Best car at "just being a car" you've ever owned

[solid61]

For me its my 55 plate stilo jtd,bought with 101k and ive taken it to 177k.Apart from regular thorough servicing and consumables it has only needed an airflow meter and a front spring,best car ive ever owned,regular 53 mpg and still brings a smile to my face when some of the TDI brigade try to leave it for dead,the look on their faces is a picture.Its still on the original clutch and exhaust,try to find a (quality german)??? car with similar mileage that has been as trouble free,you will struggle.

[gary_davidson]

It has to be the Kia Rio, we've had it over 5 years now and the worst that's happened is it failed to start first time, once.

yep it's modern and korean but there you go. 

[NorfolkNWeigh]

A 2003 BMW 525d, it. Was a stopgap that I ran from 140,000 to 320,000 miles in 2 years. When I first bought it I said I'll find some leather and M Sport wheels and bits for it on Ebay ,as it was super Pov spec- I was still saying that right up to it getting written off. Just never got round to it . The boring German bastard just kept trundling on in its small wheeled,sacking upholstery way. Always did 45mpg and kept up with the Aldis in the fast lane - all the car you'd ever need.

 

Edited to add the only picture I can find of it, brides transport at register office for friend of Mrs N - not really a wedding car but better than the Meriva they were going to use- bonus glimpse of Mrs N's CLK before it was rusty!

[Mr Lobster]

My Toledo. Done 70k in it so far and it just works. Its reliable, comfy, plenty of space and fits my life absolutely spot on. 

 

[myglaren]

Not an easy decision.

The 'N' reg Xantia covered huge distances effortlessly, comfortably and cheaply.

Only needed a new heater matrix, central exhaust pipe, brake disks & pads, tyres & fuel.

Followed by an 'L' reg Accord '2oils' which was very similar but only ever needed a couple of back boxes and a radiator.

 

Both written off - not by me.

 

The current C5 2.0 HDi and it's predecessor are strong contenders too.  Looks crap but goes well without any major worries.

[Pillock]

Actually, my 1303S Beetle. As a naïve new driver I didn't bother with any of that tedious maintenance stuff, instead choosing to bang 18k on it in two years. The petrol hose split once (alerted by smell rather than a firey death) and I jetwashed a hole in the C pillar once but it kept going through three break-ins, a year of motorway commuting and a five-up holiday in Cornwall.

 

The engine lived another year drag racing too, it was a rotten framehead that killed the car.

[HMC]

My current daily smoker fits that description. It may be bland but it has to be just about the best all round mode of transport I have owned. Cost pennies to buy and run, reliable, versetile. As a car being a soulless appliance it excells, which almost sounds like a criticism but isn't!

 

I think most of us need at least one such car in their life.

 

[sporty-shite]

Probably the current ZX. It's dull but comfortable and economical and was cheap to buy. It starts every day and gets me where I need to go. It's probably the leaat interesting car I've owned, but for the moment, needs must.

[mercrocker]

Ford were good at this sort of thing.... My 2.0 DOHC Granada hatchback did everything I needed from a car, toted loads of stuff, could do a ton all day, gave me 35mpg averages, kept me warm and was cheap to insure.   Unfortunately it stopped being a car 15 miles outside of Tours in France and its boringness failed to convince me to keep it once it was relayed home and repaired.   It was like one of those dependable, likeable and easy-going girlfriends that you just went off shagging....

[xtriple]

I'd have to say my old 'C' reg Cavelier estate. I bought it cheap to do up/MOT/sell on and make a buck. Life however, turned shitshape and it had to be pressed into rapid service. It was MOTd on the Friday morning needing nothing but a couple of bushes in the rear suspension and was traversing the highways and byways of Cornwall in the afternoon -400 miles in that day. ANd that was the way it carried on, it just did everything well, had a cam rattle from the day I got it and I never did a thing to it, never even changed the oil - did check it occasionally, but it never used any.

 

It had about 60.000 up when I got it and had about 120.000 when it got swapped in a carpark for something instantly forgettable a couple of years later.

 

During that time, it got hit up the rear three times! Always on the drivers side rear corner. I just kept buying rear light clusters, straightening it out (a bit) and collecting the insurance money! That car owed me -£1000s  I was well in profit on it even before it got swapped. I lent it to eveyone for moving houses/crap/general running around, used it myself for the same and I really liked it. It was rubbish really, noisy and battered (at the back!) and not that good on fuel, but it never failed to proceed, never failed to start regardless of how long it had been sat outside without being touched (weeks, months sometimes) and never cost a penny. It just didn't seem to ever need anything (though it could have used a service!) tyres, brakes, exhaust all remained untouched during my tenure.

 

I only got rid of it because I got the 'hump' - I lent it to a 'friend' who promptly backed it into a wall in the same bloody corner as always, and refused to cough up! he said you could hardly tell and it was no worse apart from a rear light, this after he returned it late at night without saying a word...

[PiperCub]

Not so much A car but a series of the same car, Mk3 Fiesta 1.1 (all 3 doors). Had several of these in the late 90's when I was working freelance as an AV engineer up and down the country. Nothing to look at or to drive you may say and you'd be right, but they were ultra cheap to run, required only minimal maintenence and fixing (regular oil changes were the key). The last was a special stripped out version that was sold to local authories (all were white I think) that had nothing it didn't need spec-wise so it had little to go wrong, would make an ideal hack now.

 

It just did the job, sure other contractors had fancy-nancy, Gucci'd up motors but I didn't care about image - still don't - I was there to make money not pose. They would carry an absurd amount of kit/tools/general site shite without a complaint, do 50mpg, cruise at 70+mph until the fuel ran out - or you did, didn't wear anything out as such or ever break down.

