When choosing a used car on the secondary market, many motorists are guided by powertrain parameters, equipment packages, exterior features and other configurations. However, more demanding consumers also consider such moment as the cost of car maintenance after purchase. After all, if the car starts to fall apart after a few months of operation, it will lead to enormous expenses. What models are still possible to buy at an affordable price, without sacrificing their reliability and resistance to breakdowns?
Kia Rio
Cars with decent mileage are usually offered without a neutralizer, which often causes scoring in the cylinders – they are subject to removal, which is already a significant savings.
Renault Logan
No less popular among the fans of budget cars is the Renault Logan in the first generation.
Sedan is famous for a high level of reliability: suspension is so simple that there is almost no parts vulnerable to breakage, and the power unit of 1.6 liters (regardless of configuration – 8 or 16 valves) without problems overcome more than 300 thousand kilometers of mileage.
The key requirement – do not consider models with automatic transmission, as they are often subject to malfunctions, and their repair and maintenance are accompanied by significant financial investments.
Ford Focus
Another bestseller of the secondary car market is the Ford Focus in the second generation. On sale is a sufficient number of copies with different body designs: you can buy a sedan, a hatchback and a station wagon. The most popular variant is equipped with a 1.6-liter engine with 100 hp of power.
Volkswagen Polo
Among the most popular used cars, the honorable place is occupied by the people’s car of the German brand Volkswagen – Polo in the sedan body design. And the famous defect with the knock of the piston engine 105 hp has no effect on the life of the car.
Skoda Rapid 1,6
On the car you can find a lot of useful reviews, including the absence of the need for self-repair to 150 thousand kilometers of mileage. Fuel consumption here is kept at a minimum among gasoline models.
Disadvantages: scarce equipment of the initial versions, a small amount of space on the back row, as well as not the highest level of comfort of the seats.
Toyota Prius
It would be unfair not to take into account in this selection the popular Japanese model Toyota Prius, which is considered the most affordable in service “Japanese”. Having a hybrid drive with an electric motor and battery, the car is very economical in fuel consumption.
The battery can be recharged from an outlet, in which case 80 km of travel per day will not consume gasoline at all. There are no complaints about the operation of the internal combustion engine. It functions more steadily than on other models, and its service life reaches 300-350 thousand km mileage without serious complaints.
The disadvantages come down to questionable dynamics, the unfamiliar configuration of the dashboard, which distracts from driving, as well as the not quite typical for many motorists powertrain.
Chery Tiggo 4
The most affordable Chinese crossover Chery Tiggo 4 became popular because of its cute design, inexpensive components and maintainability. It is also famous for its discreet fuel consumption, if we talk about the versions with front-wheel drive and basic configuration. The percentage of out-of-regulation repairs is slightly below 9% among all Chinese cars.
As for models with all-wheel drive and larger engines, they are more expensive, and maintenance costs are 1.5 times higher. But when choosing this car, you should be prepared for cheap finishing materials, as well as its fastidiousness to fuel quality.
The above models also boast a clever layout of the under-bonnet space, which facilitates access to internal components and units. Accordingly, maintenance of the machine requires less time and effort, so it is much cheaper.
Therefore, even if you have to apply for assistance to a car repair shop, you will not overpay for extra work – for example, dismantling the intake system to get access to the spark plugs.