Best load lugger without OMGMPG

[Mr Livered]

I'm looking for a largish vehicle which can seat five people plus luggage, and which would be big enough for me and the mrs to kip in when we go away on our own.

 

I'm tempted by something really big like the LDV that Wilko has. The alternative would be a big estate like a Volvo, or:

 

...which is currently on ebay for a reasonable sum.

 

That Merc, although nice-looking, is pez, and an auto. Slightly concerned it might bankrupt me to fill the tank - does anyone know what the realistic mpg might be on something like this? If it would be really bad (as in, significantly worse than my Saab 900 turbo) maybe I should rethink and get a dizzler.

 

Any other suggestions of course gratefully received.

[warren t claim]

What engine is in the Merc? My E200 was pretty economical returning 40 mpg on a run and about 28 around the doors.

[hairnet]

passat diesel

[Mr Livered]

What engine is in the Merc? My E200 was pretty economical returning 40 mpg on a run and about 28 around the doors.

Err I think it's a pretty standard straight 4, possibly 1.8 litre, 16 valves... if I could get 40mpg on a motorway run I'd be well happy with that!

[Micrashed]

Mrs Micrasheds C8 gets 40 and more on a run (HDi donkey) and of course there is the cheaper Synergie version of the same.

[Rocket88]

Pug 504 7 seater estate n/a dizzler. Mine refuses to use any fuel at all, getting 42 mpg over here............slowly, mind.

[Lacquer Peel]

Chevrolet Caprice 5.7 V8 diesel.

[vulgalour]

Ambassador or Princess could be exactly what you're looking for.  Easily converted into a removal van at short notice and returns around 20mpg around town and nearly 40mpg on a run.  Massive fuel tank so you rarely have to stop to fill up and a boot that can fit at least two full grown adults in.  Front seats fold completely flat and when the head restraints are removed they line up with the rear seat to give you two single beds.

 

What could possibly go wrong with this choice?

[dollywobbler]

XM diesel estate. Far more economical than a big Merc, and just as enormous.

[vulgalour]

If you can find a non-rusty one, a BX estate would also fit the bill.  Supremely competent machines and can be run on veg so OMGMPG would never happen.

[Mr Livered]

Ambassador or Princess could be exactly what you're looking for.

I do like those, and have admired yours. But that leads me onto what is probably a silly noob ebay question:

 

There's an Ambassador on the bay right about here. I've popped a cheeky bid in, and it now says that I'm the high bidder but the reserve price hasn't been reached. Thing is, I can increase my maximum bid but the actual bid won't go up unless someone else also bids against me.

 

So unless someone else comes along and tries to win it, I can't bid this car up to the reserve price. Or can I? Do I have to wait until it doesn't sell and then try and get the deal done by exchanging messages with the seller?

[skattrd]

If you are currently high bidder on ebay and you bid again, but your bid is below reserve then it won't show anything more. If your bid equals or exceeds the reserve then it will show up as highest bidder and reserve met, and the high bid showing will be the reserve.

 

Hopefully that makes sense ...

 

I see the Ambassador is up to £999 now ... that looks like what the reserve was to me.

[Mr Livered]

Ok, cheers. It's academic now because someone who seems to be much richer than I am appears to have taken an interest in it.

[vulgalour]

There's a far cheaper Ambassador in Dollywobbler's neck of the woods I seem to recall.

[Sigmund Fraud]

If you can live with 30MPG, a Volvo 745/945 is the way forward.

 

Lots of space for people and stuff, well built where it matters (interiors are shite), reliable and easy to fix in the unlikely event they go wrong, brilliant rustproofing in post-88 models.

 

Go for the 2300cc naturally aspirated version, buy on condition rather than mileage and you'll be onto a WINNAR !

[Junkman]

Why is everybody so grossly underestimating the Piggy 405 estate?

 

 

I'm looking for a largish vehicle which can seat five people plus luggage, and which would be big enough for me and the mrs to kip in when we go away on our own.

