'I'm a car mechanic and this £500 20-year-old motor is top for reliability'

Daily Mirror

6 days ago

An experienced mechanic has recommended a 20-year-old used car as one of the most reliable vehicles one can buy after purchasing one for £500 - and it's all down to how simple it is
An expert mechanic has endorsed a 20-year-old used car as one of the most reliable motors on the market to purchase.
Paul Lucas, a respected mechanic, praised the Mk1 Ford Focus as a solid second-hand buy due to its simplicity and dependability.
‌
An owner of a Mk1 himself, Paul revealed he had purchased one of these vehicles for £500 15 years ago and it hadn't missed a beat thanks to his meticulous maintenance.
‌
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: "For me a 20-year-old 1.6 litre Mk1 Ford Focus is top for reliability.
"It was designed before all the unnecessary bells and whistles came in and even lets you start the car with a real key rather than press a button. I bought mine 15 years ago for £500 and have no regrets."
Paul isn't alone in his views on used cars, with other mechanics and car experts also sharing their thoughts in recent months, reports the Express.
With the cost of living on the rise, more people are turning to the used car market for their latest motor purchase instead of buying new. Some have even opted for second-hand electric cars, although many remain hesitant.
Jeff Wong, a used car controller at Porsche Centre Bristol, told the Express that customers were still cautious due to concerns over battery health.
‌
He explained: "People are now starting to ask the question. But now we have devices in all our Porsche centres where we can actually test the battery life of an electric vehicle. Our cars are around the five-year mark, 2020 is when they were first launched, so they are about five years old.
"We are getting more and more people asking the questions, and we can quite simply plug in the batteries and tell the customers exactly what kind of life is left on these cars. Hopefully, with that we can give them good news and give them more confidence buying these cars."
Meanwhile, other motoring experts have been providing advice on the prime time to flog a second-hand motor as well as the best time to snap one up.
A spokesperson for the car selling service BigWantsYourCar.com told the Express that the optimal period for offloading a used vehicle might have already gone by.
They said: "April is the sweet spot for selling a used car. Dealers need stock to replenish their forecourts after the surge in new car sales in March, and many buyers are looking for a more affordable alternative to a brand-new model."