Bangers on a budget: The best cars for under £500

Need a motor on a shoestring? We reveal some of the biggest bargains on the block.

We took a look at what's in the classifieds for under £500...

Car salesplaceholder image
Car sales
The first-generation Toyota Yaris is far from a cool car (with the exception of T-Sport variants), but it is near-enough bulletproof mechanically as well as ferociously cheap to run.placeholder image
The first-generation Toyota Yaris is far from a cool car (with the exception of T-Sport variants), but it is near-enough bulletproof mechanically as well as ferociously cheap to run.
So the MG ZS may now be just another crossover, but it was once a hot hatch. This beefed-up Rover 45 sports a fruity 2.5-litre engine it its most potent guise - though 1.8 cars are more common at this priceplaceholder image
So the MG ZS may now be just another crossover, but it was once a hot hatch. This beefed-up Rover 45 sports a fruity 2.5-litre engine it its most potent guise - though 1.8 cars are more common at this price
The Ford Fiesta has long dominated the UK's top-selling car charts - and the result of that is there's an absolute boatload of them on the used market. A 500 budget will nab a well-used Mk V exampleplaceholder image
The Ford Fiesta has long dominated the UK's top-selling car charts - and the result of that is there's an absolute boatload of them on the used market. A 500 budget will nab a well-used Mk V example
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