Phinn
Part of things
Posts: 93
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I'm planning a European road trip with a few friends next spring. My current car, a slightly battered '98 Fiat Punto 1.2, is most definitely not up to the job and so I want to replace it with something more suitable between now and then. Here's a rough idea of where we want to go: tinyurl.com/ydocr8vOne of my friends is 25 and has never been outside the country save for a school day trip to Boulogne when she was 11, so I figured if we are going to go, we'd better do the Grand Tour to make up for lost time! My criteria is this: 1. Cost - I haven't got a lot of spare cash to throw around, so I would be looking for something in the £500-1000 region. Likewise something that is cheap to insure and not too thirsty. 2. Reliability - Breakdowns are irritating at the best of times, let alone in a foreign country with a tight schedule to keep. Obviously reliability of older cars is usually down to the care shown by their previous owners over the years, but a car with a reliable reputation is a must-have. 3. Comfort - 3000 miles of continental driving in a little over two weeks means the car must be a comfortable place to be. Seats, air conditioning, ride quality, wind/engine noise etc... Ideally I'd like cruise control as well for the long stretches of motorway/Autobahn driving. I was thinking of a E30 BMW 318is as they're inexplicable cheap for me to insure (£235 fully comp) and it's something I can keep as a daily driver on my return. However reading around the internet leads me to believe that they aren't comfortable on long distance journeys? Or maybe some kind of early 90s Jaguar? Comfortable to be sure, relatively inexpensive to buy, but thirsty, expensive to insure and reliability might be an issue. In short, I want a GT car for little to no money that won't break down or break the bank! An impossible ask? Any advice gratefully received! |
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Define "a few" friends? Personally I'd want something a bit bigger than an E30 if I was covering 3000 miles with any more than 3 people in the car. An old Mercedes estate or similar would be the kind of thing I'd be looking at.  Theoretically speaking of course. I have absolutely no experience of them so they may be utter turd for all I know ;D |
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1989 Peugeot 205. You know, the one that was parked in a ditch on the campsite at RRG'17... the glass is always full. but the ratio of air to water may vary. |
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Mondeo Estate? Early ones are pennies now, they are roomy, comfy and - if you get a good one - reliable.
One word of warning - make sure your friends are actually up for hours and hours on the motorway. I bought a Mondeo on the basis that we would be doing a grand tour type thing, but they backed out when it was mentioned how many days we'd be spending travelling.
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Get a capri ;D as norm and speedy will testify, it will meet none of your requirements (esp the comfort one) but will be epic none the less.
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To get a standard A40 this low, you'd have to dig a hole to put it in |
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Get a capri ;D as norm and speedy will testify, it will meet none of your requirements (esp the comfort one) but will be epic none the less. It all depends on your level of commitment, willingness to make sacrifice, physical well-being, mental toughness, personal habits, and preparation. That's all.  |
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 Team Blitz Ford Capri parts worldwide: Restoration, Road, or Race. Used, Repro, and NOS, ranging from scabby to perfect. Itching your Capri jones since 1979! Buy, sell, trade. www.teamblitz.com blitz@teamblitz.com |
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Gotta be a volvo imo. 240 maybe, 740, 940, 960 or maybe an 850 or v70. Perhaps the most reliable of the lot would be a K-jet 740..... (I'm assuning this one's K-jet, some are carbs but most are K-jet of this era) 12 months MOT, fsh, £595, you could probably jump in and go without even looking at it. (not that I would) cgi.ebay.co.uk/Volvo-740-GLE-ESTATE-CAR-2-3-BEIGE-LEATHER-INTERIOR_W0QQitemZ150385507446QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAutomobiles_UK?hash=item2303acbc76Went on a 3000 mile drive in our van this summer, its a long way, we drove most days, though our van is slow, its comfortable and we can stop anywhere, I would recommend you leave yourself a few non driving days so you all can relax and enjoy your surroundings and take some A roads, switch off the satnav and navigate town to town with a European road atlas, this way you get more of a feel for the places and you're not just blasting down motorways for a fortnight. And take a stove and kettle so you can brew up in a lay by! And get breakdown insurance, its worth it for the peace of mind alone. |
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Last Edit: Nov 5, 2009 7:09:21 GMT by suterman
1985 Bedford CF2 camper 1991 Volvo 240 Turbo |
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alexg
Part of things
Posts: 550
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Rover 800. Big Comfortable Equiped Cheap
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1979 'V' Austin Allegro Estate
1990 'G' Rover Metro GTI 1.8 VVC
1985 Sinclair C5
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id go volvo,mainly for the motorway driving...u wld feel like you were still sat at home in an armchair....old 740 or 850
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1984 Subaru GLF Hatch
1983 Skoda 120LE Super estelle
1977 Subaru DL Wagon
1978 Datsun 120Y Coupe
1995 Skoda favorit estate
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Cheap, reliable, economical and roomy? i'd go manual Mondeo estate if you can get one of the Duratec ones within your budget, got a couple of RAC mates and they both say they have still never been out to a manual one for a major mechanical failiure, they have all been user error (no water in the rad or the wrong fuel put in) or consumables like tyre or battery failiures.
