Looking to Buy an Older Car on a Budget, Help.

[Liddy]

Hey guys, appreciate people's opinions here.

Currently driving a 2015 Fiesta ST-2, love it.
I bought it as I was doing a moderate amount of travelling and wanted something fast and relatively new (old car has started giving a bit of bother with high miles.)

Now I'm doing 100 miles on a busy week, I just don't think the car is being used so I'm looking to sell and buy something around the price of 3k.

Went to see a MK2.5 mx5 at the weekend, but at £2k and with the amount of rust it had it was a no go.

Cars I'm currently considering are mk1&2.5 mx5's and e46 330ci's.

I'm just wondering, what other enjoyable cars are to be had out there for under a £3k budget?

 

[Nasher]

MX-5s do rust pretty badly. Even the mk3 (not sure about mk4 yet).

 

[Liddy]

MX-5s do rust pretty badly. Even the mk3 (not sure about mk4 yet).

Yeah, I think I'd really enjoy owning one and modifying it, but the chances of me finding a clean one are slim to none it would seem.

 

[wedrum]

the mx-5 and e46 at that age and price range will bring you trouble.

 

[sigma]

So you bought a new car to improve reliability and you're about to do more miles which means you want to go back to an old car? That's a failure of logic here from what I can see.

Edit - ooh wait, you're doing less miles? I get it now.

 

[Liddy]

So you bought a new car to improve reliability and you're about to do more miles which means you want to go back to an old car? That's a failure of logic here from what I can see.

Edit - ooh wait, you're doing less miles? I get it now.

Yeah, considerably less miles.

the mx-5 and e46 at that age and price range will bring you trouble.

You really think about mx5 less than 3k would be trouble?

 

[Hater]

I daily drove my Mk1 MX5 for a year (Sold it in july) no issues.

the Mk1 rusts less than the Mk2, because the Mk2 has a double layer skin where the 1 doesn't. Traps water in it and rusts out.

£2k should get you a decent Mk1 easily. Mine did over 20k miles in the year I had it, just get the radiator, water pump and cambelt done (cost me £200 all up at a local garage) and it'll serve you well.

Cost me £850 in the end (I paid £1650 for it and sold the private plate it came with) and was all sans-rust.

Get a UK car with recently repaired rust and you'll pay less insurance than an import, too.

The other popular option is to buy a MOT failed car for £200 or so, spend the £800 getting the rust all fixed proper and you have a nice car with brand new sills and no rust issues for a grand. That's if you can deal with the hassle of arranging all that. The trick is to buy a MOT fail from a couple in their 50's or an older guy, not from an 18 year old who has ragged on it for 11 months without being able to afford maintenance...

I should mention that there was two times that my 160k mile old MX5 had to go rescue my missus who was stranded because her 64 plate Lexus CT200h decided to wig out and do a "general protection fault" on the side of the road, resulting in a fail to proceed... Look after an old car and it'll last way longer than any of the newer stuff will, easier to diagnose and fix when stuff does go wrong too.

 

[paradigm]

Spend half the budget on an MX5 and the other half getting the sills re-done.

 

[Frozennova]

Spend half the budget on an MX5 and the other half getting the sills re-done.

This is you're looking at MX5s.

I spent £950 on a Mk2 3 years ago and it's cost me virtually nothing mechanically

 

[inflames]

One of the lads i work with got a Mini Cooper S for £2.5k

 

[Liddy]

This brings up a second question.

Anyone who has bought a car which is quite a distance away, how did it go?

I assume you weren't able to see it in person until you went with the intentions of collecting the car.

I'm only asking because in in Belfast but much better deals can be had if I was willing to collect in the mainland UK.

 

[Hater]

I've done it lots of times, due to my preference for 70's cars, when you find one for sale they're hardly ever where you are.

Just ask for really high detailed photos, maybe a FaceTime call if the seller is fine. MOT checks etc can be done over the 'net these days so no issues there. Trust your gut too, if the seller is short and a pain in the arse, they might be hiding something and don't want to be questioned about it.

