If you are willing to reduce the requirements for comfort and safety, you can drive these cars cheaply.
Car for 30000 - a mined area
If you buy a car for 30000, you can easily run out of expensive repairs. A diesel particulate filter, an ABS unit, some Xenon bulbs, to name a few. Things you won't necessarily find on the test drive, and which the seller didn't know about when you bought either. Imagine if you have to spend 20 in repairs. Then you could just as easily have bought a car for 000 instead?
Usage pattern and car type
In terms of price, an older Volkswagen Passat or Ford Mondeo costs about the same as a small "grandmother's car". They offer more space, comfort and safety. The problem with family cars is that they have had a different usage pattern than small, simple cars. The family cars are more or less continuously in use. They not only have higher mileage and more rust, - but also more advanced technology and modern equipment that can turn them into cost bombs like old cars. You should invest more than NOK 30 for such cars.
Cars with few faults
TÜV inspects and approves cars and car equipment in Germany and Austria. Every year they publish a reliability report for different age classes of cars. Cars up to 11 years old have been tested. We have carried out a systematic search of complete TÜV reports from 2015 to 2019 to assess the reliability of cars under NOK 30000.
Cars that are cheap to maintain
The TÜV reports do not tell how much the annual car maintenance costs. Porsche, for example, comes high on the list of reliable models. Also other German premium models. The fact that these are in good condition after a good 10 years can largely be attributed to the brand dealers' expensive service programmes. The cars, which we have selected, are not just reliable - they can also be kept on the road at no great cost. They can be delivered to all independent workshops, and they can be screwed on by do-it-yourself mechanics.
The candidates that we have assessed
The following "grandmother models" are known to be reliable and affordable to keep in operation. We have looked at how they come out in the TÜV reports.
The Toyota Yaris, Honda Jazz, Mazda 2 and Opel Agila are ranked among the very best.
We have considered Ford Fiesta because it is the sister model to the Mazda 2. The Fiesta ends up better than average, but not as good as the Mazda. We have followed Nissan Micra, too, – because we know the predecessors as quite reliable minicars in the 90s. We didn't expect the 10-15 year old Micra mk3 to score far worse than average. Fiat 500 and the sister model Ford KA mk2 are rated because they appear as a breath of fresh air in this class. Both models ended up among the worst, especially the KA mk1, which according to TÜV must have been a catastrophically bad car.
The candidates that we have not considered
The mini car trio Peugeot 107, Citroen C1 og Toyota Aygo is not rated, because we have seen an alarming number of cars for sale as rep objects. The model is also known to "eat" clutches. It surprises us that the models are actually coming better out than the average in TÜV's reports. We have also not assessed the small cars from the Volkswagen group as a number of engine breakdowns occur without any previous signs. They become "risky business" within our budget.
The myths that disappeared
10 years ago we would have recommended the following Japanese: Toyota Corolla (-1997), Toyota Carina II, Toyota Starlet, Honda Civic (-2000) og Nissan Micra mk1. These are still good cars – to the extent that you can call used cars aged 20+ as good. The point is that the models that immediately succeeded the aforementioned legends - and which today are within a NOK 30 budget - do not reach their predecessors in terms of the number of errors and reliability.
Buying advice
Remember that 30 can easily become both 000 and 40 if you are not careful. Imagine that you are going to keep the car for 50 years.
The car's EU inspection should not be older than 1 year. Then the car must pass 2 EU controls. If the deadline for approval is imminent, you should refrain from purchasing. Cars with missing patches are no problem as long as the repair costs are taken into account in the price. Then you are unlikely to get any surprises - and can save money by tracking down used parts and carrying out simple replacements yourself.
The tires should be good for a couple of new seasons, otherwise you have to factor new tires into the purchase price. Standard cheap tires for "grandmother cars" are otherwise not particularly expensive. New tires can compensate for the generally lower level of safety in older small cars.
If the car has a timing belt you need to find out when it was changed. Most must be replaced every five years due to alder. If the reg belt has been changed within the last year, you will never have to worry about it again.
