I need a cheap car - ASAP

[Yokel]

Ordinary mid range saloons from Japan with a decent service record are unbeatable, the best being Honda or Toyota followed closely by Mitsubishi. Forget the likes of Renault, Peugeot, Italian cars of any sort, Vauxhall and others because they all struggle to get past the 150,000 mile mark without a lot of investment.

It's no secret either that oil changes, cambelt changes, radiator flushing and brake fluid changes must be done regularly. They just can't be ignored.

Some folks would sooner pay £750 for some old French knacker that might be shiny rather than £1000 for something from Japan that will run for years if looked after.

Just look at any private hire cars and see where they came from. The guys that run them know what they are doing. Uncle Albert down the pub may well have had a Fiat or Vauxhall that lasted 10 years without him laying a finger on the car but he will be in the tiny minority.

No such thing as cheap motoring, you just have to choose the right car then look after it. A tinfoil filler cap for containing oil in an engine? Meh...

Funds were limited at the time of purchase - and still are. I also needed some wheels in a real hurry. My car does the job I ask of it. I only learnt of the issue with the oil cap recently, so foil provides a makeshift stopgap. I only found the the dipstick was missing yesterday.

There is such a thing as bangernomics.

 

[anglo]

Ordinary mid range saloons from Japan with a decent service record are unbeatable, the best being Honda or Toyota followed closely by Mitsubishi. Forget the likes of Renault, Peugeot, Italian cars of any sort, Vauxhall and others because they all struggle to get past the 150,000 mile mark without a lot of investment.

It's no secret either that oil changes, cambelt changes, radiator flushing and brake fluid changes must be done regularly. They just can't be ignored.

Some folks would sooner pay £750 for some old French knacker that might be shiny rather than £1000 for something from Japan that will run for years if looked after.

Just look at any private hire cars and see where they came from. The guys that run them know what they are doing. Uncle Albert down the pub may well have had a Fiat or Vauxhall that lasted 10 years without him laying a finger on the car but he will be in the tiny minority.

No such thing as cheap motoring, you just have to choose the right car then look after it. A tinfoil filler cap for containing oil in an engine? Meh...

I'm with you on that, I bought a 2003 Suzuki Ignis in 2013, even today there is no rust,
never failed on starting, goes anywhere, serviced every year,
replaced discs and pads when I got it, changed the battery last year,
bought tyres and had tracking done every tyre change,
averaged over 10,000 miles a year, [not this year]
overhead cam driven by chain,
best car I've owned.

 

[single malt]

I'm with you on that, I bought a 2003 Suzuki Ignis in 2013, even today there is no rust,
never failed on starting, goes anywhere, serviced every year,
replaced discs and pads when I got it, changed the battery last year,
bought tyres and had tracking done every tyre change,
averaged over 10,000 miles a year, [not this year]
overhead cam driven by chain,
best car I've owned.

Suzuki one of the most reliable makes on the market. I have had three and not a problem with any of them

 

[ExREME.TECH]

Suzuki one of the most reliable makes on the market. I have had three and not a problem with any of them

So why have you had three?

 

[skid2]

I could do with getting hold of some sort of manual for the Picasso. How do I turn the rear screen demister on? How do I seem the mileage?

Did they design the display to be almost impossible to see?

It seems to need topping up with cooling water ever fifty miles or so, and I cannot get the windows to open.

Caveat Emptor?

I probably should have read earlier, but I’ll hazard a guess, running hot, constantly refilling rad. Gaskets gone or a warped head, fairly common in thrashed French motors.
Is there not a ‘friends of Picasso’, thing on the net. I found it a wealth of info when using and abusing elderly and cheap vehicles.

 

[single malt]

So why have you have three?

Cos I'm an affluent bugger who likes new cars

 

[theoriginalphantom]

My most reliable car was the second hand Suzuki Vitara I had in cyprus.
It did blow a fuse once.

Least reliable was the shiteroen.
And the other shiteroen.
The Mondeos got run into the ground. All of them died around the 300k mark
The only car I wish I'd kept was the late 70's mini and maybe the Cortina.. and the consul...

 

[SauceDoctor]

I have a pic somewhere of my mate's old Picasso HDi. She left it with a spanner monkey to get it serviced, and he lost one of the two oil filler caps fitted to that engine. Not a problem to our man, he jammed in the plastic embellisher from the centre of a Rover alloy wheel instead.

 

[goodoldboy]

Funds were limited at the time of purchase - and still are. I also needed some wheels in a real hurry. My car does the job I ask of it. I only learnt of the issue with the oil cap recently, so foil provides a makeshift stopgap. I only found the the dipstick was missing yesterday.

