Cheap, reliable runaround car or future classic

dinyull

Seen a few threads on here recently about cars and seems quite a bit of knowledge about.

We potentially need a second car, just for me to commute in on days when I need to collect a little person from nursery and when weather isn't ideal for cycle commute.

Don't have a particular budget in mind, but probably thinking £2k absolute max.

After little runaround which is going to be reliable first and foremost, cheap to tax and run. Not after anything flashy or particularly fun.

Alternatively, have always loved cars, particularly 80's/90's cars. Any potential "future" classics in that price range that I could use for above and also give me something to play with at weekends? If it was something that could really interest me I could up the budget a bit. I'm particularly taken by mini's....

Sorry, just realised I've asked for 2 completely different things haha....all suggestions welcome.

Frank Wilson

What will we run these future classics on when we are all electric?

fat daddy

Frank Wilson wrote:

What will we run these future classics on when we are all electric?

I dont think it matters, he will be long dead by the time that happens

briantrumpet

My crusty Clio (177k, 19 years old) keeps on threatening to fall apart, but never quite does, so my thoughts are in the same direction. A friend of mine swears by Mk1 Nissan Micras - nothing electronic to go wrong, cheap as chips to insure etc. I'd be tempted by something a little bigger, say a Honda Jazz (again, very low running costs, and fairly bombproof). I'd rather have something that can be easily repaired by a real local garage, rather than having to be 'diagnosed' by fancy electronics every time there's a problem, and mirrors that you can replace for a fiver, rather than a £500 wing mirror unit.

andy9964

I bought a 2009 Citroen C1 just over 5 years ago, service it myself, and the only major "faults" have been the clutch (£210) and an exhaust (£100)
Because I commute all year on my bike, I only do 3000 miles a year in it - doesn't make sense to me to have a "nice" car sitting outside not doing much
Tax, insurance, MOT, petrol ( @ around 50mpg) and servicing costs me no more than £700 a year.
Probably run it till it dies before getting another car, it's been utterly reliable for the last 5 years.

It's not a quick or flashy car, but does what is needed. Has A/C, PAS, CL and I fitted a BT headunit for phone connection.
Downsides?? Can sound a bit tinny, and the boot is tiny. You can get a bike in (CAADX) if you drop the rear seats, front wheel off and the passenger seat slid forward

briantrumpet

Andy9964 wrote:

I bought a 2009 Citroen C1 just over 5 years ago, service it myself, and the only major "faults" have been the clutch (£210) and an exhaust (£100)
Because I commute all year on my bike, I only do 3000 miles a year in it - doesn't make sense to me to have a "nice" car sitting outside not doing much
Tax, insurance, MOT, petrol ( @ around 50mpg) and servicing costs me no more than £700 a year.
Probably run it till it dies before getting another car, it's been utterly reliable for the last 5 years.

It's not a quick or flashy car, but does what is needed. Has A/C, PAS, CL and I fitted a BT headunit for phone connection.
Downsides?? Can sound a bit tinny, and the boot is tiny. You can get a bike in (CAADX) if you drop the rear seats, front wheel off and the passenger seat slid forward

Yeah, similar position to me. It's been a more expensive year keeping Crusty on the road this year, through bad luck (two broken headlights from impacts from other things/people, cost £100 fitted each time) and normal wear & tear (suspension/brakes/tyres, battery), but the engine is still running smoothly, and it owes me nothing - it cost me £1995 in 2007.

Frank Wilson

fat daddy wrote:

Frank Wilson wrote:

What will we run these future classics on when we are all electric?

I dont think it matters, he will be long dead by the time that happens

Good point, I will also be on the all-electric conveyor belt to heaven or hell by then.

twist83

Any car from the 80/90's considered a classic now or likely to be is probably well out of budget now to be fair.

You say you don't want anything flashy or fun but then say you want something to play with?

My suggestion. If load space is not a concern and you only need two seats. An older MX5. Would tick all the boxes. Cheap to run, becoming a classic and incredibly fun to drive.

