Used Toyota suggestions?

[Flatcoat]

I will probably soon need to buy a cheap second car for a weekly 50 mile round trip commute. Not wanting to splash the cash or lumber myself with finance so budget is £1500-£2000. An example of recent used cars I have come across is a 2008 Yaris Diesel with FDSH and similar age Avensis diesel again with FDSH. Both private sellers (I am not going near used car stealers). There are others of course including Aygo’s and their cousins aplenty along with other brands such as Fiestas and so on. My general view is condition and history trump mileage and my preference had been for petrol but those above tweaked my interest. Any thoughts? Suggestions? 

[PAVSKI]

Yaris and Corolla's are relatively cheap second hand and are VERY reliable.

[Flatcoat]

Yes they are although looking at some MOT advisory and other comments they seem vulnerable to tin worm. 

[Heidfirst]

on any modern emission-equipped turbo-diesel be aware of the potential for very expensive repairs & you don't know how the previous owner(s) drove them ...

[Hadrian1]

I'd stick with petrol.

Although Toyotas have a good name for reliability, with a 2008 vehicle you can reckon on having to spend money on it.

[2toyos]

3 hours ago, Flatcoat said:

I will probably soon need to buy a cheap second car for a weekly 50 mile round trip commute. Not wanting to splash the cash or lumber myself with finance so budget is £1500-£2000. An example of recent used cars I have come across is a 2008 Yaris Diesel with FDSH and similar age Avensis diesel again with FDSH. Both private sellers (I am not going near used car stealers). There are others of course including Aygo’s and their cousins aplenty along with other brands such as Fiestas and so on. My general view is condition and history trump mileage and my preference had been for petrol but those above tweaked my interest. Any thoughts? Suggestions? 

I have a Toyota auris 1.6p 07 manual for sale, hasn't failed a MOT in 15years, AC is lovely, few marks on it £1500

[Flatcoat]

2 hours ago, Hadrian1 said:

I'd stick with petrol.

Although Toyotas have a good name for reliability, with a 2008 vehicle you can reckon on having to spend money on it.

I am still a diesel fan and had many but I agree my preference is for petrol too. I am not in a hurry, just starting the thinking out loud and working out what to avoid before shortlisting a few brands/models to concentrate upon. 

[Flatcoat]

Some used car pricing is optimistic to say the least…. 2002 Yaris with over 100k miles for £2200 private sale. Good luck with that….. 

[Flatcoat]

6 hours ago, 2toyos said:

I have a Toyota auris 1.6p 07 manual for sale, hasn't failed a MOT in 15years, AC is lovely, few marks on it £1500

Mileage? Service history? Location? 

[2toyos]

127k don't have the service history, but I've serviced it every year I've had it, only selling because I've bought an Alphard and need to make space, I have the auris and a Peugeot partner lwb van forsale, Northants

[Cyker]

If the diesel Yaris is a Mk2, make sure it's pre-DPF and pre-DMF - The ones that had those things added were less reliable and had higher running costs (DPFs prone to blockage unless regular motorway/fast A-road use, and DMFs are very expensive and have much shorter life-spans than normal solid flywheels!) in the long term.

I think if it's a 5-speed then it should be free of such things but best to double-check. The engines without those things are extremely reliable and are the ones i'd go for.

However I'd only get a diesel if you're sure the car will never need to go into a major city, or even a large town, as they'll all be ULEZ-ing up if they haven't already.

Mk2s build quality not as good as the Mk1s (The panel gaps are very... french) but are mechanically solid and seem more resilient to death-by-rusting than the Mk 1s.

[Flatcoat]

On reflection I have pretty much discounted any diesel. I ran diesels from 1986 to 2022 racking up high mileages in a wide range of cars. Well aware of all diesel issues albeit I never had any even with 180,000 mile cars. 

[Cyker]

Probably for the best; They're almost ideal mechanically but politically they're the scapegoat for everything and will be the target of increasingly punitive revenue-raising schemes as time goes on.

Still, the petrol ones are still good, esp. if you can deal with the 1.0L engine - It does take a bit of wringing but are very reliable and not too far off diesel economy.

If you want something more comfortable, the Mk9 Corollas are really nice cars and worth a look, although the Avensis is better if you don't mind the saloon shape.

[Flatcoat]

At my budget I cannot be too picky however the 1.0L engine is probably a step too far. Given it is not the primary vehicle I am open minded regarding body style. 

[APS]

I agree with Cyker on the E120 Corolla. They are dependable and were a significant step up in handling characteristics from the previous model Corolla and the Avensis. The engine options are decent with no real lemons, as far as I know. There were 1.4, 1.6, and 1.8 petrol, 1.4 and 2.0 diesel. The 1.8 petrol was only available in the T sport and is not really what you want for a daily. Early 2.0 litre diesel (1CD-FTV)  came in two power outputs, 90 and 110hp. You want to avoid the lower power version as it came without intercooler and is truly anaemic. Rust protection is decent and it has only really been in the last 5 years or so that you can see more severely rusty examples. Rust is mostly prevalent on sills and rear arches. 

I ran a 2002 diesel from 10k miles to 220k. That engine had no DPF, no DMF. Outside of the normal service items, I replaced one shock absorber at 175k, glow plugs and fuel pump at 190k (because I forgot to replace the fuel filter which eventually clogged and starved the engine of fuel). That's it. The owner after me eventually scrapped the car at just under 300k because a brake line needed replacing and he didn't want to pay for it. I've seen other owners and MOT records mention rusty brake lines, so worth keeping an eye on. However, that's an easy fix comparatively to cutting and welding.

A rust free Mk1 Yaris would also be a cracking option. I still have a soft spot for the T sport. It's good to drive and has luke warm performance. The Yaris Verso is so ugly it's cool and incredibly practical.

Honda Civics from the same era (7th and 8th gen) are OK, better to drive, but are more prone to rust. The 8th gen 2.2 diesel is a gem, if you want an oil burner. Jazz is fantastic on space.

First gen Mini's can be now found for little money and are fantastic to drive. They will cost more to keep on the road though in terms of fuel, tax, spares and repairs.

 

[Flatcoat]

Thanks. First gen MINI’s are too unreliable to contemplate. A Jazz or Civic is on the list albeit used prices are high. Mazda are another consideration too. Lots of cheap Corsa’s about. 

[Flatcoat]

As an aside, looking at adverts is sometimes head shaking. The number of ads where the vendor hasn’t bothered clearing out their clutter prior to photographing, let alone washed it. And how many cars have a warning light the vendor says is a simple cheap fix. So why haven’t you? 

[Hadrian1]

Never buy any car unless it has a 12 month MOT. Even buying from a dealer I would be inclined to get another MOT elsewhere.

 

[Flatcoat]

I will not be buying from a stealer and unless it is otherwise ok will not buy with under 10 months MOT. A car with 10/11 months MOT has often been for sale since MOT renewal and therefore has a more desperate seller willing to accept an offer.