What can i get for €4k?

smemon

on the prowl for my 1st car, although my mother will need it too so it's sort of a joint venture.

budget is €4k max and ideally i'd want a mid size car, nothing small like a micra or corsa, preferably 1.4 ish.

best deals ive come across so far are:
1. 2000 renault megane = €4k (savage deal imo, very tempted)
2. 1999 hyundai accent =€3750 (hi spec model - alloys, sunroof, spoiler, fogs, cd player etc..)

both with local dealers. havn't seen the megane yet, will do tomorrow hopefully but apparently it's in good nick. anyone any other ideas? is that price for the megane good?

Tipsy Mac

What milage is on either car?

pontovic

Your first car should be cheap to maintain and have a small engine. That mégane might be nice but if you run into trouble with it you could be paying more than you can afford maybe ?

Go for something like a Golf, Polo or Micra. Stay away from Hyundai. Their latest models seem to be alot better than anything they had produced in the late 1990's and early this decade.

Heres my list of what you could get. It's important to get insurance quotes before you plan to buy any car.

Nissan Micra
Opel Corsa
VW Polo
VW Golf ( better )
Ford Fiesta 1.25 Zetec

The Fiesta would be my first choice for you. The 1.25l engine is both nippy and frugal and very reliable. You could get yourself a 1999 Fiesta with all the nice trimings thats in good nick for 4000 euro.

Lex Luthor

VW are not that reliable either...

stick with a japanese car if possible.

smemon

around 75k on the megane, 90k on the hyundai.

yeah i had my eye on a polo initially (learned to drive in one) but this car isnt just for me, it'll often have 4 people in it so that's why id like a mid size car.

golf- i would love but very pricey. for that money i'd be lucky to get a '97.

with regards to insurance, ive checked out most options i.e small corsa and 1.6 family saloon, not that big of a difference really, i'd be willing to pay the extra couple of hundred for a bigger car.

maidhc

Ford Mondeo 1.6 or early Toyota Corolla 1.4VVTi (although probably wont get one for 4k) would be my two options. Corolla will be cheaper to run, and perhaps slightly more reliable. Ford will be good to drive, reliable and will be cheap to repair if anything goes wrong.

colm_mcm

not a fantastic selection, but I'd (reluctantly) take the Accent

smemon

yeah it's pretty limited really. basically im after a boring old family car

if all goes to plan, i'll be buying my own car in a year or 2's time with a much bigger budget and get something menacing like a BMW or a Golf.

for now, it's back to reality and im stuck the ordinary.

just got more info on the megane classic. 1.4l, silver, all electrics, front fogs, cd player, air conditioning, rear spoiler...75k on the clock. i reckon i'd get it for €3850, looking on cbg and carzone, autotrader etc most of the '00 meganes come in around €5k.

will keep searching though. havn't looked at mazda's yet, havn't come across a corolla either.

posiedon

You should look at a Fiat Brava perhaps.
They're very cheap and you get loads of car for your money.

I had one a few years ago, and it was great, and the wife has a 00 one which is really good to drive. Nothing ever went wrong with either of them. Just had a clutch changed once and that was it. Try and get an ELX model, cos they're much nicer inside and have a few more extras. They come in 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.6.

The later 1.2 engine is a very good one to go for, and will cost you the same as the old 1.4 to insure, but well worth it.

dubtom

Megan's have serious coil problems, a new set, which won't last as long as your spark plugs will set you back over 100 euro's, their resale value are also sh it.
Hyundai are made by Toyota,that surprised me but it's true. Check out a jap import, I saw a corrola in the jap place in Kilbarrick a few months back which was in perfect condition with AC,auto and all the usual stuff that japs have for 3500.They usually have very small milage because of the strict immision controls over there even though they may be down the years.Seriously, a jap car is your best bet, whether it be an import or not.

colm_mcm

dubtom wrote:

Hyundai are made by Toyota,that surprised me but it's true.

Hyundai have absolutely no links with Toyota. they don't share technologies or platforms. and aren't owned by them

Kia are made by Hyundai, maybe that's what threw you.

maidhc

colm_mcm wrote:

Kia are made by Hyundai, maybe that's what threw you.

Daihatsu are made by Toyota, perhaps that is another source of confusion!

dubtom

maidhc wrote:

Daihatsu are made by Toyota, perhaps that is another source of confusion!

woops, stand corrected, appolgies.

