What (almost) shed? Max £3,500 workhorse

[j44esd]

So...it's time for another 'What car?'

As for many people this last 18mths has been 'eventful' to say the least. For me it has seen a country change in a pandemic to live in a rented house I had never seen in a place I had never been to until I arrived back in the UK...and whilst a lovely house, the layout/space simply does not work for us, so we have been house hunting!

After swearing never again to buy a house that needed work, we have, you've guessed it...bought (SSTC...fingers crossed etc.) a house that needs work...

Now, my car OCD means i cannot use a car I love/like/is worth money for DIY/tip runs/general detritus in lieu of a skip...so its time to sell the CLS Shooting Brake and time to buy something 'on the cusp of shed' (the spare money in the time of a house purchase won't hurt either )

After searching Autotrader, i've gone snow blind with choice, so I thought i'd ask the good people of Pistonheads for their 'must buys / must avoids / pitfalls and tribulations'

As such, my requirements are:

• Must be <£3,500
• Must have ISOFix
• Must actually be a useful size (i've always fancied a Fiat 500, and whilst it's in budget, it won't help with all the work needed for a house renovation)
• Is reliable (ish)
• It would be nice if it was mildly interesting (Lexus RX 300, i'm looking at you!)
• It would be amazing if it didn't have a ticking time bomb / known fault / TADTS

I look forward to any suggestions, links, comments - thanks in advance!

[Drew106]

Excuse me, because I couldn't be bothered reading the whole post, but a pre DPF 1.9 TDI PD engine VAG is a pretty reliable choice for a workhorse.

I recently bought a 2008 Octavia. 65mpg on a motorway run, plenty of space and comfortable. £2k for car. £130tax. Reasonable insurance.

[drgoatboy]

Lots of choice out there but as previously said Octavia estate.
Ours has been awesomely reliable for the last 8 years (bound to break now) swallows all sorts of odd shape loads and I keep aero roof bars on it all the time for when the IKEA wardrobe doesn't fit in the boot.
Vrs might make it vaguely interesting....
Only vaguely annoying thing is the quite deep lip on the boot compared to some and the rear seats don't fold completely flat so there is always a bit of a lip if you have the seats down (I think)

[ZX10R NIN]

The simple answer is look for an MPV they're the perfect tool for house renovations & they're are some interesting models at your price point:

2.5T S Max 220

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107245...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106023...

2.2d Galaxy 200

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107245...

2.0T Zafira 200

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107195...

2.0T Laguna2 170 reliable & a bit swift too:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108065...

Saab 9-5

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107044...

ST 220 Estate

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108065...

E220 Estate

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107265...

[j44esd]

Drew106 said:

Excuse me, because I couldn't be bothered reading the whole post, but a pre DPF 1.9 TDI PD engine VAG is a pretty reliable choice for a workhorse.

I recently bought a 2008 Octavia. 65mpg on a motorway run, plenty of space and comfortable. £2k for car. £130tax. Reasonable insurance.

Cheers, to be fair a Skoda had featured quite heavily on my aimless browsing list as I used to have a Superb, but they seem very slightly out of budget.

[j44esd]

drgoatboy said:

Lots of choice out there but as previously said Octavia estate.
Ours has been awesomely reliable for the last 8 years (bound to break now) swallows all sorts of odd shape loads and I keep aero roof bars on it all the time for when the IKEA wardrobe doesn't fit in the boot.
Vrs might make it vaguely interesting....
Only vaguely annoying thing is the quite deep lip on the boot compared to some and the rear seats don't fold completely flat so there is always a bit of a lip if you have the seats down (I think)

Thanks... I hope you didn't just jinx your reliability run

What engine / spec is yours and what would you recommend about it / do differently next time?

[Pebbles167]

Subaru Legacy 3.0R Spec B

[j44esd]

ZX10R NIN said:

The simple answer is look for an MPV they're the perfect tool for house renovations & they're are some interesting models at your price point:

2.5T S Max 220

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107245...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106023...

2.2d Galaxy 200

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107245...

2.0T Zafira 200

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107195...

2.0T Laguna2 170 reliable & a bit swift too:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108065...

Saab 9-5

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107044...

ST 220 Estate

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108065...

E220 Estate

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107265...

Thanks! I was hoping you might see the thread and reply... You always have a great selection for people to consider!

