Looking to buy a runabout. Looking for something to get to work and back and also shopping in town etc. where I don’t like leaving my scoob. I am planning to spend about 2K max. on it. Currently been thinking of the VW Mk3 tdi or a 306 tdi.

I was wondering what would be the cheapest to run and insure?

Cheers,

Andy

 

hi andy

ive been thinking along those same lines, ive been looking at smart cars, there not quite as low as 2K yet but there fairly low priced, I got quoted £200 full comp with minimal excess insurance, they do 60mpg, and when de-restricted can do about 100mph! oh and they have a turbo so dump valves etc can be added.

if you can put up with the sly comments that will obviously follow, ie gay car, hairdresser etc etc. you know the usual playground stuff

james

 

cheers for that. Just had a look and could may be go for one of those if i persuade the g/f.

Just need some other options of cheapish cars with good Mpg.

 

Ford Ka or a nissan micra. Very cheap insurance etc and quite reliable.

 

I've been looking for a cheap car too, and I can say that the Ka's are good. Nippy, cheap to run/insure and it'll be one that your g/f should like. My mum managed to pick a new one up for around 5-6k i think (getting rid of excess stock ready for new no plate). She hasn't had any real problems with it except the tracking keeps going so front tyres have been replaced twice already and we've only had it 18 months, but others I know have had no probs what so ever.

 

A subaru justy

 

any one know anything about the subaru justy?

MPG, reliability etc.

 

Fiat Panda.

Convinced the wife to buy one for £250, K plate.
Been running it now for almost a year, about 30mls evey day.
Running costs minimal a few minor repairs (wear and tear) AND it means she doesn't have to drive the scoob!

Now this will really make you larf, we were out in it last Friday evening and we got a wave from another Panda!

 

I know this is a bit more $$$ but I bought a 52plate Clio DCi 80... it was 7k £400 ins


But I do quite a few miles for work and the thing is just brill on the m-way averages 65 mpg so i worked it out like this...

If I do 1500 miles in a month I cliam back £100 mort than it costs in diesel...
7k over 5 years is around £135pm so i can run the car for next to nout....

Propper nice little car too... Leeds to Glasgow over to Edinborough and back to leeds... 542 miles got home and it said i had 146 miles left in the tank... filled it up with.............£29.95 amazing.

Dazza

 

where's Edinborough?

 

Possibly the worst car I have ever driven (and I've driven alot)... had it as a courtesy car a couple of years ago and honestly thought it was going to topple over Turn-in was sooooo late you had to send the thing an e-mail to warn it in advance

No point at all in getting 4wd to suck extra fuel when you are going for economy IMHO

It felt like a really cheap Fiat Panda

DO NOT DO IT

 

I will literally be using it for work and back, about 15 mile round trip a day, and then between sites which is only a mile. So mainly short journeys and then trips into town and so on, the ones where scoob necks the fuel. I dont like parking in carparks as one careless bang on the door and its dented!

Something like the panda me thinks, cheaper the better, if it lasts for 2 years it will have paid for itself and the insurance, just a matter of finding something that isnt about to go bang!

 

Bought the girlie a clio for £650. Worked out that if we used the clio round town and dropped the scoob's mileage accordingly, the clio pays for itself in the lower running costs of the scoob (less insurance, cheaper fuel, non-existant running costs). What's more, I don't give a monkey's if it gets another car park dent and no-one in their right mind would want to nick it.

We bought a 1.4RT, Auto (which I wouldn't ordinarily have done), and it's as good as gold. It's done 90k, uses absolutely no fluids, is a no-brainer to drive round town and is basically free motoring. I have to ignore the fact that it has no perceptible acceleration compared to the scoob but it has impressive grip levels and (with the right mindset) can be moderately entertaining to drive if you wring its neck!

Edited to add that if round town ride comfort is a priority the clio wins, no questions asked. (But it's a different story in corners )

 

I've got a Citroen ZX Volcane 1.9TD as a 2nd car / workhorse

Not bad to insure, about 350 quid (with not much no claims) - though, as it's a Volcane, it has GTi specification interior etc. (read rev counter, red stripes and black carpets) and GTi spec suspension, brakes and alloys.

It's my 2nd ZX, and although it's not the best built thing on the planet (usual Citroen/French electrical issues, etc.) it has been very reliable, does double or even three times the MPG of the Scoob and still goes comparatively well, and as a diesel, will probably do so for many thousands of miles to come.

306 TurboD is very similar (same platform), though the ZX has passive rear-wheel steer and a few other differences. Typically the Citroen is also cheaper than the Pug. My 93L, with 56K on it, cost about 1600 quid.

I vote for the oil burning French heap of crap.

