Wizzpop
Part of things
"Go boil an egg!"
Posts: 110
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With growing fuel, insurance, and tax costs, ive decided to be a grumpy old man and cut these stupid barstewed costs....a flat cap has actually been purchased and worn - I'm not joking!  So i was hoping this thread could be a good place to chat about what cars can be purchased that are cheap in every area, but obviously have that RR feel - with/without a little tweaking?.... After gazing at peoples threads on their awesome rides, ive narrowed my possible purchase to these gems: Ford Ka,  Nissan Micra,  You cant not think about a Mini,  VW Polo,  Mx5 (this is my bro's 1.8, with our 205 GTi project tucked up)  All these cars are cheap to purchase, as well as all the other costs that I'm starting to hate to pay for. If i sell my Peugeot 406 Coupe i would have 1500ish squids to splash, so i think its possible to get a car and do things like slam it, slap on some deep dish 13's, and you got a cheap ride that looks retro kool! The missus is getting an Audi A4 company car so a big car isnt required, and work is only about 10 miles away which is mainly 40mph residential roads. So whats your thoughts people? Can you show me what you ride to solve this epic problem? Please help a 28 year old pensioner with a growing flat cap collection. Cheers. |
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Current rides:
Peugeot 205 1.9 GTi
Previous chariots:
'88 Merc E230
'91 MR2 GTi16 T-Bar
'87 Ford Escort RS Turbo S2
'88 E30 BMW 318
'88 Citroen AX GT
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fogey
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,594
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What about something older and bigger with LPG? Road tax needn't be expensive, the fuel problem is solved so that just leaves the insurance - telling them you now belong to the 'flat cap' brigade should bring the premium down a bit . . .  |
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mk2 caddy sdi...
Look great modified, Loads of space, Parts are cheap and 60mpg is do-able ;D
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I don't think you'll find the MX5 that economical, so I'd cut that off the list. You could also consider an old Triumph 1300FWD. Most are tax-exempt, insurance should only cost a few hundred (if that) and they'll do 40mpg without bother. Go nicely, once tweaked, too! Just buy as good an example as you can afford, though, otherwise it'll be nothing but a pain. More comfortable and refined than a Mini too, more practical to boot.  www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C243349Likewise, you could consider a Toledo - but finding a tax-exempt one is harder. RWD, though! www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C228282Very sweet little cars to drive  |
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I found our MX-5 to be incredibly economical. They don't weigh anything.
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,714
Club RR Member Number: 34
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mx5s are poor on fuel for engine size and overall weight. plus they're all in the expensive tax bracket. and youll struggle to build one like you describle within budget.
i really rate 6n polos,, you could build a pretty cool one for £1500 with careful spending, ebay coilovers only run to 160 quid, parts are available cheaply eveywhere, and wheel choice is huge.
ford kas, yes they're cheap on parts, but everything needs replacing twice as often, plus they rust horrendously, and if youre paying someone to fix it youll be skint very soon. same goes for minis.
a micra is a good, solid choice. a bit boring compared to other options, but theres potential there.
by far the cheapest car to run i can recommend is a lupo- preferably the 1.4tdi. itll do nigh on 70mpg, costs 30 quid a year to tax, very low insurance, great build quality, personally i love the quirky styling, no major problems with em (providing the pedal assemblys been sorted). you wont get one worth having for £1500 though unless its a 1.0, which is probably the worst engine choice. the diesels and sports command a good premium over the lowlier models.
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Keep your car and get a bicycle. 10 miles, should not take long at all!
You wont get a classic mini that is worth anything for that much, the polos are excellent cars along with the micra. Kas like said, rust like crazy, literally everywhere possible.
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Violet Vivid
Part of things
Reports of my demise were somewhat exaggerated
Posts: 734
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Cheap to run, retro, fun, easy-ish to mod, reliable!
All these describe my Imp.
9000 miles in 5 months, with only one failure (rotor arm) 43mpg on a run, 38mpg blatting around town & high-speed run £150 a year to insure (on a 30,000 mile limited classic policy)
cost me £1300
xXx
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Violet, purple-loving Landy obsessed Purple-haired CyberPunk Almost model & occasional word wrangler regarding Landies
xXxIf she can't decide on what kind of genitalia she likes to play with you're better off without her. Move on... play with Land-Rovers.
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Wizzpop
Part of things
"Go boil an egg!"
Posts: 110
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Quality responses guys. I like the Triumph idea and yes, the tax exempt is tempting - however, I'm not keen on getting a car that will more than likely have the old car issues, and parts can be a pain to get hold of surely?
The ones i mentioned above are fairly newer and easy to come by. So i suppose thats what I'm more after.
Dez - couldnt agree more. I was thinking about the 1.6 mx5's but it would be hard to get more than 40mpg i guess. The Lupo's are great and i know theres a lot of people on here with them but you cant get a tidy one for under £2000.