 

[lordrobs]

This brings up a second question.

Anyone who has bought a car which is quite a distance away, how did it go?

I assume you weren't able to see it in person until you went with the intentions of collecting the car.

I'm only asking because in in Belfast but much better deals can be had if I was willing to collect in the mainland UK.

Honestly, on an older rust prone car I wouldn't. I had a few wasted trips to see "totally rust free" MX5's. My particular favorite was the one where I gently pressed the bottom of the sill and it started crunching like news paper These were within half an hour of home though so no big deal. The one I ended up buying was massively overpriced by the general perceived logic with buying MX5's but genuinely was rust free and fully rust proofed.

Personally if I was buying again I'd do exactly the same again which would be to max out your £3k budget on a late never welded Mk1 that someone rust proofed before the tin worm got a look in.

 

[Liddy]

Yeah, ideally I'd be looking a good Mk1 but even a 2.5 would be fine as they're far more reasonably priced here.

It's very slim pickings in Ireland, unless you want to pay stupid money for mk1's.

 

[kaiowas]

If an MX5 is too practical for you then a good mk3 MR2 can easily be found within budget.

Less rust issues to live with but can be a nuisance as an only car due to the lack of any boot (There are lockable storage bins behind the seats that will take a couple of bags and you can always dump stuff in the passenger footwell if you're by yourself but even something like a weekend away with a passenger can mean squashy bags only.

 

[Bug One]

Buying at a distance is only something I'd do for a newer car from a reputable company.

Although saying that I did have to travel to get my Insight. But then, that's quite a specialist car.

 

[Dav4]

Mondeo ST220 OP. Just as fast as your Fiesta once on the move and still fun to drive despite the size with a nice V6 sound. Reliable and cheap to run

 

[Puzzled]

Just to throw in another option, Toyota Celica Tsport can be had for under £2k. Quite fun to drive with the lift engine (goes nuts over 6k revs) but still has things like climate control and a fairly big boot.

I've also owned a mk2 mx5 and a ST220. Wouldn't buy a mk2 now as mine was rusting when I sold it 8 years ago, great fun at the time. Loved the ST220 and if you need a bit of practicality they are a fantastic all rounder. Find one before the car tax hikes though.

 

[Liddy]

If an MX5 is too practical for you then a good mk3 MR2 can easily be found within budget.

Less rust issues to live with but can be a nuisance as an only car due to the lack of any boot (There are lockable storage bins behind the seats that will take a couple of bags and you can always dump stuff in the passenger footwell if you're by yourself but even something like a weekend away with a passenger can mean squashy bags only.

I like the look of Mk2 MR2's, I just don't see me getting a MK3 and not being a laughing stock among friends, at least with the mx5 I'll like my own car haha.

Mondeo ST220 OP. Just as fast as your Fiesta once on the move and still fun to drive despite the size with a nice V6 sound. Reliable and cheap to run

Forgot about them, with have a look, insurance tends to be an issue with larger cars such as the mondeo, currently paying £1600 for the fiesta!

Yet same company will insure me in a mk1 mx5 for £700, huge difference.

Just to throw in another option, Toyota Celica Tsport can be had for under £2k. Quite fun to drive with the lift engine (goes nuts over 6k revs) but still has things like climate control and a fairly big boot.

I've also owned a mk2 mx5 and a ST220. Wouldn't buy a mk2 now as mine was rusting when I sold it 8 years ago, great fun at the time. Loved the ST220 and if you need a bit of practicality they are a fantastic all rounder. Find one before the car tax hikes though.

I have a friend who's dad has an ST220, might ask for a spin to see how it feels.

 

[Hater]

How old are you? At 29 I was paying £280 a year for my Mk1...

A Mondeo or Celica is going to be so dull compared to a MX5 or MR2.

MG TF's are also another things in the MX5/MR2 realm.

If you're able to extend your budget a tiny bit, the Lotus Elan is something people overlook as well. Benefit with the Elan is that it's going to appreciate over the years quicker than an MX5 will.