I did laugh when you mentioned weekend toy and classic and I have seen a Clio (assuming non RS model), a Honda Jazz and a C1 mentioned. That has made my morning almost as much as the C3 Cactus love in thread

voodooman

SAAB 9-3 turbo diesel estate. Cheap to run and some can be quite quick (Celtic do a nice upgrade for about £250).

You could probably pick one up for a grand or two in a really good condition. Mine's been brilliant and only now thinking of getting rid rather than new pump / timing belt at 160K. Be warned though, many have the engine light on due to the millions of sensors, but still run absolutely fine. EGR valve gets clogged but is easy to clean. Mine has never missed a beat in 6 years. Many parts are available (hey it's a vectra really), though specific SAAB parts are getting hard to find (e.g. steering rack, and that can be an issue).

Best of all they tend to benefit from a bit of a thrash now and again (over 3000 revs for at least 5 minutes or so). Comfiest seats ever made too. What's not to like?

twist83

Its a Saab

cooldad

Nope, it's a Vauxhall.

twist83

That is even worse!!!

It's a SaaHall

rick_chasey

Argh stop buying diesels.

apreading

Polo Mk4 - becoming sought after, particularly by modders and actually quite fashionable among younger drivers now.

https://www.vwheritage.com/blog/2016/05 ... ing-guide/

dinyull

Fark me.

Had a quick look at Rover Mini's last night, good ones are going for £15-20k. Just over 10 years ago I talked myself out of one for about £5k.

voodooman

Well don't go for a PCP. Went to the skoda garage for a quote on a petrol superb and they've offered me 5K trade in on the SAAB. But expect repayments of ~£350 / month, at 5.9%! No way.

veronese68

Dinyull wrote:

Fark me.

Had a quick look at Rover Mini's last night, good ones are going for £15-20k. Just over 10 years ago I talked myself out of one for about £5k.

Bought one for the boy to learn to drive in 3-4 years ago although he was only 15 at the time. It had an MOT but needed a clutch and was only £900. It was worth £2k then once I'd done the clutch, probably a bit more now. Very hard to find one running for less than £2k now.

pblakeney

Veronese68 wrote:

Dinyull wrote:

Fark me.

Had a quick look at Rover Mini's last night, good ones are going for £15-20k. Just over 10 years ago I talked myself out of one for about £5k.

Bought one for the boy to learn to drive in 3-4 years ago although he was only 15 at the time. It had an MOT but needed a clutch and was only £900. It was worth £2k then once I'd done the clutch, probably a bit more now. Very hard to find one running for less than £2k now.

Rover Minis were shite back then. Can’t imagine how they would have improved. Just goes to show where there’s muck, there’s brass.

rolf_f

twist83 wrote:

Any car from the 80/90's considered a classic now or likely to be is probably well out of budget now to be fair.

Far from it. Still possible to get proper Saabs cheap - eg 80s 900 Turbo for not much; no Vauxhall content. Really nice non Turbos are much less. I run an 8v Turbo as my only car. It's probably cheaper to run than most modern cars though tax is high but that's offset by stupidly cheap insurance. Main killer if miles are high would be fuel consumption. Plenty of bike stowage space as long as you get a hatchback version.

mouth

The only 'future classics' - particularly 80/90's in that price range are likely to be delivered to you on a pallet. Might find a 00's shoddy Focus ST or Golf GTtdi in that price range but expect future bills and work.

My 206 (1.4hdi) cost me 400 quid with a years MOT, although needed a bit of work, which I never bothered doing. A decent late plate (2005 or so) will cost about 1k. £30/tax, 60/70mpg on a run and room for a bike when the rear seats are down. No other fun to be had though.

If you're looking for smiles then the MX-5 was an almost reasonable suggestion. Personally, I'm in the process of looking for a Vito sized vehicle which will double as my daily (sub 5000k a year) and weekend camper/bike hauler/dog hauler. Insure it for private use and costs are comparable with a car.

the_hundredth_idiot

I went through a similar thought process about 6 years ago. I bought a second-hand MX5, then sold it a year later for £3k less because it was a pain in the neck with a family. Weekend toy, yes; family hack, no.