As for rusting, i guess that rules out a pug 205, or 106, citroens AX and Saxo, and a Vauxhall Corsa lol
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Current rides:
Peugeot 205 1.9 GTi
Previous chariots:
'88 Merc E230
'91 MR2 GTi16 T-Bar
'87 Ford Escort RS Turbo S2
'88 E30 BMW 318
'88 Citroen AX GT
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mk2 caddy sdi... Look great modified, Loads of space, Parts are cheap and 60mpg is do-able ;D Yup, i love my seat inca sdi, I am having nasty thoughts about tdi conversions with the boost and fueling turned up ;D |
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Remember the days when sex was safe and motorsport was dangerous. Vintage bling always attracts pussy. |
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for a cheap car, which CAN go round bends suprisingly well, and is quite comfy, I'd always suggest a flat-cap's dream, of a rover 220 diesel If you get the early non-intercooled versions, the ECU only controls two things.. The pump timing after about 3500rpm (for more power) and the EGR valve, which I unplugged before it was even off the transporter ;D Tweaking it is ridiculously easy - undo 4 screws on the top of the pump, pull out the diaphragm, and screw the bottom bit in by two turns, and slap it all back together. Now accelearates MUCH better - further mods are just as easy! Oh yeah, and it only cost £245, including 11 months of MOT ;D They never seem to go above £400, and are nice and reliable! |
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You're like a crazy backyard genius! |
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bl1300
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,678
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 Cost to buy about £800 for a good example less if your willing to work Tax exempt. 40+ mpg Mahoosive boot p.s. the one in the pic currently does 12k a year and is used come rain or shine. |
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Current fleet.
1967 DAF 44
1974 VW Beetle 1303s
1975 Triumph Spitfire MkIV
1988 VW LT45 Beavertail
1998 Volvo V70 2.5
1959 Fordson Dexta
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bortaf
Posted a lot
Posts: 4,549
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Don't get hung up om tax exemp thing for the extra they cost it's not worth it IMHO
40 MPG from a toledo ? never even had a mini that would do 40 to the gallon, could be my right foot though ?
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R.I.P photobucket
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cheap tax, check cheap insurance, check cheap to run, check reliable, check practical, check proper retro ride, check datsun 120y   |
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Last Edit: Aug 7, 2011 14:44:19 GMT by Al Ramone
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If it was me...I would.
Scratch
Mini - not economical, or cheap to buy a good one
MX5 - from what I've heard...not exactly economical.
Ford KA - again, for that size car, there are much better cars.
Micra - pretty bulletproof, a bit 'tinny', economical
Polo TDi - will run forever, solid, economical
Al Ramone - What mpg do you get on the Dattos and have they got 4-cyl L20 lumps?
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Keep your car and get a bicycle. 10 miles, should not take long at all! You wont get a classic mini that is worth anything for that much, the polos are excellent cars along with the micra. Kas like said, rust like crazy, literally everywhere possible. +1 for the bicycle, I'd even say sell the 406, pocket the pennies into savings and use the Gti if you have to use a car. You could have a very nice Pashley reconditioned with some panniers for little pennies! You'd also become a 'strapping young (old) man' in the process. Plus all 'chaps' are known to ride bicycles.       I'll be quiet now...with my blaspheming... |
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Last Edit: Aug 7, 2011 15:05:02 GMT by camerashy
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My 998 Mini always returned at least 47MPG, if in granny mode even more, up to 56. However, a K10 Micra will return similar MPG, is cheaper, more practical, bulletproof and as RR has proofed so often has lots of potential And they'r not that bad to drive. PS: what's wrong with flat caps...? ;D |
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petea
Part of things
Posts: 274
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106 1.5D, Or a 306 D-turbo get my vote for cheap motoring.
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Siggy too Biggy.
Dirty Diesel Peugeot Partner HDi van. Lows,Wellers and dents... The abused workhorse.
Scarlet red 406 V6 Coupe, The occasional waft-mobile.
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My 998 Mini always returned at least 47MPG, if in granny mode even more, up to 56. However, a K10 Micra will return similar MPG, is cheaper, more practical, bulletproof and as RR has proofed so often has lots of potential And they'r not that bad to drive. PS: what's wrong with flat caps...? ;D Jan, why idea why A-series are so variable on mpg? Granted all my friends have Cooper S (classic mini) which are injection, but my god are they awful on fuel considering it's only what, a 1.3/1.4? |
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Rust problems are farly limited with the Peugeot 106 and 205 with a 1.4 engine in it, They can be economical and pretty nippy. Another point is that these cars drive brillantly with retaining comfort.
My K10 is very entertaining to drive after mods (low profile tyres, lowering, A-brand shocks and strut brace), but the handling and comfort is still behind a stock 106 Roland Garros 1.4.
Since you added a MX-5 and a Ford Ka to your list:
How about an Quantum kitcar?
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 Click picture for more |
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