Cheap up to 1.5k estate van alternative

[Nuttah]

I was looking to get a cheap van but decided i would prefer an automatic which rules them all out so im after a cheap estate car up to £1500 that's comfy to for long journerys cheap to run etc so diesel, Im thinking something like a saab 9-5 or and old volvo any other suggestions?, I used to have a saab 9-5 aero which i loved but have no experience with the diesel engines so any advice would be great.

[Krikkit]

Automatic on the Volvo is a liability, I'd go Saab.

[Nuttah]

Krikkit said:

Automatic on the Volvo is a liability, I'd go Saab.

really? thanks for the heads up, shame was preferring the volvo as well tbh only because ive already had a saab.

[DrTre]

From memory (no personal experience although I was looking at them for a 160 mile daily commuter) Saab diesels aren't particularly great in the economy stakes.

Alternatively, they do seem to crop up as LPG conversions fairly frequently, like this (a smidge above your budget admittedly). But again, they're not known for their frugality in the first place.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2006-Saab-9-5-2-0t-Auto-...

[Krikkit]

Nuttah said:

Krikkit said:

Automatic on the Volvo is a liability, I'd go Saab.

really? thanks for the heads up, shame was preferring the volvo as well tbh only because ive already had a saab.

Yep, not a good box at all. A manual D5 or LPG'd petrol would be very good however.

[405dogvan]

Automatic vans certainly exist - tho perhaps not that many in the shedzone

VW put DSG into the Caddy and Transporter - MB offer autos - all your Fiat/Citroen/Renault/Peugeots come as autos too

Older Corsavans even came as autos too - I had the 'pleasure' of one for a few weeks - never again (gearbox was 'automatic' only in that it decided if/when to change any gear to any other gear pretty much without any consideration of what you wanted it to do)

[Tophatron]

Mercedes E320 CDi estate? If you find a nice one they can go on forever. My 2001 can return almost 50mpg on a run and they're a very comfy place to be. Fast too..

Rust is the killer though, need to look out for it.

[morgrp]

Krikkit said:

Automatic on the Volvo is a liability, I'd go Saab.

Only on the early P2 V70 (2001-2003) 2004 onwards are well sorted motors - the classic shape V70 (looks like a smoothed over 850) auto is pretty much viceless and at 1500quid you'd find a much nicer one of these than a phase 2 model. As for liabilities, the Fiat based Saab diesel is not good - 2.2 litre versions are verging on woeful