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Volvo 240 2.0 circa 1991, just wondering if it has the wretched cambelt affliction?
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probably got the b21 engine, which is a toothed belt.
However I dont know if its an interference engine, ie if a belt failure is engine terminal.
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Thanks chap, just wanted to know if I should take a belt change into account when looking at them.
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wow someone going on the bangers or bust praque run this summer?
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Always :-) im lining myself up to be a contributer to Practical Classics at the rate Im going!
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And your wife will be a good a contender to be a contributor to Heat magazine the way you're going!!
I bet she now dreads what you will buy next! I would go the entire hog and just buy a Morris Marina.
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I am half tempted myself. I've always fancied a Marina purely to find out if it was possible to build a car worse than a Lada Riva.
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wo wo wo
morris marinas were good cars at the time
economic reliable and cheap in the second hand market
they were buckets cheaper than rustbucket escorts
i was there
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But erm apparantly they did not go wrong corners very well! But then I never drove one so I can't comment.
But there must be a reason why it features in just about every worst car ever made book, but then I think every 1970's BL product does!
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If you get a Marina it just has to be the 1.8... pulls like a train in that body... well it did back in the day.
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It did - I nearly crashed one when that torque unleashed its power to the back wheels in the damp - nearly put me off RWD for life.
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Part of my life initiation was hassling Mum to allow me to take her Marina 1.8 Estate out to the next town just a few hours after passing my test.... 80mph felt very good! I passed my test in that car so feel some affinity to the sand beige motor with blue plastic seats.
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a very unstressed engine with bags of torque it had a short throw crank see
the let down was the gearbox
but
if you were slow with the gear changes as you could beat the snychro hubs otherwise its was a delightful engine that rewarded with excellent economy
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Indeed:-) If I recall, the 1.8TC was the MGB engine wasn't it? It's easy to look back and laugh but they were the simplest of cars to work on. I remember a few of us changing an engine in an easy morning, in the driveway on a sunny day. Cylinder head could be changed in half an hour!
Wouldn't go back to one though!
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My wife is actually fully in support, she keeps a close check on what Im looking at and takes a keen interest. Shes perfect :-) Like a short Jodie Kidd!
I will never buy some old British junk sorry, ive never done it and thats not gonna change. Have to draw the line somewhere.
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Would a Datsun 120Y be better suited to you then?
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Too old Rattle, I like late 80's to mid-90's cars because they are cheap but most have fuel injection so are fairly reliable . I dont want a relic, I want something I can get in and drive without messing about.
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I was only half joking :)
What about a Nissan Primera with a cam?
The easiest way to do this is to just go to Autotrader and find all the cars under £1k within a decent distance and then make a short list. There maybe sold rather unusual cars which come up.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Wed 28 Apr 10 at 23:10
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Im still hankering in the Swedish direction right now, have done for some years now.
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I am sure there are lots of cheap Saab's going right now. What about a late 80's/early 90's pre GM Saab 900?
I would be tempted to just to buy some massive Volvo though. An S80 may be in your budget. A customer has one, a 99V on 180k he reckons its worth £700 and its mint. It has a big 2.5 ( I think) 5 cylinder engine though.
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Ah but Rattle, running bangers is not just about purchase price, its about the list of things to go wrong and write-off the car - the simpler the car the better and the easier to fix.
Im not scared when I open my Mazdas bonnet as I know most of what Im looking at - if you want to run a cheap car cheaply, the less there is to break, the less you have to spend to keep it going.
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Running bangers is usually about saving money....
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Well within your budget, Stu: ebay items numbers
220589080753 170472249527
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A saloon is out really as its hard to lift stuff out the back when Im working. Big hatchback or estate will do the job.
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What about a Kia Rio? You can get a good early 2000's for £1k with low milleage and FSH.
Sounds like you really want something a bit more luxury though. Would you consider a GM Saab?
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Thu 29 Apr 10 at 11:50
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Estate versions of the W124 available too.
Or what about a diesel Primera which you can run on cooking fat?
