Used car for 500,000 rubles: what to choose? How to choose?

Five-year grants and Kalina with a mileage of 50-100 thousand km

For fresh “our brands”, 500,000 thousand is a red price. But for half a million they also try to sell older cars with a mileage of 150 thousand.

They are, of course, brittle, but simple and unpretentious, and maintenance costs are minimal. Spare parts sea, repairs are not expensive.

After the purchase, you may immediately need anti-corrosion agents – VAZ bodies are not known for high corrosion resistance, with active use in “salty” periods, rust comes out after two to three years. Perhaps something needs to be replaced in the suspension. And listen to the sensations when you engage first or second gear – this is the weak point of the mechanical box.

In any case, with a circulation of 100 thousand, you can safely expect that the car will serve the same amount even without more thrift.

The common resource of Lads (and their engines) is a loose concept, as long as they sell cars with a mileage of more than 300 thousand km (for 250-350 thousand rubles). Yes, it is not known how much and what has changed in them during this time, but the fact is that the body can withstand so much.

Like it or not, you won’t find a more practical workhorse for our country – the price/survivability ratio is very attractive. What Kalina and Grant lack may be comfort and prestige.

An upper-class car

Here is the first thing Lada suggests a class above. For half a million, Vesta is offered for five or six years with print runs “from 150”. Well, maybe a little less. Also with a robot box, but the VAZ robot is not about a resource and for people with a very strong psyche.

However, Vesta, in the perception of the majority, is no match for a foreign car – it is still Lada, endowed with all the properties of Lad. If you want a foreign car, but not a Matiz, then the best price / comfort ratio is provided by Chinese models. For example Lifan Solano. But you also cannot call them prestigious, but in terms of overall reliability they successfully compete with Grants. They rot even more willingly, but crumble about the same. With spare parts, the situation was not easy even when these cars were officially sold with us – seven to eight years ago.

Oddly enough, for 500 thousand rubles you can find a Renault Logan four or five years old, with moderate mileage and even with a gun. But with any defects, more often bodywork – the results of minor accidents. Or with a mileage of about 200,000 km – Logan is far from the limit, but, most likely, such specimens are “full”, at least in terms of suspension.

And Logan with a machine gun with a run of 300 thousand km is likely to face the imminent death of the machine gun, followed by a motorcycle. They also buy such cars – probably with the expectation that they will gradually invest another hundred or two in the restoration, and Logan is a berry again. But if you have to travel a lot at once, this is not an option.

It is realistic to count on a foreign car at the age of 8-10 years with an average mileage in the range of 100-200 thousand km. Yes, it will take some care in the first year of ownership, but if supercharged engines and CVTs with robots are deliberately avoided, the cost of care should be reduced to double digits.

Important: a Japanese, Korean, European car (as opposed to the “Chinese”) can be sold in another three or four years without much difficulty.

Business class

Half a million rubles Toyota Camry fifth generation from 16 years old and older. In principle, there are no runs less than 200 thousand km. The minimum is 250, but there are many more cars that have passed 350 and 450 thousand. Yes, and the counter can be rotated a few times.

Toyotas of that era are, of course, incredibly tenacious, including the main units, but they also have their limits. Yet an old car is still an old car. Rubber bands dry out, contacts sour, glass and plastic become cloudy. Squeezed seats and a shabby steering wheel will not add charm. In general, it is difficult to understand the true state of the old machine. The body may not be bad, but everything else… or vice versa. A kind of lottery. And let’s take into account the current prices for Toyota parts – they are expensive.

Kia Magentis (predecessor of Optima) and Hyundai Sonata from the same period, Toyota does not have the reputation and qualities, but for some reason they sell them with the same mileage for the same money. Except maybe a year or two younger.

Maybe, Volkswagen Passat? For half a million there is now an exclusive Passat of the failed B6 generation (until 2011). And runs up to 200 thousand – yes! But here’s the problem: the only motor-box combination worthy in terms of reliability and ingenuity is a malacholny aspired 1.6 with mechanics. Supercharged engines 1.4, 1.8 and 2.0 can say at any time after 200 thousand km: “I can’t take it anymore.” By the way, the new 1.8 TSI engine now costs about 350 thousand rubles – without attachments. The contract will draw 150-200 thousand.

They take trade winds, and even with robots – price balances on the border of demand. But common sense tells us that these are not the best times for adventurous acquisitions. Even if they have a stainless body.

Golden ratio

If it is fundamental to ignore Lada and Chinese models, then the optimum is probably between Logan and Corolla. The age will be 8-12 years old – a little, if the average for the country is close to fifteen. Mileage – plus or minus 150 thousand km, for good units this is about the middle of the life path.

We have collected the most interesting options in this sector here. Follow the link and study.

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