I'm giving my company car back as it is only a perk and I don't really need it, the tax implications are dreadful.
I only drive 6 miles to and from work, and I reckon the best thing to do is to buy an old ( uncatalysed ) car for this purpose, question is - which one ?? I think Volvo 340s seem to last longer than any other car of this age, have you readers any reccomendations ? I only want to spend £500-1000 quid
Cheers
Mick
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Oh dear.......not another Volvo driver!
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Buy a Moped and a Raincoat.
(A helmet might be good also).
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Or a Mk 2 Golf or maybe an old cheap skoda
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Mick,
I would steer clear of Volvo due to their main dealers exorbitant charges for the slightest problem. Also for the cost of any spare parts.
I would personally go for a Ford/vauxhall/Rover car.
How about a escort diesel, cheap nowadays and anyone can work on them.
regards
Alvin
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Try the yellow pages house clearance entries.
These chaps often clear a house and garage on the death of someone.
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Volvo 340 good but very very thirsty on petrol better off with a MK II golf 1.6 (mate has one now done 262,000 miles no bother original engine/gearbox no major mechanical faults!!!) or if a smaller car possibly a Polo 1.3 low tax etc. Parts availabilty very good for both as there is always one in the scrap yard.
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For my money I wouldnt consider anything other than a VW Polo or Golf. Bits are cheap, mechanicals unburstable and the Polo just doesnt rust structurally. Downside is that the interiors get scruffy, esp the drivers' seat. So far this year I have "rescued" 3 Polos, X, Y, and B reg and put them back on the road with little trouble. And they have all gone to learner drivers, cheap insurance etc.
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Buy my superb Nissan Prairie. Tax & MOT, maintained regardless of cost, plenty of room, two sliding rear doors, remote central locking, economical 1.9 petrol engine. I could go on and on, just like Nissan Prairie's do.
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Thanks guys, I have found private sale a "G" registered VW Jetta 1.6 TX in White, looks pretty good and has only 2 previous owners - one was a clergyman, Vendor seems straight - public school accent and nice house he wants £ 700 quid for it, but I'll wave £600 cash under his nose tomorrow....
Mileage is 94 000 - substantiated by plenty of MOT's reciept for a Recent exhaust and Cambelt changed at 80 000, engine bay is very dirty though so not much to see under there, It has a twin barreled carburettor with a vacuum operated second choke, Do these sometimes play up ?
Anything else to look for ?
Oh and it has central locking
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Mick,
Buy the car, not the image of the seller. Sounds OK but real values for this are around £200 - £500. Dealers should only want £600. Have seen them in quite good order (they mostly are) and MOT'd at auction for £125.
The Jetta TX is actually a much underated model with good comfort, huge boot and quite a modern feel if in decent order. By this age they can be troublesome, you mention the carb....a right pig at times and very costly to replace.
But if you fancy it that is all that matters, just don't pay too much.
If you're still looking after the Jetta is viewed think hard about diesel for such short runs. Your auto choke will be on all the while with the petrol Jetta, killing the engine and your fuel consumption.
If you're brave buy a Citroen BX 1.9D (non turbo) and enjoy one of the best diesel engines of the past 15 years. About 48mpg and no choke to worry about. Find a friendly independent BX specialist and enjoy an interesting car that is often unfairly passed over. And because of this you might get a very nice one with a decent history for only £500.
I'll now sit back and await the onslaught from the regulars!
Volvo 340, please no!
David
PS. Give HJs "How to buy cars a look", checks are still important at this price range. There are chaps out there turing over a couple of cars a week like this that they buy from the breakers for £50, get a quick MOT and pass on for a quick £500 profit.
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Are you serious ? £125 at auction is ridiculously cheap, won't pay for a pair of Tyres - the guy selling this car has his name on the logbook so I'm sure about where it has been etc. which counts for something as far as I am concerned.
I am a bit sceptical about buying anything French - I think they are a bit fragile and need specialist attention.
Recently I was in Barcelona on business and noticed that a lot of Taxis there are VW Jettas - which says something about the build quality etc - they have been out of production since 1991 !
I suppose a Diesel engined Jetta or Golf may prove ideal ? Although the 1600cc petrol engine would be better than the 1300 or 1800 as it is not "stressed" and produces a lot of low down torque, my only worry is the Carb - I have seen some witha Catalyst badge on the back, Now at G or H reg - the cat can be removed legally, but do these versions have Fuel injection ? would this be ultimately less trouble than the carb ?
