Well, my ideal car is: easy to get into, comfy seats, fairly good on fuel so app 35-40 mpg with vicar driving style, not a saloon. Must also give a fair nod in the direction of reliability and I dont want something with huge parts prices and complex electrics ( unless its a Toyota Camry ). Pref auto.
Start a new volume sounds good.
My needs dont really change, but Im prone to a flight of fancy on occasion.
Ive been happy with the Espero in general. It doesnt set my world on fire but on the whole, for a banger, its been very reliable. I bought it because there was potentially a looming issue with the Carina and I didnt want to wait and find out if it would happen soon or never, so I got my money back on that and the Espero was easily the best car out there for my cash at the time.
My shortlist so far is:
Toyota Picnic
Toyota Camry 2.2 estate
Suzuki Vitara 5dr
Last edited by: Pugugly on Thu 9 Dec 10 at 16:27
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OK, Stu, which of these three is the car you've chosen?
I find it very difficult, rtj, to believe that you'd rather get into a brand new smart than a 25 year old Volvo. Old cars aren't necessarily dangerous.
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No there not but at 25 yrs old it will break down and parts are becoming rare.
What is the budget & how tall are you? ( a question not many ask but if your over 6ft 3 the options are limited)
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Mm, dont start him off again although a thread on the subject isnt a bad idea as theres alot of differing opinion. Some people think anything more than a few years old is a death trap.
Ive not chosen anything yet, Im trying to take my time to find the right car ( the specific one rather than make/model ). Ive not seen an example of any of my shortlist so far which is for sale and in tempting cond but expanding the shortlist is where I am right now.
Budget is about £700 ish, less is better, more is possible if its worth it. Im only 5'5 so the issue is the height of the seat from the ground rather than headroom as Im finding it hard to step up and out of low slung cars. The wifes Sirion is ok as is dad Materia, so Im not talking about the need for a Range Rover, but also not something too low slung.
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Plenty of choice at 1k e bay is a good place to look and haggle as you can view before you make the bid.
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Oh ive been looking on there, nothing taken my fancy so far, mainly old junk for alotta cash. Ive got my eye on an automatic something that I might get if it comes in as cheap as I think it might, but its not a long term solution, just known for good seats and I very much have fallen out of love with manual gears.
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Stu - have a look at the last post in volume one, I meant to move it across.
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Yes, saw it. Such mixed opinions on the Omega. It does sound like buy a bad one and it will break your spirit, buy a good one and you will love it. Which doesnt help at all! Then again, most of the diesels ive seen look a bit past it.
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Still regret the day I shifted the Omega 3.0 Elite, just on the whim that I fancied something newer with less mileage. Great car, comfortable, good to drive, looked neat, hadn't cost me an arm and a leg (except the fuel!). It'd be on about 250k now if I'd kept it, but that's just running in.
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If your handy with the spanners the Wheeler Dealers always find a bargain is this the route you fancy something requiring some work?
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Im only handy with pre ECU cars and nothing too demanding. I use to do work on my Reliant and I can do things like rocker cover gaskets, plugs etc, but I dont task myself with anything which a monkey couldnt do.
Last edited by: stunorthants29 on Thu 9 Dec 10 at 22:13
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And a saloon. Ive always had it in my head that Mitsubishi has extremely expensive parts prices... I recall back in the day I had to get new wheel trims for a Spacewagon and they were over £100 at trade prices.
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A bit pricey, but:
tinyurl.com/2ahqy5e
I'm sure you could beat him down on price.
It's a handsome beggar, too.....
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Wow
I have never seen anything quite so hideous on the road. Its SO ugly its almost cool.
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And I quote: "BRILLIANT FOR YOUNG DRIVERS"
High seating position, automatic, legendary Far East reliability....
That front grille looks a bit Lancia-esque, too - now that is cool!
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I never said all old cars were deathtraps - the Reliant Stu was looking out for was. I would imagine an old E class Merc is pretty safe too.
