jonk
Part of things
Posts: 154
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Some good options covered already - left field choice would be a Citroen XM estate, if you can find a good one - or a Saab 9-5 estate. Mine's a stage 3 Aero auto, around 295 bhp, 450 Nm of torques and about 35mpg in mainly high speed mixed driving. About 23mpg when in town. I'm a stuck record on this but my 9-5 aero estate was such a good car, and really quite cheap to run overall when all the costs were taken into account. My mk3 golf tdi estate was alright but I did hit a few big bills which made it more per mile than the Saab, despite doing twice the mpg. I wouldn't buy another high mileage diesel in a hurry.
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Last Edit: Jun 9, 2017 14:34:51 GMT by jonk
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jonk
Part of things
Posts: 154
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May 24, 2017 15:19:05 GMT
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I'll get in first.
Thanks to all the mods' hard work in keeping retrorides the interesting and popular place it is, where other forums have dwindled. These sound like good ideas for keeping everything fresh in a time when for some (not me) forums themselves are getting a bit retro.
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jonk
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Posts: 154
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May 17, 2017 21:00:23 GMT
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If you want to avoid expensive repair builds, avoid anything diesel and you'll double your chances at least. One injector or pump failure could easily wipe out any fuel cost savings on a diesel for a whole year or more. Yes I know this from experience. I've found big, understressed petrols about the same to run overall as my (one and only) 50mpg diesel, and a lot more fun. If looking for something smaller I would go for something like a petrol civic, but I'd get an early 2000s one for a bit cheaper than your budget. We've had a few in our family, sold them on to friends at 10 years old or so, and they are still going. Roomy, reliable, rev quite nicely and you'll have a gearstick in the dash. I also spent £3000 on my latest 15 year old daily driver, and to be honest part of me wishes I'd spend £1500 as usual. The stakes are lower if anything goes wrong, and reliability is difficult to guarantee just because something is more expensive. It's going well but I'm aware that I might not get my money back. Unless you stretch a bit and get something with some of its 5 year warranty left, Korean maybe. (Should I be on What Car forum?)
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Last Edit: May 17, 2017 21:01:01 GMT by jonk
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jonk
Part of things
Posts: 154
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Slightly related; I've had a couple of gps apps on my phone and one was reading significantly lower than the other at any given speed - they're not invincible either. Worth checking before relying solely on gps.
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jonk
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Posts: 154
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Apr 20, 2017 12:31:34 GMT
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Ah yes, also comes with a walking stick used for propping the boot open, and a static strip that is so ugly I couldn't bring myself to fit it.
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jonk
Part of things
Posts: 154
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Apr 19, 2017 20:55:34 GMT
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(I can't believe I'm doing this!)
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jonk
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Posts: 154
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Apr 19, 2017 20:47:10 GMT
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1989 Peugeot 205 XS Pershore, Worcs I bought this on a whim after wanting a 205 for ages, and I have not been disappointed! Being the xs it has a very close ratio gearbox and a twin-choke 1400 engine. The seats, rev counter, front bumper and suspension were up-rated above the standard 205s. We have all heard the "it's really fast for a 0.8L diesel milkfloat, honest" line before, but for a 1400 this really flies. It makes my 1600 mx5 feel slow and severely lacking in torque, and it sounds great. It soaks up all the bumps and is brilliant fun to throw around. I really do not want to sell it but it is a third car and I am about to move house, so this is a head over heart decision. 90,000 miles Mot until July. Advisories are a sunroof leak (?) , coolant leak and oil leak. I'm not sure about the oil leak - the engine bay is dirty but it doesn't leave oil when parked, and doesn't use a lot of oil. It hasn't been a problem. The coolant leak is from the thermostat housing, and it is very slow. I haven't needed to top up the coolant in 6 months /1000 miles. I have a new temperature sensor and thermostat to put in, but haven't bought the thermostat housing to complete the job yet. The temperature gauge doesn't work (see parts included, above) As of this week, the speedo and rev counter have decided not to play ball (well, speedo stops at 40 mph). Apart from these faults the car is working really well. I have used it as a daily driver and it has been a hoot. Just the right size for nipping around town, and great fun out and about. I changed the oil last week, and I changed the spark plugs, ignition amplifier module, ht leads and coil when I bought it. This was to make sure it started every time as I'm self employed and use the car for work, so it had to be reliable. I have looked underneath on ramps and there is no rust at all underneath. Say what you like about french build quality but they knew how to make a rust-proof car! The car is cosmetically tatty but as honest as they come. Laquer peel on the boot and a large stone chip on the rear quarter are the worst bits. The chip is recent and it has gone to bare metal, so needs to be covered pronto. I have all the original service books which show some history up to about 60,000 miles. The car was then given by a lady who was giving up driving, to the local garage owner. He kept it for ten years (so no written records of history) until I plucked up courage to go and make an offer when my wife was at work. His summary was "it's tatty, but it doesn't break down and goes like the clappers", and that's been my experience! Please come and have a look.
