Crap winter cars

[macp]

So folks

I live out in the country and cycle to work monday to friday. Im thinking of getting a banger for winter when the ice & snow make it unsafe to cycle to work.

Is £500 the rock bottom these days for a snotter. Also where are people looking for these gems.

[Pica-Pica]

Taxi.

[d_a_n1979]

MG ZT or ZS

Avoid the diesel and make sure the engines been serviced etc

I paid £550 for an MG ZT V6 160 a few years back for an over winter car. Fitted decent part worn winter tyres to it and sold it the following April for £1k!

[georgeyboy12345]

Here's the cheapest car I could find on autotrader that's not absolutely fked, and it has an MOT until early March so that should get you through the worst of the winter weather - A Vauxhall Meriva 1.4 for £490.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108166...


Or this Citroen C2 1.4 HDI with stupid transformers badges with an MOT until late March should be really cheap to run
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108166...


Toyota Yaris 1.0 VVTi has an MOT until April and should be reliable - this is my pick
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108166...

[LochTay]

macp said:

I live out in the country

Highlands or Hertfordshire? 2 miles of B-road or 24 miles of single-track?

(Facebook marketplace by the way)

[ChrisH72]

I always thought that small cars with skinny tyres were good in snow and ice. My wife had an old i10 and that made it through some horrendous weather without fuss.

How about a Panda?

You won't get a 4x4 for 500 quid but you probably don't need it the normal one would be fine. Could always fit winter tyres if you live somewhere very remote.

[Auto810graphy]

Most dealers can’t be bothered with sub £1k cars, we just phone the breakers on anything under £500 even if it’s perfectly useable.

[macp]

LochTay said:

macp said:

I live out in the country

Highlands or Hertfordshire? 2 miles of B-road or 24 miles of single-track?

(Facebook marketplace by the way)

Sorry deepest darkest Cheshire so no not extreme but roads get pretty bad.

Great suggestions people. Love the Panda shout im going to try and be pretty open about anything really. As it will need to go come autumn/summer. Mostly because of available parking spaces.

[wwpaddler]

Keep cycling. Just buy a set of winter tyres with ice spikes.

[macp]

wwpaddler said:

Keep cycling. Just buy a set of winter tyres with ice spikes.

Easier said than done on my bike im afraid. And its not just about staying upright either brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I dont feel guilty about driving for a few weeks either. Ive done over 1000mls on my new bike since I got in mid April this year.

Edited by macp on Tuesday 17th August 17:36

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

ChrisH72 said:

I always thought that small cars with skinny tyres were good in snow and ice.

I lived in a street with a steep hill to get out & it snowed a lot. Audi Q7 couldn't get out, but a young lady with an old Micra used to sail up!

[LochTay]

+1 on small and skinny tyres.
My Yaris coped with Highland winter, ice, snow and flood for 5 years. Whack some all season tyres on.

[A500leroy]

another vote for the panda here, ive used one through 4 winters and not come to grief yet, set of all season tyres on it and youll be fine. if you get one look at the back axel the rear spring cups rot out and also the sump. go for the 1200cc.

[Old Merc]

My wife’s Peugeot 406 automatic, with the box in snow mode, copes very well.
I also had an old Pug 306 Diesel that was just as good in the snow.☃️

[OMITN]

Before I had to give up exercise, I was a regular cyclist - rode a round trip of 35 miles each day rain or shine, summer or winter. Was a fantastic way to travel and built the baseline fitness for the serious cycling I was doing at the time. There were probably under 5 days a year that the conditions prevented me from riding. I wouldn’t have bought a car for less than 5 days use.

Location? Manchester and Cheshire. Keep riding - remember the faster you go, the warmer you get.

[macp]

OMITN said:

Before I had to give up exercise, I was a regular cyclist - rode a round trip of 35 miles each day rain or shine, summer or winter. Was a fantastic way to travel and built the baseline fitness for the serious cycling I was doing at the time. There were probably under 5 days a year that the conditions prevented me from riding. I wouldn’t have bought a car for less than 5 days use.

Location? Manchester and Cheshire. Keep riding - remember the faster you go, the warmer you get.

Yes Cheshire with our three major exports: Kerry Katona, cheese & dogging

I have been cycling for more than 10yrs from where I live so I have good experience of how bad the roads can & do get. So whilst I genuinely love my commute by bike and the cold does not bother me. At my age and thinking of the prospect of coming off in ice & snow. I know I dont bounce very well anymore. Honestly I just dont want to take that risk.

Im now toying with the idea of either buying crap or something nicer and just flipping it when im done with it. Even if I only break even.

Edited by macp on Saturday 21st August 13:20

[Sue_Donym]

I'd go for a mk 6 (02-08) Fiesta. Millions about, a straight one will be around £1k from a dealer or less from a local private buyer. The petrols pretty well run forever, parts are dirt cheap and ST/ZetecS aside they're on fairly narrow tires too.

What tips them over the edge vs a Panda as a winter motor for me (aside from increased availability,) is that most of the range comes with a heated front screen. Given the kinds of days you'll be using it vs the bike that sounds like a nice thing to have.

[macp]

Good shout !
We had a Mk4 with the 1.25 engine and it was fun to drive. Lovely engine & gearbox. Dont think it had heated windscreen but yes its a brilliant thing to have in the depths of winter.