Winter car required. what do you suggest??

[jaycey001]

Hello all

 

I still waiting for quotes to have the sherpa fixed and im thinking ill wait till summer however in the mean time i need a reliable motor to get me back and fourth to ipswich/lincoln over the next few month's (or years if it is good enough) while i compleate my Phd..(another word for super skint student!! ) my ABSOLUTE MAX is £500 and i need a good few months MOt and tax. Its got to be as reliable as possible and reasnably solid... sounds easy ehh well its also got to be an Automatic!

ohh and parts need to be redily available, and preferably a low insurance band or old enough to be on classic insurance. as for engine size im not to fussed, ive owned a 2.5 ltr volvo 850, mazda 323, and now the sherpa.

 

Unfortunatly im loath to buy a ford/vauxhall unless pristine one owner condition e.c.t.

 

consider anything from a 4X4 to an Aixam (if i had the money id buy a london taxi,..

 

thank

 

James

[trigger]

Shame, I knew of a £250 H reg Vauxhall Carlton automatic recently around the corner from me here in Ipswich.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

Isdera Commendatore 112i

[Guest]

The little yellow cars from Horace Goes Skiing.

[scaryoldcortina]

Sierra. Maybe at a push you could find an old Astra.

 

I did notice you said not ford or vauxhall, by the way, it's etc. not e.c.t. (unless you want electo-convulsive therapy)

 

edit.. I'm sorry, that sounds bitchy and patronizing. I'll have another go.

 

Hello all

 

I'm still waiting for quotes to have the sherpa fixed, and I'm thinking I'll wait until summer. However in the mean time I need a reliable motor to get me back and forth to Ipswich/Lincoln over the next few months (or years if it is good enough) while I complete my PhD..(another word for super skint student!! ) my ABSOLUTE MAX is £500 and i need a good few months MoT and tax. It's got to be as reliable as possible and reasonably solid... sounds easy, ehh well it's also got to be an Automatic!

ohh and parts need to be readily available, and preferably a low insurance band or old enough to be on classic insurance. As for engine size, I'm not too fussed, I've owned a 2.5 ltr volvo 850, mazda 323, and now the sherpa.

 

Unfortunately, I'm loathe to buy a ford/vauxhall unless pristine one owner condition etc.

I would consider anything from a 4X4 to an Aixam (if i had the money id buy a london taxi,..)

 

thanks

 

James

 

There, that's as close to Queen's english as I can get it without a re-write.

What's the PhD in? Budgeted for proofreading?

 

Right. That's better. Now, a sensible suggestion. Be less fussy if you only have 500 quid. I'd bet there is a sub £500 t&t'd motor with your name on it, but not one that fullfils your myriad conditions. I could draw you a venn diagram to explain if you like.

[red5]

Bugger, there was me thinking a Calibra 8v Auto was right up your street...

 

 

See, it's a thing of beauty !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And reasonably priced. ^^

[Pillock]

Do you mind me asking why not Ford or Vauxhall? Especially since you'd drive an Axiam which is pretty much the bottom of the motoring barrel, yet you'd turn down something like a XR4x4 which would be ace in the winter....

[Angrydicky]

Allegro? Maestro?

[Pete-M]

XR4x4's are the absolute mutts nuts in winter, but they're too good for someone who doesn't like Fords to appreciate.

 

Hmm. £500. Can you find a working Audi 100 quattro for that?

[seth]

I'd suggest that the first good condition, MOT'd and taxed, automatic car that comes along would be a good bet.

[Cavcraft]

I'd suggest that the first good condition, MOT'd and taxed, automatic car that comes along would be a good bet.

 

 

/\

W.h.s.

 

I've been told of a Volvo 850 today, taxed and tested for 'about' £350. Haven't yet found out whether auto or manual but can enquire if you like?

[jaycey001]

Thanks for the suggestions,

Trigger, if you notice anything on your travells in ipswich let me know, that Carlton would have been worth a look, cheers!

