Need a New Car . . . . Again!

[Furrtiv]

Hi guys, I need some help again.

I've got a new job, but it means a daily trip of nearly a hundred miles from Oadby in Leicestershire to Alfreston in Derbyshire. Now, there's no way on earth I'm going to put 'Ector the Traveller through that! So, I need a cheap, motorway-friendly car, up to 1.6l, and preferably just old enough and undesirable enough to get cheap insurance (third party fire and theft is all that's needed).

Any ideas of makes and models? I was thinking along the lines of a Rover, or a Hyundai, mid-90s or slightly earluer?

Advice, as always, is appreciated.

[Orkney]

Skoda is uber reliable, depends on your budget.
Shame you cant get something that you can buy cheap, drive into the ground for a year then rob it for modernisation bits for the mog !

Does this mean your fixing ernie then?

[Onne]

As in Sierra....

[Peetee]

In my experience:
Mk111 Golf or Vento - staid and dull but if it aint rusty it never will be!
Skoda Felicia - Tough and VW-like
Fiat Punto - Fun, TD's are good but parts for all are pricey
Of the three the VW would be the cheapest on parts but probably most insurance.

[bmcecosse]

Until recently I had two Fiat Punto's - (one after the other) for work travel - and they were absolutely terrific - and even with my driving would do 46 mpg. VW Polo gets a good name - and the current small diesel model is so efficient it gets FREE roadtax and supposedly 70 mpg ! That's a long way to travel and it's going to cost a fortune in petrol (and time) - would be well worth while looking for an LPG car since LPG is half the cost of petrol. Even better i would think to try to get a 4 (long) day week - and stay up there the 3 inter nights!

[Furrtiv]

Unfortunately staying there isn't an option, neither is buying anything over five hundred quid. It's going to be vaguely temporary, as eventually we'd probably move up there, it all depends on if the other half gets a job in those parts.

'Ector is pretty much fixed, but I'm still paying off the garage in small amounts each month, which must be very frustrating for them but I simply can't afford such a big payment all in one go.

I really do need something which can handle regular M1 traffic, at least for a year or two until we both get our finances sorted and myself and the other half can possibly move on then. Nothing's really keeping us in Leicester anyway.

[Peetee]

At the sort of age you are looking at you can eliminate a few makes by virtue of the fact that they rot. On a low budget purchase you really don't want to be wasting money on repairing bodywork for an MOT. Its certainly possible to find a lot of 10 -15 year old cars that aren't going rusty and are unlikely to for as long as you need them.
Get yourself a few choices then look on a parts site like GSF or Eurocarparts and look up the relative costs of water pumps, fuel pumps, Radiators - the sort of things that fail on older 100K mile cars.

My top choice would be a MK111 Polo. A bit small and flimsy feeling for some people but uber cheap. I've owned 4, all with over 70K miles on, done about 150K miles altogether and only had to change service items, batteries, a carb and a water pump.
Oh and the other thing about VW's is that if they are rusty they HAVE been abused so walk away.

[Bluesman]

VW Golf II. Unbeatable for economic driving. Find a good one, then drive it for years. Or get a Jap of the same vintage.
/R

[bigginger]

I highly recommend the VW Polo as well, even the MK 1, for bullet proof go-on-foreverness
a

[MoggyTech]

VW Polo any model, will give excellent reliability, as will Skodas.
What ever you do, do NOT get a Rover in any shape way or form.

500 squid, should get you a fairly decent high mileage VW Polo 1995-96

[RogerRust]

So glad you got another job!
Anything exciting?

[HarryMango]

Nothing's really keeping us in Leicester anyway.

Well thats charming

None taken

Rog

[chickenjohn]

Polos of 95/96 often seem to rust. I've seen a few in the carpark at work and locally that all rust at the corner of the doors on both sides and in the seam in the sills below. I know some of the owners and these cars were not thrashed.

Punto's are quite good cars to drive (for a modern anyway), but judging by my girlfriends one, they rust in the sills, underneath at the rear, on the sump (!), gearboxes are weak (input shaft bearing), clutches judder, and the head gaskets are prone to failing as well. Plus numerous small irritating faults that may also fail the MOT (screen wash jet and wiper motor trouble etc).
You are likely to get 40mpg in mixed driving, simmilar to a Minor.

Buy cheap japanese!! Honda or Toyota that looks like the body will last another couple of years. Then scrap it after you've finished with it.

Modern cars are not built to last and are not built to be repaired.

[chrisd87]

An early 90s Toyota Corolla might be a good bet. My mum still has the 1.3 estate we bought new in 1992, it's now got 200k on the clock and still going strong on the original engine, although it's a bit smoky on startup. The only rust on it is where the bodywork has been dented. Parts seem to be fairly expensive though.

If I was buying an old banger that I wanted to last a while, a Fiat is quite possibly the last thing I'd buy.

[chickenjohn]

-snip
If I was buying an old banger that I wanted to last a while, a Fiat is quite possibly the last thing I'd buy.

Yes, FIAT stands for Fix It Again Tomorrow.

[bigginger]

From experience of driving (far too) many of the things brand new (from the ship to the holding yard) I'd also point out that the build quality (feel of clutch and gearbox plus state of interior trim - the list goes on) of them varies HUGELY. Unlikely, but true. I'm sure they're fine - if you find a good one, but I wouldn't touch them
a

[DaveC]

Old Pug diesel gets my vote. Non turbo basic version. 205/306/206. They only need an oil and filter change every 6K.
They'll love the long trips as well. I do a regular 320mile round trip, and it costs me around £28 to £30 depending on my driving mood.

[paulk]

Not very popular on here but i've driven cheap Fords for years.

Escorts mainly but have done sierras in the past,all cost pennies to buy and I must say apart from the enevitable lower wishbones on the Escorts they've done me with no great problems.
You can buy spares anywhere and the 1.6 zetec lump gives me 40mpg on an Estate body over most roads inc motorway (but I do keep to the limit)

Also cos they are only Fords when it comes time to scrap them you don't even need to feel guilty

Have also had the Mk1 Polo but can't imagine many are left now.

[chickenjohn]

Yes, I had a Sierra for 3 years. Yes a ford will do the job but it will go wrong and need work. Buy an old low milage Japanese car from an OAP. -tend to be well looked after.

[jonathon]

I'd go Polo or Golf, plenty about cheap easy to fix and cheap for parts, although early Japanese cars are virtually bullet proof they are v.expensive to fix.
I may well get slated for saying this but the Metro was an excellent small car v.cheap, useful donor car when finished with it.