 

Plus doing the miles I did (varied from 300 to 1300 a week) getting 30p/mile, good at time, meant I made a fortune on milage as I worked out it cost less than 9p/mile to run - all in. This along with stupid-hour-days/weeks contributed to being able to put a big deposit on my house so there'll be a place in my heart for the humble Mk3 Fraud Fiascos despite the fact some will take the piss, call it sad/boring granny-transport, etc, etc, I know the reality and it worked for me.  

[fordperv]

My black h reg orion 1.6i (efi) that was my first car, it was brilliant it went everywhere, did everything I asked of it only ever needing a cv boot for its m.o.t while I had it, it was a great car

[Bren]

Xantia estate with XUD.

 

Not fast, not refined, not much cred, but did exactly what it said on the tin.

[sierraman]

Fiesta. When I think back, prior to it going bang, it never gave me any big bills only the odd £30-40 every 6 months or so. I think the trick is to bum them off before trouble arises, though this is difficult to judge.

[AndyW201]

 

Our old Octy. Nice simple 1.6 8v pez engine. Massive boot and fairly pov spec so bugger all to go wrong. Absolutely faultless in 3 years ownership only needing a service once a year, and a set of front pads and discs (replaced by the dealer FOC after reporting a slight brake judder the day after we got the car) and massively practical. In many ways a more practical car than the C Max we replaced it with.

[hairnet]

the civic

 

had it 18 months now and unlike the xantia its just a thing to get about

 

apart from a battery that needed changing when we bought it and coupla tyres - it does 40+mpg even thrashed on trackdays and trips

 

 

 

[danthecapriman]

This!

 

 

Always started, went anywhere without fuss, never failed an mot, built like a tank, auto and leather made driving it a pleasure. When cars like this exist there is no point whatsoever in moderns!

[crapcarcollector]

Honda CRV. Had it 3years, still own it. It's ace. Like a Swiss watch. 170+k, paragon of reliability and use ability. It no Alfa GTV or 156 though which are my favourite cars I've owned.

[pandamonium]

Probably my Mazda 929. Gutted I let it go, should have just fixed the sticky tappet.

 

[DVee8]

A S reg Nissan Primera 2.0GT 4 door in red bought new in 98 for £18k with my discount got it for 13k keep it 2.5 years and 23kmiles or so,sold it for £14k

It never missed a beat 30+mpg fast handled very well it just did and it did it very well.

[Alan_Green]

Subaru 1600 DL saloon. Bought as an emergency stop gap for £600 but kept for ages. Just unstoppable and loved driving/owning it. There really was something special about it.  People kept chatting to me in car parks saying how they used to own one and wished they still had it. Eventually sold it to a friend (which I never do) and went straight out and bought an Impreza. I think he also sold it on and bought an Impreza. It was still on the road years later.

[cort1977]

L plate Cavalier 1.7TD with the Isuzu engine.   Bought with 96000, bridged with 266000.   Hardly needed a thing in that time, new alternator once, a balljoint maybe.   Only sold it because I was going overseas.    Used to love driving the A68 between Newcastle and Edinburgh, it wasn't fast enough to get in trouble but fun in a 'driving a slow car fast' kind of way.

[dome]

The ones that do it for me are the ones you don't expect to be so good-the Skoda (Octavia 1.9tdi) is doing a good job just now and is super cheap to run, best thing is if it explodes tomorrow it's no major loss as it was so cheap.

 

One of the best was my Grand Cherokee-taken as a part ex for my last 944 it was an 05 plate 4.7 V8 on lpg with big miles and not a straight panel on it. But it was comfy, cheap to run and fairly trouble free. These big old beasts kinda get under your skin-a slightly more modern Range Rover Classic in execution if not in looks.

 

 

But the winner has to be me e34 BMW M5. No really. After a bit of trading it stood me at £800-Cat C repaired with 170k on it. I put about 30k miles on it over 3 years and it never put a foot wrong. Some parts were expensive, some were cheap. Overall though it averaged 22-27 MPG and went like a fucking missile sounding awesome into the bargain. 

 

 

I sold it with no MOT for £1400 2 years ago, it was back up on Retro Rides again with no MOT for well north of £2k a couple of months ago.

 

[brickwall]

Montego or Accord....both cars, unremarkable and dull.

[RoadworkUK]

I feel ill-qualified to make a nomination as I have never owned an unreliable car.

 

However, I'm pretty sure that the car that I've owned and been most absolutely certain that the next journey would work out just fine was my old Saab 9000.

 

Never gave me any cause for concern whatsoever, nor any fun. Swings and roundabouts.

[purplebargeken]

3 candidates really:

 

1. Volvo Wentworth Estate (turbo) - brilliant car, just got on with whatever was asked of it.

 

2. The current Hyundai i10. Just keeps plodding on and on. 

 

3. Bugger, forgotten. Will update. 1983 Sierra 1.6L in crystal green IIRC. Fab car, bit twitchy with a sidewind but uber reliable.

 

4. Bike: Yamaha XJ600 Diversion - unbreakable. 

[Junkman]

1978 Chevrolet Caprice Classic with the 350/350 combo and 2.41/1 rear axle.

[Parky]

2005 Kia Picanto. Started, stopped, fulfilled all its required specifications and didn't cost a bean above routine services.

 

I have no photos of it, that's how emotionally attached i was to it. Good little car though, if I needed a pocket city car and didn't have a massive budget I would definitely consider one again

[Guest Lord Sward]

Chrysler Neon mk2.

[chaseracer]

The Blingo.

 

 

8+ years, seven countries, 107000 miles, one full-bore Vmax on an east German autobahn, eight tyres, two wishbones, one clutch, a headlamp, an alternator, a battery... and gawd knows how drumkits, timpani, Christmas trees, tip runs, school runs...

 

Top motor.