Any reliable old estate/SUV cars for under £3-4k?

[TRKid]

I’m looking for an old vehicle for carting my mountain bike around to places, plus various tip duties etc.

I’m sure a couple of years ago this would be a possibility, but looking in the classifieds isn’t showing much. Everyone is asking silly money for any old junk.

Any ideas?

[ChocolateFrog]

Superb or V70.

[Bannock]

Vectra 1.8 petrol.

[Snow and Rocks]

Our Accord Tourer has provided pretty much faultless service over the last 6 years.

Decent car too - rides and handles better than the much newer e class that we owned, the 4 cylinder VTEC feels a bit flat at first if you're used to modern turbodiesels but is surprisingly punchy once you learn to keep the revs up a bit. Great gearbox and revs sweetly to 7k.

[jfdi]

Old ml 270 CDI if you can find one that hasn't rusted away.

[Shabaza]

Find a Honda CRV (watch for rust)
a 2001-2006 era can easily be had in budget and the bikes will probably be able to stand vertically.
2007+ models are more refined still but will start pushing budget.

Alternatively I'd recommend an RX400 for pure reliability, its a little bigger and less practical, but far more refined

[Bannock]

Also, Toyota Avensis petrol.

[PurpleTurtle]

I've got a mate (professional cycle mechanic, keen MTB-er) who has over the past 5 yrs had:

Astra diesel estate - functional but tight on load space
Subaru Forester - quick, made a lovely noise, capable in every respect, drank unleaded like Ollie Read on a stag do, too costly for his trips to Wales
Mondeo diesel estate - functional, dull, bikes fit, reliable, uninspiring but cheap to run

Much as he loved the Scooby, the Mondeo ticks every box from a practicality point of view.

[TRKid]

Cheers for the replies. I will have a look at all those options.

Any thoughts on reliability of an older V70?

[Silvanus]

Dacia Duster would do the trick nicely. A few on Auto trader on budget.

[Snow and Rocks]

TRKid said:

Cheers for the replies. I will have a look at all those options.

Any thoughts on reliability of an older V70?

They're generally pretty durable in that they will go on to do very high mileages but tend to be fairly maintenence intensive with various smaller issues cropping up along the way. All bets are off though if you go auto - more a case of when it fails, rather than if with some of them.

[blue_haddock]

Saab 9-5 Aero

[RedAndy]

Corolla Verso

[Pablo16v]

I'm running a 2010 2.0tdi Audi A6 Avant (Lemans edition) which is regularly used for MTB carrying duties and it has been super reliable over the past 4 1/2 years I've had it. Currently on 155K miles. The engine and gearbox (manual) still feel strong, there's no rattles or squeaks, and the bodywork is in good shape. I replaced a front wheel bearing in 2021, and more recently a rear wheel bearing / wheels speed sensor and rear discs and pads, but apart from that it has just needed yearly services.

[robertfleckney]

TRKid said:

Cheers for the replies. I will have a look at all those options.

Any thoughts on reliability of an older V70?

As has been mentioned above, I’ve found with my 2006 V70, that it’s a comfortable and extremely reliable car (never let me down or missed a beat) but has cost me a few quid in the last five years. However, in its defence, the money I have spent is on consumables you’d expect when you consider its age and 200k miles (wheel hub bearings, callipers, handbrake cables, rusty ABS rings etc). It’s a d5 manual, which tend to be more reliable than the autos. They seem to hold their value well, so you’d pay £3-4K for a decent one of a similar vintage, with reasonable miles.

I’d definitely recommend them. 45-50mpg and the comfiest seats I’ve sat in (and I used to have a Saab 9-5 Aero).

[Square Leg]

Subaru Forester

[Davie]

TRKid said:

Cheers for the replies. I will have a look at all those options.

Any thoughts on reliability of an older V70?

"Older V70"

At £3k to 4k that would get you in anything from an early 1997 to 2000 era P80, pretty much any P2 model and a fairly comprehensive choice of P3 cars...

[EVOTECH3BELL]

Accord tourer

[flatso]

Accord is a good shout.

[ZX10R NIN]

Look for a last of the line Laguna they are reliable & are good value at the moment.

Laguna:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309121...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309041...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202308010...

Insignia 2.0d & keep £200 aside to get the oil pick up done:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202308301...