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I'm sorry to start another What Car thread, but this one is to draw on your local knowledge.
I'm looking at coming to Eu/Uk for a bit of a gap year. I'll be living off savings, so rather than my usual fare (r32 gtr, ls400) I'm going to be needing an econobox.
So what economical (>35mpg or 8L/100), small cars can you personally testify to being an absolute hoot to drive? Extra unicorn points for cars readily available for under 1000€ or £.
You guys get a different range of cars over there, and while I'm knowledgeable on Japanese cars, I'll readily admit I don't know euro cars and their foibles very well.
So what say you?
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Are you going to be covering some distance ie hundreds of miles? I would get a modernish car that i could probably sell on for what i paid when i'm done
The car which comes to mind is the MK4 Golf 130 TDI. I borrowed an estate one of these once and was well impressed with the performance and economy (6 speed box)
IF you bought one with 100k on the clock and put another 5k on i'm sure you'd make your money back
IF you're thinking just bombing around town i would think about Fiat Cinquecento / Seicento, Peugeot 106, Ford Fiesta (?) i hear they're fun to drive
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Paul Y
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,948
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I have an 04 1.25 Fiesta that has 155K on the clock and is a better drive than my sons 15 plate Fiesta. Can be picked up for peanuts and is a hoot to drive. On a run it sees over 40mpg easily and around town is above 35. Bit small in the back but if it is just for you then worth a look. P.
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miaspa
Part of things
Posts: 829
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Found my flashing Pao again.
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Good suggestions so far, keep them coming.
I'll be spending 3 months in north east France and then 3 months in either Scotland or Ireland. It'll be a mixture of around town and long distance driving. I'm from a country where we think nothing of driving for 150km to go to the beach, or just because I like driving.
At this stage I'll probably buy one car in France, sell it when I leave, then buy another in the UK. Possibly a little more trouble, but better than hiring a rental.
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welshpug
Posted a lot
Posts: 4,329
Member is Online
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ahh but 150km in oz is vastly different to many parts of the uk or rural france, things take a lot longer
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Agree with Golf Tdi 130 as suggested by jiminwatford - I have had a Bora with the same engine in it for 8 years as my daily. For any sort of distance work it is fabulous. Mine is a Highline so comes with heated leather and cruise control. It's a very pleasant place to be. Plus the only thing that I have not been able to get in the boot is an oven. 1/4 ton of logs was no problem!
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Last Edit: Nov 5, 2017 7:26:00 GMT by mrbounce
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My fiat Bravo was very good, and they're cheap as chips to buy! Old Fiats for the most part seem to have no value at all, but they're perfectly good!
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^ see above, a mate has had a MGF (VVC engine) for many years, good power, decent economy, great fun - even when not topless. Similar options are MX5 and MR2. The smaller French motors are great for economical daily drivers - Citroen Saxo/AX - Peugeot 106/206 etc (our 1.5D 106s were often getting near 70mpg !). I looked at a couple of Saab Turbo, fun and very many have been chip'd (from 160bhp to 220 ?), topless is often an option. Renault Megan for cheap soft-top fun. 6 cylinder BMW 325i/328i made before the electrics got too complicated (choose pre-2005 ish, E36/E39 etc, economy >35mpg if you drive gentle but it drops if you put your foot down) Do you need carrying capacity (Hatchback / estate ?) or is it just for fun (2 seater sportscar ?) Technicalities : Cars in the UK need an MOT test every year, in your situation I'd buy something that had a long MOT so I could just drive it and sell / scrap it when I left, saves having to get it MOTd (this can often find difficult / expensive faults) You will then need insurance, with MOT & Insurance you can Tax the car, all 3 are needed before you can legally drive it. Tax varies depending on the car and it's age, some are free - others cost hundreds for the year. Check before buying ! Have you asked about insurance over here - you might find it's expensive for some of the cars you like. Pick anything from the Forum sales forum.retro-rides.org/board/58/cars-sale and ask here for opinions. Edit to add forum.retro-rides.org/thread/200855/1991-citroen-mot-east-sussex?page=1&scrollTo=2363597 Other car sales websites : www.carandclassic.co.uk/classic_cars.php?category=3&make=®ion=&country=1&era=&advert_type=&price=3&keyword=&S.x=49&S.y=11&S=Searchwww.gumtree.com/search?search_category=cars&search_location=uk&max_price=1000&vehicle_registration_year=over_10
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Last Edit: Nov 5, 2017 12:32:58 GMT by nomad
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Ford Sport KA. You'll laugh but they're great fun. 96bhp 1.6 8v engine. Light weight, great handling, comfy but sporty at the same time. Mega cheap to buy, insure and run.
