Buying a car on a budget is something that many of us have to do. We can’t all afford to go out and find the perfect motor no matter what the cost is. So we work out what we can afford to borrow and head to the showroom hoping for a miracle to allow us the best cheap cars for very little money.
And this is where we generally go wrong. You see we all want a car that will make the neighbors green with envy.
We want to spend our Sunday afternoons polishing our pride and joy, whilst others look on and wander how we afforded such a fantastic auto. Whilst the price of second hand luxury cars has certainly fallen and 10 year old Mercedes and BMWs are far more affordable than they once were, if you are on a budget you would be a fool to buy one. As fuel prices, road tax and insurance costs are increasing all the time you would be far better off looking at smaller more economic cheap cars.
Take the Toyota Prius Plug-in petrol hybrid for example. These great little runarounds have a claimed fuel economy of over 135 mile to the gallon. Whilst this figure has probably been exaggerated a little and current tests tend to be around the 72 mark, they are still fantastically cheap to run and incredibly fashionable within the circles of ecofriendly groups. Being a hybrid the road tax in some countries is actually free and the insurance group is also very low. Remember cheap cars are not just about the initial cost, it’s about how much the car costs from the minute you buy it until you decide to move it on.
Volkswagen offer the Polo 1.2 TDi BlueMotion as a diesel engine small car for the money conscious consumer. The Golf’s little brother is a great car in terms of build and comfort even if the performance does leave a little bit to be desired. Of course being a VW it will hold its value well so there shouldn’t be any shock when it comes to selling it on and again road tax and fuel consumption will leave plenty in the wallet for other fun things, such as food and utility bills.
If you are one of those people that buy a car because of the badge then Audi have a great little car that has the looks and also the savings. The A1 1.6 TDi will move you away from the crowd of Mini and 500 drivers and into a world where build quality and comfort are unrivalled in its class. It looks good and has a very economical engine. Road tax might be a bit more than the others listed here but it’s still a lot less than a luxury Jaguar. Cheap cars that look great are rare so this one is a real bonus.
If you are looking for something a little larger than those listed so far then Toyota has used its hybrid brilliance and used it on the Auris 1.8 petrol hybrid to great effect. The medium sized hatchback has a claimed mpg of over 74 and, although it is unlikely to stand up to these claims in the real world, it is still a very affordable car to own.
So next time you are looking at cheap cars that you can afford with your budget, think about what a car costs to run and make the only sensible decision. A good looking economical car will provide you with years of motoring where a second hand luxury motor will probably only give you headaches.
Ivan Georgiev
And this is where we generally go wrong. You see we all want a car that will make the neighbors green with envy.
We want to spend our Sunday afternoons polishing our pride and joy, whilst others look on and wander how we afforded such a fantastic auto. Whilst the price of second hand luxury cars has certainly fallen and 10 year old Mercedes and BMWs are far more affordable than they once were, if you are on a budget you would be a fool to buy one. As fuel prices, road tax and insurance costs are increasing all the time you would be far better off looking at smaller more economic cheap cars.
Take the Toyota Prius Plug-in petrol hybrid for example. These great little runarounds have a claimed fuel economy of over 135 mile to the gallon. Whilst this figure has probably been exaggerated a little and current tests tend to be around the 72 mark, they are still fantastically cheap to run and incredibly fashionable within the circles of ecofriendly groups. Being a hybrid the road tax in some countries is actually free and the insurance group is also very low. Remember cheap cars are not just about the initial cost, it’s about how much the car costs from the minute you buy it until you decide to move it on.
![]() |
Image is licensed under CC Attribution |
Volkswagen offer the Polo 1.2 TDi BlueMotion as a diesel engine small car for the money conscious consumer. The Golf’s little brother is a great car in terms of build and comfort even if the performance does leave a little bit to be desired. Of course being a VW it will hold its value well so there shouldn’t be any shock when it comes to selling it on and again road tax and fuel consumption will leave plenty in the wallet for other fun things, such as food and utility bills.
If you are one of those people that buy a car because of the badge then Audi have a great little car that has the looks and also the savings. The A1 1.6 TDi will move you away from the crowd of Mini and 500 drivers and into a world where build quality and comfort are unrivalled in its class. It looks good and has a very economical engine. Road tax might be a bit more than the others listed here but it’s still a lot less than a luxury Jaguar. Cheap cars that look great are rare so this one is a real bonus.
If you are looking for something a little larger than those listed so far then Toyota has used its hybrid brilliance and used it on the Auris 1.8 petrol hybrid to great effect. The medium sized hatchback has a claimed mpg of over 74 and, although it is unlikely to stand up to these claims in the real world, it is still a very affordable car to own.
So next time you are looking at cheap cars that you can afford with your budget, think about what a car costs to run and make the only sensible decision. A good looking economical car will provide you with years of motoring where a second hand luxury motor will probably only give you headaches.
About the Author:
Ivan Georgiev have been working for a lot of automotive companies and he have a lot of experience with Cheap cars (Billig bil is the term in Danish) which he is happy to share with you.
Ivan Georgiev have been working for a lot of automotive companies and he have a lot of experience with Cheap cars (Billig bil is the term in Danish) which he is happy to share with you.
Comments
Post a Comment