budget euro road trip.. What car?

[jbailey93]

What car to drive from Manchester to Hamburg, has to be;
2k or less
Reliable
Comfortable with room for tents in the back (estate?)
Economical (probs diesel)
Not too dull

Is it possible?

[frosted]

Vw passat

[The Moose]

A little off topic, but have you considered a roof tent?

[JayTee94]

Alfa Romeo 156 Estate?

[peterh2]

You might get close to http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use... with a good haggle?

[Codswallop]

Some sort of 5 pot diesel Volvo (S60/V70/S80).

It'll be comfy, roomy and reliable, and the 5 pot motor sounds interesting compared to most other budget oil burners.

[jbailey93]

Think I was being optimistic with 2k 1500 is more realistic

[Noesph]

405 / 406?

[jimmy156]

sorry i must be in a bad mood.

But why dont you just plumb your specs into autotrader, (price, body style etc.) and see what comes up? It would save everyone else doing the same and then you can pick what you want.

[stewjohnst]

Volvos are a good shout. V40 estate is a bit smaller bit may fit your bill depending on how many adults?

If you could stomach a petrol Subaru Legacy could be an option too.

[SmilerFTM]

it may not be a diesel but I managed a week camping around Scotland in my MX-5. If I can do it in that then you can do it in practically anything except maybe an Elise or the like

[TinyCappo]

E39 5 series!

[Stedman]

s70/v70 2.5d.

[hardcorehobbit]

I third, fourth or fifth the Volvo suggestion.

850s should be cheap and they're huge!

[Kolbenkopp]

Bit more info would be useful. How many seats do you need? Get rid of it after the drive or will you keep it for a while? Its only 1200 km one way, pretty much everything can do that and diesel won't save you *that* much on this one journey. A Transit Connect perhaps if 2 seats are OK and you need lots of space. Or some japanese econobox if reliability is key (Yaris, Jazz or something a bit older but bigger). The suggested Volvos would be good as well, or perhaps a Skoda Superb.

[matthias73]

I second the 406. Fitted 3 bikes, 3 snowboards, two weeks of gear and two large blokes in my saloon.

Not the most interesting motor granted, but they are nice, provided you get the higher spec ones. Executive or rapier class.

[clunkbox]

I'd third a Pug 406 estate. Cheap, drives nicely (even 5 up with a full boot). E34 5 series would be on my list too.

If you want to do interesting....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-740-GLE-2-3-6-door...

[veevee]

406. Comfy, easy to re-sell when you're done.

Also, Toyota Avensis, Mazda 626/6, Citroen C5, Citroen Xsara Picasso, Renault Scenic. All ugly but comfortable for long distances. Pick an estate over a saloon.

[ajb85]

I've got an old V plate Audi A4 Avant tdi I took in p/x a couple of months back, and for what it's worth, I'm going to keep it for Le Mans 24hr next year. Seats down and folded it should take a fridge, 6 tents, all the clobber in fact. So far it's been reliable. Have a look on autotrader, they've all done moon-and-back mileages, but tend to have had good ownership and come under a grand.

[g3org3y]

E36 3 Series Touring.