Hi

I have 3200 to spend on a used car. I was looking for a 2000ish Toyota MR2 with a high mileage (around 100k), but a friend has advised me that this would be a bad buy as it would cost a lot to maintain and its value would drop quickly. He recommended that for 3200 I would be best getting a Focus or a Golf, which I would possibly be open to, but I really wanted a convertible.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this, as I know very little about cars.

Thanks

Ronnie

Why do you want an MR2?

Seems like the best convertible I could get for 3200

Then unless your friend is a genius or an expert in cars the mR2 is the car for you... (provided you can afford the insurance)

The ownersclub page is full of good info http://www.mr2dc.com/buyGuideMK2.aspx?navSection=buyerguide

Provided Toyota cars are maintained well they will keep going for a very long time like most japanese cars. Have you considered the Mazda MX-5 they always seem to get great reviews for drivability and reliability.

the infamous friend expert, everyone has one. your best bet is to look for a car YOU want, use a hpi report to check if its stolen, written off, has insurance and some will even give you a valuation if you state the mileage. then once you are staisfied with these just pay for a mechanic such as rac or aa to come with you to do a check on anything, this will make sure you dont buy a lemon

these are a cost but will insure your money from the get go, so dont fail to skip hpi or mechanic check, you wouldnt buy a house without a survey so dont do it on a car