a month ago for the MOT, but that's been it. They are also fairly nippy as well. I've surprised a few rep mobiles on the line ( no, really ! ). You could do a lot worse.

Adrian
Esprit 350 and Micra 1.0

Ayde

iTrader: (6)

Think its between a 1.0 Micra and a Cinqy Sporting, think the Micra is winning - less likely to have been owned by a boy racer, slightly cheaper insurance and Jap build quality
Think its going to be taking me a little longer to get to work soon

Ayde

iTrader: (6)

Picking up a Micra 1.0LX tomorrow, its a 93 with 39k on it. Looked at a few newer ones but they were not in as good condition and had more miles than this one.
As of tomorrow the Impreza is a weekend car

Thanks for all the replies

Ayde.

Yorkie

I've just bought a mint 1988 MG Metro £250. Bodywork superb, no dings or scratches, paintwork excellent. After one week on the road I wasn't happy with certain mechanical "noises" so took it to a local Unipart centre. Ended up spending £700 on new clutch and gearbox. Car ran excellent, then I wasn't happy with the front suspension droop. Took it back to the Unipart centre for repressurising and the nearside hydragas unit valve snapped loosing all pressure. Cost? £136 for a new unit plus £30 fitting.

the moral to this story? Be careful what you buy, the apparent bargain of the century might just happen to be a cash cow. I intend to keep this car now for as long as I can to recover the cash. Despite all the problems though it is fun to drive and sounds great, as well as bearing the MG badge!

Petem95

Just a pity that in your case its also wearing a "Metro" badge!

Thats not the turbocharged one is it? Dont see many of them around now, but Im sure they used to use a Garratt T3 turbo on them which is pretty huge for a small engine!

Brendan Hughes

Good choice. I've said it before and I'll say it again:

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

Would be interested to know how you get on having that plus a scooby in the garage

I'm toying with the idea of a second car for runs to the DIY shop, tip, supermarket etc, and ideally it would pay for itself by being used for commuting too (my usual route is pretty dull) thus saving miles on the scooby. Of course, it only makes economic sense if it actually DOES get used instead of driving the scooby all the time!

I have max NCB on a second car, so insurance isn't really the problem. Also I want something fairly practical so I'm looking at a 2.0 Honda Accord or Nissan Primera, both of which are plentiful around the £1000-£1500 mark, esp. the Nissan. My Dad had one for years and nothing ever went wrong. He's now on his second, and that seems bomb proof too apart from a few electrical gremlins caused by an incompetent grease monkey.

Trouble is, faced each morning with an '05 STI or a '94 Primera, which would you choose?

BOB.T

*****, Brendan beat me to it!

TurbolessButImprezzive

you could also get a mid-90's vw polo in good condition for around the 1k mark...just dont race anything faster than a lawnmower!
i had one of these cars and it was bulletproof but a little uninspiring.

Brendan Hughes

Sorry Bob. I always thought they were cute run-arounds until I saw that Euro NCAP site - never forgotten it, it was that scary...

Danny B

May as well be on a motorbike if that picture is anything to go by

Lemmy

About 6 weeks ago we bought a M reg Citreon ZX 1.9 Diesel with 49,000 miles on clock in mint conditon for £1250, mainly for Gina to use for commuting 50 miles/day. It may be slow and lurch around corners, but it is perfect for motorway work, taking stuff to the dump and leaving in areas where you wouldn't wish to leave a Scoob. So far it is returning between 55 and 59 mpg. It is cheap to ensure even with zero no claims (it is our third car). There are also loads for sale unlike Golf diesels.

Alan

Jamescsti

I've been thinking this as well but thinking a Honda Civic, I think they are quite nice cars but there's no way i'm geting rid of the scooby for one.
Might have to look into it i think!

Vegescoob

Hi Ayde look on Topgear.com ref Micra on the scale of 1-9 for likellihood of death in an "accident" our Scoobys are 8 Micras are 7. We have a Scooby and a Micra! Btw look at your front crossmember they rust. Ours is starting to and it's only a 99. MOT failure point if too bad.

carl

I've got a '91 Merc 190E for sale for £1195 at the moment if anyone's interested. It's a lot more solidly put together than any Scoob, and does about 34 mpg

Ayde

iTrader: (6)

Think mine has lived in a garage most of its life and was put through an MOT the day before I bought it (only needed a bulb). So far it seems ok costs less than half in fuel than the Impreza, think the throttle body is playing up slightly - someone mentioned in a previous post it is a £500 - £600 fix if you get the part from Nissan but according to a Micra forum it is just a case of popping off a cover on the throttle body and re-soldering any dodgy joints (around 10 altogether) so I will have a look at that tomorrow.
Best of all though is the buzz I now get when driving the Impreza - it really makes you appreciate how much fun they are

Ayde.

scoobynutta555

Ive had a suzuki sj413 for several weeks now. A hoot to drive, but wear ear plugs on a 200 mile trip on the motorway

Added value as a proper off road vehicle (apparently one of the best about), is a convertible, and you can even take the doors off and fold the front windscreen down. Rear wheel drive mostly, but is switchable to 4 wheel drive up to 62 mph, and theres a low range as wellThey are supposedly ultra reliable, very cheap to insure (£170 for me with no claims as its a second car) and a bit different from the blue rinse micra.

I picked mine up for £1400 in minto with tiny miles. Look around on Ebay exchange and mart and good ones can easily be had for half that.

Youll never get a speeding ticket, but it's an *interesting* drive!



not mine but you get the idea.

narasi

Hi there.

I have advertised a Renault 5 Campus in Scoobynet for less than half the price. Please browse for details. One owner from new and only done 63k. Metallic silver no rust at all and Mot till September 2005 ! Tuned for unleaded petrol. Very cheap to run.
Please ring if interested 02087785339. Sydenham LondonSE26 area near to Crystal Palace and Forest Hill.

Vegescoob

Right then Nissan Micra K11 1993 on. Today I stripped off front undershields and front bumper to deal with what I thought was surface rust on front crossmember of our 1999 1.3 Micra. Found 2 holes 1 each end 2"x1/2" MOT failure. Bugger of job to fit new one esp. with aircon as ours. Probably just plate it. BUT 5years old. I thought rust like that went out years ago. Might see if can claim on 6yrs. anti-corrosion warranty but they always say it's from outside don't they. So if looking at Micras check front crossmember carefully as apparantley is common.