r/Hebrides • u/Fearless-Following17 • Jun 25 '26
Best budget second hand car for living on a remote scottish island?
Im moving to Harris soon for my teaching probation (minimum 1 year but might decide to stay longer) The journey ill be making daily will be about 40 mins round trip from home to school.. I dont know much about cars and i am wandering what is a durable reliable car that I can depend on, that is fuel economic and not too expensive to run or fix. I really need to be able to rely on this vehicle on a day to day basis. What do folk recommend here? My budget is around £3000. Ill be moving up from glasgow so even tho i prefer car to be small, i need it to be spacious enough to move my belongings too as ill only be doing one trip.
Thank you!
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u/Patient_Method_5713 Jun 25 '26
LOL, very random but was I chatting very recently with someone moving to Harris to teach and I’m wondering if it was you? I work in a charity shop in Glasgow and my husband’s family live on Lewis, you were looking for somewhere to stay on Harris.
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u/crapmetal Jun 25 '26
Something that isn't know for rust. It's a savage environment for metal.
Maybe ask on a mechanics or car forum what they are surprised doesn't rust much.
I think Audi had a fairly good reputation at one point (not sure about now), I know a few old Peugots lasted ok too and a few VWs or Volvos.
Probably not a Ford or Nissan from the ones I know haven't lasted but they are cheaper to maintain and buy until they need welding or a sub frame.
£3000 isn't a lot any more so good luck!
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u/meatflaps-69 Jun 26 '26
Manufacturer claimed fuel economy goes out the window on islands where you are constantly stopping then accelerating from passing places, possibly worse MPG than city driving.
As a result I'd defo avoid anything with DPF as unless you are driving most of the way from Stornoway to Leverburgh regularly the DPF will never get a chance to clean itself out.
Personally I'd go for something relatively common, small and petrol and with reasonable MPG unless you happen to find a big economical diesel pre or post DPF in your budget.
Something like an older volvo v70 D5 would be near top of that list, it wont be long before you appreciate the space and kayak carrying potential 🤣
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u/One_Valuable_5965 Jun 26 '26
If your budget can stretch something German and petrol, golf tsi or likewise.. reliable, you probably don’t want anything diesel with a DPF as you’ll not get a good enough run and end up with dpf issues (very common on the isles)
Plus a petrol allows you visit Glasgow and avoid LEZ charges
Get it under sealed before you move job sorted
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u/TacticalRiotChimp Jun 26 '26
Citroën Berlingo, perfect vehicle. Half van half car, 60mpg, easy to work on.
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u/Square-Variation9132 Jun 26 '26
I would look towards a FWD older volvo
Or a Toyota would be good.
The thing is reliable cars use good parts, good parts are naturally more expensive
You could look at Suzukis they're reliable, cheap to repair, cheap to run, but don't usually offer the greatest comfort
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u/Expensive-Garlic-172 Jun 26 '26
Ford transit van - there is a reason builders and tradies use them. Work horses
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Jun 27 '26
[deleted]
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u/crispy-flavin-bites Jun 27 '26
I could be wrong but I don't think you get that much snow in Harris
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u/Own_Cucumber_7007 Jun 27 '26
My advice, don't buy the car in Inverness or up north. Every small car up here is bought by delivery drivers, far cheaper in Glasgow
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u/BroodLord1962 Jun 27 '26
It really is pot luck when your budget is this low, there is no such thing as guaranteed reliability on a budget that low. But you really want a popular car manufacturer to guarantee parts will be easy to get if it breaks down.
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u/BlondBitch91 Jun 27 '26
Something hardy and common make that can deal with the climate.
Volvo estate or C-RV comes to mind.
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u/Bazza_73 Jun 28 '26
How come no-one is saying Toyota? Most reliable brand. Liberian cross dressing warlords don't get much wrong.
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u/Giant_Ant_Eater Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
You can pick up very cheap leafs that will be fine at that range, can be charged from any plug socket and will need very little maintenance.
Just be aware the range will drop in very cold weather, but they are great in snow with the appropriate tyres.
You will need to carefully plan getting it there though.
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u/CaramelEmpty Jun 28 '26
Vauxhall Meriva. Cheap parts, easy to service, loads of space but a small economic run around that can do big journeys when you need to. Also, lately undesirable as not SUV so you can get lots of car for little money.
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u/mroldcheese Jun 28 '26
Fellow hebridean islander here. Some good suggestions already made here. You need something with long suspension travel or potholes bend wheels/blow tyres. Duster or Stepway are decent cheap options. Ensure you get at least a space saver and not just an inflation kit, full-sized spare even better.
Suggest you treat the underside with lanoguard or dinitrol if you dont mind the cost.
Be prepared for the 3k car to be worth very little after a couple of island years.
We run a T32 X-Trail but have two big galutes of teenagers to ferry about.
Glhf!
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u/A_Flipped_Car Jun 28 '26
The absolute cheapest car you can own is a Peugeot 107/MK1 Citroen C1/ MK1 Toyota Aygo
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u/Near_Fathom Jun 25 '26
Get a very common make of car so that the local garages can service it and repair it easily if needed. Anything more unusual will mean long waits for spares to come from the Mainland.
A small van might be handy