UK Used Cars

[DanLeto]

I'm looking for a reliable used car, apart from looking for the obvious things are there any manufacturers that stand out in terms of reliability?

[Ridlas]

Toyota.

[acnpt]

Fiats and Peugeots can be quite poor, but on the up side they are nice to drive.

Haven't heard many bad things about Ford, and not too sure about Vauxhall. (A friend had a 1.4 corsa, and used to rag it all the time :laugh:).

[Max Veteran]

Personally - VW.

But any car can be reliable - I still see 87' Citroen AX's hanging around.

[what]

Most cars built after, say, 2004, will last 150,000-200,000 miles if they're driven properly and are well maintained.

[Olly-]

I've got a 1 litre petrol Corsa, its sort of reliable but sounds like a London Tax when it's idling. ?Plus a few minor things wrong with it.

[Kami-]

If you want reliability, you should be looking at Toyota... Personally not a fan of driving them (exception being the MR2 roadster) but yeah, usually faultless cars.

[BGM]

If you want reliability, you should be looking at Toyota... Personally not a fan of driving them (exception being the MR2 roadster) but yeah, usually faultless cars.

unless your accelerator pedal gets stuck or something...

i'd try and get a vw if possible

[temple_treefrog]

Any Japanese car i.e. Toyota, Mitsubishi or Mazda make a good first car as they're cheap to maintain and generally reliable.

With that said, my first and current car is a 2001 Opel/Vauxhall Vectra and I'm quite happy with it! :)

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

VW. All the way!

[anthdci]

dont buy anything French or Italian, it will break down often.

[Brian M. Veteran]

dont buy anything French or Italian, it will break down often.

Not so sure about French, but anything Italian will be bloody fun to drive :p.

[Axel]

Any VW group car really... although I wouldnt get a Skoda!

I drive a 1.9L Seat Ibiza Sport TDi and I can't complain about it's reliability!

[monkey13]

Japanese or German are usually the best way to go or one of the VW owned brands.

[AbandonedTrolley]

Not a Renault :p I love my Megane but it's expensive when it goes wrong.

[AdzzzUK]

2000+ fords for me. Cheap to run and insure, and fix if it goes wrong. Plus they are common which means a quick search on t'internet will usually get a result, and you can always find parts for it at a scrappy.

[Quick Shot]

Subaru =)

[Sir Topham Hatt]

I have a '67 Beetle that is still going, but the three other cars I have had have been Fords and none broke down on me. I only got work on them when it was needed for the insurance, never changed the oil or anything.

I'm selling the Bug though for a 2007 Ford Focus for the above reasons, easy to drive, cheap to insure, tax isn't that bad and easy to fix if they go wrong.

[peacemf]

I have a '67 Beetle that is still going, but the three other cars I have had have been Fords and none broke down on me. I only got work on them when it was needed for the insurance, never changed the oil or anything.

I'm selling the Bug though for a 2007 Ford Focus for the above reasons, easy to drive, cheap to insure, tax isn't that bad and easy to fix if they go wrong.

plus the fact that the newer ford will protect you relative to the bug which will just squash you in an accident!

[Mouldy Punk]

+1 for Toyota. I have a 20-something year old Corolla, still driving as if it's new.

Also, as other's have mentioned, German brands are pretty good for reliability.

[+John Teacake MVC]

Personally Audi's every time.

[spikey_richie]

Am I the only person who thinks French cars are reliable?

I've had 5 Peugeot 205's, and my wife and I have Citroen C2's. Friends have Clio's with no issues, and 206's are quite reliable.

Unreliable = Jaguar (older ones anyway). I had a 3l V6 S type with 100k on the clock and it had all sorts of issues.

But I think in terms of ultimate reliability, VW is a good choice or perhaps Volvo. My S40 was bomb proof.

[YaZoR]

I'm looking for a reliable used car, apart from looking for the obvious things are there any manufacturers that stand out in terms of reliability?

Pffffff

Minefield. Seriously, no one car manufacturer stands out in terms of reliability. I've heard all sorts about "Don't get French cars they're a bag of spanners, get a German one, built to last".

Now I've never owned a French car but I see many of them on the roads, also I've owned German cars and they're all in the scrap heap now.

I've owned several cars in my time, and the best thing I find is to get knowledge of a car before visiting/test driving. Check www.parkers.co.uk out for drivers comments on their cars and what to check for. Good deal of info there.

When visiting the car, make sure there's evidence the owner has maintained the car well, it's amazing how many times I've seen low oil/power steering fluid/coolant/etc. I check all the obvious stuff and constantly talk to the seller to see if I can get more info out of them.

If you're happy and the car seems purchasable, don't make this obvious. Try to knock the car down "several scratches on drivers door", "trackings out and needs aligning", "brake discs are worn or warped", etc. And try to haggle the price down. More money left in your pocket, the more money to pay insurance with............

And some tips I'd give about buying a car;

Never bother going to look at a car in the dark, or when it's raining or the ground is still wet.

Never buy a car with visible rust unless you are going to sort it or run it into the ground.

Never buy a car without test driving it. Your not testing if you like it (that's only when buying a new or near new car), your testing if it runs OK, steers good, brakes good, had no knocking noises etc........

By wary if the engine is warm when you visit the car. If the car has trouble starting cold, the seller may have got it "warmed up" before you arrive, or another punter could previously have had a drive. Or it may be totally genuine, that they've had the car elsewhere and had to move it (ie. garage).

meh

[BGM]

buying any used car is a bit of a gamble.. best thing you need is experience.

i would advise you take someone with you, a friend who changes cars frequently perhaps? or an elder family member who has seen many cars, perhaps a mechanic friend if you are lucky enough for that?

good luck :)

[He's Dead Jim]

We dont have a San Jose in the uk as far as I know.