UKC

What would you buy?

Realistically it's going to be an estate and i'm torn between an older Volvo or Audi or a newer Peugeot or VW.

But I'm open to any ideas. I could blow it all and get a nice little soft-top....

In reply to alj:
Probably a VW Golf, VW Passat, or a Volvo V40...
but I don't have £5000, sob.

In reply to alj:

Citroen Picasso (technically it's an estate)

In reply to alj: If I had 5 grand, I'd still buy a cheap banger £500-£600 tops. Then I'd use the rest to go on a fantastic trip. Oooooh, either that or I'd spend a couple of grand getting a van, and go on a trip too.

In reply to alj:
Japanese. Boring, but reliable.

Mazda 323? Fuel hungry tho'.
Almera? Smaller, very low cost to run, 40mpg. Boring as hell.

Or a

Ford Mondeo? Great value for money. Not too shabby on reliability.

djb

In reply to Anonymous:
What about the ford focus estates?

In reply to alj:

Don't buy a pissing peugeot. I thought buy a solid french diesel- when in France if I do have any breakdowns it won't be A problem. The problem is the diesel engine may be solid but the rest of the car is a bag of shite. I am now £550 worse off and for what: A new wheel baring, hub and a pair of drum brakes.

Go for a boring but reliable German or Japanese car.

In reply to the sheep:

Id go for that, 5000 would get you a good one. Nic has one and its fine, really good climbers/campers car

In reply to alj:

i'd go for the diesel passat option....should be able to get one from 2002ish with not too high miles.

In reply to alj:

Do not, repeat do not by anything French. The electrics are notoriously bad.

Oh yeah Mondeo is a good option too.

In reply to alj:

Do you want the estate for the boot space, or do you need the extra passenger space too? If it's the former might be worth looking at the Skoda Fabia Estates.

In reply to alj:

If it's a one off £5000 then you need something that is reliable and with cheap repair costs etc, something like a Vectra or a Mundano. You'd get a very good car at that price. My V6 CDX is fully loaded, quite rapid and was only £2000 with 56,000 on the clock.

If you have a bit of cash anyway, I'd personally go for a Volvo V70 (2.3 not the 2.5) or an Audi, maybe an old S2...I really like these.

Suppose it depends what you want it for and what you like in a car. I like them quite fast and not too bothered about consumption etc which is why I suggest them. If not then go for one of these great TDI's around, a Skoda or Passatt. Wouldn't have a Peugeot myself.

Andi

In reply to alj:

Buy anything with a toyota badge. Don't worry about the milage on it. Boring but you'll NEVER have any major problems with it.

Sorted.

In reply to alj: it has to be an audi...they go on forever but having said that vw have a very similar build quality.

In reply to alj:
don't have a peugeot, the gear linkage is weak (had to fix mine twice) and the electrics are rubbish (had a faulty indicator switch and the ECU controlling the indicators required rebooting every other day and would have cost £500 to replace).

I spent £5100 for a 51plate honda civic with 49000 on the clock. Got the AA to check it and they said it was fine. It's still early days yet, but so far so good, and it handles pretty well.

In reply to alj:

Get a Skoda Octavia. They are cheap, reliable and always seem to be at the top of customer satisfaction surveys. Other good option is a Mitusubushi. They have savage savage depreciation and are bomb-proof. Years of cheap motoring....

As to the other suggestions, Peugeots are dreadful and VWs are overpriced. I know a couple of people who describe their Audi A4 estates as a reverse tardis.

You can get a 3-4 year old Jaguar X-type with a 2L diesel engine and about 90k on the clock for about 5-6k.

In reply to alj:
Skoda Octavia TDi, or seat toledo tdi, both are pretty much the vw or audi versions just cheaper and you will get them with less milage on than an equivalent vw or audi.