Rudolph Claus

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054923813
Theres a fine car for ye!

smemon

Nuttzy wrote:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054923813
Theres a fine car for ye!

a tad small for me but no harm in trying im also pretty tall so i dont usually like small hatchbacks likes corsa's and micra's, or thats my excuse anyway

just out of curiousity, how much is it to import from the north. roughly speaking, say on a '00 focus? would it be worth the hassle?

TempestSabre

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054930751
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054910363
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054920494

phoenix_nights

I'd look at one of these. Mitsubishi spacestar. I am into mercs and saabs but if i was gonna buy a cheap runabout this is what i would get. Had one for a week once and seriously was gonna buy one.

If you haggle you will get a '99 and maybe a '00 for 4,000 euros.

cargrouch

posiedon wrote:

You should look at a Fiat Brava perhaps.
They're very cheap and you get loads of car for your money.

I had one a few years ago, and it was great, and the wife has a 00 one which is really good to drive. Nothing ever went wrong with either of them. Just had a clutch changed once and that was it. Try and get an ELX model, cos they're much nicer inside and have a few more extras. They come in 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.6.

The later 1.2 engine is a very good one to go for, and will cost you the same as the old 1.4 to insure, but well worth it.

You do get a lot for the moola, but be careful. I know I've just been in another thread saying how FIATs are not as bad as they are made out to be, but a badly maintained one will give a lot of trouble. If they have been regularily serviced, especially regular oil changes and a new timing kit fitted then a good buy.
OP, avoid the 1.4, go for the 1.2. PM me if you are interested in any more Fiat Brava/Bravo info.

gyppo

I'd fully agree with the poster regarding the Spacestar. A friend of mine has a 99 one since new, has 140k up on it, and with the exception of consumables such as exhaust, shocks, tyres, - it hasnt put a foot wrong.

Very roomy, fairly economical, often overlooked (ie cheap), and totally reliable - well worth considering.

phoenix_nights

gyppo wrote:

Very roomy, fairly economical, often overlooked (ie cheap), and totally reliable - well worth considering.

Often overlooked. Never a truer word said. They are seriously great value and its only when you get behind the wheel do you appreciate them. Fuel economy is really amazing.

mik_da_man

How about This?

paraicr

I'm selling my mitsubishi lancer on the FS motors page.
Its as reliable as a spacestar, but a bit better looking!!

Have a look if you're interested

http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=414&cat=2

comphreak

If you can stretch the budget a little I have a 00 Ford Fiesta 1,25LX, 62k miles for sale. €4400

Very cheap on insurance and tax.

http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=271&cat=2

Mc-BigE

do an advance search on www.carzone.ie and search around 5 even 6 k and because the 2nd hand market is bad at the moment, you should be able to get cars at that price range for 4K if you push hard.

something like corrolla,mazda 323 1.3 , honda civic,

this looks good:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=398586

wardwil

Hi ---

Just bought a Nissan Primera 00 for 4k... asking price was 4300.
Great car but slight damage in that it needs a shock.

Hold out cos there are great deals out there.

tribesman

smemon wrote:

2. 1999 hyundai accent =€3750 (hi spec model - alloys, sunroof, spoiler, fogs, cd player etc..)

Just be aware that 1999 would be the last of the old model. The model changed in 2000. We've had a 00 new model from new and it's been very good. Not very exciting but very reliable. I reckon to get similar/better reliability you'll have to go for a mazda, honda or toyota and you'll pay a lot more.

phoenix_nights

Actually what should be on top of your list is Twin front Airbags and ABS. If it doesnt have that then check it off your list.

smemon

yeah, im aware of the safety element, sort of why i was leaning towards the renaults.

looked around a few more places today, took out a '99 mazda 323 and was grand but didnt like the look of it plus it was a bit much €4600.

nothing else caught my eye really. went to see the 'scenic' that i was talking about yesterday, turned out to be another megane :rolleyes: hatchback this time. lovely green and very well kept car. bodywork was flawless and i was pretty shocked how well it'd been kept. only 72k on the clock too (a late '00).

the disappointing thing was it was the base model with no fogs or a/c... which the saloon megane had. both are €4k. i'd probably take the hatchback if i could get it for €3700 but i doubt it.

i really can't go over €4k so it seems im pretty limited going around the garages. ive ruled out the accent as there was no comparason imo with the megane i seen today.

is €4k for a base megane hatchback a fair price? or would the saloon with a/c, all electrics, fogs, spoiler, alloys etc be the better deal at €4k?