The Best Second-Hand Cars to Buy for Under £2,000

The Volkswagen Touran finessed the classic MPV formula. In classic Volkswagen fashion, this is a well-built car which zeroed in on its target audience – families – with a spacious and cleverly packaged interior which made getting in and out as easily as possible.

It’s available with a good choice of engines and has a pretty decent reputation for reliability, too. With space for seven, it’s got room on its side and while those rearmost seats may only be roomy enough for smaller kids, it’s good to have the option there when you need it.

The middle row has got good levels of space to offer while the Touran’s solid build quality means that it remains an ideal family workhorse and there are plenty of examples available for our £2,000 budget.

DS took the approach of using plain Citroen models as a basis and infusing them with some extra style and its first product of this was the DS 3. Essentially, it’s the same as the Citroen C3 underneath but looks and feels far more special than the more traditional French hatch on which it is based.

If you want to stand out for your £2,000 budget then the DS 3 is a great way to do it, but it’s also practical and great for driving in town thanks to its compact size.

You’ve got plenty of engine options – we like 1.6-litre turbocharged units for their flexibility and performance – while a diesel version is a great choice for long-distance drivers who want a frugal option.

Reliability has always been at the heart of Honda’s ethos and nowhere is that more present in its ever-popular Civic. It’s because of the Civic’s long-lasting popularity and reliability which means that there are loads to choose from for our £2,000 budget.

We like the generation made from 2006 as it’s got a more modern exterior design and a well-made interior. It won’t blow out the budget, however, and this eighth-generation Civic will prove cheap to run and won’t cause too many headaches when it comes to mechanical issues.

Though our budget won’t stretch to the sporty Type R, all Civics of this generation are good to drive, being both fun in the twisty sections while refined and quiet on the motorway.

Think of Volvo and we reckon you’re already imagining a big, comfortable estate car – and that’s exactly what the V70 is. One of the last large and boxy estates to come from the Swedish company, the V70 is a must-pick for drivers who want a spacious option that can swallow up plenty of luggage.

It’s super-comfortable, too, and feels like it was built to travel long distances. You’ll find that even on high-mileage examples have cabins which remain solid and very usable while the diesel engines available with the V70 have a good blend of efficiency and performance.

Though petrol engines are there to choose from, they bring heavy running costs for little advantage over the diesels. The front seats are. almost armchair-like in their comfort and padding, ensuring those miles fly by in the V70.

A somewhat quirky option, the Terios is a compact SUV which brings a surprising amount of off-road ability for the money. If you live in more rural areas or frequently tackle snow and ice during the winter, then the Terios could prove a real lifeline.

Its small size and low weight means that it can go far further off the beaten track than you might expect and can give four-wheel-drives three times its size a run for their money.

This second-generation Terios has ample seating for four people and while some of the plastics inside might be on the hard side, they’re hard-wearing as a result.

You’ve only got compact petrol engines to choose from – there are no diesels available with the Terios – but the ones which are there provide decent enough performance though, despite its four wheel-drive, it isn’t really gutsy enough for towing duties.

It feels like we couldn’t complete this list without the Ford Focus, could we? As one of the UK’s most popular cars, the Focus is a car you’ll find plenty of in the used market and there are loads available for our budget.

It’s a true all-rounder, the Focus, with a spacious and well-made interior combined with a solid driving experience to create a car which feels suitable for all motoring scenarios.

All versions get plenty of equipment, too, and though we’ll be looking at higher-mileage examples at this price point, a well-serviced example will keep running for many years to come. There’s a good choice of engines available, making this third-generation model a good fit for a whole lot of drivers. Families will like its easy-to-access interior, too.

Volkswagen’s stylish Polo is the kind of hatchback which doesn’t feel too small. Refined and easy to drive, it covers a superb number of use cases and as a result, it’s a good fit for lots of motorists.

This fourth-generation Polo comes within our £2,000 budget, but brings some solid build quality alongside looks which still look current today. It’s a very comfortable car and drives like a much larger model. It’s particularly good on the motorway – somewhere you don’t expect small cars to be all that accomplished

If you want super-low running costs then look out for efficient BlueMotion models which sip their fuel to deliver excellent efficiency. Because of its build quality and desirability, used Polo prices have remained strong, which is why you need a slightly older version in order to meet the £2,000 budget.