European roadtrip car

[speedy88]

Hi-dilly-ho, neighborinos. This is a subject that comes up now and again and I always enjoy discussing it.

Me and the gaff have confirmed that we'll be trying some kind of German/European round-trip tour next summer which we'll be doing by road, probably taking the bikes. Maybe even a dog...

I love choosing new vehicles so I set myself some strict criteria that must ALL be met as follows:

Cheap sub-£500 car
Loads of load space
Diesel (If it runs on veg, even better)
Estate ideally
Previous mechanical knowledge advantageous
Decent MPG
Comfortable

I'd honestly love to take the 360, it's a great car with simple mechanics that rarely let me down. But it's an abused drift car, and it drinks fuel.

So I've narrowed it down to these 2:

Peugeot 405 Diesel estate
Very cheap, I've worked on XUDs before and it'll take veg. 50+mpg. I've heard pretty comfortable too.

Volvo 940 Diesel estate
Still cheap but a little more on average. I know the cars well but the engines are new ground to me. It'll take veg and get 40-45mpg. But it's RWD and I know how comfortable they are already...

Would anyone recommend anything else? I don't really like modern VW stuff I'm afraid so that's out.

Have some pictures of cool 405s and 940s...

[swordfish210]

I'd take the 405, they're pretty awesome...or you could go mad and buy a V6 Alfa like i did for my recent Bath to Mull and Back roadtrip:



It did better than expected as it was one of only two cars that didn't develop a single fault for the entire trip

[crazymonkey]

405 would be my choice as well. did a 400 mile each way trip in an old 306 diesel and was surprisingly nice. oh and the unbelievable fuel economy made it even better.

another option I would think of (don't know if would be too small for you or not) but a vauxhall astra estate derv. the isuzu engined ones are pretty reliable apparently.

[andyborris]

406? Mine was sub £500, great stereo, comfy and good MPG. Won't run on veg though.

[acidicdavey]

I think a nice 940 would be fantastic! Or maybe a w124?

We had a 405 in my childhood and from memory it was very comfortable and it never let my old man down after 2 years of abuse!

[Deleted]

Omega or carlton, Huge load space... Blooming bullet proof engineering... I highly reccomend them

[Clamity]

Oct 25, 2012 19:06:37 GMT andyborris said:

406? Mine was sub £500, great stereo, comfy and good MPG. Won't run on veg though.

I used to blend a bit of veg oil in mine, half and half-ish when the weather was warm. Didn't appear to do it any harm.

[ianfearn]

BX TZD Turbo, I've had some lovely trips to southern Spain in mine and all round Europe. Get a good one, make sure the pipes are good and you've got a reliable modern day classic.

[ettorebugatti]

There a quite a few Peugeot 406 diesel estates for sale. Maybe, the older 605 2.1TD runs on veg oil.

Not sure if veg oil is still cheaper than diesel in Germany.

Early Volvo V40 had still the old indirect injected Renault turbo diesel, might run on veg.

[joda]

Signing up to do a euro banger rally next year with a 2.0 ltr turbo deiesel maestro!!! Prob not the best car, but that's part of the fun!,

What about a transit van? Could use it to sleep in as well if you need to! Cheep, plenty of spares wold be available encounters as well if anything went wring

[speedy88]

Thanks all for the suggestions

Alfa - lol
Omega/Carlton - I wasn't aware they did a diesel, I'll look into those, thanks!
406 - Too modern and I image a bore to drive. At least the 405 has quirks.
w124 - Unfortunately I think these are a bit out of my price range now. Their value is usually around the 800 mark.
BX - unfortunately the idea of taking a car that runs entirely on strange green magic that I don't understand around Europe kinda scares me.
Volvo V40 - Again too modern. And my dad's hasn't been as durable as some of the old kit.
Transit - really? REALLY? I'll be ok sleeping in an estate I think

Again, thankenyou, I think I'll stick to the two in mind plus maybe an oMEGA/Carlton if I can find one...

[jrevillug]

Omega dizzle has the Beemer 6-pot 2.5 - smooth and powerful, but not as economical as the 405. Fairly complex beast too.

Carlton dizzle has a 2.3 thingy - I guess it's a GM engine of some sort. Don't think it's very powerful or even that economical. But I have a lot of love for the Carlton estate. Huge, very comfortable, smooth, quiet, etc. And the C20NE 2.0 Petrol (yeah, I know, petrol: so sue me) is a great engine and will do ~40mpg on a run, so not that much more expensive to run than the 405 in the UK. Slightly different on the continent where Dizzle is still cheaper IIRC.

Cavalier with the Isuzu lump? Only came as a hatch, but it's not a tiny hatch.

I guess if you're not convinced by a BX then a CX Safari's out of the question?

505 Diesel? If you can find one that's not already been exported to Africa.

I'm tempted to say 405 Dizzle or Carlton 2.0 Petrol.

[Indie]

If you're already planning on a few nights in the back of the Estate then the back of a van will be a lot more comfortable - plus (properly arranged) you and all your stuff will fit on the inside, making it a lot more secure.
I've done a couple of European Banger Rallies and travelled with 2 guys who had a small (transit sized) Renault Van. It seemed to run on diesel fumes, they saved a fortune (over 3 weeks) on Hostels and on several long boring motorway runs one drove while the other slept.
BUT it's your trip and if you're already thinking Diesel Estate then it is possible to pick up an early BMW E34 Td Touring for less than £500, and on a run it won't make MUCH difference if it's an Auto.

[composimmonite]

I found LPG worked out cheaper than veg oil when in Europe so don't forget converted vehicles. Also far more LPG filling stations than the UK.

Paul h

[robinmasters]

Given your comments on the 406, I suspect you may rule this out, but personally I think the quirks outweight the newness.



Cheap sub-£500 car - easily
Loads of load space - plenty
Diesel (If it runs on veg, even better) - yup
Estate ideally - that too
Previous mechanical knowledge advantageous - XUD, so yes
Decent MPG - yes
Comfortable - supremely

[task]

I'm doing a euro-road trip next year, driving from Derby to Romania and touring around Romania whilst we are there.

I'll be doing it in the CSK, one of the main reasons it still has LPG fitted!

I'd go with the volvo and a LPG conversion if you can get it. Built like a tank and as comfy as an arm chair

[Deleted]

*cough*