 

Firstly lets clear up the ford/vauxhall issue, my partner had an M reg astra which was o.k but i suppose i just like to drive somthing a little different its just me and my querky nature, i would happly drive a ford/vauxhall if it was old and getting rare/unusual,.. like the carlton or a vauxhall royal, mk1/2 escort ect. and why id consider an Axiam, although im sure once test driven id think twice!

 

Thank you for the corrections "scaryoldcortina" if you are offering proof reading for my thesis id be greatfull, My Phd is in chemical ecology, keep an eye out it's about to be published at the 6th international symposium of molecular insect science, if your interested. (im currently paying £6 for each 1000 words!)

 

Cavette, if you are local to ipswich/lincoln i would beinterested in hearing about the volvo but at the moment just dont have time to travell far.

Ive noticed on ebay a few suzuki vitara's/volvo 740s/peugeot 205s and an E reg Metro cab, anyone got any views on these?

Thanks again

 

James.

[scooters]

740 940 850

 

Bx or xantia both good in snow

 

Id get a tdi xantia...usually available around 300quid

[garethj]

I'd suggest a Volvo 740 rather than an 850, apparently they're more reliable and certainly cheaper to fix. Autos are common, I had to search to get the manual I wanted.

 

Have a search for the thread, it was quite recent. It's got a really good heater and wafts along in a very soothing manner. A set of winter tyres or snowsocks will probably be as much as you need unless the snow (for the 3 days a year we get it) is really bad. Longish journeys mean 30+mpg which is adequate, around town it's 23ish mpg. A diesel will do better but might be over £500, I had a choice of several 2.3s for £400

 

There was another thread this week about mingebag motoring where the 205 was mentioned. In fact, try a search on most of that stuff and see what comes up

[scaryoldcortina]

I'd happily give it an eye over if you like, it will make a change from proofreading my daughter's BSc animal biology stuff. My degree is Chemistry, but my mother was an english teacher for 30 years so I had grammar and punctuation beaten into me at an early age (she still corrects me in IM chats!).

 

 

Seriously, £6 for 1000 words? I'll have to work out a bill for her, lol.

 

 

Oh, and to keep it on topic, I bought a T&T'd sierra off someone on here for £400 as a winter driver. £100 for some winter tyres and that's it sorted.

[trigger]

What about a depressing looking Polo for £499? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1995-VOLKSWAGEN-P ... 1e5f89f317

 

or a 2000 Hyundai Coupe with a tatty body for £500 or offers?. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2000-HYUNDAI-COUP ... 3362d51f4b

 

In fact that Coupe doesn't look bad for the money, years mot and only just been listed.

[trigger]

Sorry forgot about the automatic part!

[jaycey001]

Cheers for that scaryoldcortina, unfortunatly i went to a Catholic school at a time when dyslexia was re-badged as lazyness so i never got the chance to perfect the written word.. will keep it in mind!

 

thanks for the ebay links trigger, im amazed you can buy a 2000 reg car for £500 ill have a look through later!! ill be down in ips on weekend so will also have a good look around the local estate (Chantry)

 

cheers

[trigger]

Christ you'd find something on Chantry!, even if it is a cut in shut!

[scaryoldcortina]

No problem.. as it happens, my daughter is dyslexic (noticed in her first undergraduate year! so much for school/college) which is why I proofread her stuff. I do apologise for the pisstaking nature of my first post, I should have guessed really.

[wuvvum]

Early Metrocab will be dreadful, especially with an autobox. They're painfully slow, noisy, handle like an elephant on a skateboard and because of the plastic body the electrics suffer from all kinds of earthing problems. On the plus side the old Ford DI engine is pretty much bulletproof, and you won't have to worry about the body panels rusting. Plus you'll be able to get away with using bus lanes (not that I've ever tried this of course) and you'll be surprised how often the ridiculous turning circle comes in useful.