I've thought MPV, but very mush prefer the S Max to the Galaxy. Just can't work out if I'd prefer an estate for the rest of the time.

Any thoughts on DSGs and Powershifts at this budget? My brain says stick to a manual at this budget for less headaches... But if you've any input (I've noticed before you seem to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of which Powershift is good / which is bad), feel free to chip in with ones to avoid etc. please!

[j44esd]

Pebbles167 said:

Subaru Legacy 3.0R Spec B

Are they Isofix? The Legacy and Outback in this price range has always looked smart... But I seem to recall the diesels are a little 'fragile' and not sure I can afford anything interesting engine wise in budget

[stinkyspanner]

I was going to say BMW E61 until you said something about a ticking time bomb. I've got one, it's great but reliability isn't it's strong suit

[swanseaboydan]

volvo XC 90 - awesome car.

[j44esd]

stinkyspanner said:

I was going to say BMW E61 until you said something about a ticking time bomb. I've got one, it's great but reliability isn't it's strong suit

Yeah, I'm a massive BMW fan... But my budget puts me slap bang into 'terminal chain death' region as everything is a 20d at this money.

[j44esd]

swanseaboydan said:

volvo XC 90 - awesome car.

Agree. But all the ones I've seen in budget either have interstellar mileage, or look like sheds. And whilst I'm all in favour of a true shed, I like them to be <£1500 and XC90s seems to be strong money with torn seats, dubious service history and mega miles :/

[stinkyspanner]

j44esd said:

stinkyspanner said:

I was going to say BMW E61 until you said something about a ticking time bomb. I've got one, it's great but reliability isn't it's strong suit

Yeah, I'm a massive BMW fan... But my budget puts me slap bang into 'terminal chain death' region as everything is a 20d at this money.

I don't know, I got an LCI 530d m sport for 3200 about 6 months ago. It's done 185k miles through

[ZX10R NIN]

j44esd said:

Thanks! I was hoping you might see the thread and reply... You always have a great selection for people to consider!

I've thought MPV, but very mush prefer the S Max to the Galaxy. Just can't work out if I'd prefer an estate for the rest of the time.

Any thoughts on DSGs and Powershifts at this budget? My brain says stick to a manual at this budget for less headaches... But if you've any input (I've noticed before you seem to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of which Powershift is good / which is bad), feel free to chip in with ones to avoid etc. please!

All dual clutch gearboxes at this price point will be the wet clutch variety (which is the one you want) which are reliable as long as they've been serviced as per their respective schedules.

If there are no receipts then it hasn't been done, don't accept a stamp.

If you want an estate then the E270 will be a great workhorse, they're pretty much bulletproof:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108015...

[loskie]

V70 D5 with towbar and a trailer for the tip

[j44esd]

stinkyspanner said:

I don't know, I got an LCI 530d m sport for 3200 about 6 months ago. It's done 185k miles through

I've no problem with miles, but was trying to stay under 140k

[j44esd]

ZX10R NIN said:

All dual clutch gearboxes at this price point will be the wet clutch variety (which is the one you want) which are reliable as long as they've been serviced as per their respective schedules.

If there are no receipts then it hasn't been done, don't accept a stamp.

If you want an estate then the E270 will be a great workhorse, they're pretty much bulletproof:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108015...

Thanks! In fairness, I do wonder if an old E class might be a good solution (spacious, cheap, plentiful, I like them), anything to look out for / avoid? Seems to be more 220d at this price and I'm not fussed about a 4 pot.

[j44esd]

loskie said:

V70 D5 with towbar and a trailer for the tip

Just the V70 might be enough

Was worried about Geartronic box at the money I'm talking and most seem to be auto.

[georgeyboy12345]

Some picks

Alfa Romeo Giulietta TB - much more reliable than equivalent German offerings, almost too nice for tip runs!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106224...


Good news! A Dacia Sandero 1.2
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106143...


Ridiculously cheap Fiat Bravo
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105182...


Ford Mondeo 2.0
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107315...


Kia Ceed 1.6 SW
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108055...


Mazda 6 2.5 Sport
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107275...


Skoda Octavia MPI Estate
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107295...


Really cheap Toyota Avensis 1.8
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108065...


Vauxhall Vectra SRi Estate
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107165...

Edited by georgeyboy12345 on Tuesday 10th August 22:20