- Thread starter Dozzer
- Start date
marlinspike
Member
- Messages
- 2,106
Can't believe the used prices of things like Yaris's at dealers and car supermarkets. Small cars are really keeping their value these days.
My Old Landy
Engineering Mayhem
- Messages
- 3,601
- Location
- North Lincs
I just can't get into a standard car. It needs the seat height for me to transfer from the wheelchair to the car seat.
This is a good shout. Find a nice 2007 ish W211 estate, the V6 diesel with airmatic suspension. Absolutely unbreakable. The airmatic keeps it all level when towing.
RWD3M
Forum Supporter
- Messages
- 3,750
- Location
- Wiltshire, UK
Apologies, didn't realise.
That budget will get you into a a post-cheese F Pace, but only with a stellar mileage or a bit of accident damage to sort out so I'm out
Hope you find something that works for you
Edit: There are other engine options available.
Ah yes. Well, looking at mine and mentally putting a wheelchair next to it, the Audi A6 Allroad would be a sensible height. Big doors too. It has air suspension all round which can be adjusted as you see fit. Park it in LIFT mode, would be perfect. Strong towing machine too, depending on the engine. Most are the V6 diesel which is great.
Now, having said all that, a VW Touran 4-motion is a wee bit higher up, but not big 4x4 levels of high.
barracuda816
Member
- Messages
- 618
- Location
- Bavaria, Germany
No no no, it's the petrol engines that kill the planet, diesel kills us. Electric vehicles will kill something as soon as the government need some more taxes from us.
barracuda816
Member
- Messages
- 618
- Location
- Bavaria, Germany
I am glad to hear this to be honest. It's about time people started voting with their wallets. Most new cars that I have seen are horrible and wasteful. Built so poorly that you are lucky to get out the warranty period without major issues. Poor quality but stuffed full of tech that is obsolete after 5 years. I like a car to be a car, and my computers/ phones to do the tech stuff. Any of you seen a new Mercedes, shocking how cheap and tacky they look/feel.
Gareth J
Member
- Messages
- 3,702
- Location
- North Cornwall
Sooo, consensus is that up to maybe 2010ish diesel is a reasonable sweet spot?
I really do like my wheezing old E46 but, at 210,000, its getting very tatty, with some definite blowby I'm struggling to keep within the inlet system and is starting to ask for bits beyond normal service fayre. Still a decent thing to drive though. I have been keeping my eye out for a not trashed, late model e46 330d but maybe the next variant, or a similar era mercedes would be slightly less ancient and liable to provide less hassle.
I really do like my wheezing old E46 but, at 210,000, its getting very tatty, with some definite blowby I'm struggling to keep within the inlet system and is starting to ask for bits beyond normal service fayre. Still a decent thing to drive though. I have been keeping my eye out for a not trashed, late model e46 330d but maybe the next variant, or a similar era mercedes would be slightly less ancient and liable to provide less hassle.
Dozzer
Forum Supporter
- Messages
- 629
- Location
- Essex/Suffolk border
A good example of new Cars/Vans, friend asked me to scan his 2022 VW T6.1 with VCDS as the engine management light had come on, (VW Chelmsford asked for £220 just for diag!) came up with "coolant bypass valve intermittent error" spoke to friend who runs independent VAG workshop "Oh those are really common, had a 3 year old van with just over 17K on clock and it had gone" he then told me that there was a recall on some years for it
Friends van was not covered and just the valve is £315 + vat.
FFS!!
he's now got it booked in with other friend, rather than VW who missed this on the last service a month ago, with 12 fault events!!
With this level of poor build quality/overly expensive repairs parts, its no wonder people are avoiding newer vehicles.
Friends van was not covered and just the valve is £315 + vat.
FFS!!
he's now got it booked in with other friend, rather than VW who missed this on the last service a month ago, with 12 fault events!!
With this level of poor build quality/overly expensive repairs parts, its no wonder people are avoiding newer vehicles.
I know that that's a lot of money, but in the big scheme of things that's probably less that 1% of the vehicle cost.
Because we expect things to be reliable we see any costs as poor value for money. I'll count myself in the same group, and I'll moan like hell about the cost of a tyre, car part, whatever, but think nothing of putting £100 of fuel in the car, or spending £80 on a meal out for me and the Mrs.
I'd wager that valve does more than a bog standard thermostat, and has probably got quite a lot of engineering in it too, so maybe, whilst its not overly reliable and probably needs some design tweaks. it's probably not that expensive in the big scheme of things at todays prices.
Farside
Badly Welded Man
- Messages
- 6,243
- Location
- Ireland
In 2004 I bought a 1989 Carina II, which I sold just a couple of years ago. It's still running around in the hands of the new owner, who has a thing for Carinas.
Most of them have disappeared in a Polish direction, as apart from the LHD/RHD they're a valuable source of spares to keep Polish registered cars going.
So, even back then, the almost everlasting car was perfectly capable of being developed, as long as you attacked the slightest break in the underbody or paint coatings.
