Hi all,
this morning I was stupid enough to crash my Peugeot 206 on the way to Windhill (my bike is ok though!). Since then, I've been looking online for a worthy replacement, but every review article focuses mainly on large estates and SUVs, which my budget and insurance wouldn't allow.
Ideally, I'd like an efficient (I could get an average 45-50mpg out of the diesel 206 doing mainly short dual carriageway runs to college and local riding spots, with the odd trip to Wales- I'm quite an economical driver) vehicle with plenty of room for my Large enduro bike (650b Whyte G160, so quite a long wheelbase). All other features are a bonus!
Examples, recommendations, and photos from experience would be greatly appreciated!
Ford mondeo? I can get my large bike with wheels on and saddle down in the back with the seats down. Can easily fit three bikes on the roof rack as well.
Pretty much any hatchback will fit a bike or two in with the seats down/wheels off.
Then it's up to you how much you want to spend on buying, maintaining, petrol and insurance. Don't get too hung up on MPG as you'll save more going for a cheaper, less efficient car in certain parts of the market.
And if you're at the bangernomics end of the spectrum, the state of each car will be more important by far than the perceived reliability of the brand etc.
Anything with a 130pd engine in it.
I have a Vauxhall Vectra (non estate) and the boot is large but you still need to take the front wheel off with the seats down!
However the best thing I did was getting a towbar fitted and picking up a towbar rack. Why oh why did I not do this so many years ago! Makes life so much easier and the dirty bike stays outside the car!
Any hatchback, the best you can afford. Ideally at minimum something the size of a golf or bigger. What's your budget?
Van?
As above, once you’re taking wheel off pretty well any hatch will work. Boxier cars that don’t have tapered sides are easier. If you were ok with the pug, then maybe look at 207’s and Focuses.
Strictly the advice about reliability over mpg is correct, but a lot of posters on STW seem not to understand that not everyone can afford to look at big picture and sometimes weekly costs are more of a concern than total cost of ownership. So, try to find a middle ground.
Unfortunately this isn’t super helpful advice and is probably what you already know...
Get the autotrader app and start looking at cars...
Bangernomics = buy on condition and previous owner, NOT mpg, low tax or particular model.
Think left field for some bargains - Japanese/Asian, mid sized. Things like 323's, Corolla/Yaris/Avensis/UrbanCruiser, Note, Matrix/Gets/Elantra, SX4, etc.
I did something similar last May - broke student wrote car off on the way to trails, and had to sort something quick as I had exams the week after, followed by a ferry booked from Belfast back to Britain a couple of days after!
Picked up a focus estate that was in good nick for around 700 but you could get something similar for a bit less I reckon. Def recommend what I've got - estate so can fit my large 29er full sus in the back without taking anything off, focus parts are cheap and readily available so if anything goes wrong it shouldn't be too hard to fix. I reckon I get about that mpg out of it, maybe a little less. 1.6 as well so doesn't lose power when fully loaded with bikes and riders too bad. Focuses are pretty abundant as well so there should be a few knocking about.
I looked into a postman pat style thing as well but found even with sky high milage they were still pretty pricey unfortunately, so estates a good middle ground.
206?
I am a student too.
406 hdi estates?
Older mazda 6 04 - 07 can be had for under a grand.
Mazda 6 works for me can fit three bikes in and you can put the seats down by pulling handles in the boot area. Although when parts start getting replaced they are quite pricey.
206SW makes a decent budget bike carrying car.
looks like a terrible mtb car there YGH.
as i always do im going to say berlingo/peugeotpartner/doblo.
Bike is in the back safe from prying fingers/road grime and if you fit curtains/tint windows - prying eyes.....
get a tailgate model you have somewhere to stay dry while changing in teh rain
nothing better than to ride up after a ride open door wheel bike in complete.
Recommending what I have; Ford C-max, my petrol 1.6 gets 40mpg and you could pick up one with 80,000miles for well under £1k, they are seriously un-cool though.
Other pluses - Ford parts are dirt cheap and driveway servicing is easy as the engines not covered in plastic trim from all angles (and the ECU doesn't ask stupid questions).
Minuses - the rear seats don't really 'fold' very well, mine live in the garage and I treat it like a van. Stereo and speakers are rubbish (aftermarket stereo and keep thumping bits of trim to keep the speakers from cutting out).
Older model V70 estate, insurance on a diesel shouldn't be horrendous and most the time you get heated seats.
Mk2 Ford Focus.
Dirt cheap, fairly reliable, and spares are cheap if anything goes wrong. I average about 40-43mpg with the 1.6 VCT engine.
Can happily fit my XL whyte s-150 in the back with a wheel off, then another bike on top with a yoga mat inbetween. The height in the back of the focus really makes it surprisingly roomy.
A Mark 2 Sharan / Alhambra / Galaxy. Should be cheap as chips to buy , insure and run.
All the back seats come out independently to make it into a very comfortable and car like van. with as many or as few seats as you need.
Will take lots and lots of bikes / stuff.
Classic "recommend what you got" but I second trail_rat's Berlingo, etc/ suggestion.
Fits all your criteria: economic (~50mpg with the 1.6/2.0 diesel), cheap to insure because they're mainly driven (slowly) by ladies of a certain age, masses of room
If your budget is super tight then an old KIA Rio (rounder looking one) massive amount of boot space, cheap to fix, really basic but reliable mine made multiple trip from Doncaster to Glasgow twice a month for five months. Until it got hit front on while parked outside my house by a Toyota Yaris kiling the Yaris. It still kept going for a few days until the courtesy car arrived then was driven away 4 weeks later by the scrapper when the insurance paid out and I went for a bigger engine.