There is such a thing as bangernomics.

I know you were short of money when you bought the car and I sympathize, I really do.

BUT, you could have driven off with your tinfoil filler cap, lost all your oil into the engine bay and siezed it solid and then you would have been in real trouble.

I've been there and had some tough lessons. My message is to keep on top of the maintenance with an old car and it will serve you well.

All the best to you mate...

 

[SauceDoctor]

I know you were short of money when you bought the car and I sympathize, I really do.

BUT, you could have driven off with your tinfoil filler cap, lost all your oil into the engine bay and siezed it solid and then you would have been in real trouble.

I've been there and had some tough lessons. My message is to keep on top of the maintenance with an old car and it will serve you well.

All the best to you mate...

This. You can take anything too far, of course. I know a guy with a 1993 Rover 214GSi. He's had it since new, and is pretty obsessive about keeping it clean and serviced. Quite a few years ago he hoovered up a stash of spares from a Rover dealer who was changing franchise after MG-R went under. Everything from anti-rollbar bushes to body panels to a complete "crate" engine and gearbox. I reckon if he'd just bought another bodyshell I could build him another car, he bought that much stuff. He has something stupid like 24 brand new wheels!

 

[ExREME.TECH]

Cos I'm an affluent bugger who likes new cars

At what age do you change them?

 

[ExREME.TECH]

This. You can take anything too far, of course. I know a guy with a 1993 Rover 214GSi. He's had it since new, and is pretty obsessive about keeping it clean and serviced. Quite a few years ago he hoovered up a stash of spares from a Rover dealer who was changing franchise after MG-R went under. Everything from anti-rollbar bushes to body panels to a complete "crate" engine and gearbox. I reckon if he'd just bought another bodyshell I could build him another car, he bought that much stuff. He has something stupid like 24 brand new wheels!

 

[single malt]

At what age do you change them?

Around the 5 year mark

 

[anglo]

This. You can take anything too far, of course. I know a guy with a 1993 Rover 214GSi. He's had it since new, and is pretty obsessive about keeping it clean and serviced. Quite a few years ago he hoovered up a stash of spares from a Rover dealer who was changing franchise after MG-R went under. Everything from anti-rollbar bushes to body panels to a complete "crate" engine and gearbox. I reckon if he'd just bought another bodyshell I could build him another car, he bought that much stuff. He has something stupid like 24 brand new wheels!

I'd been rebuilding Morris Minors for a good few years and collected loads of bits over the years,
I moved down to Cornwall and the traveller and all the bits had to go
One day I loaded all the bits in car, trailer, roof rack and went to a
car show and auto jumble, laid all the bits out, around 10 o'clock two blokes
were taking a serous look at the bits, they made an offer for the lot,
I sold all the lot in one go, well pleased, happy days

 

[SauceDoctor]

Nowt so queer as folk. I know a chap who is obsessed with these. Last time I spoke to him he had 7 stashed and 1 on the road, a total minter.

Actually a very good, no-bullshit car.

 

[Yokel]

I know you were short of money when you bought the car and I sympathize, I really do.

BUT, you could have driven off with your tinfoil filler cap, lost all your oil into the engine bay and siezed it solid and then you would have been in real trouble.

I've been there and had some tough lessons. My message is to keep on top of the maintenance with an old car and it will serve you well.

All the best to you mate...

With that in mind, I wonder if a local college might offer a course on car maintenance basics? I would be a useful thing to learn, and possibly a place to meet people including women of the right sort of age?

One of the things that helped me to buy it was the fact that the owner had taken it to the same mechanic I have been going to for years.

 

[monkey123]

Nowt so queer as folk. I know a chap who is obsessed with these. Last time I spoke to him he had 7 stashed and 1 on the road, a total minter.

View attachment 509690

Actually a very good, no-bullshit car.

clunge magnet....

 

[Ian525]

Nowt so queer as folk. I know a chap who is obsessed with these. Last time I spoke to him he had 7 stashed and 1 on the road, a total minter.

View attachment 509690

Actually a very good, no-bullshit car.

Mitsubishi under the Proton badge - good car

 

[goodoldboy]

With that in mind, I wonder if a local college might offer a course on car maintenance basics? I would be a useful thing to learn, and possibly a place to meet people including women of the right sort of age?

Go for it!

 

[mufftickler]

I once rebuilt the front end of a Suzuki cappucino.
Fantastic car., three cylinder turbo nutter.
All of the bells and whistles, and the size of a bumper car.
Only trouble all of the parts took about three months to come from Japan.
We were the largest dealership for them in Europe at the time.