Best secondhand car for under 6000

tech77

Hi.
I'm looking to buy a secondhand car with a budget in the region of 6000 euro.

I'm interested in:
1) Year atleast 2001/2002 preferably.
2) 1.3/1.4 litre.
3) Preferably under 50k miles on the clock. (No more than 50k though).
4) Something reliable.
5) A decent looking car.
6) Don't really want a small car.

Anyway my shorlist includes:
1) Seat Leon: Seem like a nice sized car and i like the look. But just how reliable are they?

2) Citroen Xsara: Again i like the look but it's a French car. Is this necessarily a bad thing?

3) Hyundai Accent: OK looking car and seem cheaper than the others. Would this be a good option? Are they reliable?

4) Nissan Almera: Don't know if i'd get one for less than 6000. A bit bland looking otherwise i like. And it's Japanese so it must be fairly reliable, right.

5) Toyota Corolla: Probably wouldn't get a decent one for the price?

6) Skoda Fabia: I heard Skoda are generally reliable. But are there any problems with the older 2001/2 models.

If someone could let me know what to steer clear of and what might be a good buy for under 6000 i'd appreciate it.
Thanks.

dogmatix

Don't know much about hyundai but citreon would probably be the least reliable on your list. I think Seat and Skoda are owned by VW so they should be as relaible as VW. I believe that the Seat Ibiza is the same as a VW Polo underbeath - so maybe the Leon is the same as a golf? More experienced posters here can confirm this.

rowanh

Id say if what you wanted was a bit more flexable you would end up with a better car.

Id avoid the accent, its not a good car.
The almera is probably very boring and plastic.
The citroen is going to be comfortable and probably nice to drive, with that year and mileage should be reliable.
The corrolla is a good car.
Ive never even been in a fabia or leon. Id say tehy both are reliable and nice to drive though. As above similar to VW.

If i was pending 6k on a car i wouldnt be looking for one with less than 50k miles on it. Though maybe with a small engine ytou would be better off. Under 100k should be fine though. Get a car with a service history and then it should be grand. Inless insurance is a problem you might look at getting a 1.6, i with cars that size a 1.6 engine is nicer.

Eoin

dogmatix wrote:

Don't know much about hyundai but citreon would probably be the least reliable on your list. I think Seat and Skoda are owned by VW so they should be as relaible as VW. I believe that the Seat Ibiza is the same as a VW Polo underbeath - so maybe the Leon is the same as a golf? More experienced posters here can confirm this.

That's not necessarily a good thing - IMO, VW's greatest feat was to convince people that they have this German bullet proof reliability thing, which I don't believe is this case. That said, I think the Leon is a smart looking car.

OP - I'm sure you've done the same already, but here's a carzone search with a good few of your criteria. May throw up some new options, though I didn't see anything too nice. There's one corrola in the results here.

The Hyundai Accent does not get many positive reviews when it comes to the drive. "A to B", it will probably be OK, but it's supposed to be a very uninspiring drive.

someothername

ill only drive a japan car - most others in my opinion dont have the required reliablity for me.
if you can manage it but the corolla - Toyota and Honda are by far the best cars ...... but honda under 1.3 leaves you with the civic as an option and these are expensive to insure

tech77

Thanks for the replies lads.
I just wonder as well about the VW thing. Are they all they're cracked up to be.

I do really like the Seat Leon but i wonder is it a second-rate VW.
Is it much the same with the Fabia.

I also like the look of the Citroen Xsara but again there's the 'French car=bad' thing at the back of my mind.
This doesn't seem to be borne out in recent surveys apparently though.

Also i'm starting to think i wouldn't get a decent Almera or Corolla at this price.

@rowanh, when you say more flexible what do you mean. Do you have any suggestions.
Also is there a huge difference in maintenance costs between a 1.4 and a 1.6 (insurance, petrol, tax etc).

Eoin

tech77 wrote:

Thanks for the replies lads.
I just wonder as well about the VW thing. Are they all they're cracked up to be.

In my experience - no, they're not. I had a Mark IV golf, and while nothing major went wrong, there were enough niggly little faults to put me right off. Add that to a high enough resale value, they're a pretty unattractive propect to me. The Mark IV golf is a nice looking car though, and has very wide appeal.

tech77 wrote:

Also is there a huge difference in maintenance costs between a 1.4 and a 1.6 (insurance, petrol, tax etc).

