My brother has just got back from Australia and is looking to buy a car that he plans to keep only for a year and can afford to pay £1,000 maximum. He has a bad back, so is looking for something comfortable as well.
Any suggestions ?
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Try an Audi 80 or 100. Plenty around at that price level with lots of life left in them. I had an 80 once when I tore a ligament in my back, and I was more comfortable in the car than anywhere else.
I could suggest a Citroen, but that's David W's territory, so I'll leave it to him.
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If you've not seen it mentioned on earlier threads, also have a look at Richard's Bangernomics site bangernomics.tripod.com - it's full of excellent advice on buying and running a cheap car.
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If the bad back is an overiding factor many of the normal considerations go out of the window. It very much depends on the level of day to day pain.
For example a Saab 900 has some of the best seats for support but they are a rather expensive lumbering car to run compared with a Golf etc.
Richard is right about an older Audi 80, they are a very very interesting choice at this price level and have firm supportive seats. In fact there is just a possibility a nice 1990ish one might find its way here later in the year.
The build quality is excellent, galvanised bodies, mechanicals everyone understands, cheap parts by mail order etc
Just a few of drawbacks. Very small in the back, very small boot, no hatchback version and short travel firm suspension.
The latter point about the suspension is an important issue. Where we live in The Fens roads are so bad that the superb suspension of a Xantia (for example) is a huge advantage over a firmly sprung car like the Audi 80. If you load up the boot of an 80 then drive over our local bumpy roads the ride is poor as it bottoms out on the bump stops all the while. This could be enough to send painful jolts to a bad back.
The Xantia ride is superb but some folks find the seat cushion is too short and that doesn't suit them. A ZX is a good choice with a reasonable ride and nice seats.
Some folks like the seats in the Punto for bad backs but I find the ride so poor this negates the seat comfort.
An older Renault Laguna has super seats and an excellent ride but these are very costly to maintain.
A 1990s Jetta TX or GL has decent seats and a fair ride, this would be a sensible choice.
So there are a few for you.
David
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Interesting you mention the PUnto - his SWMBO has one and whenever he drives it his back plays up something rotten.
Horses for course I suppose
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I bought a 1988 SAAB 900 for £700 when I came back to the UK in 2000 and kept it for a year. It was supremely comfortable with heated seats and adjustable lumbar support, decent PAS, and a few bells and whistles in the sunroof, headlight washer department. For a grand you should get a newer one with all the goodies you want but the main reason for choosing a SAAB has to be classic style, longevity and reliability provided you go for one that has all the appearances of being maintained. In my year I replaced front pads, the water pump (leaking) and also the shock absorbers for peace of mind. The inner driveshaft bearings were starting to wear on one side when I had finished with it. This would be an expensive job so watch out for any rumblings from the front end or gearbox.
Economy is not a SAAB strength so count on 25-26 mpg average, better on a long journey. I agree pattern VW/Audi spares are widely available but main supplier German & Swedish also do more SAAB parts than before. From the catalogues there may be more bits around for the 9000 than the 900 but I prefer the classic 900 size and shape.
Thinking more widely about buying a car for a year's use, if there is time concentrate on the bigger more comfortable cars bought by retirees with more money than sense--the SAABs, Volvos, Audis, Mercedes, Hondas. They are also likely, Hondas in particular, to have been well maintained. Read previous advice on here about cars with too low a mileage.
There is one other possibility that an ex-colleague took up when he was hit by a permanent back affliction. He bought a suitable Recaro seat which is transferred from car to car. The full-blown orthopaedic seats are astronomical in pricing new, and I have never seen a secondhand one for sale, but there are cheaper Recaro and similar seats which might be obtained for half that £1000 budget if a suitable £500 car of any make was available. Throw the car away at year's end and keep the seat.
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Apparently one of the main causes of a bad back is a "new" car.
Is the car he's used to available here (or the one his back used to be used to before his last "new" car)?
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I always found that a firm squab and adjustable lumbar support were the best for my back. If there is no lumbar support, get a secondary support. They are semi-circular in section and on an elastic band that goes behind the seat to hold it in place.
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consider buying whatever he can find in good nick in his price range, and get another drivers seat from a breakers yard, as long as you do your homework on fittings this would be my approach
you can get good old recardo seats for diddly squat from an old thrashed capri or whatever
be careful if either car has pyrotechnic seat belts, you wont want one of them going off
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