Thanks so much everyone, that's really helpful stuff.

I took it for a test-drive today. I really like it but am not jumping in there. Cosmetically, it looks really well looked after, no rips. Seats are soft but I believe that's a French car trait? The weird thing was that the driver's seat was so soft it was squishing against the handbrake but it didnt interfere the way I thought it would. There was clunking... I'm kicking myself because the salesman told me what he thought it was & said he would sort it out but i cant remember what he said, a something bar? No spare wheel & they said they'd supply one

The thing I found hardest was the amount of pressure I had to put on the accelerator to get it moving, very heavy. Is this just the contrast from my automatic Nissan micra or does it mean something sinister? (I once had an Astra van & that wasnt heavy).Once it got going it was fine keeping it moving. It was comfy at 70mph overtaking uphill on motorway, no shaking, fine on bumpy dirt road.

The thing Im most concerned about is that there is "no paperwork with it to say the cam belt has been changed" so i take it that it needs doing. He offered me #400 for the Micra in the end ( 15 years old, it's not a pretty car- paint peeled but v low mileage & automatic) As I got in my car to drive away, he came running over & knocked a further #50 off... did they see me coming or do they just need pre-christmas sales? So #1250 best offer so far. has done 103k miles.

Any info on the heaviness would be helpful, it felt like it could be really tiring on a long journey, I'd like to know whether that is consistent with the model. I will definitely try & find a mechanical genius to accompany me. I wouldn't get rid of this funny old micra without a lot of thought, it's reliable- I just want a manual especially for in snow & ice.

I also have a 2005 1.9D and concur with observation about clutch cable length/routing and consequent heavy action. Accelerator OK but suspect by 05 it's 'fly by wire' whereas OP may be looking at older XUD engined version.

Ours has been fantastic. Bought new in 05 and now done around 103k miles. 100% despatch reliability - driven with a noisy silencer or a dragging caliper but it's never left us at the roadside.

It's comfortable to drive and (Desire trim) has enough legroom, stretching space and storage cubbies - with electric charge for PS/Nintendo/phones - to keep two teenagers satisfied. Performance is measured by calendar rather than stopwatch but real trips, whether to Southern France or the Western Isles, take no longer than in an apparently much faster 110Hdi Xantia. And I doubt a Jag or Roller wpud do better either.

I used to own a ZX with the XUD non-turbo engine & that had a very stiff throttle.

As previously stated, the throttle cable takes a wide route to the injection pump, but a new one wouldn't cost much & would improve the smoothness.

Mine also had 2 springs on the pump which pulled against the cable & this contributed to the stiffness. One spring is around the throttle shaft on the pump, the other pulled against the pump throttle arm, I removed this spring which made the throttle much lighter to operate.

I would guess that 2 springs are provided for safety in case one breaks & the throttle gets stuck, but I never had a problem.

There seem to be plenty Berlingoes available on Autotrader at your price, but it would be best if you can take someone with knowledge with you.