Peace in exposed areas such as wheel arches, ducts and under the doors can send the car to early condemnation. Also see that the rust has not taken over the components in the undercarriage. If chassis parts, suspension, brake pipes and brakes are completely brown and oxidized, the bills can quickly become high.
Body damage is nothing to worry about. The more scratches and dents - the better car you get for the money! However, be aware of damage to the undercarriage and along the ducts.
Service history need not be complete, so long the oil changes is completed. If the seller does not know - or can document the last oil change - you should refrain from buying.
Also check the following
-An unusually shiny and worn steering wheel, wear on the gear ball and worn pedal rubber indicate an unfortunate driving style.
- That the oil on the dipstick is not grey/discolored by water.
- That there is no oil film in the cooling water.
- That there are no leaks of engine oil, gear oil, servo oil or cooling water (does not apply to condensation water from the air conditioning).
-Check for traces of fresh or solidified oil around the cylinder head gasket.
- That the steering wheel is straight when the wheels point straight ahead.
- That the car stands straight and does not lean on one wheel or to one side.
- That no warning lights light up.
- That the clutch engages normally - not too far out.
- That no wheels are hot after the test drive.
-No noise when you turn and give gas at the same time.
-No noise when you press in the clutch at speed and let the car roll with the windows open.
-No noise when driving over speed bumps.
- That engine temperature does not move towards red.
Fact car for 30000
Toyota Yaris
Model change from model year 2006. Most popular engine is 1,0 65 HP until the model change in 2006, then the engine got 69 HP. The Yaris with 1,3 liter 87 HP is perceived as far fresher and is the best engine within our budget. Both the 1,0- and 1,3-litre engines have a timing chain - not a belt. In the TÜV reports, both Yaris 1 and 2 end up among the very best in the period 2004-2011.
Honda jazz
Model change from model year 2009. The new model looks much better than the more side-rumped predecessor. But according to TÜV, it gets oldest The Jazz model scores best in terms of reliability. The reason why newer models fall in terms of reliability is due to the brake discs. According to a manager at TÜV, the Jazz would have been at the top if the brake discs had lasted longer. All models sold in Norway have a 1,3 liter engine with 83 HP. The cars after 2009 received an increase in power to 99 HP. Both models have a timing chain - not a timing belt. Considering operating costs, a grandmother-driven Jazz before 2009 with low km appears to be a good alternative within our budget.
Mazda 2
The Mazda 2 was replaced with a new model from model year 2008. In TÜV's reports, the oldest model got the best results. Early models of Mazda 2 can therefore be good buys. Both Mazda models with 1,2 and 1,3 liter engines have a timing chain - not a belt. Standard output is 75 HP for both engines.
Ford Fiesta
The Ford Fiesta mk5 up to and including 2008 shares technology with the corresponding Mazda 2 model. Like the Mazda 2, the 1,3 liter petrol engines have a timing chain. From 2009 there was a new Fiesta model, the mk6. There, all petrol engines have a timing belt that must be changed at regular intervals. In TÜV's reports, the mk5 gets better results than the first years of the mk6.
Opel Agila
Financial considerations – car for 30000
What can you expect from a car for 30000?
Let's take an example from reality: 1996 Honda Civic bought in 2012 for NOK 28. Mileage: 000. The car had a new timing belt, new winter tires and a major service the year before. The car lived for 105 years after purchase. Number of EU checks: 000. Net annual loss in value after wreck deposit: NOK 7,5. Annual maintenance: Oil change service and fixing of small items: approx. NOK 4-3 per year with some personal effort.
Theoretical example - period over 4 years - Honda Jazz or similar.
Purchase for NOK 30000 - estimated residual value after 4 years: NOK 8
NOK 22 Total loss in value
NOK 2 EU controls (400 pcs.)
NOK 4 Oil change (000 pcs.)
NOK 5 Tires
NOK 12 Predictable repairs
NOK 45 (per year: NOK 400, per month: NOK 11)
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