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Last Edit: Apr 29, 2017 19:46:24 GMT by jonk
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jonk
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Posts: 154
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With this choice a couple of years ago I went for the 9-5 aero because they are such good value compared to a v70 or any estate with that power. Pretty cheap to run , and really discreet. Watch out for rust around rear arches under the plastic covers, and the "sludge" issue. The turbo kick is hilarious. I would have swapped to a t5 if I could find one in manual, but the auto boxes don't have the best reputation. The V70 has a bigger, squarer load space and the cabin seemed better built and more comfortable to me. The Saabs look really good value and with a downpipe and remap 300bhp. I've always wanted a Saab but the only thing putting me off is the oil strainer thing. How often and whats involved with dropping the sump to sort it? It is a cheap job to check the sump, but ideally you need to look for a post 04 car with revised oil breather system, and one which has had fully synth oil changes from new. Mine had s/h and when the garage dropped the sump it was spotless. Then if you don't find any problems, just stay on top of oil changes. I'm not sure how common failures really are, but a friend had one and was quite slack on maintenance, and he did have a catastrophic oil-related engine failure. If you find a nice one their bargain price makes the risk easily worthwhile, in my opinion. A 300bhp one would be rapid. Edit: post 05 (I think) cars have brutal tax, but before that it's £295 if I remember rightly.
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Last Edit: Apr 8, 2017 12:10:23 GMT by jonk
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jonk
Part of things
Posts: 154
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With this choice a couple of years ago I went for the 9-5 aero because they are such good value compared to a v70 or any estate with that power. Pretty cheap to run , and really discreet. Watch out for rust around rear arches under the plastic covers, and the "sludge" issue. The turbo kick is hilarious.
I would have swapped to a t5 if I could find one in manual, but the auto boxes don't have the best reputation. The V70 has a bigger, squarer load space and the cabin seemed better built and more comfortable to me.
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jonk
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Posts: 154
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Mar 30, 2017 16:59:46 GMT
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Love it - such a rare sight now whereas you still see the odd 205 or 309.
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jonk
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Posts: 154
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Mar 26, 2017 11:24:01 GMT
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Probably not what you're after, but I've always wanted a go in one of those road-legal buggies. Must be fun up to around 50?
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jonk
Part of things
Posts: 154
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I took an mx5 when working around southern France for 2-3 months. It was great on the twisty roads but hot as anything in the summer when we had a choice between burning with the roof down, or boiling roof up! Obviously some have air con. Not the best cruiser but as a result we took more interesting roads. At one point we needed a new ecu to be posted out from the uk because in the whole time we were there we didn't see another mx5 and, in the words of the local mechanic "it's not a twingo". All added to the fun.
Also did similar in a mk3 Fiesta which was surprisingly chilled because we weren't going anywhere in a hurry, and in a mk4 golf estate which was a easy but not so much fun.
If I were doing it again I' think I'd go to one extreme, either the mx5 or a cheap wafter like xj, e39 or so on.
Slept in the golf on occasion but found it to be a bit of a nuisance with no curtains and the fact it was already full of stuff!
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Last Edit: Mar 26, 2017 8:52:41 GMT by jonk
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jonk
Part of things
Posts: 154
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Mar 24, 2017 13:00:07 GMT
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That sleeping bag story is brilliant, and brilliantly told!
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jonk
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Posts: 154
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Mar 24, 2017 12:43:35 GMT
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Peugeot 205 - I have one alongside an mx5 mk1 and I think it's just as much fun in a different way. Much softer but a really nice ride.
Or something like a morris 1000 which will make you feel like you're doing 70 when you're at 50 in a line of traffic.
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jonk
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Posts: 154
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Mar 18, 2017 23:30:56 GMT
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On the "I have a mate" topic from earlier in the thread... I have a mate who has had two of these which tow big trailers at their weight limit all day long. The first did 400, 000 miles before he changed for a second. This one did 250,000 miles of towing before he got a newer shape RR. Of course they are trigger's brooms at that Mileage, but he has found them to be pretty reliable considering. Hope you don't mind me adding to the thread, nice car.
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jonk
Part of things
Posts: 154
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Mar 17, 2017 19:20:32 GMT
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The numberplate looks too classy for the car
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jonk
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Posts: 154
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I bought one last week and my first impressions are that it is extremely quiet, solid-feeling and surprisingly agile, even quite frisky on the right road.
The ABS pump on mine is away for refurbishment, and there is a temporary one in instead. This has caused all kinds of electronic issues (no speedo, cruise control, dodgy fuel gauge, confused gearbox, funny wipers) which is a reminder that they are pretty complex cars.
It oozes quality when you're in it.
edit oli8925: It's replaced a 9-5 aero estate. The turbo of the aero makes it feel faster than the 530i when it is on boost. The BMW feels much more planted but keeps you on your toes too, where the 9-5 was extremely predictable in a barge-like way. Driving position of the BMW much more comfortable for me (I hate to admit it but I didn't actually find the famous Saab seats that good!). Both are refined. I prefer the image of the saab (i.e. not much image). If the BMW turns out to be as reliable as the saab was, I will be delighted.
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Last Edit: Mar 10, 2017 7:33:58 GMT by jonk
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jonk
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Posts: 154
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I loved my 9-5 - so much car for £1500. Gentle driving with a few squirts for epic turbo overtaking would make around 34 mpg on a run.
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jonk
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Posts: 154
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Sorry, now sold and hopefully going back on the road. Thanks everyone.
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jonk
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Posts: 154
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Thanks for the interest. It is being viewed today, I'll update the thread later depending on what happens.
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