|
|
|
|
|
|
I think the best estate we have ever had has to be the Rover 75 Tourer. Abysmally cheap, with loads of cheap parts and great on juice.
For you age, I'd be looking at a B3 Passat estate. Mate had one for a long time and I've worked on it a lot, extremely reliable and brilliant on fuel and easily to modify.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 30, 2018 13:00:23 GMT
|
|
[/quote]Yup..or equiv passat, just don't buy an auto - it'll die waaaay before the engine or body will![/quote]
Are the auto's best avoided on the 1.9 130? Asking as my wife is going to look at a 04 Audi estate with that combo tomorrow .
|
| |
Last Edit: Mar 30, 2018 13:02:54 GMT by tubthumper
|
|
froggy
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,099
|
|
Mar 30, 2018 20:51:11 GMT
|
|
B5 Passat takes some beating , picked up an 04 fully loaded 1 owner car with full vag history for £800 .
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 31, 2018 16:53:37 GMT
|
|
Thank you all for your input, the suggestions and insight have certainly been useful so far.
I'm definitely thinking closer to the W124/Volvo 200/700/900 area than B5, I saw a B2 estate for sale a few years ago that I may have considered chopping an arm off for, had the seller made it obvious they accepted human limbs as payment, of course.
Probably among my favourite "real life" cars (as in, stuff I can see myself affording within the next year or so without going away for grand larceny) are the XJ Cherokee and the Volvo 240, unfortunately for both, they don't have very realistic fuel bills (my old diesel Cherokee wasn't too bad, but I'd like a bit better).
Along similar lines, if anyone has either of the above vehicles that they would take a down payment of, let's say, a kidney, "hmu" as the kids say!
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 31, 2018 17:41:28 GMT
|
Are the auto's best avoided on the 1.9 130? Asking as my wife is going to look at a 04 Audi estate with that combo tomorrow . From a longevity point of view - I would say avoid.. look at all the high mileage 1.9tdi's on eBay - they are always manuals. Mine was the 5 speed tiptronic - two main problems are: 1/ corroded contacts to the TCU inside the harness along the drivers side sill. Causes shifting problems/PRD321 to show on the dash. It's actually pretty easy fix...just chop out the bad wire and replace. 2/ water in the fluid - basically knackers the box. Replacement boxes are around £800-£900 refurb or take your chance on a second hand unit, but that strikes me as INSANE ;-) |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 31, 2018 18:23:28 GMT
|
Probably among my favourite "real life" cars (as in, stuff I can see myself affording within the next year or so without going away for grand larceny) are the XJ Cherokee and the Volvo 240, unfortunately for both, they don't have very realistic fuel bills (my old diesel Cherokee wasn't too bad, but I'd like a bit better). I popped a couple of 240 estates on the 'ebay & elsewhere' section earlier. Iconic old load lugger but you'd have a heck of a job finding a diesel unless you went lhd. As you say the petrol engined versions aren't celebrated for their fuel economy! forum.retro-rides.org/thread/190547/ebay-listings?page=2&scrollTo=2401550 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 31, 2018 18:26:30 GMT
|
MkX: That's the problem with them! Turbo 4 cylinders aren't my bag anyway (if we're being picky) and to be honest, anything that's pulling that kind of weight is going to struggle unless it's got massive power.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 31, 2018 19:03:16 GMT
|
|
I always have a diesel estate hack as my daily. Have had a couple of Citroen’s, a pug, two Mercs, a Volvo. Now a days I feel the only decent hack diesel estates are the VAGs, a PD engine, ideally a 130 with a 6 speed box but a 100 with a 5 speed is ok. So not really retro, though becoming so.....
Sadly the Pugs and Citroens now too old, the Mercs and Volvos getting hard to keep. An old Beamer might work but though I’m a Beamer fan, I find them too fragile for hacking. Good luck, will be interested to see the result.
|
| |
Have had! 67 Bug, Polo G40, Defender, Passat 130, Ginetta G27, Vito, 106 Rallye, Xantia Activa, Vrs, Stryker, Jedi, OMS, Dellow, Golf 130, Martlet, Barnett
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 31, 2018 19:30:23 GMT
|
|
E34 is far more sturdy than the new stuff.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Only thing wrong with the old estate m. Benz is rust. Have a 250td and 300td both rusty on wings and doors.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yup..or equiv passat, just don't buy an auto - it'll die waaaay before the engine or body will![/quote] Are the auto's best avoided on the 1.9 130? Asking as my wife is going to look at a 04 Audi estate with that combo tomorrow .[/quote] AVOID! the 130 is the best engine VW ever made. The ZF 5HP19 autobox should have been, but people tend not to change the oil when supposed (lifetime, VW, really?) I sourced an immaculate Passat for a customer recently, and went to change the box oil to find it black and horrid. Box had already been replaced twice in it’s 13 years of life... Just get a manual, the 130 6 speed is a great combo |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
same story with BMW's, BMW say lifetime, ZF say hell no change that oil!
