What would you recommend?

[Hendry]

I need some suggestions from those more in the know about old cars than me. Theoretically if I wanted to buy a car for £500 or less what would you suggest?

 

Criteria:

- relatively reliable (ie wont break down or fail to start often, won't suffer huge failures eg DMFs, Turbos and gearboxes)

- not Japanese or Korean, and definitely not a Fiat

- not something tiny like a Ka or a Saxo.

- decent amount of kit, minimum of power steering, central locking and electric windows.

[trigger]

Nissan Bluebird.

[Cheggers]

Not terribly sexy, but Mondeo or Vectra would fit the bill

[ShiteRider]

Isn't someone on here selling an M-reg fiesta (with PAS) for £300?

Otherwise get the bluey like Trig' said.

[outlaw118]

Yep, Retrogeezer's Bluebird. All the car you could ever need. Unless you wanted something to impress chavs with. But just buy them a few bottles of WKD blue, and they're anybodys, and the back seat is spacious enough for teabagging. probably.

[skattrd]

Bluebird - Retrogeezer

Merc 300 - Dollywobbler

Fiesta - sorry don't know

There's a few other motors been mentioned on here recently.

 

???  - Cavette (he's usually pimping something )

[Hendry]

I need some suggestions from those more in the know about old cars than me. Theoretically if I wanted to buy a car for £500 or less what would you suggest?

Criteria:

- relatively reliable (ie wont break down or fail to start often, won't suffer huge failures eg DMFs, Turbos and gearboxes)

- not Japanese or Korean, and definitely not a Fiat

- not something tiny like a Ka or a Saxo.

- decent amount of kit, minimum of power steering, central locking and electric windows.

  

Yep, Retrogeezer's Bluebird. All the car you could ever need. Unless you wanted something to impress chavs with. But just buy them a few bottles of WKD blue, and they're anybodys, and the back seat is spacious enough for teabagging. probably.

Evidently didn't see the bit about it not being Japanese.

 

And if I want to impress chav birds I've got my 59 plate Clio, I'm sure flinging on a big bore exhaust, some neon lights and the latest Clubland in the CD player would do that for me.

[M'coli]

Isn't Retrogeezer's Bluebird Sunderland built then?

[Hendry]

Isn't Retrogeezer's Bluebird Sunderland built then?

Nissan are still a Japanese company, thus they have dull, boring bland interiors just like most cars produced by Japanese/Korean companies do.

[outlaw118]

Correct, didn't read OP properly. I have an excuse....errr...I'm on crack.

[garethj]

A dull interior?  It's got two tripmeters, for pity's sake!

[Albert Ross]

Are you on the right forum? You WANT all the "Go wrong" crap for some bits, but DON'T WANT the "go wrong" crap that is offered ? Have a word!  PAS is just over rated, and ready to leak in an expensive manner, central locking suggests you carry a lot of passengers, and electric windows? Turning a handle is too much effort? Hmmm.

[Spiny Norman]

Nissan are still a Japanese company, thus they have dull, boring bland interiors just like most cars produced by Japanese/Korean companies do.

 

 

Says the man with the 59 reg Clio......

 

[Hendry]

Are you on the right forum? You WANT all the "Go wrong" crap for some bits, but DON'T WANT the "go wrong" crap that is offered ? Have a word! PAS is just over rated, and ready to leak in an expensive manner, central locking suggests you carry a lot of passengers, and electric windows? Turning a handle is too much effort? Hmmm.

Says the man with the 59 reg Clio......

 

I'm going to level with you, I'm 26, I've never driven a car without PAS so I'd prefer to have it, I carry passengers often enough to make central locking useful and electric windows were a preference ie if I could have a car with or without I'd pick the one with.

 

As for the picture, that's a 2001 - 2005 ie mk2 Clio interior mines a mk3. And to be honest that interior is a damn sight nicer than anything the Japs have to offer, compare a similar year Micra interior and see how bad it is.

[Cavcraft]

Nissan are still a Japanese company, thus they have dull, boring bland interiors just like most cars produced by Japanese/Korean companies do.

 

I like the way for £500 or less you can afford to be fussy. Good luck with your search, it reminds me of all those other people on the internet who post messages on forums asking for cheap cars, then get offered shit loads of bargains but turn them down because 'my sister's mate had one and said they are rubbish, because the tyre valve core leaked' or because nobody with a Mk1 Escort Mexico for £43 and a bag of Revels got in touch.

I suppose what I'm saying (in a round about way) is that you're never going to be truly happy and you've watched too many Wheeler Dealers or whatever. I therefore suggest you go along to CarCraft, pull your pants down and await the inevitable dry bumming you're going to get.   

[red5]

Or buy my Fiesta MkIII.

 

See thread. And so on. Or be bummed at twatcraft.

 

Win.

[Morgan84]

£500 is scraping the bottom of the barrel a bit, but you can find some really nice cars still, but they won't be 'perfect'. What I would look for would be

 

1) MK3 Cavalier - LS upwards will have the electric windows, PAS, Central locking etc

2) Astra 'F' aka MK3  Again will offer a decent spec if you aim LS and above

3) Peugeot 306

4) Peugoet 405

5) Saab 900

6) Volvo 440

7) Volvo 740

8)VW Passat

[John F]

Calibra, while they're still cheap...

