3 five-door family cars for a maximum of 2500 euros

The range of opportunities is enormous. You can find second-hand cars everywhere at a dealer, via Gaspedal.nl, a specialized site and even on Facebook. Which compact five-door family car can you buy for 2500 euros? Autovisie, together with the ANWB, selects the best used cars every week.

The corona crisis has driven us back into the car en masse. Rather safe in your own cocoon than in a hut in public transport. But then it must remain affordable: you can do that effortlessly with one of these compact five-door family cars.

Three five-door family cars for a maximum of 2500 euros

Vauxhall Corsa (2000 – 2006)

There are still many Corsas of this generation for sale in our country. The compact Opel is comfortable to drive, whether you’re on the highway or taking a speed bump. That the electrically assisted steering feels a bit dead, you shouldn’t complain about that for these kinds of amounts.

The 1.0-litre three-cylinder runs remarkably smoothly for such a small engine; you don’t need a lot of power for your commute. The Corsa is also spacious enough for three children in the back seat. At a car dealership in Lopik we come across a silver-grey 1.0 ‘Comfort’ (2002, 99,000 km) for € 2,250.

Judgment of the Wegenwacht about the occasion

A loose connection of the Corsa instruments means that the engine no longer wants to start. The electric power steering also sometimes disappears. Typical job for the Wegenwacht! This also applies to a ‘sticky’ EGR valve, but if that problem occurs more often, a new part must be installed. Worse are rattling noises in the top of the engine, because that indicates a broken camshaft: that will be an expensive repair. In addition, keep the spare key at hand, because the regular key can sometimes fall open. You cannot enter the car without a chip.

Peugeot 206 (1998 – 2009)

This is another Peugeot ‘of the old stamp’, with that typical French comfort. That’s nice, especially when you have to go a little further away. An ordinary 1.4 is already strong enough for normal use: with that you drive about 1 in 15.

This 206 still has something sympathetic to see and is also nice and spacious, with the largest luggage space of this trio (minimum 245 liters). Even if a vending machine is a prerequisite, there is still a nice offer in the country. Just take a look at the silver gray 206 ‘X-Line’ 1.4 Automatic (2004, 120,000 km) at a car dealership in Sittard, for € 2,490.

Judgment of the Wegenwacht about the occasion

Oil leakage on the valve cover gasket is a known problem with the petrol engines that were supplied in this 206. That’s not a drama, provided the oil remains at the right level. Electronics in particular plays tricks on the Peugeot. The individual ignition coils can fail. A broken multi relay, a loose ground cable or a bad connection at the central computer also cause various malfunctions. The Wegenwacht solves that, if necessary with an emergency repair.

Suzuki Alto (2002 – 2006)

From the outside, this Alto does not look too exciting: it is a purely practical means of transport. The Japanese have thought out the city mini well: for such a compact car, the Suzuki is remarkably agile.

On the main road, it does suffer from crosswinds and rutting. The steering is somewhat dead and the versions with an automatic transmission are less economical than manual variants. That’s because the automatic transmission only has three gears. The modest luggage space (177 liters) is also a point of attention. These Altos can still be found in abundance, such as the neat silver-grey 1.1 GLS (2003, 131,000 km) which is for sale for € 2,450 at a car dealership in Culemborg.

Judgment of the Wegenwacht about the occasion

Really big problems do not occur with this type of Suzuki. The Alto sometimes does not recognize the key, but Roadside Assistance easily solves that. Be careful when parking in reverse, because if you hit the curb too hard, the rear suspension can become upset (!). The rear wheel bearings wear out relatively quickly, but the costs are very clear. Other Suzuki parts are relatively expensive, but that’s because there’s little demand for them. So there is almost never anything broken on this city mini.

Our advice for the occasions

The Suzuki Alto is a bit small inside and not very appealing. With the Corsa, the risk of malfunctions and expensive repairs is greatest. We would therefore opt for the undiminished attractive Peugeot 206.