It's May 1992, you have £2.5k to buy a diesel car.....

[LightBulbFun]

@warren t claim how much FX4 Taxi could you get for £2.5K back in 1992?  (no one said it *had* to be whats in the picture  )

well if I really did by the means of some freak time traveling accident, find myself in 1992 with 2.5K to spend, I'd probably do a @Yoss, and get myself a Routemaster, (its even diesel in keeping with the title somewhat LOL)

[EyesWeldedShut]

I'd like a CX or 505 in estate flavour if funds allow.

[Macscrooge]

The 505 is tempting but a 305 wagon is a more sensible choice. A 205 (my dad had two 205Ds from new) even more so!

[IronStar]

I want to say 505, but in reality I’d have a Mk2 Golf. VW built their image of extreme reliability on them, and even though 1.6D is painfully slow, it’s also unburtstable, extremely fuel efficient and car is well put together in general. 

[tapir]

305 for me please!

[wesacosa]

1992 I'd have gone Sierra or 505.   now CX or 505

[Yoss]

1 hour ago, LightBulbFun said:

@warren t claim how much FX4 Taxi could you get for £2.5K back in 1992?  (no one said it *had* to be whats in the picture  )

well if I really did by the means of some freak time traveling accident, find myself in 1992 with 2.5K to spend, I'd probably do a @Yoss, and get myself a Routemaster, (its even diesel in keeping with the title somewhat LOL)

Not in 1992 you wouldn't. Southampton CityBus were charging £6.5k in 1989. We ended up paying just over £9k by the time we had a new diff fitted and bought the tyres (it's fairly standard practice, or at least it was at the time, for bus companies to lease their tyres. A weird set up but that's how it was). 

To get one for £2500 you'd have to go back to about 1984. The mass withdrawals had started but bus deregulation hadn't so most were going for scrap and that was the going rate for one. 

 

Looks like the 505 is the winner so far. I didn't count but reading through there just seemed to be more votes for that. I'd be inclined to agree because although I'd love the CX it scares me slightly and the 505 has the combination of French style with (relatively) simple mechanics. 

[warren t claim]

1 hour ago, LightBulbFun said:

@warren t claim how much FX4 Taxi could you get for £2.5K back in 1992?  (no one said it *had* to be whats in the picture  )

well if I really did by the means of some freak time traveling accident, find myself in 1992 with 2.5K to spend, I'd probably do a @Yoss, and get myself a Routemaster, (its even diesel in keeping with the title somewhat LOL)

A tidy ex London1981 FX4

[83C]

If it had to be one of the 16 on offer, heart says CX, head says Sierra. 

Otherwise I’m going for the newest Land Rover 88” S3 that I can find for the money.

[LightBulbFun]

23 minutes ago, Yoss said:

Not in 1992 you wouldn't. Southampton CityBus were charging £6.5k in 1989. We ended up paying just over £9k by the time we had a new diff fitted and bought the tyres (it's fairly standard practice, or at least it was at the time, for bus companies to lease their tyres. A weird set up but that's how it was). 

To get one for £2500 you'd have to go back to about 1984. The mass withdrawals had started but bus deregulation hadn't so most were going for scrap and that was the going rate for one. 

 

Looks like the 505 is the winner so far. I didn't count but reading through there just seemed to be more votes for that. I'd be inclined to agree because although I'd love the CX it scares me slightly and the 505 has the combination of French style with (relatively) simple mechanics. 

interesting! it makes me wonder, what sort of bus (if any?) one could get for £2.5K in 1992, perhaps a question for @Inspector Morose or @busmansholiday  

[Asimo]

Odd that the Citroen BX isn’t in this list. So it’s either a Visa or 305 for me.

[wuvvum]

4 hours ago, vinyljunky said:

The 505 was hard work for the DIY mechanic? I didn’t realise I’d have blundered into that thinking otherwise very happily before further gilding my muppet status

I seem to recall they had a torque tube setup which made certain mechanical jobs rather awkward.

[MantaGTE85]

No Fiats or Renaults? Anyway, as I'm always after good value, I would get the Visa as a 1988-model is by far the newest. Otherwise, I would get a nice, tidy A-plate 305 Estate, a posh one like a GRD.

[Yoss]

29 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

interesting! it makes me wonder, what sort of bus (if any?) one could get for £2.5K in 1992, perhaps a question for @Inspector Morose or @busmansholiday  

Almost all Atlanteans, Nationals and VRs I would have thought. 

