Cheaper Used Car buying advice

I know there are a few experieneced car owners on the forum so though I'd ask:

I'm looking to buy used at the cheaper end of the market.
Sub 5K.
I need a bit of a load lugger, cycle carry, and something for longer +1 hour runs.
Not too fussy about make/model, so something Estate/larger Sportsback or possibly smaller SUV type.
Where do people begin their search?
What are Ebay/Gumtree/Facebook Marketplace like these days?
I've bee told Marketplace in particular is a scammers playgound.
Any tips for someone dipping into this market?
Of course if anyone has something fitting the limited description they need to shift, let me know.
Cheers All

Something japanese and petrol is your safest punt at this end of the market

Facebook marketplace is full of fake adverts these days. Gumtree less so, eBay less again. That’s my experience anyway.
Generally I’ll use a combination of the above and auto trader, and then also scout the usual larger dealership websites.
Loads of choice at around £5k.. especially if you don’t need ULEZ compliant and are happy with a diesel ?

It sounds like you are looking for a Honda CRV.

Autotrader is my default search.

My default would always be Autotrader. I find that has the best search options and filters for what I’m looking for.

Occasionally i browse eBay, although I soon drop away due to the level of non relevant results returned. I don’t use Facebook marketplace, but from what i have heard there are a number fake sellers but on occassions good items do appear.

Loads of choice at or just under £5k - I'm a bit old fashioned and use Autotrader almost exclusively (but do dip in and out of eBay occasionally).

For your requirements, top of my shortlist would be a Skoda Octavia Estate 2.0 diesel (I'd go manual not DSG).
Should be able to get something 10-12 years old, with plenty of life left in it - though won't be ULEZ unless you want to focus on only the petrol models.

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Originally Posted by vagabond

Loads of choice at or just under £5k - I'm a bit old fashioned and use Autotrader almost exclusively (but do dip in and out of eBay occasionally).

For your requirements, top of my shortlist would be a Skoda Octavia Estate 2.0 diesel (I'd go manual not DSG).
Should be able to get something 10-12 years old, with plenty of life left in it - though won't be ULEZ unless you want to focus on only the petrol models.

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My only issue with VAG is the dual mass flywheel, my son in laws 60 plate A3 has just cost him £2.5k to fix. It wouldn’t have been worth it apart from the low (sun 40k) mileage.

At that money, I’d be looking at a late w211 E class estate.

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Originally Posted by vagabond

Loads of choice at or just under £5k - I'm a bit old fashioned and use Autotrader almost exclusively (but do dip in and out of eBay occasionally).

For your requirements, top of my shortlist would be a Skoda Octavia Estate 2.0 diesel (I'd go manual not DSG).
Should be able to get something 10-12 years old, with plenty of life left in it - though won't be ULEZ unless you want to focus on only the petrol models.

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Agree, I think most buying guides would come up with a Skoda Octavia Estate for the OP's criteria.

Toyota Rav4 Mk2 or later.
Five door petrol four wheel drive (careful some are front wd) and manual.
Lovely (cam) chain drive engine (Mk 1 had belt)
Very very reliable in my experience.
Seats can be removed as well as levelled.
Hard wearing (if spartan) interior.
Easy to fix (room underneath)
Easy to get parts for (many shared with other models)
Plenty around (but not always plenty for sale)

And great fun to drive and to own.

All my own humble opinion, of course.
I'm not trying to get into a debate : )

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Originally Posted by Joyce

Toyota Rav4 Mk2 or later.
Five door petrol four wheel drive (careful some are front wd) and manual.
Lovely (cam) chain drive engine (Mk 1 had belt)
Very very reliable in my experience.
Seats can be removed as well as levelled.
Hard wearing (if spartan) interior.
Easy to fix (room underneath)
Easy to get parts for (many shared with other models)
Plenty around (but not always plenty for sale)

And great fun to drive and to own.

All my own humble opinion, of course.
I'm not trying to get into a debate : )

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I ran a Rav4 mk2 for 10 years when my financial circumstances were different. Excellent load lugger as the rear seats can be completely removed on the Mk2. The diesel Mk2 is generally considered one to avoid as there were all sorts of costly issues including dmf flywheel. I had the petrol Mk2. Certainly more reliable than the diesel but they go through o2 sensors like no tomorrow plus I had an ongoing immobiliser issue. Also the petrol is horrendous on fuel. Genuinely awful. Mid to high 20s if you drive it like a hearse and much much worse if you don't.

