Car Ideas

[Bubbs]

Need a car that is great on MPG within a £1,500 budget. Just need ideas on what direction to go in.
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Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

[P.]

Diesel Clio if its long journeys. Mine returns more than my bikes did, give or take 55mpg

Lupo 1l petrol gets around 45-48.

[Bubbs]

[Slacker24seve...]

I'd never have a Clio again. Horrible, unreliable shitboxes.
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[DrDonnyBrago]

It depends on how poor you are, and how much of that £1500 you'd like as change...

My 1997 toyota corolla (2.0 GSD) is worth about £400, has never really gone wrong in almost 6 years/50k miles (brake pads, shock absorbers (knackered from towing a caravan), oil and tyres). It has also stood up to being written off as a cat C twice, me learning to drive in it, me practicing handbrake turns in it. It is currently on 150k miles, been in the family from new and all things considered, it has been excellent.

I get 45mpg consistently, during a week of driving like a fanny to see how high I could get, I got 55mpg.


It's slow, and ugly but you'd have loads of money leftover and they go on forever. The 1.3 petrol is also slow but fuel efficient.


Also consider:
Honda accord, Honda civic, Toyota corolla, Toyota avensis, Nissan almera, nissan primera.

All very boring, but do what you need them to do cars.

If you want something a bit nicer at the expense of being more thirsty, the Mazda 6 is a total bargain.


P.S. It sounds like I am trying to sell my car, I am not, it is mine until it explodes/dies/I die.

[P.]

[Fisty]

DO NOT EVER BUY A PUNTO.

Thats the only advice I can give.
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[yaigi]

Don't get a French car, they're unreliable. My Dad owns a garage and he says he gets more Renaults and FIATS (Fix It Again Tomorrows) with electrical issues than any other make of car.

My advice, if mpg is important, go for a Diesel. If you can find a good one, buy German (Volkswagon, Audi) like a Golf. Just beware they hold their value more so than other makes so you may not get much change from that £1500 even on a car that is edging up to 10 years old. If you can't find a good German car then secondly go Japanese - Honda, Toyota. Then possibly go for Ford/Vauxhall.

You want to be looking at the mileage the car has done, you can get away with more mileage on a diesel but you're still going to start seeing problems around the 100,000 miles mark.

For goodness sake whatever you do PLEASE don't buy a Micra. Either bad drivers buy them or they make people into bad drivers but I keep my distance EVERY time I see one cos they're bound to do something stupid 9 times out of 10. It's uncanny.
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Currently own - Fazer 600, 2000, Red. (But no riding as baby on board atm)

[P.]

[Bubbs]

[neatbik]

Personally i wouldnt touch a German car for that money.
I know plenty of people with older VW's and Audi's that regularly have problems with them.

My money would go Japanese. Or failing that a 106 Diesel - if i wasnt bothered about getting anywhere in a hurry.

[J4mes]

306 HDi Dturbo all day long.

we've had 7 Peugeots - 306 1.4i, 1.9DTurbo, 2.0 S16, 2.0 GTi6, 205 GTi and 206 and307 HDi, all have been totally reliable, excellent handlers and the diesel models have always been excellent on fuel.

Sure, the quality isn't the same as the VAG models but for £1500 you'll get a decent peugeot and a shed of a VAG. Far more entertaining to drive than anything japanese in the price bracket too.

PS: the 307 (1.6HDi) did 67mpg day to day driving and the 206 1.4HDi did 70mpg, all calculated from figures.

[mfactor]

Toyotas constantly come at the top of the JD Power surveys

Parents have had them for 20 years , they never go wrong

[pendulum]

Do not buy a French car unless you know what you're doing (IE you know the particular model you are considering is known for reliability, like the 1.9d/td XUD 306/ZX etc, I would not touch the HDi) or are prepared to spend money fixing it (like I was my Clio )

Obviously it goes without saying to avoid a Rover... no matter how cheap they are... they are cheap for a reason

IF I wanted a reliable car I would buy another Citroen ZX 1.9TD, that was a proper practical, reliable, economical, easy to maintain, cheap to insure machine... you could remove the rear seats in 10 seconds and it turned into a van! Runs on veg oil too with the Bosche pump. Only downside... looks crap ... but half the budget

I don't know why but all the well made, reliable cars tend to look pretty crap, next on my list would be a Honda Accord
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1998 CG125 (Sold) CB500 [+ Clio 172]
Usually_Wrong: I tend to fail more than pass. [Speaking about Theory Practice]
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[_Will_]

[BenR]

You should be able to get a nice fiat stilo JTd dynamic for around 1500 quid these days, very comfortable & regardless of above posts are reliable when the maintenance is kept up. I'm looking for one soon.
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Current bikes: suzuki RG125UN wolf. Yamaha MT-07

[hmmmnz]

id recomend any jap car,
toyotas and nissans never die,

i had an old 2.0l nissan bluebird diesel used to do about 850km to a 40l tank roughly 50mpg it had 250000km on the clock
only thing i ever did was change the oil, never ever broke down
currently driving a mazda van on lpg that has 530000km on the clock, and still runs like new, (doesnt look like new though )
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[sidewinder]

Had a 1.9 diesel laguna since 2002 (10yrs) And it has bee faultless just needed the usual service items.Been getting 55mpg.And they are super comfy to drive as well.
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[st3v3]

[st3v3]

106s/Saxo parts bolt-off, bolt-on.

But I suspect you want something 'decent' for 1500, Either a Mondeo or Vectra are good buys because parts are everywhere but they do rust easily once they start.

I've never spent more than 300 buying a car but the few have been reliable motors, and mostly french in honesty.
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[daemonoid]

[blurredman]

Peugeot 205, old enough to know not to break down.
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CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S, 1979 MZ TS150.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 18k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 10k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 40k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 51k.

[binge]

It's such a mixed bag with cars. Makes me laugh.

People always have something bad to say about certain makes. There is no 'perfect' car out there, and they are all as bad as eachother, just in different ways.

EVERY car has a flaw. At work, we have just as many german cars in, as we do french, british, jap etc.

The main thing, is French cars are one of the cheapest to repair.


I swear by Renault. I've had loads of them now, from an 87 Renault 5, to my 1.8 16v Mk1 Clio, Kangoo, Ph2 Clio, Laguna etc etc.

The 1.9D F8Q Renault engine can return 60mpg if driven sensibly. And they are good for super high mileage if looked after.




Ben

[SuziCat]

Always had Toyotas but the last one a Corolla was so dull and boring and being an automatic was heavy on petrol.
Got rid of the Corolla and bought a new Citroen C4 coupe Diesel automatic. I've had the car 5 years and it's never let me down. It's fast, handles like a sports car on rails and is fantastic on fuel too, I easily get 1000kms to a tankful. When this one dies I'll be straight round to the Citroen dealer for another car.
Not sure if you'd get one like this for 1500 quids though, but I wouldn't listen to these people moaning about French cars. All manufacturers make lemons. I've been told the best diesel engines are Peugeot/Citroen and so far I have to agree.
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Regular Rides:- BMW R1200R, Triumph Street Triple
Summer Toys:- Yam Virago 1100, Suzuki GS750 (1979)

[Bubbs]

Is a diesel really worth it though? I know they are better MPG but the cost is more than petrol so does it really make a difference these days?
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Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.