I’m crap at buying cars. My other half, however, is sick of being trapped indoors when I head off with the bike rack for the day and has insisted that I get a small/medium thing for not much money so she can do whatever it is she does while I’m gone.

I want decent nick, reliable, economical, not vast mileage, capable of cruising on the motorway if absolutely necessary, and able to get a bike with front wheel off and other gear in the back with the seats down…

Budget is 1K to 2K…

Any ideas?

Awesome!

From that moon on a stick list of requirements –

Citroen Xsara? Maybe the 2.0 HDi for economy and motorway mile munching?

Essentially the same car as a Pug 306 HDi but less desirable, and therefore cheaper. Probably half the price of an equivalent mk1 Focus.

Lots of space inside for bikes with the back seats down.

They don’t really rust and the basic mechanicals are rugged.

Parts are relatively cheap and plentiful.

HDi engine will do big mileage without bother as long as it’s looked after. No DMF or FAP on the xsaras either.

Main thing with them (and all citroens/pugs/renaults) of the post 2000 multiplex wiring era is the electrics can be ‘temperamental’.

But if you want to satisfy your requirements within the 1k – 2k band, this is one of your options. Can get a decent one for that money easy.

VW Golf? Skoda Fabia? Seat Ibiza?

Honda Jazz.

Ford Focus Mk1/1.5?

Sod that boring stuff – only live once!

Xsara sounds interesting. Wouldn’t normally consider a citroen. I’ve got to that stage in my life where I don’t care what it looks like, as long as it starts in the morning and doesn’t crumble into a heap of rust after a year.

What are the Fabias like? I’ve always associated them with ‘hat on the back shelf’ type elderly drivers.

I used to have a pug 205 gti. Great fun. Won’t those be 90% rust and chewing gum now?

If I had my way I’d get a van, but I’m not sure I’d get away with it.

rebel12 – Member

Sod that boring stuff – only live once!

Everyone only lives once, but it’s 205 drivers that only crash once. 💡

I crashed one of those! Not a GTi, but it (and I) survived the roll onto its roof…

Citroen xsara – “as long as it starts in the morning and doesn’t crumble into a heap of rust after a year.”
It may start once but that may be all you get out of it – had one passed down from family a few years ago and was utter Sh*t.
I have just been in the same market and have got a VW Golf for £1500 – 1.6 petrol so not the most economical but should last a few years and will be reliable.
Either this or Octavia, Fabia – Polo (if its for the Mrs she’ll love a polo) get a diesel and your away.

Not sure where you are but these guys do some interesting motors.

Diesel golf would get my vote…as long as it has a good record of service history I’ve found the, to be bomb proof. I have a 130 gt tdi with 125,000 on the clock and still regularly see over 50mpg.
Easy to pick up a 90 or 110 bhp for less than 2 grand.

I used to have a pug 205 gti. Great fun. Won’t those be 90% rust and chewing gum now?

Of course not, as evidenced by the dozens of clean, reliable 205s you see out on the roads every day.

Of course not, as evidenced by the dozens of clean, reliable 205s you see out on the roads every day.

Haven’t seen one for ages. 🙂

I love my skoda fabia – thought i would struggle down sizing so much from a galaxy – but I’m totally converted, really nice to drive and it does shift (but it is a 2l petrol – so id be upset if it didnt).

Haven’t seen one for ages

Most ended up reversing into the shrubbery at high speed with a baseball-hatted eedjit at the wheel. 😀

rover 25/200 diesel.

bombproof and dirt cheap with 50mpg. can get a fully built bike wiith seats down and the later ones come with bells and whistles to.

low mileage older saxo

dp

Rover 25 / 45 diesel. Old fashioned diesel tech that just keeps going.
Or a petrol Ford, Focus, Mondeo even.

A diesel golf for 1-2k will be a shed vag tax on over priced heaps

French will give good vfm

I wouldnt look at specific cars

Look at adverts

Filter by price , filter by what you like , filter by service history

Go look at whats availible

Ford Focus – cheap, plenty about, reasonable on parts / servicing, diesel or petrol, loads of engine sizes. Have used one for 2 weeks camping in France with 2 bikes in the back and all the gear…

I was just looking a 306 D-turbos earlier, my XRDT was great, had a tardis like boot and unlike a saxo, you dont have to wear size 6 shoes. However I’m not convinced they’e the best value nowadays, there’s bound to be something a bit newer for that sort of money.

A diesel golf for 1-2k will be a shed vag tax on over priced heaps

Oh, I don’t know. There’s quite a nice example over in the classifieds right now that def isn’t a heap 😉

Hold on, I’m sure he said reliable & decent nick so clearly anything French is completely out of the question, just look on the hard shoulder next time you’re on a motorway !

A 10 yr old Civic with around 80/90k on can be had for around £1500 if not less, will be better built & more reliable than many modern cars from across the channel 🙂

There was a car program on the telly yesterday where a bloke bought an 02 reg WRX estate for £1,500. Ticks all the boxes except economical, but if you aren’t doing massive miles in it does it matter?
Now, what was that program called…?

Quint

Dunno up here it seems to be range rovers mostly pbroken down in hardshoulder

Ive had nothing but good reliability from my french unreliable car …..

Unfortunately economical is one of the biggest boxes, and driving pleasure one of the lesser ones…

Can’t see meself in a Subaru – don’t even have a baseball cap. I’ll trawl the local classifieds and see what’s about.

just look on the hard shoulder next time you’re on a motorway !

To be perfectly honest I see more BMWs and Mercs at the side of the road/on the back of tow trucks than anything French.

I’ve got to sell my Yaris Verso. Reliable as heck. Cruises at 75 happily. Takes 3 bikes with front wheels off and 3 folk plus riding clobber. 2001 plate and 90k. Interested? It will be the best and least cool car for the job.

To be perfectly honest I see more BMWs and Mercs at the side of the road/on the back of tow trucks than anything French.

The older ones had less electrics so w’re better in many ways, also Peugeots tend, IMHO to be more reliable than Renaults.

Ok, so maybe I was just a little flippant about our French counterparts QC but still stand by an older Honda to offer tough to beat, value for money motoring 🙂

Mtbfix – that would test my airy claims about not caring about looks to the absolute limit!

From Parkers: “Yaris Verso delivers functionality and value for money in equal measures. Unfortunately, it looks like the hatchback of Notre Dame. Shame, because it’s good to drive, surprisingly economical to run and should prove utterly dependable. As a tall mini-MPV it packs as much flexible load space as possible into a small car. The down side is an appearance that turns anyone who looks at it to stone.”

I’ll give it some thought though. Cheers.

Yaris Verso

I hope it has very, very dark privacy glass. Can’t deny they’re tough and spacious but they do look most unfortunate. I’d like to compare them unfavorably to Russell Grant’s private area.

106 GTI? Fun, practical ish and decent fuel economy too. I can get a bike in the back of mine. ..just!

406 hdi estate cheap large and should last a while
But my heart says 205 gti but prices are on the up and a good one will be more like £3000
They are practical every day and seats down easy to get two bikes and gear in

Punto

Toyota or Honda. Don’t laugh- an old 2.0 Rav4 too.