I have just bought a toledo and love it

In reply to alj:

Another vote for Mondeo Estate

In reply to Graham T:
like others i'd spend 1500 and put the rest in the bank if i was after an estate type car not something fun. if however i had to spend 5000 i'd probably go japanese. if i still wanted to have some fun maybe a bmw tourer.
for all the hype everybody i know with VAG cars seems to end up shelling out for very expensive repairs at some point. and french tends to mean niggling electrical faults and trim that ratles.

In reply to Franklin the pedantic cat:

As is your spelling

In reply to ANDY HUDSON:

Oops

<hangs head in shame>

In reply to Trigoc: (and others)

You've been unlucky. My peugot 106 has 132k on the clock and is still going strong. The head gasket is a weak point on older models, but the body work is solid as a rock and I'v had zero problems with the electrics. Exhaust gets rusty every year or so, but I do a lot of driving along muddy country roads, and its not an expensive repair. I'd happily get another.

In reply to alj: Argh!

I was getting all excited and then you went and ruined it by saying it's realistically going to be an estate...

I don't do estates

In reply to alj: As mentioned any German VAG car, Diesel preferably. I have a Golf TDI and regularly return over 60MPG on out of town trips. However they can be, as mentioned, expensive to repair or maintain. I forked out about 450 quid for a new cam belt and brake fluid change. The sad thing is I am an ex-mechanic, but I had nowhere to do the job. It is often best to find a garage (non dealer) that specializes in that breed of car.

In reply to alj: Just bought a VW Passat estate TDI sport on a 52 plate. Got it so we can throw all the toys in it (mountain bikes) or on it (sea kayaks) but it'll still go and have good fuel economy. Took my car mechanic mate along and he was very disappointed as he couldnt find anything wrong with it. Looked at BMW 320 diesel estates but the 320 is known for blowing turbos. The Skoda Octavia is very highly rated but the one with roof rails (Elegance I think), is as rare as hens teeth and never stays on forecourts for too long before they are snapped up.

In reply to scotty_webster: Spent £4500 on an Audi A4 (1995 model) 5 and half years ago. The car still drives fab, isn't too thirsty if you don't hammer it and I reckon I spend about £400 a year on MOT, parts and servicing. I'm gonna see how long it'll last

In reply to all:

Thanks muchly! So basically I should ditch the Peugeot idea and start thinking Japenese. I'm actually very tempted by the Skoda although as a child of the 70s / 80s the thought of owning a skoda causes my brain to short-circuit.

I have a similar problem with Fords. I'm just not sure I could own a Ford!

BB - I'm still coming to terms with the thought of buying an estate too. They're big, I'm guaranteed to hit something when parking it, they're ugly (generally) BUT they're big and you can fit lots of climbing gear and people and surfboards and children (not just yet but sometime soon)in them.

In reply to alj:

As someone posted when i asked a similar question;
http://www.channel4.com/4car/ft/feature/feature/10234/#article

In reply to alj:

id buy a boat

In reply to alj:


Would really depend what it was going to be used for, how long you plan to keep it, what you can afford to run/insure, how guilty you feel about your fuel consumption how you like to drive, etc etc...

Personally I'd go for an E39 540i Touring with about 100K on the clock and stick the remaining 2 grand in the bank.

Or a really mint BMW E30 318iS for £800 if you don't need space for a dog in the back.

jk

In reply to alj: Just for the hell of it....a nicely restored MG Midget - pre 1972 with a heritage replacement shell.
Should get a near perfect example from a "Private" seller

In reply to alj: I'd never spend 5 grand on a car. Two, or maybe three if it was something special, would get me all I could need or want.

In reply to lasonj:

I like your style!

In reply to BrianT and all those who recommend buying a banger: I'd be interested to hear what mileage you do.

After putting up with cheap, old cars for long enough, I finally spent a bit more (£4000) on a car in order to buy myself a few years where I wouldn't have to stand by the side of the road waiting for the AA. I'd done that often enough and I wanted to increase the odds that, when I set off for a weekend, I'd actually get there and, usually, back again.

