Ok well, in that way I somehow agree. But if you depend on the car, and it's broken, you are stuck. You can use public transport but they are also expensive depending on where you are.
And probably, before it's broken down, you will probably take to to a garage. Which will kindly tell you it's a little thing. Then it will turn out to be a few hundred CHF more because, hey, they all do it, and you don't have enough experience to be careful or get a writen quote. Even that can fail anyway.
Of course the alleged fix would reoccur, probably, and sometimes all it takes from the mechanic is to clear an error code, and wait patiently a few months for the golden egg to return.

Well. Yes. You can also throw away your 1000chf car because it had a warning on the dashboard (which was indicating low washing liquid level).

So yes, if you have a bit of experience...it's takes a significant mindset to do as you say.

There are a ton of small repairs that someone with little patience can do by just looking on the internet.

what about a 1981 Honda Civic?

Sane advice.

Coincidently, just bought a used car yesterday for a family member who is learning to drive. This was on the suggestion of an Engineer friend who is an absolute BMW geek. He owns 6 different models of BMW starting from 1973.

We checked the car, paid the advance etc. with the condition that the seller would have to get the MFK (expertisè) done.

Brought the car home yesterday. BMW 316i Compact 2001, 173K Kms CHF2500.00

Great car expect trouble free motoring till over 300k.

Thanks, that's very reassuring! Thats exactly what we were told too. Fingers crossed.

I bought one with 133k drove to 305k. I only sold as the alternator needed new brushes. Other than oil, filters, anti freeze, Alternator belt & brake pads, I only ever changed the front disks. Cheapest motoring I ever had

Oh I can/could. But the parts... They will have to be imported, and it takes lot of time, sometimes 2 weeks.
Again, if you need the car to be reliable, you're out.

Just own multiple vehicles, works for us.

Also, new cars aren't any more reliable.

Tom

Yes. Let's rewind from start.
I said, FOR THE OP (based on the little information given), it-s a no.
Then I specified, you guys are experienced mechanics, you can follow your own piece of advice.

And yes, I'm not comparing cheap old vehicle vs new vehicle... I mean buying a cheap car can be financially bad, and hard, without the proper contacts, experience, etc...

A not so old, well maintained 2nd vehicle is prefered. Sure, hard to find without the right xp...

How to buy a cheap car:

• Check the oil. If it low or not on the stick. Don't buy it
  Look at the motor. Is it clean. See any leaks. Don't buy it
  Test drive it. Any thing rattling. Any strange noises. If so don't buy it
  Anything need replacement? if so don't buy it!
  If you get this far go test 10 other cars before deciding. Take the best offer

Once you buy a car just keep it until it needs a repair. Then sell it and go look for another cheap car!

May I ask how much insurance and tax is typically paid for such a car?

If you have some degree of mechanical knowledge then running a cheap car can work out. However, if you're the type of person who goes to a garage to change a headlight bulb or battery then I'd steer clear.

It's hard to find something with fresh MFK for much under 2k unless you make big compromises (non-working aircon, disgustingly filthy interior, lots of damage, massive mileage etc) so will require some work to find a car and you need to know what to look for when buying. There's always the risk you buy a lemon where the seller reset some fault codes and the EML light comes on as you're heading home, or it overheats in traffic.

In addition, despite what some people will say, a cheap old car will be less reliable to some degree than a new one so if you rely on it daily to get you to work, the airport etc, then it's a risk. If there's an alternative (train, another car) then that's OK but otherwise it can land you in trouble if the battery dies or it develops another issue.

Here's a brand new Punto (OK, not a great car but it has a/c, 5 doors and a boot) for under 9k - http://www.adu.ch/Fiat_Punto_12_Street.v95987.html

Equally, a new Dacia Sandero with a/c (Laureate spec) is 8,800 and can be leased with a small deposit for not much more than 100 CHF per month.

I think that's what I'd do, even as someone with a lot of car knowledge actually. A cheap garage is 100CHF an hour so the cost of minor repairs adds up if you don't have time to fix them yourself and I'd rather have the peace of mind than worry when a new noise appears on the way home from work.

It's based on engine size, weight, emissions & canton.
I also had a 3000cc Porsche 911 covered & paid about 800 for liability insurance & 600 for tax. An 1800 cc will be less.

The tax bill is yet to come but I expect it to be around CHF500/-
I chose the insurance based what I got on Comparis. It is CHF480/-

For us, the MFK was done on the 15th May.
I think if you are looking for a cheap, old, used car it would also matter which one it is. For me personally (purely my bias) only brands such as VW, Merc, BMW, Volvo or Toyota would do

If you're looking at that price, would recommend something Japanese ideally.

Otherwise small efficient cars with relatively simple mechanics (hence less to go wrong) would be good too - VW Polos withstand time well, as do Opel Corsas. You can dip into the French category if you're feeling brave...Renault Clio and Peugeot 206; even if they're dying, they'll do so with character

People always have different opinions on which cheap cars are best. German/prestige stuff will be older, Jap stuff will have more expensive and harder to get parts if it breaks, French cars are usually newer but some can be a bit flaky (I'm looking at you Renault Megane and Peugeot 307).

I tend to buy whatever I can find which looks reasonable, in the UK I've had tons of cheap stuff but I usually go for newer ones with reasonable spec rather than an old BMW with 250k on the clock.

Eurocarparts in the UK supplies most of the independent trade, the German stuff has the lowest prices BMW/Audi/Porsche, French parts are expensive.

Not anymore, that hasn't been the case for 10+ years since they switched from being a German specialist to a generalist. ECP supply all kinds of cheap rubbish for all cars and for the normal service parts Ford bits are the cheapest because they have the biggest sales volumes. They're also very cheap for stuff like Peugeot 206 because there are (were) so many on the road that they got through tons of bits.

For electrical stuff it may be cheap but there's a decent chance it won't actually work properly (if at all) so that should be discarded from any comparison.

Generally where parts are concerned the cheapest car to run is the most common smallish one on the road in the country you're in.