New car suggestions!

VW Passat - plenty of older tdi's estates around for that money, high mileage OK if they've been regularly serviced.

I just bought an espace 2.1 TD effort, does 40 mpg on longer runs and obviously has plenty of space. Mind you although it drives very well, pretty much everything electrical plays up intermittently. French though, which explains the leccy probs. Still good value for money though.

 

Another vote for Peugeot 405/406 1.9 TD

Heavy clutch, handling OK, reliable [but loads of pulleys/bearings etc with aircon etc]. Can pull 30 - 50 quite well too.

 

yep a pug 405/ 406 if you can find one for the money that hasn;t been battered. another one to look for is the citroen zx estate - conventional suspension and decent td engines too.

 

I was suspicious about the LPG volvo too...if it costs around 1k to get it converted why are you selling it for £750? Anyway sure all would become clear after having a poke around. Saw a 440 with a lpg conversion for a similar price recently too.
Thanks for the tips...will be looking out for any of the suggestions if I can find a low mileage good example although a 406 would be nice in particular.

 

Could be a duff conversion that makes it drive like a clunker (or it could just be a clunker anyway). Could be a dangerous DIY job.
Or could just be that doing a £1k LPG conversion on a car that's only worth about £700 in the first place only adds £50 to the price people are willing to pay (no matter that it cost £1k to do).

Some things are like that - I spent loads on my old camper van (not to up its value but because I used it) - did it make it more valuable when it came to selling? Did it heck.
Only one way to find out - take it for a spin

Oh and of course - there is that much under rated tactic - give the seller a ring and ask him a bunch of questions before arranging a drive - if you don't like the sound of the answers - don't bother.

Oooh no, not a 440. There's something sort of ugly cool about big Volvo estates as well as being able to transport a baby elephant, but the only thing in favour of a 440 is that it isn't a 340

 

Yeah only way to find out is have a spin and ask some searching questions. I've decided after buying a duff Golf off a right dodgy geezer a little while ago that I'll make a good portion of the decision based on what the seller is like. When I bought my Astra the lady was almost crying as I reversed out of her drive she was so sad to see it go! A good sign.

 

Wouldnt even think about LPG unless your having it fitted new.

Sir G, the medication has kicked in..........

If you want something to spice this up abit what about a Vauxhall Omega 2.5td?? These are made in Germany and use a BMW engine, yes they really do. Ive seen quite a few with 200K plus on the clock and still reasonably sweet.

 

Whys that T-bone? What are the problems with it? Would you not consider it after seeing paperwork and a test drive?

 

Medication? Burgundy perhaps?

 

I few years ago i had a Peugot 306D estate good car, same size as say a Astra. The later ones had the HDi engine same basic deisel engine that is used in the 307 407 and the citreon Picasio. Do not buy an older peugot with a petrol engine!

 

I feel I have to redress the balance and relate a friend's experience with French cars here. Why do Citroen, Renault and Peugeot all have seven letters? Well, the word b*stard also has seven letters, and that's how my friend described them to work on. I believe spares used to be expensive too (don't know if that's still the case).



Oh, BTW, I rather like the French (people).

 

There are alot of backstreet garages and diyers carrying out lpg convertions often without the skill and knowledge needed to successfully implement it, as a result Ive heard of far more horror stories rather than success. If a problem does arrive you will have to take it to specialist who knows how to charge. At your budget Id stay clear.

 

You could always buy my Golf Mk2 GTI....