In your experience what do you think would be the ideal car for these needs?

[Bear]

Mk II Golf GTi 8V 5 door.

 

Mercedes A160 or better, A170 CDI LWB (yes, parts are cheap, yes they're reliable if serviced, and servicing is easy apart from serpentine belt change which needs to be done from underneath - oil is vacuum via dipstick and top-mount canister filter). LWB will fit five adults AND a shitload of normal luggage, or ridiculous amounts of luggage and two people.

 

Peugeot 306 dTurbo or whatever they call them, probably one of the better ones for that sort of budget and still fun to drive.

 

Mercedes W210 300TD and just don't cane it everywhere.

[twosmoke300]

How? Mines an A series 2.5tds I'm happy when I get 32mpg

Smaller more efficient engine and brother is a gentle driver

[Cavcraft]

Cavalier Mk1 with a Vectra CDTi engine fitted.

[I_am_Diesel]

Cavalier Mk1 with a Vectra CDTi engine fitted.

Is this a conversion that you are planning to do?

[UltraWomble]

 

90 BHP DW10 donkey (spiritual successor of the XU9D)

Been reliable, economical and runs on all sorts of shit I throw in the tank.

Carries 5 with ease. Turning circle is a bit shit mind.

 

Good ones are cheap, bad ones are cheaper still.

[richardmorris]

Citroen bx txd?

[NorfolkNWeigh]

A million cab drivers can't be wrong, 1.6 pez Avesis or non-turbo Octavian.

[DodgyBastard]

Since when is £1000 cheap? I'd expect all those things from a £400 car.

[CHRIS1980]

Cavalier Mk1 with a Vectra CDTi engine fitted.

Mk1 cavalier with an Isuzu 1.7 td and the polo mint pulled out the pump. Too many wires on a cdti engine for me.

[Matt]

Plenty of varied ideas going on.

 

Since when is £1000 cheap? I'd expect all those things from a £400 car.

 

When you don't piss away whatever money you make on alcohol, cigarettes, at the bookies and on shit you don't need and forget about after a week, all of which seem to be the norm. 

[D Spares & Tyres]

I have had several ZXs, now I have a Turbo Diesel Estate much faster than non turbo but I only get 45mpg. Great working car, does everything you ask of it but very boring!

 

Problem today is finding a nice one.

boring??????

 

bring it to shitefest and give it some stick on those lovely Welsh roads. You would be amazed how well those things handle, despite the body roll

 

I miss my ZXs

[Honey Badger]

Civic Diseasal

 

1.7 Circle L Izuzu/GM engine rest of the car is reliable.

 

Mega comfy seats and you can easily fit 5 in one, or sy fuck the MPG and get a type S for lolz and giggles in a responsible middle aged way.

 

Decent low milage one here with professional* bodywork repair

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-Honda-Civic-1-7-CTDi-SE-5dr-/201335043670?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2ee080f656

 

[fred]

Xantia  Hurbo turbo Diesel - Ohhh!

[Matt]

Civic Diseasal

 

1.7 Circle L Izuzu/GM engine rest of the car is reliable.

 

Mega comfy seats and you can easily fit 5 in one, or sy fuck the MPG and get a type S for lolz and giggles in a responsible middle aged way.

 

Decent low milage one here with professional* bodywork repair

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-Honda-Civic-1-7-CTDi-SE-5dr-/201335043670?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2ee080f656

 

 

 

 

Bodywork tatty hence the price,

 

 

£990

 

So shite bodywork adds value then aye?

[Honey Badger]

So shite bodywork adds value then aye?

No it's about £1000 to £1500 under the price of a mint one on an 04 with that mileage based on the prices on eBay and autotrader.

 

They hold their money because they just keep going and going just like late 90s accords.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

In my considered opinion the perfect car for any need is an XJ40, even if it doesn't actually answer any of the criteria.

[DodgyBastard]

Plenty of varied ideas going on.

 

 

When you don't piss away whatever money you make on alcohol, cigarettes, at the bookies and on shit you don't need and forget about after a week, all of which seem to be the norm.

So what you're saying is that those of us on the forum that spend less than a grand on a car are cigarette smoking gambling alcoholics?

[Caffiend]

Darn, missed this one yesterday too. Soz and all, thx for a few ideas.

[Asimo]

Civic, as shown above but good in petrol form. The 1.6 petrol is smooth and reliable and would need real abuse to get less than 40 miles from a gallon. Completely flat floor a real bonus in the back. Downside is the weird feel of the electric power steering and the ride is crap in the modern way.

[Junkman]

Yet the pug 405 was not on sale until summer 1987..

 

That's why it is lacking in some aspects and I hope eventually to be able to replace it with something older and thus better.

[oldcars]

Kia Shuma, you can then spend the other £600-£1000 on booze 

[HMC]

From personal experience that the OP is after the most capable all rounder I've owned which ticks your boxes (well most) has been my C5 A6 audi tdi estate. These have zero AS cred but its been utterly dependable, economic ( always around 50 mpg or above) and all I've done is service it and put fuel in it. It's not particularly entertaining or characterful, but it sounds like your after a workhorse rather that something 'interesting'

 

I think the key with mine was to get it off a long term owner that maintained it well, which applies to whatever model or make you plump for really.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

MK3 mondeo Tddi (note NOT tdci, they is shit)

[panhard65]

Peugeot 206 diesel is what you want. I expect you could find a nice one for about £300.

[Bobthebeard]

A Renault 4?

[Jim Bell]

Peugeot 305 deisel estate. Ticks every box. And is cooler than the others.