second cars?

You'd get a decent Merc for that. Have you checked insurance? Unless you've got 2 NCB's to use it can be very expensive trying to insure a second car unless it's a kit car.

Omega MV6. Senator/Carlton 24V. Late 80's Beemer. Scooter.

All RWD, available with autos (probably) and less than £3-4k.

Seriously, why bother with 2 cars? In your position, I'd simply ditch the MR2, buy something with the evil invention of Dr Diesel up front and get more drunk at the weekend. Or, if you actually ever plan to move out, save for a house.

I CBA google groupsing but I'm sure that when you owned the mighty Cavalier you once said something about never owning something 'jap crap', and if you didn't say it, I know you have thought it.

If you do insist on buying a second car, branch out, you've done Jap and German go French or Swedish. Buy a cheap Volvo 960 and have some indestructafun, or a Peugeot GTi and not care when all the plastic on the inside falls out. Buy PeteM's Merc if you don't want that to happen.

If you didn't insist on RWD you could get a decent 406SRi Turbo (dunno if you get auto ones, but low blow 2.0 turbo would be reasonably flexible to drive) or a Volvo 850 (you get some fast ish variants that aren't T5s) for that money.

Douglas

really? never thought about that D'oh! i can only use my current NCB on one car can't i, but people on here seem to have small fleets! :) i think i read somewhere that some insurance policy can insure both at a discount, i guess i'd have to look into that.

S reg 1.8T passat, should get a pretty high spec for that money :)

Ahhh RWD, it will have to be a beamer then init :(

But you've already got a RWD meaty Jap car (minus the auto). I've been thinking about a second car lots recently coz my main miles are a 5 mile drive to work and back mainly in 30s and 40s. Not really MR2 territory. Plus 2 2 seater cars in the house aren't pratical at all. I can buy and insure a decentish 5 door diesel runabout for £600 (£300 for car then £300 for insurance, TPFT with no NCB), which if I can get the money together I think I will go for.

E34 or E38 Beemer, W124 or W126 Merc, Soarer...

Always makes me laugh when people want to spend thousands on a second=20 car to save money :)

--=20 Lordy.UK

Alfa 75 V6 Auto.

There's a lovely one for sale in Harrogate for £500.

Always makes me laugh when people want to spend thousands on a second car to save money :)

i'd like something to use everyday and keep my MR2 nice, i have a thing for jap crap though so would like jap, i was considering an old BMW, grab one of the part exchanges from work cheap, keep up to the MOT then ditch for another maybe :)

no offence steve but an alfa 75 isn't as nice to the eye as an old beemer or merc is it, all them crazy angles looking like an 80's aerodynamic shoe box

They're an aquired taste, I'll admit.

But they're also quite cheap at the moment, and are infinitely more fun to drive than a BMW or Mercedes.

The more I see them, the more I like them, and try to imagine them as touring cars.

But then I am of a certain age.

in news:_P-dnX snipped-for-privacy@pipex.net, "Vamp" slurred :

Yup, NCD only applies to one car, but some insurers will offer an introductory NCD on a second car if you insure both with them. Elephant did that for me - gave me 5 years NCD on the second car.

Re: the car. If you want an auto and 25mpg+ in traffic, I'd think it pretty much needs to be diesel. The BMW 325tds is pretty decent - it's german, RWD, grunty (smooth 6-cyl), should give you 30+mpg in traffic (45+ on open road) and it's available as an auto, plus it has excellent handling. It also has the advantage that it's quite tweakable, should the urge take you... :-)

Er, make sure whatever you buy IS diesel, you mentallist !

If you're after a second car to use as a cheap runabout, then it's madness to get another Petrol car :)

You can get a Year-2000 306 HDi for less than three grand these days. Spend a few hundred on a chip (if you care enough), and voila.

But I rekon £3k is way too much to spend on a secondary motor - go get yourself a 1.9TD 406 for a grand.

I dunno Vamp, spending your spends before you've earned em eh! :)

Agreed. Had a mountainbike Journo mate, who always ended up paying =A33-5k for his= =20 mountain bikes, and toured all the big national events. He was always in=20 a stream of =A399 bangers, would never pay more than =A3150 just to carry= =20 his bike arround. His reasoning was a car should never cost more than an=20 intercity first class trainfare, as he normally commuted within cycling=20 distance, it was only when covering events he needed a car for the bike=20 and camping gear.

--=20 "Sorry Sir, the meatballs are Orf" The poster formerly known as Skodapilot.

hmmm BMW added to list :)