Cheap cars. Where are they?

I think maybe you are being a bit unrealistic, twenty years ago cheap cars used to pretty much the same price as they are now, so something with short tax and MOT was a couple of hundred quid.

Okay same as ever you could find the odd cheapy for less, but bangers are one of those things that seem to be pretty price hike resistant. That said scrap has increased in price over that time, currently around £120 a ton, if it's got a cat a battery and some alloys it's easier to scrap than sell.

You see adverts on here where somebody is selling something cheap and all they get is the usual, 'if it was cheaper, closer etc'.

Keep on hunting, but I find the best bargains these days are around the £1000-1500 mark. Stuff that you'd happily think was worth twice that much is now hovering just above three figures ;D

I remember when i was an apprentice and buying cars with a bit of tax and test for 50-100 quid. I know those days are gone now. £200 for a scrap punto . I looked at the retro rides for sale board, and they are more than what i want to pay. I'm not in a rush, so i'll be patient and wait for that bargain.... or get one before the scrap man does.

Gum tree is worth a look thats where I get most of my cars, last one was a fiat seicento sporting with 12 months MOT, nice alloys and new tyres etc for £450.00 They even taxed it for me so with 6 months Tax it came to £520.00

You have to be quick, I responded to that ad within 15mins, and the guy I brought it from said he had had a lot of interest.

Ebay you need to look for the badly writen, poorly photographed ads. Or the ones that start fairly high.

Thats how I got an Audi 80 with 12 months MOT and some Tax for £420.00 (starting bid was £400.00)

I'm certainly finding less and less bargains, but I'm still getting the odd cracking deal. I've been tracking BMW E32 7 series for the last few months as I miss my old ones that I sold at the start of 2011, their prices have definitely risen. I picked up a mint 735i auto with T&T for £350 back in Dec 2009 and a rare manual 735i 6 months later for £450 that needed some work. Now I can't seem to find any E32s for less than £700, with decent ones around £1000.

How cheap are you wanting it? My merc has been on the for sale section for months. £500 with T&T. I'm baffled as to why it hasnt sold, and folk complain there are no cheap cars...

By the looks of it those cars that were 50-100 quid are now 400-500 quid. I think i'm still thinking that I could get a cheap motor for £100ish. I'm thinking proper bangernomics.

take a look on swapz often cars are for sale
like being said gumtree, viva street friday ad do turn up bargains but few and far between
i turned a 50 pound banger vitara into my present merc c250 by swapping on swapz but its a minefield of tat with the gem well hidden
having said that cheap cars are on rr for sale if its possible to get to them
when i was younger id hitch hike hundreds of miles to collect a bargain cos i wanted or needed it
keep looking its out there

Are we really saying £500 for presentable taxed and MOT'd cars is too expensive??

I've been saying (often outloud) everytime I open the for sale section on here, damn cars are cheap... Sure ten years ago I could buy a 'just' on the road banger for £100 but then I was happy taking £300 a week home and our 3 bedroom suburban semi cost £80k times change, inflation happens..

I think decent reliable cars have never been cheaper...

Everyone has given you the answers, price of scrap is the key reason cars make what they, do and anything below that is pretty much robbery in my eyes to the unwitting.
You have to remember that high proportion of people who sell cars in local rag or gumtree are driveway dealers. as such they get a bargain and try shift on for a hundred quid or so, usually gambling by buying a car at scrap price.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-Legend-3-2-auto-/170723294500?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item27bfe6bd24 this car was purchased recently at my local auctions, for £425 +commision +vat
A car that a year or so ago you could have picked up for £50-100 + Commission

Just because the scrap price is high, the pricipals of bangernomics have not changed. you could have paid a fair price for that car at its sale price, and ran it into the ground. assuming scrap stays the same over 2 years, lets face it more than likely to go up. you get £200 back for that car plus maybe selling a few of the lovely bits you haven't lost a thing.

Possibly not the best example. but many of the forum members are offering cars at the same as what they could get on the bridge. Its not particulary fair to badger people to drop Below what i see often as a more than fair price, or often too cheap!

Factor in taking time of work etc to show time waster etc a car, and its easy to see why perfectly good tax and tested cars get run in for scrap. and people seem to get back lash from the comunity for it!