What cars can I buy for about the 3k mark?

[OBonio]

Old (1985) car has just died and have decided to splash out on one that might last longer than 6 months.  What can I get that will be fairly reliable or cheap to fix for about 3k sterling?

[cheyenne]

try parkers used cars,a brilliant site.they will tell you what is the best car to go for.

[stoo_pid]

you can search here for inspiration first

http://fish4.co.uk/cars/index.jsp

 

then go here to check if the car you like is being sold for a fair price

http://www.parkers.co.uk/

 

 

[daddyg]

Depending on how willing to get your hands dirty you are have you thought about getting an older car. You can get something a bit different from the norm, easy(ish) to fix, cheap to run and repair if you get a sound one and if it's a popular classic alot of them have clubs that can source parts cheaply. Have a look in something like Practical Classics and you might be surprised at what you can get.

[slimjim]

If reliability is the prime concern, you will get a nice 3-5 year old Nissan Micra for that price. They go on forever and need minimal servicing. Even main dealers have them at this price with a year's free warranty and free MOTs for life.

[sharp1]

You could probably get a x reg mondeo verona for that money, very reliable, safe and big.

[k8tkoo]

You could get a W ish reg mitsubishi colt (very reliable, my boyfriend's had one from new) or you could get a 51 ish reg fiesta (although my 02 one has been in and out of the garage since I've had it, I'm told they're normally v reliable and cheap to fix). I'd say go for any well known far eastern make, ie, Honda, Mitsubishi etc, and more often than not avoid french cars-v expensive parts, esp peugot!