Insurance will depend on your circumstances, there are just too many factors involved to try and compare with other people here. Pick a model that comes in 1.4 and 1.6 variants, and get quotes on both.

Tax rates here. Depending on the exact CC, it could be a very small difference between the 1.4 and 1.6. Given the overall cost of car ownership, that difference wouldn't put me off.

Running costs will depend on the car. Some smaller engines aren't that more economical to run than a larger engine version as the body is too heavy for the engine. I had a 1.6 Alfa 156, and it was just as thirsty as the 1.8 because the engine wasn't quite enough for it. If you're doing big miles, than a larger diesel may be an even better option again, but the purchase price will probably be higher.

Also, as the smallest engine seems to be the most popular option, you may find that a larger engine may actually be cheaper to buy 2nd hand.

Anan1

This may not be too helpful, but when looking for a €6,000 car it is absolute madness to tie oneself down to a particular make/model of car. Look at the condition of the car, and the service history. Don't get too hung up on mileage. Reliability and running costs are to a large extent a function of how the car has been maintained. To sum up, buy the actual car as much as the make & model.

rowanh

tech77 wrote:

@rowanh, when you say more flexible what do you mean. Do you have any suggestions.
Also is there a huge difference in maintenance costs between a 1.4 and a 1.6 (insurance, petrol, tax etc).

Basically what anan said. Also id always prefer an older nicer car that cost more new to a newer car everytime.

The 1.6L skoda octavia is a good car, could get a really nice one for 6K, i would prefer one to any of the cars on your list. Fairly nice drive, handle well, as reliable as a golf etc. If i wanted small engined practical saloon or estate for that price i would consider one. Though i think id more likley in that case go gor a bmw or audi.

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=775834


http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=791287
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=699395

Eoin

rowanh wrote:

Basically what anan said. Also id always prefer an older nicer car that cost more new to a newer car everytime.

The 1.6L skoda octavia is a good car, could get a really nice one for 6K, i would prefer one to any of the cars on your list. Fairly nice drive, handle well, as reliable as a golf etc. If i wanted small engined practical saloon or estate for that price i would consider one. Though i think id more likley in that case go gor a bmw or audi.

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=775834


http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=791287
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=699395

I don't think the BMW would represent particularly good value - the 1.6 is pretty slow, and will probably be older than the other options for the same price.

rowanh

eoin_s wrote:

I don't think the BMW would represent particularly good value - the 1.6 is pretty slow, and will probably be older than the other options for the same price.

I was simply showing examples of the type of thing i would go for if i was spending 6k on a small engined saloon. I was drving a 316 yesterday, i wouldnt call it slow in comparison to a 1.3L corrolla or 1.4 golf for example and it is a much nicer car to drive imo.

Obviously it would be older, "Also id always prefer an older nicer car that cost more new to a newer car everytime"

Gregor Samsa

I was in a similar position to you last year, but with a 5 grand max budget. I wanted a hatchback, but not something too small.

I was initially tempted by an Accent (low mileage, low price, A/C etc.), but after test driving it, I wasn't impressed at all. It felt cramped and cheap.

I eventually went with a Xsara (2001, 82,000 miles), and it hasn't given me a spot of bother since. Passed NCT in January, and a service last week with no problems to report. It's not the kind of car I'd want to drive forever, but it's doing me fine for the moment. I think in most cases reliability all depends on the particular car and it's history, rather than resting too much on the perceived reputation of the manufacturer or its 'nationality'.

However, with a budget of 6000, you'll probably be able to get something better again if you keep an eye out, as others have already said.

Tabnabs

I used to own a Seat Leon 1.4. Really great car and the only problem I ever had was a starter coil going, so easily fixed. Fantastic room in the boot, lots of room inside and a really nice looking car.

TBH, I think you'll struggle to find a good model with that budget though. But thumbs up for the Leon.

Raiser

rowanh wrote:

chop......The 1.6L skoda octavia is a good car, could get a really nice one for 6K, i would prefer one to any of the cars on your list. Fairly nice drive, handle well, as reliable as a golf etc. If i wanted small engined practical saloon or estate for that price i would consider one..../chop

The Octavia is a fairly large car and underpowered @ 1.6L - only ok if you're willing to get out and push to help out occasionally.

- Heard this a few times & most recently from my brother in law......

colm_mcm

old Octavia weighs less than the Golf IIRC, and some Golf 1.4 drivers think they're driving something quick....