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Volvo back as my main squeeze, more boost and some interior goodies on the way.
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I'm looking at going to Europe for the same kind of trip, but a little later than spring. Hopefully it will be in my old XJ6.... the only problem as you rightly pointed out is thirst. From stuff I've owned I've found that the older stuff with the XK engine and three speed auto sees 16mpg regularly and about 21mpg on a motorway; but the later XJ40 4.0 litre can see up to 28 mpg on the motorway if in good fettle.
Insurance isn't that bad, I've been driving Jag's since I was 21, that was seven years ago, and the most expensive it ever got was £600 for a V12. Mst of them are old enough to be on a classic policy (which is normally fully comp) and will allow you to tour Europe.
The problem is the bigger the car is the thirstier it will be to a point.
If I had to pick a comfortable roomy car that is a good long distance cruiser, from my own experience I'd choose a Rover SD1, preferably a v8 manual. Very retro, fairly cheap to get and insure, loads of parts all available. The v8 can be thirsty if you get really heavy with the right foot, but the five speed manual tames it and it will eat motorway miles. We've been running a 2.6 SD1 for a while, but the engine can be a bit fragile; while the v8 is a legend of an engine.
Regards
Ric
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"You're about as likely to come across a fully functioning old Jag, as you are a taxicab that smells agreeable." - James May
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From stuff I've owned I've found that the older stuff with the XK engine and three speed auto sees 16mpg regularly and about 21mpg on a motorway; but the later XJ40 4.0 litre can see up to 28 mpg on the motorway if in good fettle. Ric My 3.2 is averaging 20.9mpg around town at the mo, i havent done enough motorway miles to get a decent average yet but it sits above 35mpg at 60ish mph on a flat bit of road. |
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Volvo back as my main squeeze, more boost and some interior goodies on the way.
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tri
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,572
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Doesn't fit the cheap category, but it would be mega and comfy for a Eurotrip   Citroen DS ^^ |
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 I forgot how to retro...  |
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subaru legacy? that way youve got 4wd to should you get stuck in a desert anywhere ;D
comfy too,and reliable...look for a 1.8 or 2 litre for reasonable fuel economy.....
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1984 Subaru GLF Hatch
1983 Skoda 120LE Super estelle
1977 Subaru DL Wagon
1978 Datsun 120Y Coupe
1995 Skoda favorit estate
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Vauxhall Carlton. Took my £100 carlton 3500 miles up to the Arctic Circle this year with little effort. Very comfortuble, automatic so lazy driving and the 2.0 ohc engine was faultless and more than enough power for what we needed. Also ran about 30+ mpg on the motorways. Thats my recomendation anyway.
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1987 Opel manta GT 2.0 16v
1976 Opel manta s project
1985 Opel Rekord E 2.2i
1992 Vauxhall Carlton 2.3TD
1989 Mercury Grand Marquis
2005 Landrover discovery 3
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Speaking from experience BMW e30 is much more at home in roads of Scotland than cross-European trips. It's doable but they don't have that much space for rear passengers and luggage.
5 or 7 series (e34 or e32) would be better suited for this purpose and you can get a decent one for your budget.
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For £500-£1000 I would take something like a Vauxhall Omega or a Ford Scorpio "bug eye" with a 4 cylinder petrol lump on the slush with one of the more plush trim options, should get a good example of either for that money. 2.3 Scorpio Ultima Estate would be my choice.
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wilko can read minds lmfao
omega diesel if more than two going estate or yer gonna carry lots of tat
e30 bit small and buzzy for a continental thrash
850 ovlov
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2001 HONDA CT110 (NOT RCV)
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humer
Part of things
Posts: 30
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I'm amazed nobody has mentioned a passat estate B4 model, loads of room and very easy to pick up cheap, i have just bought one - an N reg 60k 2.0 gl with aircon and the ROOM!!! I'm really chuffed with it! but audi 100 estates are huge and reliable. but i also agree with omega and volvo's. I'm an ex VAG technician and would recommend the VAG range.
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I'm starting to sound like a stuck record but Citroen BX diesel! Just back from a 3200 mile roadtrip around France and the only issue, out of five cars, was one of our coolant hoses failing - which we bodged up until we found a replacement in a scrapyard - a major consideration! 50mpg, easy motorway cruising, comfortable for four people or two with lots of luggage. I did 2000 miles before we went (in a month, just to prove she worked) and had to replace one small hydraulic pipe and the alternator (which can fail on any car). Anyway, this was us in the Alps a couple of weeks ago.  |
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1986 Citroen 2CV Dolly Other things. Check out my Blog for the latest! www.hubnut.org |
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