 

Name one thing of the above a 405 can't do and then some.

[Mr Livered]

TBH although you are doubtless correct about the Pug, Rustman, I just don't like 'em. They lack a certain je ne sais quoi.

 

Which is shooting myself in the foot, I appreciate - particularly given the excellent rustproofing that these cars had.

[Richard]

Citroen C5 HDi estate with the 2.0 8V engine. Loads of room, dirt cheap and tougher than they look.

[hairnet]

xsara dizzle estate

 

we were considering one till the fiesta decided to pass the mot

 

not sure about the two people kipping in it tho not that wide are they

[Cavcraft]

306 diesel estate in green.

[twosmoke300]

Vectra b estate with the 2.0 dti motor. Bought mine with 114k and put another 60k on it over 5 years. Did 45 mpg round the doors in cornwall and 50 odd on a run. Bit dull but a great car.

[Mr Livered]

Well I was testing an Android app called "ebay sniper" which attempts to win items for you by placing bids on your behalf at the last minute, and I appear to have accidentally won that Merc. So much for no OMGMPG.

[MrDuke]

Claim that your 6-month-old dog 'won' the Merc because he thought it was a Pokemon card. Or something.

 

Then get a Xantia TD estate. Same inter-stellar vegetarian engine as the Pug 405 (or an HDi if you go for a facelift model), acres of interior space, and surprisingly fun to drive. Incredibly well-built, and not just by French standards. If anyone tries to tell you that the hydraulics will break and cost hundreds to fix, punch them really hard and tell them to stop listening to rubbish. (Why yes, I am slightly biased)

[Albert Ross]

Before your revelation about "accidentally" *winning the Sausage munching wagon, I would have suggested the Astra F 1.7 Turbo Diesel (Isuzu) but pre 1995 facelift. They're tunable to a good 130 brake and tend to hold together fairly well for a rotbox.

[brickwall]

I had two luggers that were of note. One was the 2.0 Gti Montego..cheap to run and a really huge boxy boot and the other was the 6 cylinder 2.8 Audi 100 Quattro Avant (1995) Surprisingly good on juice. It was very rare and folk used to try to buy it in supermarket car-parks and stuff. Diff lock too!!

[RichardMoss]

Chrysler Grand Voyager diesel (or V6 with LPG).  Big, comfy, affordable and shitey enough for this forum.  I used to do 1600 miles in 2.5 days  on trips between the UK and Spain (or vIce versa of course) - no aches and pains and even on petrol the 3.3L auto would cruise at 28-29mpg. 

[Junkman]

TBH although you are doubtless correct about the Pug, Rustman, I just don't like 'em. They lack a certain je ne sais quoi.

OK, I can understand that.

 

The only alternative I can suggest is a Yank Wagon though, since I just don't like any other estates for similar reasons you dislike the 405.

[Lacquer Peel]

If you can live with 30MPG, a Volvo 745/945 is the way forward.

 

Lots of space for people and stuff, well built where it matters (interiors are shite), reliable and easy to fix in the unlikely event they go wrong, brilliant rustproofing in post-88 models.

 

Go for the 2300cc naturally aspirated version, buy on condition rather than mileage and you'll be onto a WINNAR !

 

If you can live with something that sounds like an industrial generator and smokes like a steam engine, the turbo diesels achieve about 40MPG on a long run and will chug away happily on veg if it's thinned down.

[Cavcraft]

If you can live with something that sounds like an industrial generator and smokes like a steam engine,

 

 

I do, but she's packed the fags in now.

[eddyramrod]

If I'd seen this thread yesterday I would have tried to redeem my havering over Mr Rawy's excellent Volvo by nudging you in that direction; it'll certainly do what you wanted.  However, there seems little point now.  Serves me right for doing stuff like going to work, and sleeping (not at the same time!).  Never mind, just delight us with the collection thread.