[wuvvum]

5 minutes ago, MantaGTE85 said:

No Fiats or Renaults?

Were there any diesel Fiats sold here in 1982?  I know in Europe they got various VM-powered variants but I'm not sure those made it over here.  There weren't that many diesel Renaults around then either - probably only the 18 and the 30 sold here, and the 30 was so rare it probably wasn't worth including.

[Inspector Morose]

34 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

interesting! it makes me wonder, what sort of bus (if any?) one could get for £2.5K in 1992, perhaps a question for @Inspector Morose or @busmansholiday  

Paid £1700 for NOB413M, still with a PSV MoT around that time. Paid a grand for YHA359J from Lamcote Motors and about £700 for NOV880G. TOB997H was about £2.5k and the chap from Goldsmiths in Sicklesmere(?) wanted over 3 grand for the West Midlands Foden that hadn't run since 1983 (didn't buy that one).

Plus a number of Fleetlines from farmers (berry pickers buses) for less than £600 then sold them straight to the Barnsley boys for a grand+ for their Gardner lumps.

Ah, those were the days.

[SEATMad]

A Talbot Horizon with the PSA XUD9 sounds like a mouth-watering proposition to me so that'll be number 1. Then I'd be tempted by the Lancer and then the 505 for sure. However because I'm a bit weird, I'd also love that Charade D. 

[Dyslexic Viking]

24 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

I seem to recall they had a torque tube setup which made certain mechanical jobs rather awkward.

And wasn't there a different rear axle on saloon and estate?

If I remember correctly, the saloon had a independent rear axle and the estate had a live rear axle?

[HMC]

visa d for me. CAR top 10 1986 is my inspiration 

[busmansholiday]

2 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

interesting! it makes me wonder, what sort of bus (if any?) one could get for £2.5K in 1992, perhaps a question for @Inspector Morose or @busmansholiday  

By 1992 I'd been married a fair few years. Buying buses had strictly been forbidden by my beloved (and before you ask, our next wedding anniversary will be our 40th !!)), she's mellowed, but not that much.

 

I always remember being offered a Piano front Regent for £50 over half a century ago by the Barnsley scrappies. Didn't have the £50, parents wouldn't give / loan me the money and nowhere to store.  If only..

 

[Nibbler]

Just got a diesel-gasm. I want almost all of them, but if I had to choose one I’d go for CX. 

[bigstraight6]

I would have taken the boring Peugeot 205D, possibly the most likely of the lineup that might still be running today. I’ve run a few over the years along with 306/405/406 oil burners, all very good.

[artdjones]

It is strange that the BX isn't in there. Especially as I can't remember evenr seeing a Mitsubishi Lancer D.

[jonathan_dyane]

@artdjones and @Asimo I suspect a BX diesel was rather more than £2500 in 1992

[Asimo]

2 hours ago, wuvvum said:

I seem to recall they had a torque tube setup which made certain mechanical jobs rather awkward.

Only on the estate cars. Saloons are semi-trailing arms.

[AnthonyG]

Having done most of my learner driving in one, I’d go for the 205, certainly back then. There are still some bimbling around Herefordshire as dailies. 

For shite points now, probably the CX. 

Have to agree with others that the Ford & Vauxhall/Opel options look pretty grim.

[Six-cylinder]

Diesels to my mind did not come of age until common rail, ok direct inj was an improvement.

I own a Visa diesel and like it. in 2002 I had a Visa 17D and after 3 years sold it. 2 years later I wanted another diesel Visa and could not find one so settled for a Visa 10E 954cc petrol. I was always disappointed with the 10E that found hills where I had not noticed them before. In Feb 2009 I found another diesel that I have to this day.

I have had a 205 GLD which was a good car.

I also had a CX 25 DTR Turbo 2 which was supposed to be replacing my CX 2400 I/E petrol Auto. Trouble is the diesel may have done 32 mpg instead of 25mpg but just did not cut the mustard and I still have my petrol one and the diesel I sold.

[Mrs6C]

The Visa diesel for me...

[AnthonyG]

Thinking about ultimate shite points now - and I imagine well under £2500 then - a Rover 2400SD which had a VM motor I think.

Or a Granada Mk2 2.1 Indenor with all the factory minicab bits still installed 👍

[Timewaster]

This reminds me why I stopped reading Whar Car?

No BX. No Bluebird.  No mention of how miserable the Cavalier D was.