I guess you'd rather not have an estate, but 2.6 Carlton Estate?
Dunno really, loads of cars out there, take yer pick.
Apologies if this post hasn't been very helpful.
Peter
-- "Diamonds are what I really need - think I'll rob a store, escape the law, and live in Italy. Lately, my luck has been so bad, you know the roulette wheel, it's a crooked deal, I'm losing all I had."
Same criteria as before, needs to be a hatch or saloon with folding rear seats. RWD would be nice, half decent amount of go (meaning, at least as quick as a 1.8 mondy) combined with non-horrific insurance. Ideas? SAAB 9000 looks near the top of my list, possibly an old 900i if I can find one thats a) solid and b) cheap. Other than that, I'm a bit stumped.
Seriously though, get as late a Carlton as you can, don't pay over the odds for it, and ideally find one that's been garaged all its life. Even if it hasn't, there are telltale places to look for rust, and if there's very little there, then chances are the whole thing is reasonably rust free. They're prone to rust, but it doesn't prevent the better looked after ones from not rusting to death.
Rear arches are the obvious one - not only the curved bit down towards the sills, but the horizontal bit under the plastic trim - have a feel underneath and check if it feels solid.
Next point is the rear chassis rails - the bits at the back that curve upwards are either solid or crumbly, or somewhere in between. If they're solid then chances are it's worth a shot.
Check inside the engine bay as well, the horizontal "shelf" type bits on the inside of the wings etc., if that makes any sense.
And just generally, asking the owner if it's ever failed an MOT or got advisories on rust is a fairly good indicator.
Peter
-- "Diamonds are what I really need - think I'll rob a store, escape the law, and live in Italy. Lately, my luck has been so bad, you know the roulette wheel, it's a crooked deal, I'm losing all I had."
You use the device designed to get you around corners. What's it called?
Handbrake, that's it.
Peter
-- "Diamonds are what I really need - think I'll rob a store, escape the law, and live in Italy. Lately, my luck has been so bad, you know the roulette wheel, it's a crooked deal, I'm losing all I had."
PeterVanMan has already said it, but I'll say it again: Carlton
I suppose it depends on what you class as non horiffic insurance costs. I am 23, I live in a city, the car is parked on the street outside my flat, near a university I have 1 years NCB and my J reg 2.6 Auto Clarton saloon cost me £435 to insure FC last year.
Its not devastatingly quick, but theres almost always something in reserve. I get 16 or 17 mpg round town, 35 on the motorway (42 when I was being a good boy on the way to perth - once) and 30 on a long A road burn with some "spirited" overtaking. Driving like a nutter I can get 7-11mpg, but you get there pretty fast.
If that were my criteria my slightly twisyed list would roughly be:
405SRi? Although not sure if the seats fold down, ask Dan!
309 SRi/XSi Capri 2.0 Volvo 360/240 GLT Volvo 740 Turbo (with a big fat DV, obviously) Shitroen ZX Volcane (either TD or petrol) Shitroen XM/Xantia V6 Rover 216GTi Range Rover V8 Sierra DOHC Saab 900 16v
Although give me a bit more time and i'm sure i could add more!
Turn the steering, the wheels turn, seems good enough to me!
Yep, you'll need plenty of that
No idea about the Sierra. Saw a 900 16v on adtrader the other day with a years MoT for something silly like £300. Are they really that cheap or would it have been a bit dodgy?
Mines been 100% reliable in the year I've had it, reasonably pokey too....
Rev the nuts off mine all the time and just can't kill it - they stuck these lumps in transits so it needs to be robust...(ok, that can be good or bad..) Chav car? nahh too old - no self respecting chav would be seen dead in a sierra! ;-)
I can certainly recommend a 9K though - fast, reliable, and solid, and you won't find many cars with as much interior room or boot space either, the hatch is roomier than some estates...
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