What does a Weber conversion cost ?
I'm also going to have a look at an Audi 80 1.8E tomorrow these have a galvanised body so should be free from rust, any thoughts on these ?
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Mick Fell wrote:
>
> Are you serious ? £125 at auction is ridiculously cheap,
> won't pay for a pair of Tyres - the guy selling this car has
> his name on the logbook so I'm sure about where it has been
> etc. which counts for something as far as I am concerned.
I've seens plenty of cars at auction with 3 months MOT left go for 40 quid.
It's perfectly possible to get a runner for a fiver.
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Mick,
I've had an 1988 E Audi 80 1.8S since October 96 - bought it at 55k with 1 bank manager owner. Now has 105k on it and has never let me down. Check the CV joints and lower wishbone bushes, as well as the all important timing belt change. You should be able to find a good one with PAS, 4 x electric windows and sunroof for under £1000.
If you're interested, I am looking to part with mine.
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Glad you've found something. I'd consider a 1990-1991 Rover 214 for this sort of money. I have a 1990 G 214SLi which runs beautifully, accelerates reasonably well, and is very cheap to run (about £150 a year for two Rover dealer services). Tyres last forever. Best of all, mine does 47 mpg on the new low sulphur petrol (did only 42 on old unleaded). If you can find one, the 216SLi auto is better, but 1.6 more expensive to service.
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Nicholas Moore wrote:
>
> I'd consider a 1990-1991 Rover
> 214 for this sort of money. I have a 1990 G 214SLi which
> runs beautifully, accelerates reasonably well, and is very
> cheap to run (about £150 a year for two Rover dealer
> services). Tyres last forever. Best of all, mine does 47
> mpg on the new low sulphur petrol (did only 42 on old
> unleaded).
I have an old 414i on an 'H' for 700 quid.
Superb car, well worth 700 quid.
Get one without a CAT.
Jetta's good though - nice and simple.
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Yes. Better to go for one without the cat. Mine covers about 1000 miles a week with no complaints.
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I have an intriguing ambivalence towards Cats. I can understand the urge to avoid them and their potential costly problems. On the other hand they are there to purify the exhaust which we all breathe. So deliberately de-catting cars with elderly, often rather poisonous engines simply for hard-up economic reasons seems a bit anti-social. As usual the cost of the technology stifles many of its advantages.
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500-1000 quid should buy you a decent E/F/G reg 205 diesel which would meet the criteria of low consumption (50-55 mpg), cheap servicing and insurance.
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Mick,
If you have a company car at present and go to Barcelona for business it will take a little time to come "down" to the action at this price level.
I don't blame you for not wanting a French car, you will either value their plus points or not, if not stay well clear. Andrew mentions the Peugeot 205 diesel. excellent little car but might feel a bit lightweight. The same applies to Citroen AX diesels which are now down to £700 in the private ads but make super short run commuter vehicles.
Diesel does warrant serious consideration with your planned use. Note the VW diesel of that era was very poor compared with the Peugeot/Citroen, slow and noisy.
The Audi 80E is a super car, quite small but beautifully built with understated styling, just like a posh Jetta really. You will find a common feel about them with many similar/shared components. Find a well looked after Audi from a good home and it will be a very nice car.
Returning to the Jetta....I had a new one in 1986 and then it had a build quality well above the Ford/Vauxhall of the day. I think that is why they can often look very good still.
As to prices. For an independent check look at the Parkers values website www.parkers-online.com/ . They give the Jetta as £220 - £645 for an auction/trade/private sale. But in the real world much lower prices (as I mentioned in the previous post) are seen.
For example recently three Citroen BX diesels of the age you mention went through auction, all started OK and MOT'd. Prices were £7 (tatty), £65(OK) and £130 (very good, sensible miles, history). Also a trader locally needed to clear his forecourt of three G-reg cars that had stuck for a while. A Metro, Carlton and Sierra. Two MOT'd, one expired but all intended for cheap retail sale. A fellow trader bought the three for £35!
There are many factors producing these daft prices including the problem of scrapping a car now (you pay them!) and the high cost of repairs/MOT pass compared with their value.
David
David
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I asked the same question of HJ several months ago. I now have a Fiat Panda H reg 30,000 miles 2 owners, £350 with a recent exaust 4 recent tyres and 10 months MOT, plus no rust, or tax, well you can't have everthing! So I saved £1650 on what I was prepared to spend. Stand for Parliment HJ!!
Bill
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