Recommend me a car...

fits

Alright... I'm looking to buy a car with my SSIA, I have the grand total of 3,500 euro to spend, but could live with spending a little less. I kind of had my decided on the Almera 5 door hatchback... but inspired by the 23 yo looking for a sporty car.. I wouldnt mind something just a little different.

My current car is a passat estate, previous car was a scirocco, which I loved and we still have it, but its just too thirsty and unreliable to be a daily driver (v high mileage now). I live in the country and have two big dogs and a horse and go away a lot so it has to be capable of carrying stuff.... i.e. no 1 litre superminis. I have maximum NCB and am female so insurance isnt really an issue. I do like a car to have a little oomph and good handling, but really reliability and economy of maintenance are the main issues (sensible head talking).

Absolutely love the white Saab estate on carzone atm, but couldnt justify the petrol and tax and it has 170,000 miles on it. (or could I?? OH would love me to get that one).

colm_mcm

Mazda 323f

peasant

Petrol on the Saab is fairly reasonable, you can get 30 - 35 mpg no problem.
170.000 miles is stretching a bit, though.
It would have to be meticulously (and verifiably) serviced every 5000 miles before I'd even look at it further. Saab engines can be high milers, but they do need their regular oil changes as the turbo likes clean, fresh oil and enough of it.
Also good Saab mechanics are a bit rare and parts aren't cheap.
I reckon that the white Saab (I've been mulling that one over too ) will cost quite a bit in upkeep.

nialler

You could pick up a 98/99 rover 600 (1.8), nice car, plenty of oomph and basically a honda accord under the hood so parts will not be a problem, very very reliable car (not like other Rovers) it has that bit of leather elbow patch images but I drove one for 5 years and loved it would have got another one only someone stuck a merc s320 under me nose that I couldn't refuse (now that's expensive for tax and petrol).

peasant

HERE is a cheap workhorse that'll cost peanuts to run and maintain. Zero image and zero sportiness, but also very little heartache to be expected and as practical as your Passat estate.

And HERE is the opposite end of the scale. A bit more image, a tad more sporty but also a higher risk for larger expenses when things go wrong and higher running costs. The doggies would love that twin sunroof, though


BTW, I know of an old style (the boxy one) Passat, a 96 I think with the 1.9 old turbo diesel and only 70 -80.000 miles (Ithink) that's for sale here (Sligo) for a while at a dealers ..pm me if you want to get the number.

bazz26

nialler wrote:

You could pick up a 98/99 rover 600 (1.8), nice car, plenty of oomph and basically a honda accord under the hood so parts will not be a problem, very very reliable car (not like other Rovers) it has that bit of leather elbow patch images but I drove one for 5 years and loved it would have got another one only someone stuck a merc s320 under me nose that I couldn't refuse (now that's expensive for tax and petrol).

Rover 600 1.8 litre is actually Rover's own K Series engine not a Honda but yes the 600 has the Accord underpinings and one of Rovers best cars at the time. Just need to keep an eye on the coolant levels very regularly in the K Series engines as very low coolant results in a blown head gasket.

To the OP I would also recommend the 1994 - 1998 Mazda 323F 1.5 litre. Very stylish car for it's day, they are pretty cheap these days and are ultra reliable.

http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=637663

fits

All good suggestions so far. I really like the look of that Rover 600 alright, and the tax would be no more than at present.
I'm not sure I'd want another Passat, the engine is fantastic but there are some really niggly, difficult to solve problems with my own such as the electrics and central locking dont work anymore. My Dad is having the same niggly problems with his 98 Passat (newer version I know) and a friend is also having the same problems with his boxy Passat.
I was looking at the 323 F, and might give it a test drive. They certainly seem plentiful.
I'd say the Saab is just too high a mileage for me Peasant, and combined with the vrt, out of my price range, but its such a beautiful car... maybe in a couple of years I'll be able to buy a newer one.

fits

Peasant I just looked at your last two suggestions, and had to laugh... OH is intent on getting that 520 model (a saloon) for himself... and the Felicia estate has also been the subject of much discussion. I'll probably go have a look at that Felicia actually... but they're so dull! I dont think I can afford to get anything more than dull at that budget

peasant

you could choose a Daewoo nubira or somesutch...that WOULD beat the Felicia on the dullness scale.

ok ...it's late ...I've had a beer ...so NON DULL it is
(There is a very high likelihood of this being a total heap though)

Here's a nice BARGE with at least one very satisfied owner of a similar model recorded on boards

Finally, THAT ONE might be a good compromise between usefulness, reliability and and *somewhat* spirited driving characteristics

Sonnenblumen

fits wrote:

Alright... I'm looking to buy a car with my SSIA, I have the grand total of 3,500 euro to spend, but could live with spending a little less. I kind of had my decided on the Almera 5 door hatchback... but inspired by the 23 yo looking for a sporty car.. I wouldnt mind something just a little different.

My current car is a passat estate, previous car was a scirocco, which I loved and we still have it, but its just too thirsty and unreliable to be a daily driver (v high mileage now). I live in the country and have two big dogs and a horse and go away a lot so it has to be capable of carrying stuff.... i.e. no 1 litre superminis. I have maximum NCB and am female so insurance isnt really an issue. I do like a car to have a little oomph and good handling, but really reliability and economy of maintenance are the main issues (sensible head talking).

Absolutely love the white Saab estate on carzone atm, but couldnt justify the petrol and tax and it has 170,000 miles on it. (or could I?? OH would love me to get that one).

For that amount of money you should be able to get an almost new Alfa, but not sure if it would meet your other criteria!

Esel

Sonnenblumen wrote:

For that amount of money you should be able to get an almost new Alfa, but not sure if it would meet your other criteria!

Think you added an extra zero to the amount the OP has to spend (very small SSIA btw)?

OP, obviously you want to cater for the dogs, but do you also want to tow a horse-box? If so, this is a horse of a different colour! Honda Aerodeck? Volvo 940 Estate?

bazz26

Mid to late 90s Honda Accords are pretty cheap these days and they are very good cars. I had a 94 Accord a good few years ago and it covered 100k miles without a problem.

Example:
http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=635573

GB15

esel wrote:

Volvo 940 Estate?

If you're concerned with image then the 850 estate would probably be better suited.

fits

esel wrote:

Think you added an extra zero to the amount the OP has to spend (very small SSIA btw)?

OP, obviously you want to cater for the dogs, but do you also want to tow a horse-box? If so, this is a horse of a different colour! Honda Aerodeck? Volvo 940 Estate?

I had intended to buy a jeep so I could tow, but unfortunately my riding horse died suddenly six weeks ago...so the need for a towing vehicle is no more for the time being anyway.
As for the size of my SSIA... at least I have one.... some people werent in a position to save the maximum amount.

fits

I may have a look at one of those Lancer estates as well. I think something like that fits the criteria best... (in a more sensible mood today)