what would you do with €500?

natnif

I'm thinking on taking my car off the road for a while. nct is due in feb/march and with a dodgy clutch, suspect front suspension and a brand new hole in the exhaust its really not going to pass...so I'm thinking about spending the repair money on a 2nd car and work on mine in the summer when I have some time

So as the title suggests, I have €500 tp spend...max.
I am not going to be very fussy with the car so I'll even take suggestions for french cars
basically I'm looking for something fairly big with a decent boot.

The necessities are:
nct til summer
tax til summer

I would prefer a big ol' diesel if I can but petrol would be ok as well.

So does anyone have anything lying around that fits the bill?
Or anyone know of any friends cars or anything like that?
I'm not fussy, but it's always handy if someone knows the car...

Redrocket

whats your current car??
the buy and sell is full of cars for under 500 quid

natnif

current cat is a toyota cynos '92. The parts tend to be quite expensive as it is an import so I'm looking for something to get me through to the summer and can then be used to tow/move equipment

there are quite a few in the buy and sell, but most of them are either too small or don't have an nct

Redrocket

who needs an nct??? just make sure it has plenty of tax and is driving sound
how much is the cynos worth??? i just checked buy and sell they are fetching 2000 and up?!!!?!?
i see things like carinas, primeras, in the buy and sell for well under 500
infact, saw a primera in the buyandsell for 200 today
Nissan Primera 1.6L 1992, Leinster Dublin 15 €200.00
111k mls, 5 dr, saloon, maroon, alarm, c/l, e/w,
no nct info though

natnif

I possibly would chance no nct for a month, but 6 or 7?don't think so mate....that primera sounds ok,but its in Dublin and as you said, no nct or tax info.
it is something like that I'm looking for though!

bazz26

natnif wrote:

I'm thinking on taking my car off the road for a while. nct is due in feb/march and with a dodgy clutch, suspect front suspension and a brand new hole in the exhaust its really not going to pass...so I'm thinking about spending the repair money on a 2nd car and work on mine in the summer when I have some time

So as the title suggests, I have €500 tp spend...max.
I am not going to be very fussy with the car so I'll even take suggestions for french cars
basically I'm looking for something fairly big with a decent boot.

The necessities are:
nct til summer
tax til summer

I would prefer a big ol' diesel if I can but petrol would be ok as well.

So does anyone have anything lying around that fits the bill?
Or anyone know of any friends cars or anything like that?
I'm not fussy, but it's always handy if someone knows the car...

Just spotted this: http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=12583&cat=2

I know it is well outside your budget but you might be able to work out some sort of deal with the owner. No harm in trying anyway.

maidhc

natnif wrote:

I possibly would chance no nct for a month, but 6 or 7?don't think so mate....that primera sounds ok,but its in Dublin and as you said, no nct or tax info.
it is something like that I'm looking for though!

A guy I know has had a valid NCT for 6mths in the past 3 years.



Gardaí don't care.

zuutroy

e500 won't buy you a car that doesnt have you tormented regularly. I think unless you're very lucky, you'll need to spend at least 1000 to get a roadworthy car....especially if you want an nct'd one. The NCT ensures that even the oldest crappiest of cars are worth 1000.

overdriver

I would spend the money on the car you have. Get her through the NCT and you have 2 years more driving. Otherwise you'll be buying someone else's trouble.

natnif

yeah I know a €500 car isn't going to be uber reliable, but the clutch is €200 (not fitted) for my own, the exhaust is god knows how much and the shocks are €400 (not fitted)
So thats €600 before exhaust and labour....which would get up to €1000 pretty quickly...and no guarantee she would pass the nct then either.

I'm looking for a car with an nct and tax til the summer, so no matter what happens it is still "road legal"

The reason I'm posting is somebody always knows someone else getting rid of a car that they know, which is always better than buying blind

Max_Damage

If I were you, I'd go for a Micra, I've a 1990 Micra (K10 model; 1983-1993) that I bought 2½ years ago for €200. It's still on the road, although I did have to get the clutch done on it recently.

The Starlet would also be a safe bet, or so I'm told.

E@gle.

bazz26 wrote:

Just spotted this: http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=12583&cat=2

I know it is well outside your budget but you might be able to work out some sort of deal with the owner. No harm in trying anyway.

that looks a bit expensive for a 17 year old car

colm_mcm

E@gle. wrote:

that looks a bit expensive for a 17 year old car

I reckon it'll still sell though.

Seth Brundle

natnif wrote:

I possibly would chance no nct for a month, but 6 or 7?don't think so mate....that primera sounds ok,but its in Dublin and as you said, no nct or tax info.

My NCT was due last April. The car should pass with one exception - my traction control light is permanently lit. I have cosen to ignore replacing the sensor as I would turn off TC anyway. I don't see a point in paying money to fix a sensor only to turn it off again. As a result I have no valid NCT, nor do I care.

maidhc wrote:

Gardaí don't care.

I second that view. Every garda I have spoken to does not view the test with much respect.

bazz26

E@gle. wrote:

that looks a bit expensive for a 17 year old car

Totally agree and suggested that the OP make a realistic offer for it if interested.

The thing is that Starlets are incredibly robust and there are still quite a few of that vintage on the road.

rebel.ranter

Go for something like a 1994 Nissan Sunny. A firend of mine has one of these, he can't kill it!!!
150k miles on it, he punishes the car big time, it still keeps on going!!! A Corolla of the same vintage would be equall reliable.
BTW, I am a complete car freak, BMWs all the way normally but I am amazed at this Sunny still being in existence!!!

Vikings

Second that, get yourself a cheap nissan sunny. I drove one for months as my first car and not a spot of bother from it at all, will not let you down.

JHMEG

kbannon wrote:

My NCT was due last April. The car should pass with one exception - my traction control light is permanently lit.

Do what the rest of us do: take the bulb out. Has worked for me several times in the past!

To the OP: a Carina E with a long NCT (with high-ish mileage) can be had for less than 500. And the 1.6 Lean Burn engine is unbreakable.. the brother's has 140k miles on it, and refuses to fail the NCT.

Having said that my '95 Civic 1.3DX has 175k miles on it and also refuses to fail the NCT. Must be worth 100 euro by now...

natnif

yeah a sunny/carina is the sort of thing I'm after.

Starlet/micra idea is good but they are just too small.

I'm getting prices on repairs of my own so a decision on what to do will have to happen in the next few days

Thanks for the input!

Seth Brundle

Straying off topic but...

JHMEG wrote:

Do what the rest of us do: take the bulb out. Has worked for me several times in the past!

I know I can do that but I would have to remove the cluster twice (to remove and to replace the bulb) - whats the point?