Hi guys,

Thinking ahead a bit here but in a year or so I might need to consider replacing either my car or my wife's car and would like to consider going for an older car rather than another new one. I'm not sure exactly how old but I want something which ticks as many of these boxes as possible:

1. Cheap (maybe 4-5k max)
2. Fun (Good handling, nice engine sound, 0-60 < 8sec, 120+MPH top end)
3. Easy to DIY maintain (parts available, basically reliable, minimum special tools)
4. Well engineered (good design, not too heavy, no major design flaws)
5. Comfortable (good seats, pleasant but robust interior, good equipment level)
6. Good looking (Understated but purposeful, curvy)
7. Reasonably economical (25MPG minimum in cruise)

Any ideas? VW Corrado VR6 maybe??? :-))

Thanks,
Craig.

volvo v70 T5?

Audi S4 (B5)

E36 M3

Saab 9-3 turbo

S14 200sx

subaru impreza

nissan pulsar

toyota soarer

I have a V70 T5 AWD all the toys available for 98 car except cruise. Paid 1400 and it ticks all your boxes. Not especially curvy though.

Pretty quick and great great great in the wet.

My Lexus?

http://pistonheads.com/sales/1387108.htm

1. Cheap - Very
2. Fun - Superb balance, RWD fun, silky straight 6, smooth 6speed - effortless to 130mph can get to 140, 0-60 in about 8-9.
3. Easy to DIY maintain (Much more than people expect, alot of shared toyota parts and a huge online following with useful knowledge)
4. Well engineered (Executive Jap - need i say more)
5. Comfortable (yes and yes again)
6. Good looking (better than any other rep wagon without buying sumthing much newer)
7. Reasonably economical (25MPG minimum in cruise) I average 24 and I have a heavy foot.


Just spotted ur location - DOH

[Edited on 20/12/09 by loggyboy]

TDCi Mondeo? Ive got a 130 2.0L, and its a fantastic motor. Reliable too. Only trouble is its a bit plain, but mine is a Zetec S (ST bodywork) with the gadgets.

The 2.2 is quick as well, but juicy. I can get 55mpg from mine on a run if i drive it sensibly. 40 around town, and 50 combined.

Depends on how old you wanna go.
A SAAB 9000 would probably serve you well, they last forever (I belive some one stateside did more the a million miles without changing the engine or gearbox) and they're fast and safe. Looks are a personal thing but I think it looks good.

For comfort, you can't get better than decent Citroen, you could get a very nice C5 for that money with a decent Diesel engine for economy and Hydronumatic suspension.

octavia VRS?

one of the last gt4's?

I'm sure you could get an old Mustang or similar for that price, although the 25mpg might well be out of the window unless you put it on LPG.

Autotrader gives me a 96P Chevy Camaro, 3.8 V6 28k miles for just under £5k

How about an E30 325 Sport? Only thing is they're definitely not curvy!

Craig.

You say old, cheap reliable and fun.

You also say 5 grand and 25mpg.

Don't you think you you can get everything in the first bit, cheap reliable and fun whilst coming well under 5 grand and well over 25mpg ?

A4 Quattro 2.5TDI
BMW 325 TDS
Alfa 156 2.4 JTD

They're maybe not very fun in the absolute scheme of things, but to me, any one of them would feel quite indulgent whilst still being usable.
It's snowing outside, so I would have the quattro right now.

205/Golf GTI?

mg zs 180

Pretty much any pre V8 Jag from the 90's will beat all of those criteria (even the fuel consumption!)

My car does 21mpg round town and 29mpg on a 500+ mile journey to scotland with 3 adults and a boot full of luggage (did the whole journey on one tank!)

I'm loving my Alfa 164 - 3.0 litre V6 , all the `toys' - and at £250 well under budget
And if it does break in a bad way , I can afford to just walk away ...............

GTI6! Brilliant car for the money. Can be had for 1500 for quite a good one at the moment. 2-3 will get a VERY good one. Near on 170BHP, 0-60 is about 8 seconds, nice close-ratio 6-speed box, quite cheap to run, 35mpg is achievable on a run. Very happy on the motorway and typical lairy french hatch back on the twisty stuff. Basically a grown-up 205gti with more mod-cons.

I'm biased though. Picked one up for 900 just before the recession. Body work not great but mecanically pretty sound. Now done about 15000 in it inc. the odd trackday, a few laps of the ring and a 2.5k european road trip. Thinking about another one in better knick infact



[Edited on 20/12/09 by andylancaster3000]

Triumph stag with Rover V8 conversion, 5sp manual, Isuzu Trooper 3.5 V6 24V, Jag X300 shape straight six,

Nothing wrong with v8 jags, better economy and power just get one with the chains done.

My XK8 returns 26 - 28 mpg on LPG.

Hi guys,
Sorry for the delay in replying but I've been out playing in the snow with the kids and then took them to the cinema. It's a hard life being a dad...