Sadly, with my car, that time has run out, but I bought myself a few years and many trips to Scotland, Wales, Lakes, France etc.

In reply to alj: an E36 M3 EV0 which is what im having next.can pick them up for around £5k

In reply to El Greyo: It is hit or miss with any second hand car you buy regardless of wether you spend a few hundred or a few grand. For me personally, cars are a false econenomy(sp?) I've had abs fantastic cars for a couple of hundred and I've had pish ones. I always have a high mileage, ie traveled a hundred miles every weekend to drop daughter at fathers, then hundreds more to go climbing. My cars have been all over Britain. The last few cars I've had have been duff, but in the majority of cases it's cause I've done something wrong. The Cavalier I had, was pissing out water and instead of getting it fixed, I tried to drive home (only a few miles away!) and seized the engine. Rover I had before that, I ran over a sheep, lol and was cheaper to buy a new car. Best car I ever had was a Fiat Panda, travelled up to Fort William from Dundee every weekend, but I forgot to put oil in it and seized the engine

In reply to alj:

test drive about 6million cars when you got a free day. thats what I did and I ended up buying the one i enjoyed driving the most which happened to be a 206

In reply to alj:

Realistically I'd say never ever spend as much as £5000 on a car

In reply to alj: Thats just about all the major makes recommended and damned. Looks like time for the soft top.

In reply to alj:
If I had £5k to spend on a car I'd probably spend about £1500 and buy something else as well.
Either that or go for some totally impractical classic sports car...

In reply to SecretSquirrel: The great thing with a 5 grand car is that in about 6 months its a 4 grand one even if you wash and polish it

In reply to alj:

1995 W124 E280 Mercedes. Indestructible. 7 seats. Huge load area. Comfortable. Leather. A/C. Electric windows & roof. Classy but class-less. Capable of vast mileages. Depreciation proof. 190bhp and 30 mpg!!

Now if you're really lucky you can buy mine!

http://www.channel4.com/4car/ft/feature/feature/10234/

The team at 4car's suggestions if you ignore the obvious Volvo, BMW and Mercedes contenders.

In reply to beastofackworth:

An E36 M3 EVO Estate will be rare as hens teeth, can't find any on the net, probably cost a bit more than £5000 if you can find one. Mr. Beast, judging by your other posts you should get something to learn to drive properly in first.

Vauxhall Astra 1.7TD or 1.9TD. 50+ miles to the gallon. I've never had one breakdown on me. Have had 3 and done over 100K miles in each.

In reply to beastofackworth:

Get the 3L one. The con rod bolts don't stretch like they do in the Evo. Other than that... top motor and great value now.

jk

In reply to TMM:


Or even better, a W123 E Class. A vast but lovely barge of a car that can't help but calm and sooth even the most fanatical petrolhead.

Seriously, if I could find a mint one I'd have it and I only ever buy fast cars, they're just so relaxing and cool it doesn't matter they're dog slow.

jk

In reply to lasonj:

I had hoped someone had said this, it's just a car at the end of the day to get you to where ever, hopefully a fantastic trip or 2 as well.

In reply to alj:

Buy an oldish volvo estate for a couple of grand and spend the rest on climbing gear/a road trip

Josh.

In reply to craig h: Aye, that's the way I look at it but I guess some folk are into their fancy cars. I did have a Saab one time mind and that was braw, I felt rather posh driving that about. Sadly the gear box went after a couple of years and it was cheaper to buy a new car than get it fixed.

In reply to lasonj:

My next car will cost me £5000, don't think that's a lot to spend when I expect it will last me 8 years. Plus it's a bargain because I'm buying it off my sister who is emigrating.

The car I drive now was £6000 new, now 14 years old. Sometimes spending more initially means you spend less in the long run.

