My mum's new Arosa (03 plate, 40k miles, 1.0 16v) cost about £2700 iirc, does 50mpg at least (put £25 in it, brimmed it, 2 weeks ago - it has half a tank left), similar performance to that thing Carl is looking at (although 3 figure top speed allegedly), everything works, it doesn't make us get laughed at in the street, and it's almost entertaining handling wise. Bonuses are road tax and insurance combined are less than £200, and each service costs about £100. AND, even me, with my bent spine, missing lung nad 6 missing ribs, is comfortable in the front OR the back. The perfect car on a budget I believe.
Not really, my "front drive" is called the road, just the other side of the garden. Secure offroad parking it behind my own private locked gates to the rear of the property.
If I lifted the decking and demolished the italian style covered brick built bbq, there is easily parking for 4, 7 if I lose the shed.
But the missus like the decking, so we have room for 2 small cars, or hers in the drive with loads of space, and mine just outside the gates.
Makes sense because my car is worth a lot less than hers, mine always has an alarm and imobiliser while hers just has the factory imobiliser, and mine always looks rougher/older/more obscure than hers and with nothing on display. There is room for a pallet in an area where the decking ends and the shed starts because we used to have a raised alpine garden there but ripped it out when we started redesigned in an oriental style (The bbq style still fits). It was going to have a second shed for gardening stuff and bikes so I get my working space back, but it could ust as easily be 3 panel store for a storage tank.
Ok... look where it's parked - outside some place that does 'part worn tyres'.
My experience of stuff offered at places like that is that it was probably going to be scrapped and they've bodged it to sell it on.
A sweeping generalisation maybe, but that's just my experiences - take or leave them.
As to the offending article itself, funnily enough a mate recently sold on his UK spec Isuzu badged one.
Having travelled in it a few times I can confirm they're comfy enough... and don't feel quite as slow as you'd think given the on paper figures.
However, it drank fuel - it's the main reason he sold it given he now has a 30 mile a day commute and he went off and got a low miles 406 HDi instead - says he's saving shedloads as a result.
Well that, and it lunched its second alternator in a year, both costing 200+ to change. However, the second one was done by the guy who looks after my cars, and he reckoned the reason it went again is because you need to change a relay under the dash at the same time, as if the alternator goes it puts this under a load of stress meaning it will fail in the near future and then take out the alternator with it, so if you do end up with this veritable pile of... well, you know... bear that in mind should the alternator ever go (which they do tend to on these, apparently).
A suggestion: For what you'll spend on that and running it, you could finance something much newer - might not save any money overall and it would mean you'd have a milestone round your neck, but at least you'd know you'd stand a fair chance of getting to work reliably... and you'd end up with something still worth a fair amount at the end of the finance period.
This is why I bought the Fabia... and whilst I'm still considering chopping it in for something like a 530d, bear in mind that I now don't rely on a car for anything other than a weekly shopping trip.
You don't... you need yours to get a fair distance to work. Without it, you're faced with a right PITA scenario of no transport = hours on public transport or the inability to get to the job.
If you don't want to saddle yourself with debt, (even though it would almost certainly not work out to more than buying and running a heap like that Isuzu), then seriously consider getting a SOD for sub 500 - I've said it before, but one of the best cars I ever had when working as a courier was a non turbo Mk3 Fiesta Diesel - 60ish mpg and ultra reliable.
It wasn't even that bad to drive... slow, but willing... handled quite well on XR2i rims as well. :-)
Spend 500 on something like that, and then you've got a grand to buy a toy with... get something classic, and you've then got dirt cheap insurance... and something hopefully you could rely on as a back up should the SOD pack up... and which hopefully wouldn't depreciate much (if at all), in the time that you own it.
It's just my tenpenneth... you're free to take it or leave it - end of the day, it's you that will be paying for whatever you decide is for you, but sometimes we need to be realistic about what we need rather than what we want?
All I will say is I've been where you are in the past and running fuel heavy (forget the veg oil theories - you do too many miles to realistically rely on that as a regular fuel) vehicles is *not* where its at unless you're on *that* much money... which I believe you aren't, and running something cheap will free up more money to clear your debts / save up for a car you actually want and isn't cheap because it's at that money pit stage of its life.
It is one of those sort of places, and they do offer cash for "Scrap/failures" etc and most of their cars have nice fresh tickets.
I think this might have been a little different though. They do occasionally odd but decent vehicle in, and this one was only uk registered 3 years ago so it might have been in better nick than normal.
Looks like it sold now anyway, times to impulse check the next impractical truck.
Oh, I'm sure they will - mostly because, I assume they have a test station on site, which is ideal for punting on the s**te they take in as 'scrappers'.
Actually the nearest test station is either the local AA garage, a very firm but fair tester a local garage recommended, and the local BMW/Merc indie specialist that tested the Celsior (and failed it initially) that is known to others on this group.
Bang on. I've recently worked out that Skoda Superbs are stupidly cheap at 3 or 4 years old. It's not a car that gets my juices flowing at all, but there's a fair chance nobody will have inflicted horrible bodges, and nothing major should pack up whilst I've got it. At the end of the day, I want a work car to go, stop and get me to wherever I'm going as cheap and comfortably as possible. The fact is that something new and galvanised has to have more left in it than something fifteen years old and interesting.
Christ, If you want a Trooper, get a Trooper- there are plenty of real UK Manual 3.1 Troopers about on the M / N / P plate in excellant order for around 1500notes.
Accompanied by the sound of a chisel on slate Elder, managed to produce the following words of wisdom
No.
Stop looking at imported Jap crap. I know the Toyota is ok, but I suspect that's more luck than anything.
Honestly, buy a s**te old French diesel.
A decent Xantia or 406 TD will cost under £600, it'll be reliable and it won't get nicked. It'll be comfy, reasonably quiet, handle well and use f*ck all fuel.
I know you'd like something a bit oddball and weird, something a bit "look at me", but old Jap 4x4s are to be avoided. Pajeros are s**te, Troopers less so, but weird oddball imported 4x4s are just asking for trouble. They also make you look like a particularly skint Pikey. [1][2]
If I'd been offered that Trooper / Isuzu / Whatever thing in the trade my top bid would have been £300, and I'd have probably got it.
Amen. I've been driving my bird's diesel ZX. It's got 75 horses, it's got comfy springs and it corners well. It's even relatively quiet. If the seats were a bit comfier I'd be happy to have it as my regular car when she gets something new.
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