The hunt is on for a winter hack

[Satch]

Well the most reliable car over the past ten years per Warranty Direct is the Honda Accord. Could do a lot worse than starting there.

£1k will get you quite a lot.

 

[b11ocx]

The cheapest, lowly equipped Panda you can buy.

 

[Sp!ke]

The way I see it, either I go the £500 banger route or I look at something like this.

FiatSupaSaver.com - Why Pay Dealer Prices? Brand New Fiats- Huge Discounts

 

[Classic_car]

I really hate to suggest this, as I cannot abide them personally and they go against my whole ethos on cars.. But, But, But, if you just want a cheap motor to drive across central London in traffic cheaply..

There is a dealer on ebay currently selling a 2000MY Prius with FSH for £2500. You could sell it next year and get your money back and it will be cheap on fuel, worth a look?


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2000-Toyota-Prius-1-5-hybrid-electric-automatic-5-door-/280542304219?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item41519fd7db#ht_1242wt_1137
Jack

 

[gaz_l]

Get a proper old-school Panda like mine, if you can find one..

Depreciation nil, running costs buttons, if anything breaks it's pennies to fix. Headlight bulb? £2 from the motor factor. Cambelt? £12 to you John. Most of them rusted away years ago, but if it's bangernomics you're after, you can't beat it.

Cheers,

Gaz

PS. It ain't quick, but it always puts a smile on my face when I drive it. You don't always have to go fast to have fun..

 

[Sp!ke]

170,000 miles on a battery driven car

Thats going to cost someone plenty pretty soon surely?

 

[Classic_car]

170,000 miles on a battery driven car

Thats going to cost someone plenty pretty soon surely?

I didn't see the mileage, but even so, you would probably get away with it over the winter.. Many have done starship miles in the US on original battery. Congestion charge exempt, road tax should be cheap, etc

 

[rossyl]

Ford Fiesta Diesel - MPG, cost to buy and cost to fix is all very low.

Or, if you want something slightly nicer, that drives well, a Focus Diesel.

 

[Sp!ke]

I like this too - only an hour left, I wonder what it'll go for.


1991 MAZDA MX-5 RED on eBay (end time 06-Oct-10 00:23:09 BST)

 

[219]

An air-cooled Beetle is by far the best winter car .

RWD through skinny tyres with the engine over them means you will go anywhere in snow and laugh at most everyone else on their Carlos Fandango wheels .

No coolant to freeze up , an inferno of heat from the heater ( as long as you make sure the heat exchangers are OK ) , just give it time to demist before you drive off - the sole downpoint .

Totally reliable if maintained properly ( very simple to do everything DIY ) , full of charisma and nice to drive . They are now classics and will get you noticed , with lots of people coming up to share their memories of when they had one 'back in the 60s or 70s' .

Cheap insurance and reasonable on fuel , most are tax exempt . Parts still readily available and reasonably priced .

Best of all , you will get back every penny you paid for it , and more with luck , if you decide to sell again after the winter .

 

[grober]

VW are bringing out a new Beetle next year here's a pic- sorry about the thread hijack.

 

[Sp!ke]

An air-cooled Beetle is by far the best winter car .

I cant say that I share the same experience from my Beetle ownership (I've had two of them).

Lots of character- yes but the heater design was near useless. No demister, had to rely on opening quaterlights to keep screen clear whch meant you froze and had rainwater coming in.

Any car this age will be heavy going in the maintenance department too. Fuel consumption is the wrong side of 30mpg to boot.

Another suggestion thats light years away from being an ideal winter commuter hack along with the series 2 Landrover.

 

[312 Sprinter]

1992 Volvo 940 Turbo Diesel Intercooler. Long MOT. on eBay (end time 14-Oct-10 09:14:14 BST)

 

[219]

I had two of my own , and another four or five in the family .

Granted , demisting not great , but if you rev the engine hot air does come out of the windscreen corner vents .

1600cc ones did drop to below 30mpg , but 1200 and 1300 cc ones would usually do better .

I harbour a notion to get another myself , but they don't come up so often now .

MK II Polos are cheap as chips these days and might suit you better , although I'd still have a Beetle over one anyday .

 

[Tiff]

You are all going to laugh here but for this years winter driver I bought a 1965 Trabant!

The 2 stroke engine is bullet proof and it's got an addded bonus of having 4 brand new winter tyres fitted!

It cost me £550 but it's tax exempt, insurance is a whopping £80 for a year and I'm likely to break even selling it next year!

You too! mine may be ready for next winter though.. I believe the heaters are crap though.. got my eye on a Sirokko petrol fired heater at the moment!!

 

[Tiff]

I've just had a quick look on ebay and these look quite expensive. £2k for a 2001 model on 80k miles.

I paid £2K for my W124CE 8 years ago.

a proper hack is sub £500 in my eyes. Some of you have much deeper wallets than I judging by some of the £4k cars that have been suggested.

A proper CAR is sub £500 in my eyes!

 

[Tiff]

I just bought a really cheap Porsche 924. That would maybe fit the bill?

How about a BMW C1- scooter with a roof!

 

[Nasco12]

You asked about an MX5's mileage. Although I never calculated it when I owned one it wasn't great: about 30mpg.

And, being rear-wheel drive and light, it's atrocious in snow.

If you're still not put off, I would strongly suggest you get a detachable hardtop.

 

[trapperjohn]

Cheap and new and five year warranty. Hyundai i10 Classic 1.2 with aircon, leccie windows and central locking.
£6795 - 5.9%APR if you want it on the drip. Advertised in the Daily Mail today - Special offer £930 off normal price.
Just £6295 more than a true banger.
Perhaps get Tiff to find you some thing. He is ace at sorting out bargains. Perhaps its prices in Scotland that help.

 

[dog68]

Won't a cheap Diesel come with potential cold starting problems, requiring a first rate electrical system to cope?
Petrol engine much more trustworthy in winter.
Old shape Ford Ka? A hoot to drive.

Unless glowplugs are shot, Diesels are much more reliable in winter, drive though a large puddle in a petrol, see what happens, petrol cars much more complex electrical systems.