Now I am totally in love with my new Bora 4motion with r32 conversion. My 6ft tall children are mowning about legroom!!

So to avoid anymore grief and knees in the back, I need a big cheap motor for occaisional long journeys and load lugging.

No more than £1500

Omega 2.5/3.0 etc.
Saab 9000 (driven alot,especially autos and not keen)
Vitesse Sport(good ones rare)

Any ideas?

 

Why not just hire a car for the occasional long journeys?

Unless of course you need a 2nd car anyway?

Just strikes me and old 1500 quid car isn't the best to do long journeys in !

The omega's a good idea, what about a ford scorpio too, dog ugly but cheap as!

 

Ditto.

Omega 3.0. Great build quality on this barge and strong engines. Be on good term with the Bank manager when you need new discs though !!

 

rover 800, 2.5diesel will go for ever and give you speed and good mpg, 2.5v6 is good too if looked after, 2.7honda engined one is a diamond.

 

If your kids are 6ft should they not have their own cars and maybe think about moving out now they are probably 20 odd? Seriously though would you be happy relying on a 1500 quid car in a crash especially with your not so little cherubs on board?

 

Unfortunatly you cant get a driving lisence at 15 or 13!!!
I dont see a omega as an unsafe Car.

 

Boring but reliable, cheap, roomy and high spec as well as having masses of midrange grunt. Had lots of these as hire cars in the middle east.

995 N Reg NISSAN MAXIMA QX 3.0 V6 SE+ Auto
4 Doors, Automatic, Saloon, Petrol, Silver, Service History, Remote Central Locking, Electric Windows, Electric Sunroof, Electric Mirrors, ABS, Air Conditioning, Power Steering, Drivers Airbag, Passenger Airbag, Alarm, Alloy Wheels. £995.

or in the same vein

997 P Reg TOYOTA CAMRY 3.0 V6 GX AUTO
Automatic, 89,000 miles, Metallic RUBY RED. ABS, Adjustable steering column/wheel, Alloy wheels, Anti theft system, CD Multichanger, Central locking, Climate Control, Colour coding - Body, Cruise control, Driver airbag, Electric mirrors, Electric windows, Electric sunroof, Foglights, Electrically adjustable seats, Front armrest, Heated screen, Leather upholstery, Lumbar support, Passenger airbag, Power assisted steering, Rear armrest, Radio/Cassette, Rear headrests, Spoiler, Tinted glass. FULL YEAR MOT HPI REPORT VERY NICR CAR INCREDIBLE DRIVER FULL CREAM LEATHER.VIEWING BY APPONTMENT ONLY. £1,450.
Tel: 01246 233339 or 07973 401960

 

Rear legroom is a very specific measurement. A big car won't necessarily have big rear legroom. Maybe a luxobarge, designed for chauffeur-driven execs, might have what you want - but not so sure if they come in estate versions!

 

1500 quid gets a Sharan/Galaxy, plenty of room in them, especially if you dont need all 7 seats.

 

Older BMW 5 series(88-95)...still great looking cars, strong and robust,go well enough and easy/cheap to maintain...fuel consumption isnt a strong point on bigger engined models thou'

 

I think the Omega would be the best bet. Due to image they are cheap but will be newish for the price. £1500 will get you a late 90's example. They're pretty safe with all the crumple zones and airbags etc.

2.5 is more reliable than the 3.0 and the 2.0 is prob a little underpowered if you're carrying lots all the time. I've had a 2.5 manual and my dad has had a 2.5 and a newer 2.2, both autos. They've proved pretty reliable (my dad has done 200k+ in one and racking up the miles in the current one (had a carlton a few years ago and had done 200k+ in that as well).

Handling and ride are pretty good (surprisingly so for such a car) and are all RWD too.

IMO the omega is streets ahead of Scorpios (which are older in design and age so to be expected) and are close behind the main german players although not quite as good but the main problem is image, however you're not buying new so that doesn't matter much. All in all they're fine cars, just not 'cool' but that's not the point is it?

There's a 2.5 TD but they're rarer and comparitively overpriced so don't spend too much time finding one.

Servicing is cheapish (on a £1500 car, no need to go to main dealers anyway) as are parts, even from main dealers as they try to compete with the small parts retailers. I needed a new battery on mine and Vaux main dealer was almost HALF the price of motor factors/halfords etc.