I have comprehensively failed to kill my 250k mile Mercedes E220 S211 estate, without doubt the toughest and most capable car I've ever owned. I bought it from this very forum about 8 years back for £3k, and it's the sort of thing you could pick up for £1500; for £4k you'd get a 2013/4 S212 with probably 150k miles on it. Big mileages are simply not an issue - I'm on the original engine/gearbox/turbo/driveshafts, the inside looks remarkably unworn and I've only had the usual things at this age (water pump, front springs, air-con condenser, discs/pads, that sort of stuff).

If it's been serviced, it'll run forever. Not ULEZ, but if you only visit that sort of place a few times a year, it's hardly a big deal. Hugely recommended!

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Originally Posted by Longblackcoat

I have comprehensively failed to kill my 250k mile Mercedes E220 S211 estate, without doubt the toughest and most capable car I've ever owned. I bought it from this very forum about 8 years back for £3k, and it's the sort of thing you could pick up for £1500; for £4k you'd get a 2013/4 S212 with probably 150k miles on it. Big mileages are simply not an issue - I'm on the original engine/gearbox/turbo/driveshafts, the inside looks remarkably unworn and I've only had the usual things at this age (water pump, front springs, air-con condenser, discs/pads, that sort of stuff).

If it's been serviced, it'll run forever. Not ULEZ, but if you only visit that sort of place a few times a year, it's hardly a big deal. Hugely recommended!

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Just as a point of pedantry, the S211 is the saloon and the W211 the estate.

If you can pick one up with the rear coil spring conversion then you’ll never have to pay for the expensive air suspension ( two air bags and a compressor at about £1000 each fitted).

Mazda 6 Estate Mk2. The most reliable and comfortable load-carrying car I've owned.

I was gutted when it was an insurance write off last year because of a dented bumper. Ridiculous.

Anything from 2007-2010.

This the same colour are our old one:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-det...o=5000&fromsra

No advice on the specific car but I’d recommend buying privately at that price range. You’ll be able to get a feel for the seller and what sort of person they are and how they’ve looked after the vehicle.

Comprehensive service history and a long MoT would also be other things I’d be looking out for.

Whatever you save over buying from a dealer can be put into a rainy day fund or preventative maintenance.

I have just this morning collected and MOT'd my late father's 62 plate Ford C-Max 1.6 TDCi, which passed without advisory, which am looking to sell. It has a couple of cosmetic scrapes which can be sorted, but it just flew through the MOT without an advisory. 31,317 miles and it drives like a brand new car. Ideal lil' lugger, would come complete with fitted roof rack.. and would be less than half your max budget.

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Originally Posted by Onelasttime

Mazda 6 Estate Mk2. The most reliable and comfortable load-carrying car I've owned.

I was gutted when it was an insurance write off last year because of a dented bumper. Ridiculous.

Anything from 2007-2010.

This the same colour are our old one:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-det...o=5000&fromsra

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Why didn’t you keep the car?

I kept my van when it was written off in December, replaced a tail light, pushed the dent out of the bumper and pocketed £6k

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Originally Posted by Dave+63

Why didn’t you keep the car?

I kept my van when it was written off in December, replaced a tail light, pushed the dent out of the bumper and pocketed £6k

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Insurance. I couldn't find anyone to quote for a Cat D or whatever it was, so decided against the risk. There was talk of getting chassis inspections and other malarky that I just didn't have the time or inclination for.

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Originally Posted by Dave+63

Just as a point of pedantry, the S211 is the saloon and the W211 the estate.

If you can pick one up with the rear coil spring conversion then you’ll never have to pay for the expensive air suspension ( two air bags and a compressor at about £1000 each fitted).

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No he got it correct; W= Saloon S= Estate

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Originally Posted by Boss13

No he got it correct; W= Saloon S= Estate

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I stand corrected, I always thought the W was for Waggon and S for sedan.

Every days a school day. [emoji106]

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Originally Posted by Tom-P

Agree, I think most buying guides would come up with a Skoda Octavia Estate for the OP's criteria.

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As an everyday car and load lugger when needed the Octavia Estate is great, had mine for about 5 years, other than wear and tear like brakes, tyres its been spot on, its the 1.9tdi and averages over 500 miles on a tank and doesn't have a DPF so no issues there.

I'd go private. (Autotrader would be my go to)

Estate

German

Oldish

Good history and try to work out the sort of person who owned it.

Sub 5K for an old German wagon is plenty of cash to get a car you'll keep for yonks.

Petrol over diesel (normally less to go wrong)

Don't forget to check the tax cost.


Facebook eBay etc can be fine if you know what you're doing and what to look for. But it is often used to get rid of lemons ... In my experience.