[skattrd]

I quite like cars without PAS I find it can give the handling a better feel. The only time you really notice it is in tight parking situations, which require a bit of extra muscle, but you get used to it. Of the two Lancia's beta's I have I prefer the handling of the one without PAS.

 

VW Scirocco's don't have PAS, alot don't have c/l or electric windows, but I really rate them and can occasionally be found within your budget. They are only a 2+2 though and require back seat passengers to be vertically challenged, on the plus side the boot is huge.

 

Maybe you should specify what age and size/type of car you're after..

Why don't you want a Japanese car? They're usually very reliable and I don't find the interiors any better/worse than European cars of a similar age.

[Jim Bell]

Get a brand new Kia Rio on 0% apr.

Doesn't sound like you'd get on well with unreliable low spec chod.

 

Maybe try signing up for the voc forum and ask what Saabs they'd recommend.

[Richard]

Citroen C5. Everybody hates them so a £500 C5 will be miles better than a £500 Vectra or Mondeo. Loads of room, just the right number of toys in the LX version, and they are no less reliable than anything else from the 21st century.

[dollywobbler]

I would have thought my Merc would be spot on (thanks for suggesting it folks). Otherwise, a Mk1 Mondeo seems a lot of car for the money.

[Lacquer Peel]

I don't see what's so dull about Japanese cars vs. the majority of their dull European rivals.

 

Sounds like you aren't particularly interested in cars, so I'd recommend a Vauxhall.

[Albert Ross]

I drive a large vehicle with none of the things you find essential. PAS is over rated. My motor is currently sitting at close to 3 tons, as I have a Transit diesel engine and a Land Rover gearbox in the back. It has sliding windows. It has extremely manual locking. I manage perfectly, and round town, no problems with being a limp wristed faggot... To truly become a shiter, you need to embrace shite. You appear to be shunning the simplicity that brought you here. I suggest sackcloth, itchy underwear, a diet of bread and warm water, which might go some way to educating you in the "Way of the Shiter". It's like a pilgrimage you see. You need to visit the sites of Ryton, Longbridge, Wilnecote, Luton (Yeah, I know, Vauxhalls are shit) etc, and pay your respects to the unions and sense of fairplay that crafted some of the finest vehicles known to mankind. And how those fine vehicles brought about their own demise, by being so utterly crap that the Nips snuck in and raped the UK car industry, before fucking off again, leaving us their half-bred Bastard children... I'm looking at you, Toyota Carina E, and Nissan Bluebird, also see Hondas built in Swindon...... I seem to think you might be trying to have three feet in different camps. French? Come on.. you need a R16 which will leave you utterly bewildered at times, and lusting after a GSA. I have more to say on this.... I AM A SHITER, through and through, I embrace shite. I have three Series Land Rovers, and a derelict 1989 Sierra. Yup, no PAS, keep fit windows, and amazingly, functioning Central Locking. Yes, I bemoan CL, but it was fitted before I bought it. I paid £70 for the whole car, taxed and tested. Now go out and find shite, not some ponced up dog parlour on wheels.

[Hendry]

Lol at the suggestions of buying a brand new Kia Rio on finance or going to Carcraft, I've already got a 59 plate Clio for daily driver duties and all that that brings, I want a shitter because I like them.

 

Peugeot 306 is a good suggestion, I like the look of them but are they not infinitely more hassle than they are worth?

 

What's your thoughts on a mk6 Escort? Will they all be rotten to the point of needing reshelled like most Fords of that era?

[J-T]

Pug 306, hassle?

 

I really don't understand posts like this. Why not just write something like

 

Can you suggest a car for under £500, ideally it should have 12 months MOT and 6 months tax, have every factory fitted extra with all of them still functioning perfectly, zero rust, no blemishes, I would like 60 plus mpg and 150 mph. However, it must also be certain type of pearlescent blue as any other colour offends me and it must only have been registered between jan - feb 1996 because any other date holds bad memories for me. I did see something advertised that fitted the bill perfectly but unfortunately it was over 10 miles away so much too far to travel.

 

There are an infinite number of suggestions to your given brief but I really can't be arsed!

[meggersdog]

 

There are an infinite number of suggestions to your given brief but I really can't be arsed!

 

Piss off back to the AS face-ache page would be my suggestion

[red5]

The only solution is to but red5's Fiesta. PAS, CDL, wireless...Mot. And I hear the vendor is ace.

[Spiny Norman]

This is going well, isn't it?......

 

Best way to buy chod is first go to the supermarket and buy some beer/wine/absinthe. Drink said beverage and go on Ebay, ideally at about 2 in the morning.

Bid willy-nilly on anything that looks like you'd want paying to take it away and when you get the notification through that you're now the proud owner of a brown Polonez that hasn't been MOTd yet this century, come back and share your joy with us.

[Micrashed]

You could do worse than a 1999 1.0 Micra with migraine inducing trim.

Its built in Sunderland so kind of British, and manages to adopt all those interesting squeaks and rattles that made UK built cars of the 70's so wonderful to drive.