Even for modern cars though, driving on motorways etc I'd want a fair bit of metal behind me. So I'd not want a Smart (ever). Stu has probably seen the photo of the Fiesta I had an accident in to know the length of car is important too. And being made of metal is quite useful too. But crumple zones are a good thing - the car absorbs the impact and not the occupants.
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>> Wow
>>
>> I have never seen anything quite so hideous on the road. Its SO ugly its
>> almost cool.
Yep. A bit of a handful in a crosswind, or when overtaking gb or pda in their lorries :)
Last edited by: corax on Fri 10 Dec 10 at 18:25
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Your assuming it would go fast enough to overtake anything :-)
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WTF.!! A pile of scrap that is you can do much much better.!!
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>>WTF.!! A pile of scrap that is you can do much much better.!!<<
Why don't you tell him what you REALLY think B/T
:-D
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That does look like a good buy MM. Almost bought a turbo import a few years ago.
Stu - just reading the brief at the top - are you really going to get 40mpg from a big heavy auto?
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Yes. I got 43-45 out of the Carina 1.6 auto and Im getting 35-38 mpg from the Espero which is a 2.0 manual not known for economy ( combined is 31 mpg ).
As such, I do tend to get the best out of cars in terms of fuel use.
Something that will do extra urban mpg of about 40ish would be enough.
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A V6 would be utterly wasted on me. I like them, but I dont drive fast enough to justify the poor economy really.
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I have just seen a 1976 Civic driving, and thought of you Stu. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Civic
Now that, I agree, I wouldn't want to take out of a 30mph zone. It's smaller than a modern Tesco shopping trolley!
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I cant get the Honda engined Rover 416 auto outta my mind, ex wife had 1994 one and it was superb, am I crazy to want one?
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>>I have just seen a 1976 Civic driving, and thought of you Stu. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Civic<<
Dare I admit to having owned one of those :( AND it was a Hondamatic!!
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Well, that was an evening I could do without.
The Espero is on life support due to its slipping cambelt and only when the belt is set up again and the cause of the slip fixed will we know if the engine is beyond help.
It still turns over albit with a clatter which he said means its not seized solid, but the clatter isnt heartwarming either. I suspect the engine is toast and even if it can be made to run ok, I dont think ill be hanging onto it, so its gonna be on Ebay running or not next week.
Id only yesterday said to the wife I think ill keep it till August. Ill keep my gob shut in future. I just put £50 of petrol in it and spent £75 on the exhaust. Grr.
Now yet again, I will have to buy something else in a hurry although I have dads Materia until middle of next week atleast. Thanks dad!
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Forget the Metro I am sure you have seen the NCAP results. I know we have done this thread before.....
The ZX looks ok but thought you said you only wanted a jap car?
I was thinking I have found the perfect car for you, the Londsdale not sure if the 20mpg would be a problem though!
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Haha. Im not too concerned about the NCAP issue, its better than a Reliant atleast and they handle well so id steer round things :-)
The 100 is a CVT auto, one of the best of its type, even HJ thinks so, makes up for the awful driving position.
I want Jap, but you try finding something that looks well cared for!
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What about a mid 90's Corrola?
The other issue with the Metros is they rust and rust. I remember when my dad had an accident in his Punto we had a 100 CVT as a hire car and we found that the Punto was better built in nearly way way.
But then if you're comparing it to a Kittnen.
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Just looking at that Metro and it also looks like it may have had a front end shunt but it can be hard to tell on photos.
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I think its just the bonnet is on the catch Rattle, esp as they took a picture of the engine.
The 100 is sort of a back up option right now incase I dont win what Im bidding on.
Because I worked with Rovers for many years, I know them extremely well, esp Metros because our workshop runner was a 1.1 Metro with 123k on the clock, which just ran and ran with just an oil change and MOT every year - we thrashed the hell outta it too which may have helped in many ways.
The Uno CVT is the direct rival to these really and they are horrible in every way.
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Was that an A or K series though? Actually don't think they made a 1.1 A series so must have been a K :).
The 1.1 8v didn't really suffer from the HG problems did it?