I then bought a Seat Mii. Surprisingly spacious (car seats, school bags, etc), cheap to run, easy to park, and actually surprisingly good fun to drive in a way that many modern cars aren't but still has all the creature comforts you "need" and which 80s cars often don't have. Five years later and wife and I still argue about who takes the MIi because it is so wonderfully easy to live with.

I have roof bars and two Thule bike racks permanently on the roof to be able to put bikes on with much less faff than fitting the tow bar rack to the "big car". (This is a bike forum, after all.)

DeVlaeminck

PBlakeney wrote:

Veronese68 wrote:

Dinyull wrote:

Fark me.

Had a quick look at Rover Mini's last night, good ones are going for £15-20k. Just over 10 years ago I talked myself out of one for about £5k.

Bought one for the boy to learn to drive in 3-4 years ago although he was only 15 at the time. It had an MOT but needed a clutch and was only £900. It was worth £2k then once I'd done the clutch, probably a bit more now. Very hard to find one running for less than £2k now.

Rover Minis were shite back then. Can’t imagine how they would have improved. Just goes to show where there’s muck, there’s brass.

Most fun cars I've owned have been a 1990 last of the carb models Cooper and a slightly souped up mid 70s 1275GT, I wouldn't fancy crashing one but either would be able to keep up with modern traffic and be more enjoyable to drive than pretty much any modern car outside of the expensive stuff. That said if I owned a nice one now it'd be a dry days only car unlike modern cars they do like to rust.

DeVlaeminck

Talking of Saabs earlier, I'd be tempted by a 96 just for the looks, anyone owned one?

pinno

I bought an auto Mercedes C220 (petrol) W202 series for peanuts in July*. If you're not doing many miles, then consumption is not an issue. It had less than 90k on the clock with 1 previous owner and full MB service history. Full leather interior that was clean as a whistle.
I'm hoping it will be a classic but even if it doesn't, it's quiet, smooth, fast enough, comfortable... Insured for less than £300 with protected NCD.
I have had other Mercs and many other far more expensive cars but this one is the best of all of them. You can pick W202 series Merc's for very little at the moment and spares are readily available. W202's are two a penny. Find a clean one. Don't get a manual. C180's are a bit flat but smooth and comfortable. Diesels can be costly if the injectors go. The C200/C250 sport are usually of the late '98 to '00 era and are rust buckets. Clean Sport versions are like hens teeth. I looked for a good condition replacement for my C200 Sport for a long time without success. AMG C35's or C45's now are silly money - 12k plus. My C200 Sport was a rot box just like all the Merc's produced after they bought out Chrysler. The pre '98 W202 is the last of the proper Merc's and I am convinced that will become a classic (unless it's a bog standard 180).
I love mine and will own it till it falls apart/goes beyond the point of economic repair, regardless of condition or value.

*Okay, I spent 2k putting it back to pristine condition but I didn't have to.

rolf_f

On the subject of Mercs - 190. Apart from the annoying lack of cycle friendly versions they have to be worth a look as the last proper old school Merc - simple, tank like, good build quality etc.

pblakeney

DeVlaeminck wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

Veronese68 wrote:

Dinyull wrote:

Fark me.

Had a quick look at Rover Mini's last night, good ones are going for £15-20k. Just over 10 years ago I talked myself out of one for about £5k.

Bought one for the boy to learn to drive in 3-4 years ago although he was only 15 at the time. It had an MOT but needed a clutch and was only £900. It was worth £2k then once I'd done the clutch, probably a bit more now. Very hard to find one running for less than £2k now.

Rover Minis were shite back then. Can’t imagine how they would have improved. Just goes to show where there’s muck, there’s brass.

Most fun cars I've owned have been a 1990 last of the carb models Cooper and a slightly souped up mid 70s 1275GT, I wouldn't fancy crashing one but either would be able to keep up with modern traffic and be more enjoyable to drive than pretty much any modern car outside of the expensive stuff. That said if I owned a nice one now it'd be a dry days only car unlike modern cars they do like to rust.

Ah! My first car was a 70s highly tuned 1000 (100mph ish fully loaded and a roof rack) and an absolute hoot to drive.

