ULEZ cars for less than £2,000 - here's my 10 best bargains to beat the cameras
This week's expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone into the wider London Boroughs has caused a bit of a political storm.
Everyone should be entitled to breathe clean air, but many argue the blanket measures are now in force in areas where pollution is not a problem.
Meanwhile, there is strong evidence to suggest the existing central London ULEZ system is being effective in reducing the number of harmful particles in the air.
Wherever you sit on the debate, it won't bring a crumb of comfort for people who find their family car is now a financial burden, because it will cost them £12.50 every time they pop to the shops.
Transport for London has set out to mitigate the impact this will have on working families by offering a scrappage scheme, paying out up to £2,000 for non-compliant vehicles. You might think that sort of money will cover slim pickings in the used car market at the moment, but I've been trawling the classifieds on AutoTrader to see just what sort of car you can pick up for a budget within £2,000.
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And the results have been quite surprising.
Of course, there's no shiny BMWs on this list, and you'd struggle to find an exciting sports car, but here's my pick of some of the more appealing sub £2,000 offerings on the market right now. Click on each headline to see the ad.
1. 2011 Fiat Panda 1.2 Active
I've put this car at the top of the list for one very simple reason - I've got one and it's brilliant. According to a study I read recently, used prices for the ULEZ-compliant Fiat Pandas have risen by up to 17% recently, so pick one up for less than £2,000 while you still can.
They're cheap to run, cheap to tax, cheap to fix, amazingly practical, comfortable, and fun to drive. I've had mine nearly a year and it's never let me down.
This Active version, in white, is the base spec, so you won't get things like air conditioning, but its 77,000 miles is reasonable and at a £1,850 asking price it probably won't hang around for very long. This is honestly one of the best sub-£2,000 cars on the market right now.
2. 2010 Peugeot 207 CC
Switching to an eco-friendly car doesn't mean you can't still have a bit of style. The Peugeot 207 CC with its trick metal folding roof still looks good today and this one looks super clean in brilliant white with a contrasting leather trim.
The 207 hatchback on which it's based was a big seller, so parts availability is plentiful, and although it's a heavy car, 40mpg plus is possible on a run.
It might not be as exciting to drive as it looks, and there might be some compromises on practicality to be made, but at £2,000 this is a very tempting way to whiz past the ULEZ cameras with your neatly-coiffeured head held high.
3. 2010 Vauxhall Zafira Exclusiv
Got a big family? No problem. It's still possible to sneak into the ULEZ zone for free with six other people in tow. The Vauxhall Zafira pretty much rewrote the rule book when it came to transporting passengers, with its clever seven-seat layout and although the world has now switched its preferences to SUVs, there's a strong case to be made for a smaller MPV.
This one has covered 87,000 miles with just two owners, and the listing mentions an all-important service history.
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It looks like the bodywork has been through the coals, but consider this as a family workhorse, and overlook the bumps and bruises, and you could have a fabulous family car for a few years.
4. 2006 Audi A4 1.8T SE
Not quite ready to give up life's little luxuries? Yes, it is possible to bag yourself a luxury saloon for less than £2,00 and still keep Mr Kahn happy.
It's always a case of buyer beware with any premium car at this age. Make sure you've got some funds available to fix it, because bills can be big. But the listing on this car suggests the cambelt and water pump are fairly fresh which is a bonus, and these things are capable of doing a lot more than the 116,000 miles it's covered.
There's actually a few options of ULEZ-compliant saloons at this end of the market, but this one looks particularly good.
5. 2006 Smart ForTwo
There are few cars better at nipping around cities in than a Smart ForTwo. And there's plenty to choose from at less than £2,000. This silver City Pluse has covered just 61,000 miles and has a fairly decent spec.
They're as fun to drive as they are cute, but I realise they're not to everyone's taste. Have a go in one though, it might surprise you.
If you only use a car for zipping around town in, and you don't need to carry people or labradors all that often, the ForTwo could be a good choice.
6. 2010 Ford Ka 1.2 Zetec
I'm really taken with this little car. The colours are really distinctive and it's a good price for this generation of Ka.
This particular one has got a pretty shabby body when you look closely, but don't let that put you off at this price point. Check its oily bits are well looked after, and concentrate on the cosmetics another time.
This era of Ford Ka lost some of the sparkle of the original, but it's still great fun to drive and there's a big argument for compact, back-to-basics cars these days. Especially when they look as cool as this.
7. 2010 Renault Twingo 1.2 Extreme
Here's one you probably didn't expect to see. This attractive little supermini is a great option if you want a back-to-basics runabout with some quirky features thrown in.
The interior is more practical than it is comfortable, and running costs aren't as good as some of its rivals, but if it's good enough for Mr Kahn, it's good enough for me.
It also ticks the individuality box if you like to stand out, and the dealer is offering a year's breakdown cover and drive-away insurance, which is a bonus.
8. 2010 Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec
This one looks like it's had a hard life, and it's got a knocking sound from the front suspension, but these are all bargaining tools on what is already a rather cheap car.
The Ford Focus has always been a sensible choice for a family hatchback, and parts are easy to come by, so this could become a bargain if you consider it carefully enough.
Nurse it through its next MOT and you'd probably see at least another year of practical and comfortable motoring out of it for a bargain price.
9. 2010 Kia Picanto
Don't dismiss the diminutive little Kia Picanto for a superb city car. This one has only done 66,000 miles and would make a great A-to-B runabout, with plenty of years left in it.
It might be rather basic, but it looks like it's been looked after and it'll be cheap as chips to run.
The four door layout is a big bonus on a car of this size, and they're a lot more practical than they look.
10. 2010 Chevrolet Matiz
If you've ever hired a cheap car, or been given a courtesy car, then there's a chance you've already driven one of these, perhaps in its previous Daewoo guise.
It is an exercise in properly back-to-basics motoring, but actually surprisingly easy to live with. The interiors are awful, and they're certainly no oil painting, but there are some very clean examples out there and you do get a decent car for not a lot of money.
Haggle a bit and this one might just come in below £1,500 - and that's a very cheap way to get a tidy, ULEZ-compliant car on your driveway.
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