100% Definitely not a 'What car thread'

[Harding91]

So i'm after a new run about, Ideally an Automatic just preference as 90% of vehicles that come into work are autos and i've grown to like them, im not opposed to a manual i suppose i think of it like the colour, i don't want a silver car but i wouldn't turn the right car down because of the colour.

Nice interior is a bonus, toys like cruise control etc are nice.
Petrol or diesel doesnt matter, just around 30-35MPG+
Nothing tiny, i do often haul tools and bits around

Budget of around £1500.

My thoughts so far:

-E46 Auto. Preferably the M50 Engine as i know it fairly well, rebuilt two of them in recent years, also aware of what to watch out for when buying, rear sub-frame etc.

-Volvo S60. I quite like the look of them and there seem to be a fair few autos about for a decent price and seems like a good amount of car for the money.

- Saab 9-3. My dad picked one up a couple of months back for the 1500 mark and it's a lovely car, the 2.0T petrol, however what puts me off is the sheer amount for 'spares and repairs' ones about and i have no knowledge of them, apparently the diesels are rather rubbish?

-Hilux surf, Auto, i quite enjoy driving trucks and rather practical for work etc. However it seems like any cheaper than 2k aren't great exmaples and again i have no real knowledge of them

-Lexus IS200, I like the look and hear good things however for 1500 im not sure id be getting a worthwhile one.


I'm not really sure what other ideas, open to suggestions


Oh yeah, it is a what car thread. i lied

[ben5732]

Don't get an s60 with an autobox they're made of chocolate. If it was a manual then I'd say yes I own a V70 T5 and its excellent

[Pobsmate]

Harding91 said:

So i'm after a new run about, Ideally an Automatic just preference as 90% of vehicles that come into work are autos and i've grown to like them, im not opposed to a manual i suppose i think of it like the colour, i don't want a silver car but i wouldn't turn the right car down because of the colour.

Nice interior is a bonus, toys like cruise control etc are nice.
Petrol or diesel doesnt matter, just around 30-35MPG+
Nothing tiny, i do often haul tools and bits around

Budget of around £1500.

My thoughts so far:

-E46 Auto. Preferably the M50 Engine as i know it fairly well, rebuilt two of them in recent years, also aware of what to watch out for when buying, rear sub-frame etc.

-Volvo S60. I quite like the look of them and there seem to be a fair few autos about for a decent price and seems like a good amount of car for the money.

- Saab 9-3. My dad picked one up a couple of months back for the 1500 mark and it's a lovely car, the 2.0T petrol, however what puts me off is the sheer amount for 'spares and repairs' ones about and i have no knowledge of them, apparently the diesels are rather rubbish?

-Hilux surf, Auto, i quite enjoy driving trucks and rather practical for work etc. However it seems like any cheaper than 2k aren't great exmaples and again i have no real knowledge of them

-Lexus IS200, I like the look and hear good things however for 1500 im not sure id be getting a worthwhile one.


I'm not really sure what other ideas, open to suggestions


Oh yeah, it is a what car thread. i lied

E46 - bit overrated IMO but do you mean an E36? As the M50 was never fitted to the E46, think it phased out around 1996-7. If you did mean E36 then you should be able to get a decent one for your budget, rust will be you biggest issue with it though especially rear arches but great cars, had two e36's and both were virtually faultless.

Volvo s60 - comfortable and well made and good safety kit (if that's a priority?) if you buy petrol I doubt you would be getting 35 mpg average more like mid 20s, diesel would be way to go but then for your budget would be a high miler.

Saab 9-3 - love saabs, my father had a 9-5 previously which was a great mile muncher, 2.0T petrol and we sold it wilth 248000 miles and still running perfectly, everything worked on it and very comfortable. Can't imagine the 9-3 being too much of a poor relation. I think pre 02 models suffered cracked bulkheads and oil pick up pipe problems, later 02 onwards are all vauxhall/GM bits. Distinctive choice though.

Hillux - I thinking your dreaming for 1500 it will be just this side of scrap and you won't be getting 35 mpg!

Lexus - great choice especially for 1500, I hear that their thirsty for what they are though but what you pay out extra in fuel you would probably save on repair bills

[Harding91]

Agree'd the Hilux is more a dream for the moment

Also considered Impreza's/Legacys, but i know very little about the boxer engines, mpg's not good?

[MGJohn]

Here's something you don't see on PH every day in any not-wot-car thread.

Rover 75 Auto ... diesel or petrol. Possibly the MG ZT variant.

£1500 would find a very fine low mileage example if you search patiently. A friend has done just that recently and now has a very nice auto-Rover 75 for relatively little outlay. In fact a large lump of change from 1500..

OK ... as you were .....

[Harding91]

MGJohn said:

Here's something you don't see on PH every day in any not-wot-car thread.

Rover 75 Auto ... diesel or petrol. Possibly the MG ZT variant.

£1500 would find a very fine low mileage example if you search patiently. A friend has done just that recently and now has a very nice auto-Rover 75 for relatively little outlay. In fact a large lump of change from 1500..

OK ... as you were .....

Your username suggests a small bias sir

But i did look at the MG Variant, i think they're rather nice looking Saloons the V6 is also a rather bulletproof engine from what i've heard?
I had a friend with an MG ZR as his first car and if im honest i thought the build quality was shoody and felt all plasticy/rattly inside.

[ZX10R NIN]

Harding91 said:

MGJohn said:

Here's something you don't see on PH every day in any not-wot-car thread.

Rover 75 Auto ... diesel or petrol. Possibly the MG ZT variant.

£1500 would find a very fine low mileage example if you search patiently. A friend has done just that recently and now has a very nice auto-Rover 75 for relatively little outlay. In fact a large lump of change from 1500..