Shades

 

IMHO when your spending that kind of money your as well to find the best looked after local car you can. It may not necessarily be exactly what your after but the fact it came from family or friends etc generally means you will get a reasonable buy for the money......Low mileage, full service history, one owner cars can also be found but again they may not be exactly the type of car you want.
When i bought me pug it had every receipt from original bill of sale to MOT's to new tyres etc etc. I would hunt something like that down if possible....

all IMHO of course

 

Basically its a rebadged suzuki swift with a subaru drivechain.
They are bloody awful cars. Its hard to believe that a car with AWD grips and handles so badly.

 

Cheers for the advice so far guys.

I think it will come down to a 306/ Citroen or a smart car. I think price will be the key between the two, I fancy a smart car as they seem really different easy to park and you can change the looks pretty easy too, but its not too practical for getting the shopping in etc.

Shall have to keep thinking it over, but I think that the missus will have a big say as she will probably be paying for the majority of it.

 

How about a Rover 400 or old 200 series (the 400's actually go for hardly anything at times, but your lucky to find a really good one at this price - worth a try though).

The ZX and the 306 are good stuff though - can't go much wrong there, especially with the TDI variants

 

just bought this (over the weekend)....



intended to buy one for ages. cost £2700 (HPI CatD, 45K over avg miles on the motorway and no history, so a bit of a gamble driving from Notts to Boro to see it, but was worth it). it drives superbly well, has a good sized boot, turbo gives a good sporty feel as does the handling. 1st fill was on Monday. £45 @ 80p p/l from Esso and needle was still above the red - so far covered a little over 100 miles on just beyond 1/8th of a tank (extra urban). Shell diesel is 77.5 around here and Asda is even cheaper so a tank will be between £40 - £45 on avg.

if you go for a 5 door you can generally pick up R/S reg facelift models for £2.5K with history and circa 60K - 80K miles. 3 door sport models fetch more.. around the 4K mark at that age. they are a very popular choice, particulalry if regularly maintained.

hope this help re 306 TD

Kev

ps.. HDi is reported to be better if you are prepared to spend upwards of £5.5K

 

Another thumbs-up for the 306 oil burner : I bought the normally aspirated one for the missus on a T-plate like the one above. Ideal practicality with a nice spacious boot, comfy interior, easy to drive round town and it takes forever to run a tank of DERV off. She fills it up once a month, if that. The handling can still be entertaining if you chuck it about a bit, too !

 

another point re the 306's, even the D Turbo S models are grp 5 insurance. although i went for one without documented history i would say it is a must (service intervals every 6K) - it just happens that the person i bought it off was trustworthy (lengthy phone call/discussion) and her workplace has a garage (Peugeot vans hired out) where the car was serviced regularly for her m-way trips from Boro to Yarmouth. Can pick up L/M reg variants for under £1500, but would probably have a fair bit over 100K on the clock!

 

Get on of these 1108cc, cheap insurance

 

One more vote for the Smart!

Don't write off the luggage space until you've tried it out. You could easily get a weeks shopping for two in the back and probably enought for a family of 4. Plenty of space in the vertical direction just not so much depth.

I just bought a new one - grin factor is not quite up to the scoob but you're still grinning after you've filled it with petrol

 

the smart is looking favourable at the min i think. Just need to try and find some places to get hold of some 2nd hand ones!

I am not too fussed about the space, as long as it can get shopping in that is all good! I like the d.v. bit too, lol!

 

slightly off topic i know, but i presume the 306 has a dump valve - does anyone know if its a recirculating one (can't hear it) and how much aftermarket dump valves might cost for one?

 

there used to be a lad in notts with a white 306 tdi with a d.v. and there is a gold tdi in loughborough with one on!

 

might have to add one to my Xmas pressy list

 

i started a new post to say how happy i was with my new run aroud but i'll add it to this. Proton satria sport. 1.5 it's great and dirt cheap a 20 month old 10K car for 4K is easy to find.

 

I ws in the same boat and ended up getting a Daihatsu Charade GTti. What a fun car ! I now have two of them ! Sound great ( 3 pot engine like the Smart), goes like stink ( turbo, twin cam, 4 valve per cylinder with 99bhp standard), MPG is good ( around 50mpg on motorway) and they are easy to work on and have been quite reliable.

Also they are quite desirable so they retain thier value and will probably go up if anything. Easy to tune to if you want to tinker.

If you want more info let me know or see the club website at www.gttioc.co.uk

GCar start from about £1500 for a good one up to about £3K for a late K plate car.


AllanB

 

update: just squeezed 500 miles out of the 1st tank of diesel in the 306 and that has mostly been with enthusiastic driving (lots of turbo use) where permissible. had wicked fun on the country lanes taking the moutaing bikes up to Carsington Water this weekend - what it struggles for in out and out go it makes up for in handling (and that's not to say its slow as it isn't, but we own Scoobs remember ) - well impressed! as much as economy is my main goal, i think i'll up the fuelling and the boost for some extra grin factor