X-type estate - any good? (Thinly veiled what car)

[walsh]

I could do with an estate, due to a change of career/ lifestyle. I'd rather not finance myself to the hilt, so I need a something at the shed end of the spectrum.

Anyway, x-types look like a bit of a steal at the moment, 2.5/3.0 v6, comfy, bit of an odd image but who cares. Anyone have one, and want shed some light? Or anything else a bit interesting that might fit the bill for, say 2k?

[eltax91]

My colleague had one with 75k on the clock. He spent every penny it ever asked for on it,but t was still old and tired. Rattles and squeaks everywhere, broken electrical Items beyond economic repair and its fair share of breakdowns (his was the diesel). Oh and boot isn't massive.

I've got an Accord tourer, sat on twice the mileage. Similar age/ cost to buy. They are night and day by comparison. Cheap to buy, reliable as you like, frugal ish if you get the 2.0 (mine is the 2.4), comfy, huuuuge boot and rattle free.

Edited by eltax91 on Sunday 23 April 22:57

[IroningMan]

If you want an offbeat, cheap but reliable estate then find a petrol SAAB 9-5.

[anonymous-user]

3.0 V6 AWD petrol is the best of the bunch. Fantastic car.

[anonymous-user]

IroningMan said:

If you want an offbeat, cheap but reliable estate then find a petrol SAAB 9-5.

How drab..

[PhillipM]

If you don't mind the sills being made out of wet cardboard and electrics designed by a Lucas/Satan worshipper.

[Efbe]

159sw. do it in style

[SpeedBash]

Clarksons a fan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZqS1hkQl1I

[walsh]

I'd heard about the sills being an issue before, is that big issue on these? Or is it rust generally?

Re other suggestions;

Honda Accord- kind of interesting. Is the 2.4 - good steer? Looks quick enough on paper.

9-5 - I just don't get on with the way they look, inside or out. Never driven one, but they just don't light my fire at all.

Alfa - great choice, but are they really in budget? I'll have a look into these, I drove a 2.4 jtdm years ago and liked it. I'd prefer a quick petrol, but I doubt a 3.2 is anywhere near budget.

Edit to add- 159's are about in this price range! They do all seem to be 1.9 diesel's though, which of I'm not mistaken is a hateful GM jobbie nicked from an Astra...

Edited by walsh on Monday 24th April 01:12

[Popeyed]

Due to a change in circumstances I've had to go down the shed route for a little while, and purchased a 55 plate X-type estate for all of £795 (2.2 diesel), the rub being it has 257,000 miles on the odometer.

Despite the interglactic milage, it rides well, does not squeak or rattle in the cabin, and is actually a very nice car to drive. Amazingly the driver's seat bolster is still in good condition.

As would be expected on a 12 year old car that has traveled as far as the moon, it has a few issues: the speedo, rev counter and temperature gauge are all not functioning, there is a problem with the child lock on the offside rear door, and the rear parking sensors are not working, otherwise everything else works. The bodywork also seems to be fine, although the metal strip within the rubber window surrounds has corroded in places causing the rubber to look unsightly.

The boot is not too bad size wise, I've been using it to move furniture etc and it has coped well.

I'm also getting around 40 mpg which is a bonus.

It's got seven months on the MOT, so if it lasts that long I'll be happy, and then I can start looking at returning to a proper car in a similar vein to what I have had previously.

[GT6 Jonsey]

MG ztt is worth a look, you will get a really nice one for your £2000 budget

[V88Dicky]

The design of the sills was changed circa 2004 (better drainage holes were added), and my old 2006 3.0 was clear of any rust. Doesn't mean they shouldn't be checked of course.

I ran mine for over three years and can safely say it was the most reliable daily driver I've ever had. Lovely comfy seats, lots of toys (it was a Sovereign), quiet and refined. The rear-biased permanent AWD is excellent and kept me going through some rough winters a few years ago.

The transfer case can be troublesome if you're unlucky, but preventative maintenance is the key, although changing its oil is a PITA.

For me, 2004 - 2006 (pre Mar 23) is the sweet spot for these cars, and evidence of good maintenance is a must.

[Efbe]

walsh said:

Alfa - great choice, but are they really in budget? I'll have a look into these, I drove a 2.4 jtdm years ago and liked it. I'd prefer a quick petrol, but I doubt a 3.2 is anywhere near budget.

Edit to add- 159's are about in this price range! They do all seem to be 1.9 diesel's though, which of I'm not mistaken is a hateful GM jobbie nicked from an Astra...

Edited by walsh on Monday 24th April 01:12

Pretty much right. The 1.9JTDM is a standard 150bhp, easily mappable to 180, but still a diesel lump from the insignia/vectra
It's pretty bulletproof and reliable, which is not what Alfa's are about really.

The 2.4 JTDM sounds great and has decent power, and iirc the 2.2 petrol is pretty good too.

Problem will be that 90% of Alfa estates were 1.9s.

[Chromegrill]

MGZTT (tourer) - sporty, comfy, left field. Rover 75 tourer - retro, ubercomfy. £2000 will get a very nice example. None of the rust issues that have plagued the X-type. Some well documented but easy enough to fix issues with all types of engines but lots of advice on the owners' forum. V6 or diesel best of the bunch as no head gasket issues that affect the 1.8 (though with the right replacement gasket the 1.8 can effectively be cured). V6 needs £500 cambelt job every six years/90k miles and thermostats are prone to leaking. Diesel is chain belt but fuel pumps can go leaving you stranded if you go below 1/4 of a tank.

Either case best to go auto, don't even think about getting a manual diesel, clutch too expensive due to flywheel thingy.

For ultimate Q car, you could go for the 4.6 Mustang V8 version though you will struggle to find one for under circa £8.

[ZX10R NIN]

Why not go for the car it was based on:

Mondeo ST220 114k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

2006 Mondeo 2.5 Ghia X 61k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

3.0 Ghia X 89k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Or a Vectra.

2006 2.8T Elite 116k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

All the above are high road tax so haggle hard but you can bag a few bargains for less:

2003 Omega 3.2 Elite

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

2001 2.6 Vectra SRI 111k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Mercedes C320 Elegance 114k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

C240 Avantgarde SE 102k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

[PhillipM]

walsh said:

I'd heard about the sills being an issue before, is that big issue on these? Or is it rust generally?

Massive issue, and they rot from the outside in and have plastic covers, so most people are driving around blissfully unaware that that 'few bubbles' the MOT man spotted means the entire car is going to fold like a banana in even a low speed crash. I'm just doing (another) one at the minute actually, you need a really good check down the full length of the sills, if it's had a ropey patch slapped over it for an MOT be even more worried because it's usually just stuck over the top of the hole and the entire sill inside is gone.

They also burn out headlamp looms and fan controllers for fun (fan controller was updated later on)

Edited by PhillipM on Monday 24th April 11:45

[ironv8]

older lady neighbour up the road smokes around in a mint '09 plate 3.0 estate, black, split rim alloys, cream leather, auto. She's had from nearly new and it still looks in mint condition, It really needs a good blast up the m/way though as she only potters in it.