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The HGF happened with more frequency the bigger the engine got, so the 1.8 was the worst, the 1.6 common and the 1.4/1.1 rare. It was extremely unusual to see a 100/Metro in for HGF, infact I think I only ever saw one.
It can of course be avoided as the HGF is due to poor maintainance ( not changing coolant regular or using cheap stuff ) and the small coolant capacity means a leak is quickly an issue.
If I got that 100 it would be straight in for a cooling system flush, quality coolant and same goes for oil. Keep those two things fresh and those cars run and run. Id bet the cambelt is original too so id have that done at same time.
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But by the time you've done all that you might have got the Espero in great working order. Also don't the insurance company keep charging you an admin fee everytime you change a car?
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Nah, its maybe £200 worth of work Rattle. It would cost that just to dismantle the engine on the Espero. Trust when I tell you, that Espero is pickled.
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I want to like the ZX, I really do, but something about its photos just shouts **knackered**.
Metro looks worth a punt; I'd have thought it'd sell easily to someone who wants a cheap small automatic.
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I'd echo wot NickDownunder says + only 2.5 months mot on ze ZX.
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Yeah, the ZX, on paper is exactly what id want. A small, diesel estate. It has a tatty air about it and I can tell that its rather filthy, but if it was say £400, it might be worth it, accepting it could nee a few bits for its MOT.
Whats put me off a bit is that HJ isnt too glowing about it in terms of what goes wrong, but then to read owners reviews on Parkers, most are glowing. Ive only owned one Citroen in my life and it was a nightmare.
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My sisters BF has a ZX XUD and it has done 150k but had problems with it starting in cold weather which I think is due to glow plugs. It has been in the family for ten years and has never been a problem. He has just bought a brand new 107 though.
Generally if people are driving round in a car with missing light clusters (a legal requirement to be on the road) it is a good idea of how it has been treated.
Even my dad would get something like that seen to straight away.
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Well, the car I really wanted has slipped away, price jumped alot in last hour and I cant match it. Shame really. So Im onto other options now. Better have a closer look at the listings.
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In theory the ZX is a good car for you Stu... but I'm another that thinks it's at end of life. The guy is selling because he can't afford to run it which is confirmed by the bits he's mentioned need doing. And the front grille is broken. It's filthy inside showing a complete lack of care. That MOT expiry will come round on you very quickly too.
I'm a big Citroen supporter but an uncared for old ZX could bring you to despair.
All joking apart those Rover 100s were OK if you looked on them as a modern version of a 60/70s Mini. It would not be my choice as a daily driver but from what we've seen of your previous choices and comments the Rover could be an interesting way to get you back on the road in the short term.... just don't have a crash in it.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Sat 18 Dec 10 at 21:59
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I cant say id set out to bid on an automatic Metro, its not my first choice by any means, but with petrol going up, I have been looking harder at 5dr superminis as what I need in space terms in floor space rather than ultimate volume for my work stuff.
I know they ride very well and handle aswell due to the hydragas suspension ( which seems to be at the right height on this car ) and seats are comfy, so combined with the 1.4 engine, it shouldnt feel too much like a shopping car. Ill have a punt maybe, Im sort of 75% convince by it. Problem is, theres very little for sale worth buying!
Not sure what its worth really. To me its maybe worth max £650, but I can see it going higher.
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Stu, how's about this for a bargain stop gap?
tinyurl.com/324ez6o
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Not a bad idea althoug that car is over 100 miles away from me.
Im not sure how long I want a stop gap car to last. Right now I literally need wheels, but I think Im going to keep it until its MOT runs out, then prob 6 months after that and sell it on with 6 months ticket.
By that time ill be ready for a family car again and hopefully the market will be busier again.
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i probably missed a post somewhere but what happened to your toyota auto.
that looked and sounded an ideal car for you.
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It started using an alarming amount of oil and deposited a bit on the ground aswell, so I sold it to a bloke in London for more than it owed me.
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£112 it is. Sold to someone in Lincolnshire.
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My next car ;-) Volume 2. - Mapmaker
