Discussion
My dad's V reg Renault Scenic has finally had it, so hes after a cheap car to do a mix of town driving plus the odd long trip with luggage. Ideally £1500 max and ideally nothing prone to becoming money pits.
I was thinking down the lines of:
Volvo V70 - Big comfortable slushbox/manual barge, goes for mega miles if looked after(although expensive parts?).
2003 era Rav4 - Solid and reliable, although perhaps a tad thirsty
Honda C-RV - Similar to the Rav4 but still a solid car.
Focus Estate - Cheap, common as muck, and a great all rounder.
Skoda Octavia - Economical TDIs, cheap to run, big and comfortable
Honda Accord - Big and bit dull but probably reliable into high millage.
Audi A4 estate - Nicely made but could get pricey to run at that price point?
Are these all good contenders or have I missed any cars worth looking at?
Thanks
I was thinking down the lines of:
Volvo V70 - Big comfortable slushbox/manual barge, goes for mega miles if looked after(although expensive parts?).
2003 era Rav4 - Solid and reliable, although perhaps a tad thirsty
Honda C-RV - Similar to the Rav4 but still a solid car.
Focus Estate - Cheap, common as muck, and a great all rounder.
Skoda Octavia - Economical TDIs, cheap to run, big and comfortable
Honda Accord - Big and bit dull but probably reliable into high millage.
Audi A4 estate - Nicely made but could get pricey to run at that price point?
Are these all good contenders or have I missed any cars worth looking at?
Thanks
If you're trying to avoid money pits then the Accord is probably the best best out of that lot. Go for a petrol (2.4 ideally but check the tax bracket as some of them are £500) and not a lot goes wrong. Clutches can get a bit stiff and rear suspension bushes but not a lot else which is common.
Toyota Avensis (petrol) is also a good shout.
A well looked after, manual, V70 is too but you don't want an abused one as it will cost you dear.
Toyota Avensis (petrol) is also a good shout.
A well looked after, manual, V70 is too but you don't want an abused one as it will cost you dear.
You should be able to get a 2009-2010 Chevrolet Lacetti estate with enough money left over for a full set of decent tyres and a service.
I had a 1.6 for a few years (got it approved-used 3 years old for £3k!)
Very competent car for the money. I always had a feeling that the design brief must have been "how good a car can we make for £x?" rather than many other cheap cars where it's "we need to make this a bit worse than Model X from our sister company".
Decent spec for a cheap car, with standard air con, 8 way adjustable (and very comfortable!) seat with lumbar support, and more.
It even handles reasonably well. Not sporty obviously, but nicely set up suspension that soaks up bumps and corners without fuss. And a perfectly "straight" and well thought out driving position.
The engine is OK. Nothing special, and only 30mpg average, but it does the job.
And I didn't have a single problem in 4 years of ownership.
I had a 1.6 for a few years (got it approved-used 3 years old for £3k!)
Very competent car for the money. I always had a feeling that the design brief must have been "how good a car can we make for £x?" rather than many other cheap cars where it's "we need to make this a bit worse than Model X from our sister company".
Decent spec for a cheap car, with standard air con, 8 way adjustable (and very comfortable!) seat with lumbar support, and more.
It even handles reasonably well. Not sporty obviously, but nicely set up suspension that soaks up bumps and corners without fuss. And a perfectly "straight" and well thought out driving position.
The engine is OK. Nothing special, and only 30mpg average, but it does the job.
And I didn't have a single problem in 4 years of ownership.
Accord, CRV or Rav4 for me.
We picked up an immaculate '53 one owner Accord Tourer Executive for similar money last year. Only the 2.0 but it's fine as a manual - revs keenly to 7k+ and pulls well enough. Ours averages low to mid 30 mpg and gets driven reasonably hard. No cam belt to change and nothing at all seems to ever gone wrong with it based on the pretty comprehensive service folder we got with it. Handles and rides well - actually prefer driving it to the 14 plate Merc E350 I occasionally use. Saloons are typically a bit cheaper but try and get an executive as the equipment level and leather make a big difference to the interior.
Same engine in the CRV so should be similar if a bit thirstier. A friend's Rav4 has been faultless as well despite the lack of care it receives.
We picked up an immaculate '53 one owner Accord Tourer Executive for similar money last year. Only the 2.0 but it's fine as a manual - revs keenly to 7k+ and pulls well enough. Ours averages low to mid 30 mpg and gets driven reasonably hard. No cam belt to change and nothing at all seems to ever gone wrong with it based on the pretty comprehensive service folder we got with it. Handles and rides well - actually prefer driving it to the 14 plate Merc E350 I occasionally use. Saloons are typically a bit cheaper but try and get an executive as the equipment level and leather make a big difference to the interior.
Same engine in the CRV so should be similar if a bit thirstier. A friend's Rav4 has been faultless as well despite the lack of care it receives.
My OH has been looking at V70's, CR-V's & I tried to persuade her to look at Accord & Avensis tourings.
She's set her heart on a CR-V, manual petrol Mk2 after driving one recently. They seem pretty reliable & all the MoT history checks I have done have been surprisingly light on advisories, even on 15yr old cars with 100k+ miles on them.
She's set her heart on a CR-V, manual petrol Mk2 after driving one recently. They seem pretty reliable & all the MoT history checks I have done have been surprisingly light on advisories, even on 15yr old cars with 100k+ miles on them.
If you want a cheap load lugger the much unloved Signum is a very good buy.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...
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