Cheap Reliable Car

[Swan Jnr]

Hello,

 

I'm looking for a cheap reliable car, cant afford anymore than £2000 tops.

Ideally looking for a small engined hatchback, (fiesta etc) or an economical diesel, as i need to do a couple of 150 mile round trips per week.

 

Just wondered....

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[Guest Stuart Ainslie]

Rover 200 1.4 16v with approved LPG conversion ?

 

May be persuaded to sell due to change in job...

[Guest Battery Bill]

Craig from Grimsby was selling a gas converted Escort recently seemd quite good but dont know if its still for sale

[Guest elwe]

If you want cheap reliable and economical try a diesel Skoda Felicia. I had one for 2 years until it got written off for me. Now I have a diesel Skoda Fabia.

 

The Fabia is slightly more economic than the Fabia was but the Felicia had better handling. Actually thats probably not true, the Fabia has more grip in corners but the Felicia was more fun. Both are just Voltswagons underneath the badge. Either would do my 112 mile round trip to work on £9 of diesel.

 

The Fabia would be a bit over your budget but the Felicia would be comfortably within. I paid £1425 for my Felicia and got back £1100 from the insurance company 2 years and 56,000 miles later.

 

Both are/were 1.9 normally asperated models. I have driven the TDI version but I prefer the SDI despite its lower power, it has almost as much torque and behaves more like a petrol than the TDI.

 

Ignore the performance figures. The Felicia was quoted as 16.9 0 to 60 but I managed it in under 15 many times off the lights at blackdam roundabout and there is a turn off the roundabout and its up hill. I thought it must be an anomaly until I saw the Fabia's quoted 0-60 of 20.9. Its clearly a couple of seconds quicker than the Felicia. Also its quoted top speed is 99mph. I have accidently gone 110 uphill at about 80% throttle.

 

Once you learn to control the understeer and get on the throttle out of the corners, controlling the drift wth the throttle you can start to take Celica's on roundabouts, so long as Tiff Needell isn't driving. One sunday morning I was playing with a Merc E300. He was pulling away down the straights but couldn't corner. We came up on the back of an older Maserati, I made it into Tesco's first. Even then I still couldn't get it under 50mpg. The trick is not to brake!

[Longboarder]

Netmeter says I have used 300mb in three days. It seems to show the computer happily chuntering along sending and receiving at a low level all the time it is on, not just when I'm using the net.

 

Nigel

 

Seriously wierd. I definately posted this on the end of the broadband thread under saltys last post but it ended up here. (Unless I had a senior moment.)

[Swan Jnr]

elwe,

 

I've had a look at a few felicias. havent seen many diesels though. from the figures in what car they didnt look much more economical than the 1.3 petrol. but i dont exactly what the what car figure is, i guess it must e a combined urban/motorway figure? do you know what motorway figures are for the diesel?

 

i'd though they were only about mid forties?

 

cheers

 

Paul

[Guest elwe]

I would fill up every 4 days with 38-39 litres and do 4x 112 miles. That works out as 52mpg. However my 'normal' driving was doing 85 on the motorway and driving round town with either the accelerator or the brake planted to the floor.

 

When I slowed down a bit I could go monday to friday on 40 litres which is 64mpg.

 

The diesel Fabia's are rarer and worth considerably more than the 1.3 petrol. The 1.3 engine is a Skoda lump and isn't particularly good. On a 1.9 diesel the locks are the only non VW bits I could find.

 

The diesels came in in 1997 so they are R reg and later. There was a facelift model in 1998. The post facelift has a black front grill with a chrome effect surround, pre facelift there is a body colored panel with a couple of slots in. The post facelift model looks more modern and is worth more.

 

There are two pre facelift diesels on ebay at the minute, one at £360 (98,000 miles) and one at £525 (80,000 miles).

[Guest craig030774]

escort sold via ebay 620 quid for a l reg

[Swan Jnr]

bought a r reg skoda diesel yesterday. picking it up on saturday. 75,000 fsh £900 and the dealer is goig to get the ax for me.

 

had to drive to yorkshire to get it though. not many around here.

thanks for the advice.

 

paul

[Guest Battery Bill]

Paul

and the dealer is goig to get the ax for me.

 

Why is the dealer getting the sack then? :boohoo: :boohoo:

 

Oh yes get the cooking oil stocked up

[swan]

bill

you get t before the ax.

 

but junior forgot to put the t in.

 

Swan

[Swan Jnr]

cooking oil, now theres an idea.....

[Guest alan rowe]

Bill - I do really like your sense of humour - it always makes me laugh

[Swan Jnr]

dont encourage him....

[Guest chris brown]

it always makes me laugh

Don’t laugh Alan if you buy it in large containers from any supermarket it is cheaper than diesel as the fuel tax hasn’t been paid on it. Little or no difference in performance but does smell different.