Anyway, too many suggestions to go through individually (thanks) but here are a few responses:

Not a big fan of Volvo's and to a lesser extent Saab's. Don't know why, they just don't appeal. Also, I don't want a diesel. Again just not a fan of the feel of a diesel engine and I have driven a number of engine types in various cars. I'm doing 13k miles per year so economy is not such a big issue - depreciation is more important and I hope to get rid of that by buying an older car.

Audi S4, M3 - maybe. 200sx - not a big fan tbh.

Scoobie - too boy racer'ish for me. Nissan pulsar and Toyota soarer - never heard of them, will look into.

Lexus - worth a look for sure. Good suggestion.

Skoda - no chance! I know they are completely different now but to me they went from being crap to being taxi's. Sorry to all skoda owners but those are my feelings right or wrong.

Celica GT4 - Excellent idea! I like the look of them and with Toyota engineering they should be solid. Will definitely consider.

American muscle cars - not too keen on this unless I can get a RHD. A bit thirsty I would have thought. Spare parts perhaps a problem? Instinct says no on this option.

BMW 325 E30 sport - I actually do like this style of beemer but I'm afraid I would be mistaken for a drug dealer or something!

Alfa's are a possibility - I've never had one which by Jeremy Clarkson's standards means I'm not a petrol head. I will need to fix that one day. I doooo like the Brera!!

Golf/205 GTI - Yes if I could find a good one. I actually saw a Mk1 the other day which started me thinking about all this again.

MGs - I've had a few Rover's and seemed to attract ridicule in all of them for some reason! I liked my Rover 800 Vitesse Turbo but I suspect it would be to the left of the Top Gear cool wall...

Jags - Don't know much about Jag's to be honest and at 37 years old I thought maybe I should wait a few years for my first jag. Is this a fair comment or do you think jag's appeal more to younger drivers these days?

Peugeot 306 GTi-6 is a possibility. A friend has one and I don't think he will ever part with it!

How about some classic Porsche 911's? I've always fancied one of the older classic models but I don't know how practical one would be as every day transport. Are they DIY serviceable? Are parts as expensive as I might imagine?

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, keep em coming!
Craig.

The 70's 911 are either sheds or silly money, and the 80's ones are heading the same way now. 90's ones are probably reasonable and less tail happy. They are pretty practical unless your kids are 6 foot...

I'd imagine you can do a lot of work yourself, but some things are an engine out job (clutch for example) so repair bills can get big.

If you can find a good 80's one in white I know where it can go if you don't like it!

Proton Satria GTi, maybe one with an engine conversion ??

NTDWM This one needs a little TLC =, from the description, but could still be good fun - Pistonheads Linky

[Edited on 23-12-2009 by WanchaiWarrior]

Audi B5 S4 would not come under that heading reliable at that price. Certainly faster (0-6 in 5secs, 155mph) would do your mpg target and has lots of toys but I would not classify it as reliable. Large number of common issues which you would need to be aware of, all of which will cost you money. Most of the S4s at that money which are being sold by none-enthusiasts have issues which will cost. Have a look on www.audisrs.com if you are still interested.

My B5 S4 did two sets of turbos in 5 years of ownership cost £4K + each time....although the first set where replaced with K04 turbos and the car was running 420BHP.

[Edited on 23/12/09 by jeffw]

What about something like a Honda Accord Type-R or a Civic VTi ? Very reliable, quick & easy on the gas. The Accord Type-R is pretty handy round a track as well.

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1327673.htm

[Edited on 23/12/09 by jeffw]

bmw 840 / 850? not sure about fuel consumption there though.....

im actually looking at alfa 156 or 164 atm too! but dunno which to go for :/

530d BMW:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1386718.htm

30mpg, goes, stops and handles lovely, all the usual equipment and build quality, but not particularly cheap to fix.

Then spend another £400 on getting it chipped

Similar category to the Alfa 164 suggestion. Totally biased but i love my 98 vauxhall omega 3.0 elite All the toys, very comfortable, nice stereo, fast enough, RWD with turn-offable traction control - has been lots of fun in this weather! Great build quality and fine to work on with a fantastic online community of total gurus/walking part number catalogues/owners of the vaux diagnostic equipment etc to support it. I averaged 37mpg last weekend on a 180 mile cruise up to lancaster, which is about the best it can get, and it does low to mid 20s at worst with pure urban traffic jam driving. I think you'd struggle to spend your budget though, even on the very latest 3.2 ones (which dont look as good as the pre-facelift ones like what I've got imho). Can't go wrong

Liam

I've never owned one but I do like the Omega and those MPG figures are amazing (I can drive my panda hard enough to go lower than mid 20's and I don't get much more than 40 most of the time). You could buy one and buy the bits off the net to turn it into a Catera (I wanted to do this but insurance was an issue) to be a real pimp.