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I was looking around at mid 90's 900s Rattle but most seem rather tired. The earlier ones that I really like seem to be selling for astronomical sums atm.
Primera is in the same catagory as the Escort - worthy but snoozeville or even worse, ill look like a minicab :-) Infact most of them prob were minicabs.
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There's always the 2.0 Marea estate.
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But are they really reliable? I also heard that the cambelt change is a mega job which mean mega money, ie, not value motoring. Maybe a smaller engine one if they are less complex.
Last edited by: stunorthants29 on Thu 29 Apr 10 at 13:09
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Stu, have you thought about a Toyota from the nineties - a mate has a Camry estate which has racked up mega miles and is still very reliable. Would a Corolla be big enough? I know that they probably don't fulfil the 'interesting' criterion and I've no idea what they go for, but would it be worth a look?
Nissan Almera any good?
There's an absolutely mint Volvo 240 estate near me (1990/1 H reg in white) - if you can find a decent one it should serve you well, I'd have thought.
Good luck with the search.
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I was very tempted by a Camry - dull to drive perhaps but atleast not too common and well engineered, which I love in a car - they dont do a reliable 40 mpg which is the lowest I can manage with petrol on the up. A Corolla is big enough certainly and I have scouted a few 1.3 models.
Almera leaves me cold, not sure why.
I do adore the 240 but again, its the economy that puts me off - I do 12-14,000 a year so it does have a fair weight on the decision, more so than road tax or insurance both of which are negligable ( insurance on a 240 estate is cheaper pm than my Charade! ).
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I bet you could pick up a Stilo Multiwagon JTD for very little too. Reliable engine, fitted in loads of makes, so parts won't be an issue.
Although there's the cambelt, the cambelt......................maybe a Vauxhall indie could do one for a decent price?
I reckon these are the most overlooked value estate cars around. Mine was luvverly and I only changed it because we needed an auto. Quite miss it, really.
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>> Primera is in the same catagory as the Escort - worthy but snoozeville or even
>> worse ill look like a minicab :-)
But I thought the Primera was at least supposed to be an entertaining car to drive. Don't know about the diesel, but would a 2.0 petrol be worth a look?
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>> probably got the b21 engine which is a toothed belt.
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>> However I dont know if its an interference engine ie if a belt failure is
>> engine terminal.
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No, by 1991 it will be B200 or B230.
But they are all toothed belts. Some engines are interference, some not.
The belts are reliable, but repay changing at 40-50,000 miles. It's a very straightforward job.
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The belt may not be a problem if you can find a car that has had it changed in in the last couple of years.
A chain on a car which has had infrequent oil changes is just as bad.
A Volvo 240 is dull but they are quite rare now they are interesting cars and I always smile when I see one. A Camry is probably too rare now.
I've always fancied a nice big Volvo myself but I am too young. It would save me a packed on insurance though! Nobody boy races in an old 240 which is one reason they are so cheap to insure.
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There is a Camry and a Volvo 240 estate living in my street. And a Citroen C6. And 2 Smart Roadsters (OK, one is ours). I think I live amongst an eclectic bunch who care not what others think.
Another curiosity in my street: Mk1 Fiesta XR2 (no i).
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You want value for money?
You've gotta go for a big 'un.
The mentality of spending 000's to save 5 or 6 quid at fill-up time keeps the Camrys, Scorpios and Omegas of the world nice and cheap, compared to Festers and Disastras.
Penny-wise, pound-foolish?
Go to an auction, take NO money to stop the inevitable I WANT IT from taking over ;-), and have a look at what's passing through. Alway go during the week to see what the dealers are looking at.
It may show what you can reach for within a given budget.
2002 Mondeo TD top-of-the-range with leather,etc and 70-100k miles should be 1200-1300 quid as a f'rinstance. Late-90s Honda Accord hatch may be around that also.
Also, as you run your own vehicle-related business, I assume you have trade discount for accessing parts/servicing items to keep runnign costs down ?
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Cambelt or chain? - Zero
