Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) Runabout

Greetings All

Mrs Image and I like to have an old runabout for everyday use .... something that won't be wept over when the doors get dinged in Tesco car park or if it gets nicked while parked in some dodgy part of town, but is reliable and not too expensive to fix ... a workhorse.

To set the scene, we currently have a Rover 45 .... bought off a mate for £600 and given 3 years of reliable service ... was ideal as it is all the things we need ..... cheap, as it's deeply unfashionable, comfy, 2litre diesel so pulls well enough and surprisingly economical ... due to a bust rad hose overheating incident the engine now sounds very 'diesely' so it looks like it will need replacing soon (though still going strong like an old trouper).

My question ...... what would the assembled wisdom suggest as a possible replacement? .... something that fits the same criteria ... reliable, unfashionable, cheap but a reasonable day to day runabout.

I await suggestions 🙂

Cheers

K

Ps .... Mrs Image fancies a 2.2 diesel x-type jag estate (yep, I know it's a mondeo in a posh frock!) .... the manual seems the best bet and you can get a clean one with decent miles for a diesel and the possibly troublesome dual mass flywheel replaced for around £1.5k ... seems like a lot of car for the cash .... problem is, they were never a popular farmer's car up here and they mostly seem to be 400 miles south ... long way to go to look at an old car .... my personal choice would be a sub-£1k mid range saloon of some sort.

Diesel Golf or Polo?

Keith - see PM.

Donald

As it comes to workhorses, I would like to mention my trusty 2009 Tiguan 5N 2.0 TDI automatic 4wheel drive. Definitely the most reliable & sturdy ride I have ever owned. The interior (textile, plastic) + exterior (no rust on body, rubber and plastic in fine condition) look as new after 12 years and 160k kilometers of everyday battle: children, dogs, roadside parking summer as winter, daily short distance driving, salted roads. Virtually NO mechanical failures at all. I even manage to change the brake-discs and pads myself. Great aftermarket spare part availability. As it is beginning to slightly corrode on the drive train, I have given it a generous wash of sprayable BRUNOX antirust/ epoxy treatment. Brilliant stuff and easy to use. Should now last for 5 more years, fingers crossed. Actual market value is around 4000 eur.

Cheers Mich

I have a 1.2 Polo. VED £20 pa. Cheap insurance & servicing too by the local garage.
52 mpg on the long runs. Typically 40 plus mpg. This is the turbo model. I am well pleased with it as a tin top to do c 3k miles pa. Plenty of luggage space as well.

Mine has 110 bhp and a 6 speed box which makes it fast enough & smooth enough

Desperate Buyers need a Desperate Seller

https://www.desperateseller.co.uk/cheap-cars/under/500

If you like Bangernomics then an old 5 series estate 530d (E39 or E60) would be an option, loads of spares and solid. Not too good on snow unless you enjoy looking out the side window on straights?

If you can find a well loved late Volvo 960 with the straight 6 engine and the leather interior they are sumptuous and lazy. They are good in snow!

I would be inclined to go for a newer Mondeo estate over the Jaguar as spares and service will just be that much easier for longer. You can also find 4WD versions although the engine is a bit rougher and noisy unless you go for the V6.

If you like Jags the unloved S-type can be bought for peanuts and is a great barge. Mostly sideways on snow.

How about a Subaru Legacy Estate 2.0D, brilliant workhorse, economic and very sure footed. I had one for around 9 years and my BiL runs it now and he couldn't be happier. Good tow car too. There are a few around for around £2K, but you may have to travel! Good luck.

All good suggestions and some there I hadn't thought of .... my road car history is pretty limited as I have a core of my fleet I've had for a while and my decades long love affair with series/defender Landrovers has meant I don't have the breadth of experience of other makes more sensible people have.

K

Ps ... it's Mrs Image fancies the Jag .... we've never had one and she likes the idea .... I think it appeals to her inner getaway-driver .... I'm originally from North of the river, so quite a nice chap really ..... Mrs Image on the other hand hails from the lawless wastelands south of the Thames.!! 🙂

Get a Toyota. Reliable, reliable reliable.... Gets you from A to B without a hassle. Yoy will probably have to kill it to get rid of it. But boring, oh so boring.