OK ... as you were .....

Your username suggests a small bias sir

But i did look at the MG Variant, i think they're rather nice looking Saloons the V6 is also a rather bulletproof engine from what i've heard?
I had a friend with an MG ZR as his first car and if im honest i thought the build quality was shoody and felt all plasticy/rattly inside.

The ZT is a better built car than the ZR a lot of the parts ended up on the 1st gen BMW Mini good budget car for a small outlay

[Harding91]

ZX10R NIN said:

The ZT is a better built car than the ZR a lot of the parts ended up on the 1st gen BMW Mini good budget car for a small outlay

Interesting, may be worth a re-look.

[ZX10R NIN]

Harding91 said:

ZX10R NIN said:

The ZT is a better built car than the ZR a lot of the parts ended up on the 1st gen BMW Mini good budget car for a small outlay

Interesting, may be worth a re-look.

My girlfriend had an Auto Diesel ZT as her commute car(had to map it 135bhp wasn't enough) for her 97 mile daily run to & from work she had it for three years serviced it once a year, it never fell apart rattled or gave any problems she sold it on with 197000 miles on it with no complaints. She now has a C220 cdi sport that she's running into the ground.

[MGJohn]

Harding91 said:

MGJohn said:

Here's something you don't see on PH every day in any not-wot-car thread.

Rover 75 Auto ... diesel or petrol. Possibly the MG ZT variant.

£1500 would find a very fine low mileage example if you search patiently. A friend has done just that recently and now has a very nice auto-Rover 75 for relatively little outlay. In fact a large lump of change from 1500..

OK ... as you were .....

Your username suggests a small bias sir

But i did look at the MG Variant, i think they're rather nice looking Saloons the V6 is also a rather bulletproof engine from what i've heard?
I had a friend with an MG ZR as his first car and if im honest i thought the build quality was shoody and felt all plasticy/rattly inside.

Was first known as John with the MG many moons ago ...

I am a tad biased. I bought my first MG fifty years ago. An MGB roadster the first of five MGBs the last in 1980. Many more MGs since and never regretted buying one. Bought this non-Runner back in the spring with known aches and pains all now sorted. Lose change class ... Mind you, according to some, the cylinder head gasket will fail at least every month so I must make allowances for that ... Yer Tis... amazing what you can get for little more than loose change :~



EDIT to add @: 01:10

Had another MG Enthusiast visit today. Arrived in this ZT with the BMW Diesel lump. :~



Until recently, he was one of the many UK car owners who would rarely give any Rover or MG a second glance. Now he has changed his mind about that. He now knows that was his loss and is more enthusiastic about these cars as I am, which is saying a lot .. At first glance I thought the car was the same colour as mine but it is not. It has that special paint which has additional tints and hues in it depending on how the light is angled. A high spec version, it's delight to my eyes. Again, fantastic value. He's had it mapped to 160ps which is the same as my 1.8 Turbo ZT. Thus it can reach 100 mph in indecent haste ... for a diseasal ...

Edited by MGJohn on Tuesday 30th December 01:10

[Pobsmate]

If your going to go for a Brit, why not look at a jag?

X-types are as cheap as zt's now, you shouldn't be tied to the main dealer dealer when it comes to servicing/parts as diesel is courtesy of ford so most places should be look after it for you. Most a likely to be auto aswell.

[Bonefish Blues]

Harding91 said:

- Saab 9-3. My dad picked one up a couple of months back for the 1500 mark and it's a lovely car, the 2.0T petrol, however what puts me off is the sheer amount for 'spares and repairs' ones about and i have no knowledge of them, apparently the diesels are rather rubbish?

Because essentially worthless cars get scrapped rather than repaired. 2.2 is an agro-lump but chugs on forever and would get that mpg. 1.9 is the Fiat engine and more modern, with all that entails.

[MGJohn]

Bonefish Blues said:

Harding91 said:

- Saab 9-3. My dad picked one up a couple of months back for the 1500 mark and it's a lovely car, the 2.0T petrol, however what puts me off is the sheer amount for 'spares and repairs' ones about and i have no knowledge of them, apparently the diesels are rather rubbish?

Because essentially "worthless" cars get scrapped rather than repaired. 2.2 is an agro-lump but chugs on forever and would get that mpg. 1.9 is the Fiat engine and more modern, with all that entails.

I try to check new arrivals in my local breaker yards once week. For at least the past decade now, trading and consumer related constraints mean many "Arthur Daley" used car dealers no longer see tidy nice well maintained older cars as "nice little earners" they once were. So, straight round to be weighed in for scrap value. Many part exchanges with current MoT Certificates in the glove box and even a couple of months tax disc on the screen. Occasionally some with auction labels on the windscreen. What often gets thrown away is senseless waste.

Those same "worthless" cars here in the UK would be much more highly regarded in other parts of the world and worth several times more than here too. The decent stuff thrown away prematurely in recent years here is a horrendous waste. Mind you, it's in line with the "Consume ourselves to prosperity and at the same time save the environment" ever more costly self deluding con-trick mindset of those we entrust to the Nation's well being for some decades now. At least since and including Thatcher. Even our media in all its forms time and again look to retail and other forms of consumption as an indicator that things are improving ... Look around you to see how it's working ... ...

Not just MGs, Saabs and Rovers, some of the more highly regarded Germanic brands like Merc and BMW frequently meet a premature end here in the UK. Here I include lesser Germanic stuff like the "If only everything was as reliable as a VW" ..

So, throw away that three year old car and get consuming you lot. You know it makes sense and will save the planet at the same time. Whatever next, another con-scrappage scheme ? Sorted.