In reply to ebygomm: Not true (for me anyway) If I spend around £300 on a car then I can buy 16 cars (meaning 5 grand will last me 16yrs and not 8) for that price and only if more than half of them end up as duff cars does it become financially less worthwhile. Bearing in mind that I run my cars to the ground, don't bother with servicing etc and try to spend as little as poss on them.

In reply to alj:

VW Synchro Camper....

the ultimate climbers vehicle, go anywhere AND make a cup of tea.

The thinking mans totty (Alice Roberts, BBC Coast) has got a nice one, Synchro that is...

Dave

In reply to alj: Try a Skoda Octavia - reliable as you like and the estate version is cavernous. £5k may even get you into vRS territory (older with a few miles on the clock though). 1.8T petrol engine with loads of performance.

In reply to alj:
I've had 7 cars, as follows:
1965 Hillman Imp - cost £50: prone to blowing a gasket but generally reliable. Toured abroad in it, no problems.
1976 Hillan Imp - free: as above.
1984 Saab 99 - £450: great car. never a problem.
VW Golf - £800: Pile of shit. Unreliable as feck.
1985 Granada Scorpio - £850. Brilliant car, slightly battered but reliable and full of electronic wizardry. Sadly got nicked by asian neds from Bradford Moor.
1995 Scorpio Ultima Estate - £2200: Another ace car, comfortable, leather, electric everything, never owt wrong bar a cat needed replacing. Top of Ford's range when new. Written off by some asleep dick at Reiff.
1996 Scorpio Ultima Estate - £2600 - still going strong. About as much as I'd spend on a car. A great do it all car, and I'd not want anything more.

In reply to alj:

Theres an Audi A6 2.5tdi Quattro Avant on Autorader at the mo for £1995

Six speed and bags of room, 4x4 when its needed, run it on chip fat.

In reply to TimR:


zzzzzzzzz at learn to drive,i wouldnt need to if others didnt drive so crap.they didnt do an E36 M3 estate,thank god as i wouldnt have an estate,or a vauxhall for that matter

In reply to jkarran:

nah has to be the evo for me,the 3.0 isnt any faster than the fiat coupe 20vt i had plus i used to be a mechanic so changing rod bolts is no problem,changing a dodgy vanos system maybe though ouch at £2k

In reply to beastofackworth:


No but Alpina do some seriously rapid Tourings. Estates are so much better to sleep in.

jk

In reply to beastofackworth:


Have you tried a 20VT, it's far from slow! I wouldn't fix a failed vanos at that price. Whole S50B32 evo engines are less than £2K from a breaker and you can sell the failed one for a fair chunk, racers often lock the vanos system anyway.

jk

In reply to jkarran: yeah i had a fiat coupe 20vt for 2 years untill the engine let go on the m1 at xxxmph.couldnt justify repairing it so broke it for spairs and lost no money on it.
i wouldnt fix the vanos either,i would remove it and fit wilder cams and make do with a little less midrange torque.

i dont sleep in cars so dont need an estate for that

In reply to alj:

This classic example of British automotive "engineering"
http://static.flickr.com/92/211056287_95ef58a89e.jpg

just one question.....
how the hell do i get out of this thing?

uh oh. heh.

In reply to alj:

Vw passat 1.9tdi but it has to be at least 130bhp or it will be dull as dishwater to drive (I've got a 130 and it goes well).

Kev

In reply to arctickev:

You got a problem with dishwater?
Gimme back my tea then!

In reply to arctickev: all passats are dull to driver regardless of power,the steering feel is terrible and the suspension is wobbly

In reply to arctickev:

my mum had one that was chipped and went alarmingly fast. it made a pleasant change from my small trundlemobiles.

In reply to CJD:

I perked myself to a 2000 plate A4 Estate, 1.9.tdi. Good mileage, great condition, 4500 English pounds.

I wouldn't say no to a Passat though, bigger than an A4, nearer an A6 really. And once chipped they are well quick.