pow
Part of things
Posts: 110 
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I'm in the market for a cheap "spare" car. Few reasons, I'm always the one people come to about car issues at work/family/friends, always asked if I have anything to borrow/for sale and there have been a few occasions recently where I've gone 'having a second car I didn't care about would be insanely useful'. I'm employed and self employed and rely on a car every day like I'm sure many do so I've thought up that I'd like to buy a very cheap bargain basement cheap as chips to run car. I also DIY and tip run at home plus have a camper stored at a local farm that I drive to and then leave a car there as I'm not very organised so walking there sometimes isn't an option (it has to be out before dark at the farm) so plenty of business cases!
I've also upgraded my daily driver to a F12 6 series and managed to, one week after ownership, not be able to fit my private work toolbox and punctured a 3 month old 275 30 20 tyre.
I'm after a car that is
-Cheap to buy - I'm handy with spanners (engine swaps, timing belts, disks/pads, pretty much anything but welding and painting!) so spares repairs with bits that need changing are fine. No MOT also fine as long as loads of welding doesn't need doing. Most common seems to be needing a clutch which is again fine as I have trailer/towcar access. Preferably £600 or less!
-At the most £35 pa tax band - so 120g CO2 or less. I'd prefer not to be paying £150 pa for a 1.0/1.1/1.2 car that might go for a few months unused.
-ULEZ compliant preferable - two of my private clients are within the new zone - not 100% essential but desirable. Plus a low power NA petrol engine is likely to be more reliable than a 100k+ small diesel.
-Cheap to run - I mean anything that is 120g CO2 is going to be but what I mean is no 2.0 petrol.
-Small but practical - folding seats really.
I'm 35 with 2 years spare NCB so insurance isn't a massive concern - all of the below list seem to be £30 a month which is fine by me for something that may save me a days' wages if I needed it.
I've come with the the following list:
1. Aygo/C1/107 1.0 petrol - just avoiding any that need rear beam hangers!
2. Fiat 500/Ford Ka mk2 1.2 petrol (they do come up!) - but these seem to suffer with soggy SAM units
3. Suzuki Alto mk2 1.1 - any known faults?
4. Vauxhall Agila 1.0 - found a couple that need clutches (not an issue for me if the price is right).
Looking for any input on the options above and/or anything I've missed out plus any relevant discussion!
TIA!
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thebaron
Europe
Over the river, heading out of town
Posts: 1,645
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Number 1 all the way. Wonderful little things.
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Out of those, I think the 500 will bring the biggest smiles but will probably be the most expensive. Even the basic Twin Air ones are quite fun to drive. Don't write off the Panda 100 - someone on here has an early one in the post-2000 section and nobody has a bad word to say about them. Edit: tip run in a 500 will be painful though, there is no length inside them even with the seats down.
I like my tiny back to basics motors and all of those have been on my tiny car shopping list. I got an Up Exclamation Mark in the end because I could get 4 doors, I can get a bike in it and the fact that I thought it would make me cry to myself the least.
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Last Edit: Feb 8, 2024 16:38:22 GMT by Jonny69
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mylittletony
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,340
Club RR Member Number: 84
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My missus had a 107 for a couple years and it was great - reliable, cheap to fix (not that it needed much), cheap to run, tax and buy. Reckon you'd be hard pressed to beat that.
Only other option is an Audi A2. I've got a TDI and it's fantastic as a daily. But it's not ULEZ. However, the 1.4 petrol are I believe
Good luck
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braaap
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,595
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Agila has a Suzuki twin, the Wagon R+ and that one had a predecessor of the same name. Daihatsu Move, a Cuore based microvan might help here,too.
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pow
Part of things
Posts: 110
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Thank you few good suggestions there. Dihatsu charade 1.0 is also a £35 taxer to add to the list. I'd love and a2 but not cheap to repair I imagine. Panda also a good suggestion. I think an up! is a bit expensive unfortunately
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I had a Panda for about 5 years (6 years old at time of purchase) and apart from replacing the coil springs all round it just needed the normal service items and never let me down doing a 50 mile round trip commute 4 days a week at my old job.
The Agila B/Suzuki Splash is a nicer car than the earlier version based on the Wagon R. The older boxy car has more space especially with the back seat down but the newer version is more pleasant to drive.
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Our next door neighbour is on her second Panda, and she loves it. She cannot rate it highly enough. She used to be a rally co-driver so she knows her way around a car and how to drive it. One of the best cheap cars out there.
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adam73bgt
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,865
Club RR Member Number: 58
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I had a 1.0 Aygo for a while, great little runabout but quite small if you do need to carry anything big and I found the seats gave me bad back pain over longer journeys, but fine for local stuff.
My current cheap daily is a second gen Almera 1.5, only cost £700 and has been a great car, it is more to tax but if you're not going to use it for a few months as year, could always pay by direct debit and cancel for the months you don't use it? Good on fuel and is ulez compliant, plus more usable space with or without the seats folded
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Agila has a Suzuki twin, the Wagon R+ and that one had a predecessor of the same name. Daihatsu Move, a Cuore based microvan might help here,too. Came back to mention the Wagon R. If you like tiny and probably way more practical than you’ll expect it to be, these look great. |
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pow
Part of things
Posts: 110
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I think the fact I have already googled 'what seats fit in an aygo/107/c1' might tell you I'm concerned about the same thing, they do look awful and my cousin had one as a typical 17 year old's first car and I remember it being uncomfortable. My minimum commute is 30 mins and I'm now getting used to a BMW comfort seat!
