Scott_F
MB Enthusiast
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Nope - there are several on Gumtree right now , besides some dearer ones . Then there's the 190 forum , plenty on there .
I've bought three for well under a grand , my current LE at £250 , and all have been great .
Lots are advertised just over a grand which tells me the owners will expect to haggle down to below that level .
202's are OK cars , but too much reliance on electronics and not so easy to diy on
I've bought three for well under a grand , my current LE at £250 , and all have been great .
Lots are advertised just over a grand which tells me the owners will expect to haggle down to below that level .
202's are OK cars , but too much reliance on electronics and not so easy to diy on
Scott_F
MB Enthusiast
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I'm sure there a fair few available - I just wouldn't go down that route.
I suppose it's the opposite of the Yaris v. Aygo situation (where a nice example of the older car would be preferable to a ropey example of the newer one).
And I have also assumed that the OP is looking for something that doesn't need constant DIY attention which a W201 or W202 costing a few hundred pounds certainly will.
John Jones Jr
MB Enthusiast
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- Mazda MX5 10AE, W201 2.5-16, W202 230K Sport man, Honda Accord & Suzuki 'Ricer'.
A Yaris get's my vote.
Yaris for sure.....very easy to drive, nippy, comfortable and if you go for the GLS you get full eletrics etc.
Dead easy to mantain, super light clutch, and very slick gearchange. Avoid the semi autos.
If you test drive one, listen to clonking from the front....weak point is the drag links. Cheap and relatively easy to replace.
Apart from that, fairly bulletproof and it is chain drive so no need to worry about belts.
Jap version is known to be of better build quality than the French build.
For such a small engine, they seem to do an astronomic amount of mileage as long as they are serviced regularly.
My son owns the Jap version and its fun to drive. Far better than anything like a Peugeot 206 any day of the week.
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/toyota/yaris-1999/
Dead easy to mantain, super light clutch, and very slick gearchange. Avoid the semi autos.
If you test drive one, listen to clonking from the front....weak point is the drag links. Cheap and relatively easy to replace.
Apart from that, fairly bulletproof and it is chain drive so no need to worry about belts.
Jap version is known to be of better build quality than the French build.
For such a small engine, they seem to do an astronomic amount of mileage as long as they are serviced regularly.
My son owns the Jap version and its fun to drive. Far better than anything like a Peugeot 206 any day of the week.
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/toyota/yaris-1999/
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John Jones Jr
MB Enthusiast
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Vij, I presume that's a very early car?
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Fiat Panda. If you can find an Eleganza they're well kitted out, alloys, CD, central locking, aircon etc. Or you could go to the other end of the spectrum and get an Active which has nothing, but there's less to go wrong..
Cheers,
Gaz
Cheers,
Gaz
OP
OP
Thanks for all the suggestions so far, Yaris seems main contender.
By a city car I mean not wide, not long, low insurance, high mpg, low tax so no to SAAB 95
By a city car I mean not wide, not long, low insurance, high mpg, low tax so no to SAAB 95
- Joined
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- 2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5 RWD / 2016 Suzuki Vitara AWD
Our 2005 Scenic II was mechanically very reliable, no issues at all with the engine, automatic transmission, or suspension, by the time we sold it when it was 8 years old. But electrically and electronically anything and everything that could go wrong, did. It's not fun losing the electric power-assisted steering when trying to drive out of a tight parking space... or have your beautifully designed digital LCD dashboard turn into an unlit dark panel every now and then... or electric windows that work only some days.... etc etc.
So if opting for a French car, my advice is avoid anything too sophisticated - Wireless / Keyless ignition, LCD dashboard, SatNav, CD-Changer, electric PAS, electricity adjusted or heated seats, these sort of things. Stick to the mechanical stuff.
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...By a city car I mean not wide, not long, low insurance, high mpg, low tax so no to SAAB 95
I see... because otherwise I had a Saab 93 for you going cheap at £695:
Father describes Saab as an 'absolute parcel of s**t' | Daily Mail Online
- Joined
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Yup. Fiat Panda. Cheap and cheerful
. We have one in Italy. Fun car, ages well and not much to go wrong. Plus weak residuals in the UK market work in your favour, you can get a youngish low-mileage car with low previous owner count and FSH for the same money that will buy you a much older Japanese car with to-the-moon-and-back mileage and tattered history.... OK perhaps I am slightly exaggerating, but you get the gist.
OP
OP
I see... because otherwise I had a Saab 93 for you going cheap at £695:
Father describes Saab as an 'absolute parcel of s**t' | Daily Mail Online
I like SAAB's but this request isn't for me- my mate Dave, old fella who just needs to drive 1/2 mile to shops and back
Yet all the electronic gadgetry ( MP3 connectivity , cameras built into the rvm etc ) are the very things the Frenchies major on in their adverts , now that papa and Nicole no longer jaunt around the countryside to nice music .
The cynic in me presumes that the ads feature these things as the cars have little else to commend them , also borne out from experience of a few Renaults which passed through the family over the years .
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We still have a 2006 Megane, Keyless Entry, Auto-lights the whole lot...
Overall mechanically not had much problems, as however others have said the electrics are another story...
Climate control went, heater, keyless only locks from some doors, bulbs keep blowing for some reason
Also it was a 1.6VVT so the dephaser pulley problem has hit, which is very common. Loud rattle when starting from cold.
However overall its served us well, £8k in 2011 from main dealer (5 years old, 22,000miles) now at 100,000 and going strong...
You can now get these between £700-1000
Although definitely avoid one with too many features, and try get a non VVT model (1.6 is the most common to have the issue I've heard) or check the pulley before... Also check for proof of cambelt change, garage we used said they changed it and billed us however 1 year later it snapped and left with a hefty bill
Overall mechanically not had much problems, as however others have said the electrics are another story...
Climate control went, heater, keyless only locks from some doors, bulbs keep blowing for some reason
Also it was a 1.6VVT so the dephaser pulley problem has hit, which is very common. Loud rattle when starting from cold.
However overall its served us well, £8k in 2011 from main dealer (5 years old, 22,000miles) now at 100,000 and going strong...
You can now get these between £700-1000
Although definitely avoid one with too many features, and try get a non VVT model (1.6 is the most common to have the issue I've heard) or check the pulley before... Also check for proof of cambelt change, garage we used said they changed it and billed us however 1 year later it snapped and left with a hefty bill