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I am convinced that the 90s was the best (with the least amount of trouble) period for cars. Lots of mechanical solutions. Easy electronics - if they had any. Japanese cars of the 2000s are good as well.

I own a 2001 Suzuki Jimny. The only bad thing I can sum up is the development of rust (well, after 20+ yrs). That's one of the things I should check when you're looking for an older car.

The second thing is: does it come with a service history? It's not a bad thing thing when maintenance is done by an 'indy'. Things like cam/serpentine belt change, water pump replacement etc. are all evidence that the car is not neglected.

Then: tyres. Check the production date on the tyres. That detail is often overlooked. 10yrs is the max life span. In many cases, the tyres are the reason for selling the car.

I have a couple of Saabs. Oldies. The Dutch Saab forum caters for all models. What I see on the forum is that the dedicated 9-3 and 9-5 pages become a vale of tears: failing electronics, internal computers sending odd messages to the dashboard etc. Those GM/Opel/Vauxhall models were not designed to run that long.

Not much to add other than to agree with AutoTrader, EBay or Private sellers as the place to look. Too many scammers on FB Marketplace etc.

If you pick a particular model to buy have a good look at as many examples as you can, including those that are above and below your budget to get a really good comparison. Get plenty of test drives done and if you’re not great mechanically take someone with you that is.

Be prepared to find a lot of crap out there with a few real gems too. Buy the seller, check the provenance and be prepared to walk away a lot.


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At this sort of budget I wouldn’t write off Gumtree or Facebook because both are free to place an ad. Many private sellers would balk at paying the £50 (ish) Autotrader fee. Caveat emptor, buy the seller and all that.

This covers the basics. Link to a podcast but if you scroll down, you’ll find a pdf to a free guide.

https://meaningfulmoney.tv/2023/10/0...ave-osullivan/

Link straight to guide -

https://meaningfulmoney.tv/wp-conten...Guide-2023.pdf

I remember listening to that podcast and wondering if it might be the same Dave O’Sullivan as here on TZ… good info thanks.

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Originally Posted by Halitosis

I remember listening to that podcast and wondering if it might be the same Dave O’Sullivan as here on TZ… good info thanks.

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Ha, yes it was me.
Hope you enjoyed it.

I wanted a V70 but any marque applies, i joined a few owners specific pages and looked for adds taken in a nice garden with plates showing and went back thru posts looking for problems in the past.

Private sale, clean cars inside outside under bonnet and nice houses with tidy hedges and no weeds in the block paving. Used this to make a shortlist and went from there. That 2008 Volvo done 75k in five years with us.

buy locally from a little old lady who has owned it since new and has long service and MOT history

buy from a fat old man you met on facebook or ebay if you want, see how that ends

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Originally Posted by xellos99

buy locally from a little old lady who has owned it since new and has long service and MOT history

buy from a fat old man you met on facebook or ebay if you want, see how that ends

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The little old lady who will have burnt out about 5 clutches
Little old ladies don't really drive cars as they are designed to be driven in my experience.

Seconded. My CRV has been fantastic since buying it 2 years ago.

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Originally Posted by Maysie

It sounds like you are looking for a Honda CRV.

Autotrader is my default search.

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Originally Posted by Dave O'Sullivan

Link straight to guide -

https://meaningfulmoney.tv/wp-conten...Guide-2023.pdf

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What an absolutely brilliant guide. Good work and thanks.


FYI I spotted a typo - in the checklist at the end it says 'convetible'.

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Originally Posted by hogthrob

FYI I spotted a typo - in the checklist at the end it says 'convetible'.

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Oops,
Thank you.

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Originally Posted by Dave O'Sullivan

Link straight to guide -

https://meaningfulmoney.tv/wp-conten...Guide-2023.pdf

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That's a great guide - will certainly share it.

One quick point - Japanese, Korean and Swedish cars are recommended; certainly agree on the former two but I thought Sweden didn't produce cars any longer? SAAB are defunct and Volvo, now "Geely" are Chinese?

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Originally Posted by vagabond

I thought Sweden didn't produce cars any longer? SAAB are defunct and Volvo, now "Geely" are Chinese?

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Saab are indeed defunct but although Volvo are Chinese-owned many/most[?] of their cars are still built in Sweden (at Torslanda).

Agree, interesting insights re Volvo.

I certainly didn't have them in the same bracket as the Japanese and Korean brands as safe used bets. Not bad at all, just in the same group as the rest of the mainstream Euro marques. (Talking the more recent models anyway).

That said my mates v90xc needed a new rear light (bulb/led) and it was about £700, so like everything deemed a bit 'luxury', you need deep pockets!

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