Winter shed - anything I have forgotten?

[230TE]

Looking for a winter shed. Requirements:

1. Four wheel drive.

2. An estate.

3. A 'normal' car, not an SUV.

4. Moderately quick.

5. Dependable (in shed terms).

6. Manual gearbox.

7. Under a grand.

So far I have:

Audi A4 Avant Quattro (V6)
Audi A6 Avant Quattro (V6 - I have seen a couple of 4.2s in the price range, but I'm not that brave)
BMW 525iX (bit hard to find)
Subaru Legacy (but all the cheap ones seem to be automatics)
Merc W124 300TE 4-Matic (again all seem to be auto)

That's a pretty short list and I'm sure I must have overlooked something. Any other shedtastic suggestions?

[Shaw Tarse]

Jeep Cherokee.
( it might not meet all of your criteria)

[jas xjr]

Passat vr6 syncro . At least three of them in the classifieds for around a grand

[rhinochopig]

Impreza wagon.

[230TE]

Shaw Tarse said:

Jeep Cherokee.
( it might not meet all of your criteria)

Or indeed any of them, apart from the first and last ones. They are very cheap though - lot of shed for the money. A friend who services the things tells me there is a reason for that.

[230TE]

doogz said:

Galant of some description.

Subaru Forrester.

Where are you finding 4.2's under a grand? Link me up, i fancy a nosy.

Can't find the ones I looked at before - one was on Ebay, £850 BIN with a bent front wishbone. Be interesting to see what this one fetches (local to me):

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190578704316

Sounds like a hound and a half, but an oil change and a set of plugs might sort it. Or maybe not...

[Volvo360]

Mark 1 Volvo XC70.

[230TE]

rhinochopig said:

Impreza wagon.

Good idea. Went to look at one, was great up to the point I took it for a test drive, the 'Check Engine' light came on and it dropped onto two cylinders. ("Never done that before, mate.") Shame as I really liked it otherwise, so going to look at another one tonight.

[broken biscuit]

Subaru Legacy - if its good enough for harecoursers to tear across the fields after the bunnies in winter, it will do anyone for normal use. Deceptively quick and cheap as chips

[Fox-]

I think you've forgotten you don't live in Calgary.

[230TE]

broken biscuit said:

Subaru Legacy - if its good enough for harecoursers to tear across the fields after the bunnies in winter, it will do anyone for normal use. Deceptively quick and cheap as chips

I once borrowed a Legacy estate and got pulled by the police at 11.30 pm on suspicion of being out looking for trailers to steal. (Legacy wagon is very popular with the trailer-stealing folk round here.) Lucky I didn't have my retired greyhounds in the back, or I'd still be trying to talk my way out of custody now.

[rhinochopig]

230TE said:

broken biscuit said:

Subaru Legacy - if its good enough for harecoursers to tear across the fields after the bunnies in winter, it will do anyone for normal use. Deceptively quick and cheap as chips

I once borrowed a Legacy estate and got pulled by the police at 11.30 pm on suspicion of being out looking for trailers to steal. (Legacy wagon is very popular with the trailer-stealing folk round here.) Lucky I didn't have my retired greyhounds in the back, or I'd still be trying to talk my way out of custody now.

They'd have let you go as it would have been too much hassle

[230TE]

rhinochopig said:

They'd have let you go as it would have been too much hassle

A quick demonstration of the dags dogs' abilities would have put them right. 0-40 in five yards, lame after ten.

[230TE]

Job done. '96 Impreza Sport estate, 130K, tidy original car, taxed and tested, plenty of history, couple of minor mechanical issues but nothing scary. £500. Shed!

[Grayham]

230TE said:

Shaw Tarse said:

Jeep Cherokee.
( it might not meet all of your criteria)

Or indeed any of them, apart from the first and last ones. They are very cheap though - lot of shed for the money. A friend who services the things tells me there is a reason for that.

Looking at getting one of these myself

Care to share any info on them

Cheers.