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
same story with BMW's, BMW say lifetime, ZF say hell no change that oil! It’s actually the same gearbox. 5HP series. Used in E46, E39 etc. Lifetime my b***cks. Have a look at ZF’s material and they say genuine ZF fluid every 60,000km or there abouts. Suppose BMW consider that to be the lifetime of their cars  |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I doubt it is the same, given a passat is not RWD  |
| |
|
|
madmog
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,160
Club RR Member Number: 46
|
|
|
|
Just consider the, 'how easy will it be to get parts when broken down in the middle of France?' angle. looking at you MkX Montego |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Just consider the, 'how easy will it be to get parts when broken down in the middle of France?' angle. looking at you MkX Montego You're quite right, the Montego estate was surprisingly popular in France, so the parts situation is probably not significantly worse than some of the other vehicles mentioned. With any older car it's always wise to carry breakdown cover, particularly if you're wandering further afield. All the major players offer European breakdown cover. |
| |
Last Edit: Apr 2, 2018 19:24:56 GMT by MkX
|
|
gte86
Part of things
Posts: 611 
|
|
|
|
|
Not quite retro but currently running an Audi b6 130 6 speed as a daily. Been from 100k to 140k with only cambelt, brakes and a split intercooler. Amazing economy and on the road performance to match the 106 Gti once remapped.
Can get a clean car for about a grand. Don't let high miles put you off. Low mileage diesel's are aren't happy diesel's
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I doubt it is the same, given a passat is not RWD Longitudinal inclination. Or North/South as people say. Same as a BMW. The only difference in the design of a FWD (or Quattro) box is the drive is reversed back under the diff to the output flanges. Same gearbox internals, and same filter assembly. Ask ZF, and ask Getrag who made the early 01E manual boxes and the BMW items. Oh and BTW, I’m talking about the 97-05 B5 and B5.5 Passat, and the 95-09 B5/B6/B7 Audi A4, C5 and C6 A6, and the 3U Skoda Superb. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 13, 2018 22:29:47 GMT
|
|
The 6 speed manuals on the 130 Passat are not considered to be good in Passat circles. Better off with a 5 speed. Final drive is supposedly a similar ratio.
I loved the 2.5TDi 5 cylinder engine in the Audi A6 c4.
Not quite retro but I now like the 2.7TDi V6 diesel lump in my c6 A6, with 6 speed manual. First gear is a bit short, so not good for any traffic light Grand Pris. But in 3rd or above its rapid. Mpg is decent if driven gently. CVT multitronics are ticking time bombs apparently. Hence I went for a manual.
|
| |
|
|
ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,309
Club RR Member Number: 170
|
|
|
|
Audi A4 Avant, Had one with the 130 PD engine in. brilliant car, 230K miles when I sold it, only car ive ever had that the faster you drove on the motorway the more econmical it was.. Those 1.9 PDs are awesome engines. The Camshafts can go in them but they are a very easy job to do if you can do the cambelt. They have driveable power too. Thank you all for your suggestions so far, keep them coming please! To be honest, I wouldn't have minded a legacy but I think my wife would kill me if I brought one home, way too curved for her! As for budget, I'd be looking to spend somewhere around £1000, but could be parted with more for the right car, of course. I'd prefer to keep the age down a bit, as it seems anything late 80s-early 90s is cheaper to insure. (E300D being around £350 for the year, as opposed to about £900 for an 850). You’ll struggle to find a good W124 diesel for less than £1000. If that’s your budget I’d be looking at a Volvo 700 or 900. This. FWIW my W124 250D saloon was around your budget and I looked for weeks and weeks as well as casually over the months; It needs a pair of wings and a couple of odds and sods but it is solid; I think the time of year and it being a 250D manual put a few people off; The seller was surprised what it went for! But him being in Newton Abbott probably put off alot of people! But it does strangely seem to be an unknown sweet spot in the range of UK W124 diesels; the manual isn't that bad and the 250D being lighter and now much less powerful than a 300D makes it a lovely drive on the front end and nice mover in traffic, albeit no overtaker. W124 diesels command a premium over their petrol brethren. I wanted a 300TD Auto (T=Estate) but rust free ones command a premium. Around £1k you'll be getting quite a bit of rot for your money! I'd say £2-3k minimum will get you a W124 that won't be a moneypit with diesel power. I'll possibly be selling mine but it will be for more than £1k. It's one of a few cars I've had where quite a few people have expressed interest in buying it off me. Issues? -Rust; W124s rust around the subframe points and sill jacking points. Check these carefully. They're repairable of course but it's tricky and it can cost. -Electrics: They can have funky electrics. It can be as simple as a fuse or something else. My headlights were fixed with a fuse with the window switches needed better treatment! -Parts: You can get the parts very cheaply. But they may not last that long. That goes for any car however. -Diesel issues. The OM60x engines are very good and legendary. But they do have issues like any car. The injectors can knock due to being dirty or being ran on veggie oil/biodiesel, which both leave a residue in any injector despite what people say. Of course, regular filter changing can reduce that effect The diesels can leak a bit of oil too. I've just changed a crank seal on mine -Everything is vacuum operated. Check it all works. A good W124 however is a sturdy and wonderful bus to drive! |
| |
Last Edit: Apr 17, 2018 7:43:39 GMT by ChasR
|
|
|
|