Having seen a Yaris write off a Transporter (no idea what model but new) I’d say it’s no shame on the Rio. Yaris’ are terrible cars in many ways but they are tough little buggers. Bit smaller than I’d like to try and get a bike inside though - can be done but there are better options.
Thanks a lot for the advice everyone, it's helped my searches considerably 🙂
minimal af, I havent even finished paying off the G160!! :/ realistically about a grand
Not fashionable or cool but the old shape Vauxhall Agila (and the Suzuki Wagon R, which is basically the same car) is cheap to buy, run, insure, and for its size has a mahoosive boot (with the seats down two orb3 big bikes go in with the front wheels off)
Often owned by, ahem, older drivers. So low mileage and probably a nice full service history.
If it's only really you and your bike, and not a gang of mates and their bikes, or family, then I'd say an estate or MPV is overkill. Like some have said, pretty much any little hatchback will take your bike with one or both wheels off. My first car was a 2nd-gen Renault Clio, which would happily take two people and 2 bikes inside. Did runs from around Perth down to Peebles pretty regularly. Personally, I'd put a towbar on the 'nice to have' list, with a cheap rack, but still below just a decent service history and some kind of trade-off between reliable and cheap to fix.
Vauxhall zaferia?
Cit Berlingo Multispace XTR /Pug Partner Tepee Outdoor - these both have individually removable rear seats, is long enough for bike (although I don't know how much longer the 160 is to my 130, but mine fits snug behind driver with rear wheel between seat and pillar) and can be slept in.
Diesel is quite economical - I get about 650-ish from a tank. Comfy enough to drive, and isn't a looker so unlikely to be a target for anything other than drunk people thinking you are a taxi is you drive through town at night.
Should be 'cheap' and can be had as ex-Mobility so tend to be well maintained and low(ish) mileage for not a lot of money.
A grand should be enough, 1st stop is autotrader, set your price and 5 doors and view the lowest mileage ones first.
They're probably getting scarcer now but the mk1.5 focus estate with the tddi diesel- it's the worst diesel focus they've ever made and it's old shape so it's unloved and dodges the usual focus tax, but all the insides are basically right, the engine is weedy but it's got lovely drivability and does 60mpg at 60, and the boot is just... ridiculous. None of the later focuses are as good ergonomically imo nor is the boot so epic, I replaced mine with a mk3 mondeo and tbh it doesn't use the space anything like as well, and has a less nice tailgate for sitting under. And of course, it's a Focus so there's a million of them in scrapyards and the bits are cheap
Like this shitbox:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GOOD-RUN-AROUND-1-7L-DIESEL-2004-FORD-FOCUS-CI-TD-DI/152900848495?hash=item239999cb6f:g:Km8AAOSwdd9afGqj
Or this rather more sensible one
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Focus-1-8LX-estate-54-plate/122952883005?hash=item1ca0901b3d:g:dgIAAOSwceNaeM8P
If considering a small van be very sure to ask your insurer. Not all insurance companies like vans. They tend to assume someone wanting a van intends to use it for work I think.
The way I look at insurance costs is to ask myself how many of the sort of car I'm looking at get wrapped around trees/stolen/chavved up etc. Put it this way my old Mk3 Golf Tdi cost as much to insure as my Jag S-type 3.0 V6, a car driven by ancient golfers, retired farmers and such like.
I vote Berlingo, with the old mechanical XUD diesel for extra reliability.
I;m going to go against STW norm and recomend somrthing that I don;t have, never driven & never been in.
Honda CR-V.
Loads around for £1k mark, honda's famous reliability and loads of boot space.
I'm actually tempted by northwinds 2nd focus, at that price if it doesn't have any faults* it's cheaper than repairing mine!
*unlikely, mine has all the focus weak points (steering rack, alternator) as well as needing new disks/pads.
If you are anywhere near Shropshire i'm about to flog a 04 Mondeo Ghia X 130 TDci.
Hatch, big enough to sleep in. 170k on the clock and goes like a train £700 just needs 4 tyres.
Cheers
Paul
I got a banger Fiat multipla with one owner from new. Other good choices are Mazda 6s and the original Focus.
Skoda Octavia, one that suites your budget.
Some of the few redeeming features of my Saab 95 are that you can fit a large Transition Patrol in without removing a single wheel, and that it's dirt cheap to insure.
Turn of the century Volvo V40 petrols won't quite hit your mpg target, but are bombproof and cheap to insure.
Honda CR-V.Loads around for £1k mark, honda’s famous reliability and loads of boot space.
lots of cheap ones becuase of common faults being expensive to fix.
example we had to get rid of a mates because the first step for replacing the steering rack(which is a really common issue with these about 100k) states and i kid you not "remove engine"
anyway i guess "trips to wales" means your a good ways away from aberdeen as i have a cheap 54 plate berlingo for sale in about 4 weeks once i stick a new windscreen in and send for mot.
Something Berlingo shaped with the 1.9 diesel engine fitted.
This;
Dirt cheap eat to run and insure, bombproof and parts cost nowt. For £1200+ you can pick up a 4x4 version which really does work too!
Not fashionable or cool but the old shape Vauxhall Agila (and the Suzuki Wagon R, which is basically the same car) is cheap to buy, run, insure, and for its size has a mahoosive boot (with the seats down two orb3 big bikes go in with the front wheels off)
Often owned by, ahem, older drivers. So low mileage and probably a nice full service history.
Very true. Helped my neighbour sell a mk1 last year. Huge amount of room for a small car, great on fuel too. You get Agilas/ Wagon R's that are 10 years old with only a couple of owners and a mere 40k on the clock and very cheap too! Nice high seating position is a bonus.
If you can get over the boxy looks there is a lot to like about them. 👍