Urgently needing a big car for a few weeks due to hassles with the van which need sorting.
What’s the recommendations for something up to about 4k that will reliably cope with a couple of trips to the alps with the family, bikes and gear, and a couple more to Wales-I’m banking on about 5000 miles during that time- that’ll be quick to sell at the end of next month, without depreciating much, and is pretty much bulletproof engine wise.
At the moment thinking a mk4 1.6 petrol mondeo with high mileage. As long as I find something that’ll happily sit at the speed limit on motorways itll be fine. Wary of mk 4 diesels at that price and mileage, and there’s so many mk3s around I’m worried it’d take forever to sell. Don’t want the hassle, expense and time of sorting out car problems over this time on a ‘bargain’.
Any other vehicle suggestions? Best to go with a dealer?

Thanks.

Omega.

2.2D the one to have – much cheaper and bigger than the Mondeo and a nice one will be ultra reliable.

A lovely place to be.

Still some very, very nice ones left.

Hire car perhaps?

Berlingo

BMW 530i Touring. Not the most efficient, but certainly one of the most reliable, and easiest to shift afterwards.

Passat Tdi, should be able to find one in that price range that will do the job for you.

As long as its clean and had all the services done, high mileage will not be an issue as long as the services have been done on time.

Should be easy enough to sell on afterwards, look out for the highline version with leather.

Citroen C5 diesel estate?

rob jackson – Member

Berlingo

Very good point.
Or a Doblo – cheaper, bigger, can get a very nice one for that money.

I’d look for a Toyota Avensis. Unfashionable hence cheap, but sound motors. Would be a much nicer place to be for an Alpine trip than a Berlingo etc.

My passat has done 160k and is still going strong. Will be taking family ads678 to the pyrenees again this summer. Great cars imo.

Oh mines an 03 plate aswell, so something like that will be well within your buget.

My choice would be an E class.

A good one will be a lovely place to be, a bad one will empty your wallet just as any other car would.

Your thread title should read “has anyone got a lucky penny I could rub please”

All 2nd hand cars are a gamble. Most engines are pretty good for high miles but the rest of the car needs to have attention too, its not just engines that leave you stranded.

Mundaneo, Avensis, Omega all good shouts.

Honda Accord Tourer – huge, comfortable, fast enough.

Any modern diesel estate will do the job. Don’t get an A4 estate though as they really are compact executives.

My choice would be an E class.

Mine too. Nothing does huge mileage like a diesel Merc.

I’d look for a Toyota Avensis

+1

First thought when I read the post.

Don’t touch anything with an engine bigger than 2 litre if you want to be able to shift it on quickly – unless cheap.

Nothing does huge mileage like a diesel Merc.

Hmm, 54 plates and on took a lot of warranty work, so I’d avoid them.

There are plenty of everyday diesels in 2.2 size. Doesn’t impact fuel economy on a diesel and shouldn’t be worried about.

A6 estate. Big, luxury for racking up miles in, reliable and dead easy to shift on when you’re done.

I could be tempted to part with our Mk3 2.0TDCi Mondeo Estate for a lot less than that. Bar a split (now replaced) turbo boost hose and some smoke early on, it’s not skipped a beat for 35,000 miles. Could snap in a big way tommorrow, but the could be said for something 4 times the value and half the mileage.

It would be nice to have a newer car, but why part with a good thing?

Like driving away from good surf…

Thanks all, some food for thought.
My worry with a diesel is buying something that needs a fortune spending on it when a) we only want it for a couple of months and b) don’t really have the time for it to be off the road if it needs fixing.
So, are the problems with modern diesels a bit overhyped then?

Tinsy’s side note on Mercs.
Its not the miles a Merc can take that attracts for me, its the way they drive, quite simply an old shit merc is a better drive than most middling new cars. Drive a 1000 miles, get out, have a cuppa & drive back.

Yeah, massively overhyped, all engines are good, diesel or petrol, as I said earlier your more likely to get stranded by something else than complete engine failure, suspension, electrics are more likely to be the issue.

Mine too. Nothing does huge mileage like a diesel Merc.

Hmmm. Not so sure about all old Mercs. My W123 will still be going after the apocalypse, but there were many ‘mid-skool’ old Mercs that were simply awful.

Aren’t Mercs from 1998 to 2008 all Chryslers in disguise? In which case, can it be said that the Mercs that span that period share the same characteristics as Mercs before and after?