Check all the usual car related stuff incl. when the last cambelt was done, shoul dbe every 60k although mine was done every 40k as some owners are more cautious than others.

As with all big cars, check suspension components, they wear more on heavier cars (bmw incidentally are bad for this)

Oh, and they're German so built quite well and sturdy.

 

Volvo's are generally a good bet for the big and cheap option, and arent too badly built either.

Might just about get an S80 for £1500 at an auction now.

 

That's a damn good suggestion - take the middle row of seats out, they'll have all the legroom they could wish for!

 

i got an Omega estate elite for 1700 off ebay, 3ltr v6, leather, climate control etc etc etc and it's brill, loads of room, super comfortable and the boot is huge with seats down

i would recommend one of these to anyone as a good second car for the family

 

I wouldn't go for another Vauxhall if I had the option.
If it is a big load-lugging cruiser then you could do much worse than look at the likes of the Mondeo V6 estate. I had the Si model and I'd have to say it was the beat all-round car I have owned.
I sold my white '98 with 70k on it for £1k plus a white '98 Mondeo V6 Si estate with 125k . I then sold that for £800. I know both of them are still going strong to this day.

 

tell your kids to stfu, spoilt brats, how did people manage in the 70's and 80's. A golf of today has the same interior room as a passat of the 80's.

 

P*ss off Audilover.
Another useless comment from you again.

Great ideas from everyone else.
Even the Car hire idea makes you think.

Many thanks, keep them coming.

 

No they do not! My dad had two of those passats in the late 80's and me, my bro and my sister all fitted ok in the back. We would NOT fit in a golf of today. In fact we had a MK1 golf and it has just as much interior room as the current golf. Modern cars are bigger on the outside but due to soundproofing, crash bars, interior gimmicks etc. they are hardly any bigger inside.

 

**** off anallover.

A Senny/omega is ideal,or a 5series Bimmer.

 

I had a passat too and I reckon they did. Only way to find out is if you can find legroom and height figures for a 80's passat.

anyway in the 60's and 70's the most common car in the UK was a mini or some other tiny little car like that. Tell me how did they manage?

 

Families didn't, they bought cortinas or whatever, a mum & dad with 3 6ft kids would not have bought a mini,

 

Have you had a look in the rear of a Mk3 Mondeo?
More legroom than an old 5 series, good to drive, cheap to maintain and you should pick an early example up for your budget.

The rear legroom on the old Golf/Bora/Octavia is very poor. My wifes Fabia had nearly as much room in the rear as my old Octavia.

Cheers
Lee

 

Won't get a MK3 for that money.

MK2 you would.

Plus the Bimmer is rwd so more fun

 

Plenty on autotrader under £2k.


1.8LX 110k miles, tax and test, £1600 ono,

Just bought a Mk3 2.0Ghia for my Father in Law. 2001, one owner, full history, 66k miles, usuall Ghia spec and reversing sensors. £2250.

Cheers
Lee

 

Bloody hell they dropped in price.

 

cortinas are fookin tiny though aint they. If he has 3 6ft tall children then yes I agree he needs a bigger car. Cant see a 13yr old being 6 foot though.

How do the average teenagers of today cope stuffing 6 to 7 people in corsas?

 

Got an '96 Omega Elite 3.0V6 Auto Estate at the moment, bought as a car to take the dog to the beach in.. However the other person that uses this car isnt a fan of the Autobox after driving manual cars for years and years which is a shame because its got all the toys, everything is electric, smooth to drive, reasonable MPG if driven sensibly, got the power to overtake safely etc.

This isnt meant to be a for sale advert, but (), if you're interested, give me a PM and I'll give you a few more details about the car.


Cheers,
Grant

 

The omega certainly has a lot of leg room. A 88-95 5 series does not.

Omega is probably the best bet for what you require.

 

WTF are you on? Tiny compared to what,a Routemaster bus? My first car was a Mk 4 Cortina, took 4 adults easily.

And with the front seats reclined it was a lovely **** pad for me and the missus. Ahh those stary night out on the ranges.

 

Pmsl, so if you spend 2k on a car its gonna save them ? or buy a brand new 7k Clio and it gets hit by a 40 ton truck ?

My mrs has a Laguna, nice and roomy, well comfy and i recently did 500 miles in 1 day taking her down to Stamore Hospital from Nottingham.