I get everyone is saying don't worry about the tax direct debit it but the whole idea is it's there and ready to go while costing me minimal a month. Plus I'm already paying £250 pa for the BMW and £155 pa for a camper and I'd rather pay less to the DVLA if possible.
1.1 Panda seems to have overtaken a 10aygoc1 at the moment, more boxy, more comfortable and other seat options are opened up with the 500/Mk2 ka.
A quick browse on euros shows very little difference in parts price between 10aygo1s and pandas!
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braaap
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,595
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Agila has a Suzuki twin, the Wagon R+ and that one had a predecessor of the same name. Daihatsu Move, a Cuore based microvan might help here,too. Came back to mention the Wagon R. If you like tiny and probably way more practical than you’ll expect it to be, these look great. And they are only small from outside.  First gen wagons came with 1.0 and 1.2 engines, while the agila twin had only 1.3, in this case both petrol and diesel. The Move came with 0.8 and 1.0 engines. |
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Get a Panda with roof rails and you'll be able to use a rack as well as a top box for extra carrying capacity.
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What I will say is a lot of the cars on your list are first time driver motors. After looking for eternity for a car for my 18 year old,many of those cars are stupid money. You need to go for something that is very 'uncool' for the yoof of today!Also anything that has been written off and repaired puts people off and can be cheap.
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,105
Club RR Member Number: 64
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I’ve just bought an Aygo as a family “2nd car” and I have to say that I absolutely love it. 55mpg without even trying, £20 road tax, and it only cost £100 to add it to my existing insurance policy. Boot is small though, and even if you fold the rear seats forward to get extra space, the rear hatch isn’t huge, so getting big stuff in and out will be fun. Regardless, as a cheap set of backup wheels I’m really impressed. I paid £1250 for a 79,000 mile 2010 5-door, that needed a bit of cosmetic tlc. A good clean, some new mats, swap the factory stereo for one with Bluetooth connectivity, added a decent phone mount, some cheap Halfords wheel trims, and replaced the broken mirror. I’m about £1600 all in and over the moon with it.  |
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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Feb 11, 2024 21:43:54 GMT
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we have just bought a 2010 mk7 Fiesta 1.4 as a winter run around, it's done 100k but drives really well, only issue so far is a dodgy cruise control switch which only cost £30 for a new one, tax is around £150 but parts are so cheap they easily offset it.
mk6's are the same platform and great value to.
Only other thing is it's on 16" wheels with 40 profile tyres, not really compatible with the state of the roads round here and my Daughters complete lack of mechanical sympathy. Whatever you get I'd go for nice chunky tyres if you want to keep costs down.
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Last Edit: Feb 11, 2024 21:45:31 GMT by kevins
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,192
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Feb 13, 2024 23:37:48 GMT
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For me the 107 is your best choice.
Yes, they could be better on a run, but they are fun, economical, and with plenty of parts.
I'd be tempted to say get anything, but bear in mind, most things are awkward for parts now.
IME, the hierarchy for older cars go as below, with the first items being the best for quality and availability
BMW
Mercedes
VAG
Ford
Nissan
Honda
PSA
Kia
As examples:
-'08 325d. Some spares are pricey but they are quality spares. Many items from the dealer you can get as aftermarket. Filters are a good example, albeit some aren't as good as others
-'08 Mondeo Estate: It's surprising what is NLA for that. Aerial base snaps because someone nicked it? NLA, as you're left without a radio, unless you can get a secondhand one, of which most are snapped
-Various wires, if doing upgrades, are now NLA
-Driveshafts on some models are NLA
'03 E46 M3
-Most things are available from the dealer and aftermarket, but that is changing
-Only one driveshaft is available from BMW; pattern ones exist, but they differ in design
-Rubber bits are beginning to dry up to buy
'05 Passat B5.5
-Rear wiper arm is now NLA, leaving pattern only
-Door locks are NLA, and Cheap ones are variable in how long they last : A friend of mines goes through 1 a year on his car, of the one he replaced
-Panels are NLA : A door got dented, and he struggled to find a straight one. He didn't go down the insurance route, as he didn't want it written off.
The NLA bits you can live with on a second car. On a daily you need to get to work? No chance, unless you have backup transport.
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We got a Clio sport tourer from 12 with a turbodiesel. It goes well and does 25km/l The girlfriend says it's good for commuting 120km a day It even has a tiny boot 🎉  |
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First time I've seen one of these(Clio Sport Tourer)- looks quite good.
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Last Edit: Feb 14, 2024 9:02:49 GMT by westbay
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Feb 14, 2024 10:41:32 GMT
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ive been driving the mother in laws agila a lot recently due to a back injury meaning i was off two wheels for a month. Its the base one litre, its pink with a bright blue interior and its a hoot. its not fast but it is reasonably econmical and will hold its own on a motorway, its done several dump runs with ease, back seats down is a must though. but the plain simplicity wis through, think of an electronic aid and it hasnt got it, it doesnt even have power windows, and i love it for that, its just like driving an old car with less hassle. and don't forget the suzuki version has a big following in japan so customising options are pretty good too.  |
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