Dunno about that, I think Chryslers have some common drivtrain stuff from Merc’s but its not the other way around.

Go to a dealer & get a drive in an E class, you will see what I mean.

My worry with a diesel is buying something that needs a fortune spending on

It’s not as bad as the scare stories would have you believe. Look how many diesels are on the roads driving happily up and down the country.

Turbos are prone to failure if you run low on oil, DPFs need understanding and caring for, and DMFs are more likley to fail if you’re rough with the clutch or labour the engine.

Generally though I would get a younger higher mileage car. More miles in a short space of time means more long trips, which means far less wear and tear. My sister’s 105k mile 4 year old Golf Estate for example was £5k or so and looks and drives like new.

Stay away from anything french or italian, imo and go with anything german or ford at the very worst if you can’t find anything in your price range for VAG. 1st choice would be a diesel passat.

Japanese rather than German i would say. Mazda 6 estate has a huge boot, had one up to 140k and not a single problem, really regret selling it for a Renault.

Japanese or Skoda Octavia.

Similar to Capt Flasheart, I have a diesel W124 from ’94 that still looks and runs good, my mate has a W210 from ’98 that’s a rust-bucket and has about 7 faults from the BIT on startup.

Zafira? Dull to drive but pretty reliable

BMW 525 petrol/Audi A6 2.0T petrol – cheap to buy and will resell for the amount you paid.

OP is ridiculous. 4k is such a genourous budget that you may as well just say ‘what car do you irrationally prefer over other cars?’ There is an absolute multitude (theres a thought; Multipla?) of cars that would fit the bill with cash to spare. Now if you said what reliable estate car for £400, then we’d be talking…

And the answer would be as low a mileage Pug diesel estate as you can get your hands on…

Mine too. Nothing does huge mileage like a diesel Merc

As the bodywork slowly disintegrates into red dust around you…

(And I love em; W202 250TD estate still <100k miles here…)

2nd for C5 estate.Loads of room can drop or raise the car for loading. Vehicle stays level whatever the load. Get the 2.0 litre HDI and you’ll get a cracker for 4K

BMW 5 series – soo easy to sell on.

Vectra.

One of my frequently used taxi drivers has a E220cdi (54plate) with 450K on the clock. Same engine, one gearbox. Still drives fine. Around 4K try to get a post 2003 facelift eclass estate 220cdi or 270cdi. Galvanised and reliable engines. Post 2006 all the electrical probelems were sorted but you will not get that on your budget.

Merc’s are Chryslers 2003-2008? are you kidding! Chrysler 300c were old merc parts bin jobs. Eg 5 speed gearboxes when Merc’s are 7 speed.

Any yes they are great places to sit. 300miles today – no problem.

C5 estate, I am on my 3rd

Maazda6 deisels had an injector seal issue
Merc manual 6 speed boxes are awful when cold
Citroen C5s are not the most reliable car for road trips dpf issues.
Mundano diesel injectors go wonky at some point in their life
Vauxhall/Alfa 1.9 unit can suffer swirl flap issues
BMW 320/ 520d see above.

Honda Accord
Passat B6 with a PD engine
Audi A6
All good without lots of common faults
If you could find a late model 406 they were pretty good as french cars go.

We’ve just sold an 07 plate Saab 9-3 sports wagon to my parents for £3,500 and we weren’t really doing them a huge favour on the price. 😳 It’d done about 120k miles and according to the mechanic we used to service said it had years of life left in it.

We took it to the Alps on a few occasions and would’ve had no worries taking it with us this year when we go again (replaced it with a van for additional load carrying duties).

C5 estate, I am on my 3rd

Dunno if that’s good or bad…
Anyway my vote (cos I’m biased) is for a 1.9 TDI Passat with a 130bhp motor. I’ve just traded in my 51 estate for a 54 plate. Got the old one in 2005 with 94K on, It had 235K on yesterday & the engine was as sweet as sugar. The ‘new’ one has 72k on.
Two words for them,
Bomb.
Proof.
Keep clear of the newer models with the electric handbrake & 2.0ltr diesel engines. (but you probly wouldn’t find a decent one in your budget anyway)
Big old cars too, we go on holiday with bikes & gear, fishing gear, dog paraphernalia, spotting scopes, food for a week…blah blah blah & I can still see out of the back window!