I was picturing this as a Rover Mini.

BelgianBeerGeek

Pinno wrote:

I bought an auto Mercedes C220 (petrol) W202 series for peanuts in July*. If you're not doing many miles, then consumption is not an issue. It had less than 90k on the clock with 1 previous owner and full MB service history. Full leather interior that was clean as a whistle.
I'm hoping it will be a classic but even if it doesn't, it's quiet, smooth, fast enough, comfortable... Insured for less than £300 with protected NCD.
I have had other Mercs and many other far more expensive cars but this one is the best of all of them. You can pick W202 series Merc's for very little at the moment and spares are readily available. W202's are two a penny. Find a clean one. Don't get a manual. C180's are a bit flat but smooth and comfortable. Diesels can be costly if the injectors go. The C200/C250 sport are usually of the late '98 to '00 era and are rust buckets. Clean Sport versions are like hens teeth. I looked for a good condition replacement for my C200 Sport for a long time without success. AMG C35's or C45's now are silly money - 12k plus. My C200 Sport was a rot box just like all the Merc's produced after they bought out Chrysler. The pre '98 W202 is the last of the proper Merc's and I am convinced that will become a classic (unless it's a bog standard 180).
I love mine and will own it till it falls apart/goes beyond the point of economic repair, regardless of condition or value.

*Okay, I spent 2k putting it back to pristine condition but I didn't have to.

Nice looking Merc, Mr P

BelgianBeerGeek

Rolf F wrote:

On the subject of Mercs - 190. Apart from the annoying lack of cycle friendly versions they have to be worth a look as the last proper old school Merc - simple, tank like, good build quality etc.

Most 190s seem overpriced to me, but agreed, they are tanks. The W124 is also a good buy in that respect. I agree with Pinno, and most Mercs pre-2000 are really good value in their own way, but avoid the A-Class (the A200 is a hoot, though). My tip: a pre-2000 E-Class saloon 200 Kompressor. Quality motoring, tough, powerful engine with some grunt and not too thirsty. And like all Mercs, rear wheel drive so easy to park and manoeuvre and a right laugh in the snow.

pinno

Thanks BBG. I have since clay barred and detailed the paintwork since then. I gave it a Fusso soft99 wax. The most incredible wax i have ever used. Thoroughly recommended. I also fitted some 16" E Class 8 hole wheels.
These exact one's in fact:



I don't know why they are still listed. The proprietor said they should have been taken off as they were non-genuine, so I got them for a steal @ £100.

If I get a chance, i'll post some pics of it now it's (almost) back to former glory. I cannot believe how well the paintwork cleaned up. I had two doors and a front wing put on it. It was too bashed to repair.

Car Costing

Car £600.00
Wheels £100.
Radio keys £2.99
Mirror glass £32.00
Dronsfields £213.00 Wing + 2 doors
Door seals £28.10, £28.87, £24.11, £24.11
Wheel nuts £21.99
Enamel £4.98
Vinyl repair kit £14.00
Grille £37.41
Wiper blade £11.00
Headlight upgrade £17.50
Alternator, Auto transmission fluid. ATF, Filter £204.00
Paint kit £31.68 (n/s passenger door, bottom half)
Wheel Refurb £200.00 (old 15" wheels, now for sale on fleabay)
Wiper arm cowling £18.00
Wheel centre caps £6.49
External Door trims £27.00
Wing repeater £9.50
Tyres £99.98 (Nexxus N Blue, part worn with 7mm tread. Phenomenal value from a supplier in Braintree)
Black grille paint £5.75
Scuttle panel paint £7.99
Clim air fairings £62.00
Scuttle panel/door trim £30.00
Track rod ends, ball joint £96.00
Drivers side window £47.00
E Class wheels £100.00
Paint work for o/s with local paint shop. First class. Includes door and wing swap. £500

Total: £2,698.83

crumbschief

You must like that car pinno,i can't blame you though i feel the pull as well sometimes with things like that.

apreading

If you like Fusso then try topping it with Soft99 King of Gloss...

The Fusso gives durability, the King of Gloss does what it says on the tin, and together they work wonders on a dark car.