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ChasR
RR Helper
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Slow car fastChasR
@chasr
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SportKas are a great shout! But I'd never recommend one due to:
-curse word MPG ; you'll be lucky to see more than 33MPG out of those ; the engines are woefully inefficient -Rust ; Being Mk3 Fiesta based rot was never far behind the KA.
For the money they are great. I've always wondered why that generation never got Zetec engines which TBH were more powerful and more fuel efficient. You will get a great example though for £1k.
I'd recommend the Clio 172 but £1k is semi-shed money and insurance will be a problem I suspect. One of the best sub £2k cars I have owned ; it was a thrill to drive ; think modernised 205GTI without losing the spirit and fun of the original with nice toys in the mix like AC/ auto lights and wipers, leather seats etc. The 1.4s aren't too bad mind you.
(BMW) Mini Ones/Coopers are worth a shout and often overlooked. Without a supercharger they lose many reliability issues thankfully.
Alfa 147 JTDs are worth a shout too but buy carefully and preferably with some bits done like the cambelt, poly bushes in key areas like the upper arms and ARB bushes.
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madmog
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,155
Club RR Member Number: 46
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Slow car fastmadmog
@madmog
Club Retro Rides Member 46
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Mercedes W202 or 203 with poverty spec and 1.8 or 2.0 engines pop up for less than £500 on autotrader. If it's got a long MOT and drives it'll probably keep driving for a year. Won't be sporty but it'll make the long drives around Europe a lot nicer
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I would look into what insurance implications are for a short term visitor as you could find that costs as much as any car you buy. My daughter had a Peugeot 106 which was quite a good drive, economical and parts plentiful and cheap. In the UK vehicles are put into insurance groups ranging from 1-50 (some variations exist) smaller stuff usually sits in 1-10, once you start looking at performance cars or even better quality mid range they go much higher up the scale.
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Needs a bigger hammer mate.......
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Badger
Part of things
Posts: 250
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Not retro but a mk1 Leon FR aint bad, got one as my daily driver. It's the ARL version of the VAG 1.9TDI engine - 150hp and a fair amount of torque, 50MPG combined (with some care, not driving like a granny though). Handles OK, just seen one on 130k for about a grand.
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ChasR
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Club RR Member Number: 170
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Slow car fastChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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I was going to suggest a W124! But he wanted soemthing fun down back lanes! While it's not bad down them I'd be lying if I said other cars weren't better!
It's a superb motorway cruiser mind you. But you'll be lucky to get a half decent one for under £1k now.
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Do you need carrying capacity (Hatchback / estate ?) or is it just for fun (2 seater sportscar ?) Technicalities : Cars in the UK need an MOT test every year, in your situation I'd buy something that had a long MOT so I could just drive it and sell / scrap it when I left, saves having to get it MOTd (this can often find difficult / expensive faults) You will then need insurance, with MOT & Insurance you can Tax the car, all 3 are needed before you can legally drive it. Tax varies depending on the car and it's age, some are free - others cost hundreds for the year. Check before buying ! Have you asked about insurance over here - you might find it's expensive for some of the cars you like. Good info Nomad about UK insurance. I figured the MOT thing out already, but the insurance seems to be a hodge podge mess. Over here in Queensland, to register a car you need a safety certificate/roadworthy, then the compulsory third party insurance (for pedestrians, street signs etc) is included/nominated when you pay your registration. Other insurance (either comprehensive or third party {other persons car only}) is optional, but highly recommended. I'd probably be looking at more of a hatchback/estate than a 2 door. Coupes are my preference to drive on a track, but they can be a pain when you want to take people in them, or have something more than an overnight bag. Feel free to include non-retro options that fit the bill (Over 35mpg and preferably under 1k)
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Slow car fastDeleted
@Deleted
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I don't want to party poop but as duggers said I think your main concern will be short term insurance. They don't put a sticker on your car here... they take it off you😜 There's other rules in Ireland too. That aside the best bet will be to take some recommendations off here and look on Gumtree and Ebay locally and compare insurance. Enjoy our wet stuff😜
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A bit small but cheap as chips.....A Daihatsu Cuore. Offers heaps of room, fun to drive and cheap to run.
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I do love a kei car rblote but I don't know how plentiful those are. I've got a mate in Scotland keeping an eye out for me too. He recommended a tdi Golf, but I've never been a fan of VAG stuff. (it fails badly over here)
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I do love a kei car rblote but I don't know how plentiful those are. I've got a mate in Scotland keeping an eye out for me too. He recommended a tdi Golf, but I've never been a fan of VAG stuff. (it fails badly over here) The VW's have a bad reputation over here indeed. But have a look at the current cop cars in Holland. Many VW products. Driving schools use VW's since for ever. I would stick to something plain and simple but fun as well. The Suzuki Alto is very popular in Europe same as the Micra etc
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