Wouldn't have minded so much but I spent hours out in the freezing cold yesterday patching up the top hose spigot on the rad, and then got up this morning to find There it was, gone :-(
It was 1987, bit over 100K, pretty tatty and getting unreliable so I was thinking of getting something newer but I'd have liked to have decided when for myself.
So what're the options? I've looked at Vaxhalls on autotrader's web site but there isn't a lot around at the moment. Only thinking of them because we've had them before and they've been reasonably easy/cheap to fix and not total rustbuckets (unlike some Four-letter makes :-). Just really want a hatch or estate, 4/5 doors, enough oomph to tow a caravan, and not red (SWMBO says ;-). And under £1K.
VWs are supposed to be good but always seem a bit more expensive. Some of the Japanese/far-eastern cars are supposed to be reliable but I don't know what are good ones. What about diseasels? What size would be equivalent to a 2 litre petrol in towing ability (can live without drag-racing acceleration) and what mileage on a diesel is 'equivalent' (in terms of engine life) to say 100K on a petrol (yes I know it depends on how well it's been maintained, oil changed etc - but all other things being equal)?
Someone suggested ex police cars. Are these worth pursuing (as it were :-) and if so where do you get them from (Reading area)? Is it true they take out the standard engine and put in their own souped-up one while they use them, then replace the original engine when they sell them? Or is this urban myth?
Oh, and if you do see a tatty white old-style Cav with roof bars and a tow bar, D264WJM, (probably not far from Reading as there was no cooling on the engine when they nicked it) please let me and/or the rozzers know ...