Best cars for under £2,000 ~ station of gear

A tight budget doesn’t mean you have to compromise on quality. Here are some great used cars available for under £2,000

2017-04-04 16:30

A brand new car should offer you the very latest technological advancements, refined comfort and performance, and improved running costs on the generation that came before it. But if your budget doesn’t stretch to something fresh out of the factory, don’t despair: a reliable vehicle that gets you from A to B needn’t break the bank.

We’ve put together seven options that cost less than £2,000, covering everything from hatchbacks to sports cars. It just goes to show that if you’re willing to look closely enough in the second-hand car market, there’s every chance you’ll unearth a bargain set of wheels that do everything you need them to.

For example, we came across an accident-free Vauxhall Astra that had done just over 1,000 miles for every year of its life since 2008, all for just £1,400.

• Buying a used car: all you need to know

There was also a BMW Z3 - albeit at twice the age of the Astra and far more miles on the clock - for £1,777. A tempting price for a 118bhp convertible sportscar.

Naturally, all of this must be taken with a pinch of salt. In this price bracket a thorough inspection and test drive is a must, while a clean service history will go a long way to determining whether or not a used car is in good working order.

But with the right amount of caution, there’s no reason you can’t get hold of a genuine half-price hero. And for less than £2,000, a gamble might be worth the risk…

Scroll down to read more about our half-price heroes, which can all be bought for less than £2,000…

Mazda RX-8

Image 2 of 8

Mazda RX-8 1.3 228bhp (2005/55 reg, 65k miles)

Price new: £22,300
Now: £1,350
Engine: 1.3-litre rotary, 228bhp
Economy: 24.8mpg
CO2: 284g/km

Want a sports car that stands out? The Mazda RX-8 could be for you. The rear-wheel-drive coupe has space for four, with rear-hinged half-doors to aid access, while nimble handling makes driving a joy.

However, while the rev-happy rotary engine has a relatively modest 228bhp (there was also a 190bhp version), it’s thirsty for fuel and oil. The latter needs topping up every 1,000 miles, and neglecting to do so can potentially lead to engine failure, so be sure that any potential purchase has been well cared for.

Vauxhall Astra

Image 3 of 8

Vauxhall Astra 1.6 i 16v SXi Sport Hatch (2008, 10,000 miles)

Price new: £14,925
Now: £1,400
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl, 113bhp
Economy: 43.5mpg
CO2: 155g/km

The Vauxhall Astra has consistently been one of the best selling cars in the UK, having featured in the top ten sales list in Britain every year since time immemorial. A good all-rounder in the present day, Vauxhall’s flagship hatchback has endured while others have toiled.

And with so many generations of Astra on the road, you can always rely on there being a well-maintained, relatively young, low mileage model out there for an affordable price. While most from circa 2008 will cost slightly more than the £1,400 example we found, there’s always a chance you’ll come across owners who are willing to drop the price in exchange for a quick sale. Tick all those boxes, and you’re laughing.

Ford Mondeo

Image 4 of 8

Ford Mondeo Mk3 2.0 Zetec (2007/57 reg, 112k miles)

Price new: £17,195
Now: £1,450
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl, 143bhp
Economy: 35.8mpg
CO2: 189g/km

Push towards the £1,500 mark and you can get a lot of car for your money. That’s exactly what the Mk3 Ford Mondeo offers, because it’s simply huge.

Ford took great pride in the fact this version was as wide as a BMW 5 Series, and the result is a vast interior with loads of space for five occupants and their luggage. Yet despite its size, the Mk3 is still as much fun to drive as its predecessors, and it’s as nimble as a Focus on a twisty road.

The very earliest Mk3 Mondeos are hitting their 10th birthdays, so prices are low. Choose an unpopular engine, such as the 2.0-litre petrol, and a reasonably well specced Zetec model will cost less than £1,500, with barely any price difference between the hatch and cavernous estate. You could even seek out a hard-to-find saloon; these were sold in tiny numbers in the UK and are barely any less practical than the hatch.

Skoda Superb

Image 5 of 8

Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI PD Comfort 4dr (2006, 111,000 miles)

Price new: £19,917
Now: £1,750
Engine: 2.0-litre, 140bhp
Economy: 44.1mpg
CO2: 173g/km

Superb by name, superb by nature. Skoda’s riskily-named family saloon is one of the best vehicles in its class today, and if you’re willing to rewind the clock it’s possible to tap into the Superb’s heritage for less than two grand.

Equipped with five seats, an ample boot and a 140bhp engine, this iteration of the Superb - dating back to 2006 - was capable of hitting 44.1mpg when new. How those figures look more than a decade on is another matter, although at just £1,750 it’s not something you’re likely to lose sleep over.

BMW Z3

Image 6 of 8

BMW Z3 1.9 Roadster (2000, 92,000 miles)

Price new: £18,835
Now: £1,777
Engine: 1.9-litre, 118bhp
Economy: 36.2mpg
CO2: 187g/km

Since replaced by the Z4 in 2002, the Z3 was BMW’s first attempt at a mass-market roadster. The German marque sold well over a quarter of a million of them over the course of its life, and it even made a brief appearance in the James Bond film GoldenEye in 1995.

The 1.9-litre engine found in this particular model wasn’t the most powerful ever fitted to the Z3, but then the best sports car aren’t meant to have oodles of power. 118bhp will be plenty to lift the heart rate along a modest B-road, and should keep you ticking along quite happily everywhere else.

Mercedes S-class

Image 7 of 8

Mercedes S320 (2002/02 reg, 89k miles)

Price new: £49,810
Now: £1,990
Engine: 3.2-litre V6, 221bhp
Economy: 24.6mpg
CO2: 276g/km

There’s no finer luxury car than the Mercedes S-Class, and the W220 version is now available for a fraction of what it was worth new. Cars at this price are likely to be ex-private hire vehicles, but the example we found had a full service history, which will give added peace of mind.

This version of the S-Class brought Distronic adaptive cruise control, and cars from 2002 featured Mercedes’ Pre-Safe collision detection. The COMAND cabin control system made its first appearance, too, so check that all of the technology works on any potential purchase.

SEAT Altea

Image 8 of 8

Seat Altea 1.6 Reference Sport (2007, 81,000 miles)

Price new: £12,667
Now: £1,990
Engine: 1.6-litre, 100bhp
Economy: 36.7mpg
CO2: 185g/km

By no means a groundbreaking car, but not every vehicle has to be. When it was new the Altea delivered middling economy and middling performance from the 1.6-litre engine offered here (the 1.8-litre turbo was the ideal choice back then). Even the trim - Reference Sport - sat in the centre of six levels.

Unremarkable though it may be, it comes with five seats, five doors, and enough space to go around for both passengers and luggage. At the same time it isn’t troublingly enormous - like some increasingly bulky crossovers on the market today - and crucially it can be yours for a fraction of the price. Cut out the nonsense and embrace SEAT’s middle man.

Thank you for reading the article about Best cars for under £2,000 in blog station of gear If this article was helpful please bookmark this page in your web browser by pressing Ctrl + D on your keyboard keys.