 

I had a Volvo 760TD automatic once and was quite impressed with how that drove, although I've never found RWD Volvos to be particularly great in the snow. Automatic TDs don't come up very often, but there's plenty of petrol autos around for that money.

 

I also had an Audi 100 Quattro which was very impressive in the winter. Permanent 4x4 plus rear diff lock made it pretty much unstoppable. Don't know if the Quattros were available as an auto though?

[wuvvum]

I'm loathe to buy a ford/vauxhall

Would have to disagree with you on this one, SOC. Loathe has an E on the end when it's a verb (in the sense of "to hate"), but when it's an adjective as here (in the sense of "reluctant") it is E-less.

 

Plus, at the risk of sounding pedantic, Ford and Vauxhall should really have their first letters capitalised, being proper nouns and all...

[scaryoldcortina]

I'm loathe to buy a ford/vauxhall

Would have to disagree with you on this one, SOC. Loathe has an E on the end when it's a verb (in the sense of "to hate"), but when it's an adjective as here (in the sense of "reluctant") it is E-less.

 

good point. Bah. I hate heterographs, they do my nut in.

 

well, if you want pedantry, I also missed an I'd and didn't capitalize the L in London taxi, and missed two further iterations of i/I

[jaycey001]

Christ you'd find something on Chantry!, even if it is a cut in shut!

 

Its not "cut in shut" you gotta worry about, its the body in the boot!

 

just for referance.... i live the posh end, near tesco although upgrading to woodbridge next month all be it on a boat but it sound's better at job interviews, saying you live in woodbridge.

[trigger]

Woodbridge is very posh, Much better then Chantry or Pinewood! Mind you I live on Nacton Road so i can't talk! (I am the posh end though!).

 

Back on topic, what about a VW Passat auto?.

 

http://ipswich.gumtree.com/ipswich/90/68958290.html

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

I'm thinking a winter car needs to resist rust and really handle, so maybe something Japanese like an old Datsun. 120Y?

[M'coli]

(I am the posh end though!)

I spent part of a train journey with someone who claimed they lived in the posh part of the Raploch. Her name...? Mags Haney...

[catsinthewelder]

I loved my old 205 but I wouldn't recommend one for regular winter motorway use. The heater (on mine at least) was crap at keeping my feet warm on long journeys. After today at work I can say the same for at least 1 LDV 400

[flat4alfa]

Hows about an eight cylinder Ronda GTi for Christmas?

 

[gtd2000]

Thanks for the suggestions,

Trigger, if you notice anything on your travells [travels] in ipswich let me know, that Carlton would have been worth a look, cheers!

 

Firstly lets [let's] clear up the ford/vauxhall issue, my partner had an M reg astra which was o.k but i suppose i just like to drive somthing a little different its just me and my querky [QUIRKY] nature, i would happly drive a ford/vauxhall if it was old and getting rare/unusual,.. like the carlton or a vauxhall royal, mk1/2 escort ect. and why id [i'd] consider an Axiam, although im sure once test driven id [i'd] think twice!

 

Thank you for the corrections "scaryoldcortina" if you are offering proof reading for my thesis id [i'd] be greatfull, My Phd is in chemical ecology, keep an eye out it's about to be published at the 6th international symposium of molecular insect science, if your [You're - FFS!] interested. (im currently paying £6 for each 1000 words!)

 

Cavette, if you are local to ipswich/lincoln i would beinterested in hearing about the volvo but at the moment just dont have time to travell [travel] far.

Ive [i've] noticed on ebay a few suzuki vitara's/volvo 740s/peugeot 205s and an E reg Metro cab, anyone got any views on these?

Thanks again

 

James.

 

FFS... if it isn't bad enough that I'm completely re-writing my GF's papers for her Masters and seeing basic errors from people trying to attain a Phd, what's the world coming to - I've just got a lowly BSc...once more FFS!

 

I've not even bothering with capitalisation, maybe you have a SHIFT key missing or don't realise what it is for yet, nor the placement of commas etc.?