dedicated car for tip runs?

[Jonno02]

Evening chaps.

Currently landscaping the garden in a house I bought last year. It's a pretty huge garden and is a total mess. So far over 100 trees have come down and most of them have been taken away. Now I'm getting a little tired of cleaning the inside of my car, especially as its getting sold in a few months. We'll have 2 cars on lease and so don't fancy chucking all the muck etc in them.

So, the solution. Buy a third car which will be for tip runs and the occasional stop gap for the limbo between lease cars. Budget is about £1000-1500 so not expecting any mod cons. Don't want to spend much more as the car will be used a few weeks a year on short journeys.

There's a new tip opening up 3 miles away in a few months, hence the budget. If it was further, I'd up the budget for more peace of mind. I've been trawling Gumtree etc with no criteria looking for anything that fits the bill.

Found a few good options, but thought I'd ask here as I know people will have much better suggestions. Open to anything.

Thanks for any ideas.

[Jasandjules]

I'd go with an old petrol passat estate.

[Deerfoot]

It appears to be an expensive exercise but any old Focus / Octavia / Fabia estate should do the trick.

[DoctorX]

Perfect tip car.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/citroen/berl...

[Liggle]

I've just got a workhorse for similar duties and as a backup car, I'm using a Peugeot 307 Estate (it was free!) but I wouldn't buy one normally.

The other cars on my list before being given that were:

Volvo V70
Honda Accord Tourer
Subaru Legacy
Mondeo Estate

All petrol, wouldn't bother with a diesel for occasional use unless it'll double up as a commuter car.

[Wobbegong]

RX8

[Jonno02]

Deerfoot said:

It appears to be an expensive exercise but any old Focus / Octavia / Fabia estate should do the trick.

Extremely so. I was all 'pssh a quick hover and it will be fine' - regretting that decision now. The garden will take about a year so it's a worthwhile investment.

[George111]

MX5, obviously !

If it's just for the tip then buy a van - any old van for £100-£200 from the auction with an MoT, why would you want anything else, especially a car ?

Stop gap between leases ? Just rent a Focus for peanuts a week ?

[caelite]

Old offroader/pickup with lazy diesel. 2.5td shoguns, 3.0td land cruisers etc. They all go forever, make great winter beaters and can be a laugh to drive.

Im selling a shogun swb ive been using for this very purpose for ~£2100 of you are interested, just doing a couple of jobs on it.

[MajorMantra]

Buying a car for this sole purpose would be bonkers in the real world but this is PH so yes, go for it. If I were you I'd aim to spend a lot less though. It'll be more fun if it's a proper shed, preferably costing no more than, say, £600. Get thee to Gumtree, local facebook groups or Retrorides...

[Impasse]

Be aware that vans/pick-ups and some 4x4s can sometimes be denied entry to council tips by pernickety blokes in a Hi-Viz. Stick to estates.

[CaptainCosworth]

Assuming your local tip won't allow vans, I'd go with an old Volvo estate, petrol as they'll be cheaper to buy, especially a T5/T6. £500 should do the job.

[brman]

mk1 galaxy/sharan or an 806
Remove all the rear seats and they would be way better than any estate. (basically vans but with glass)
eg http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Galaxy-2-3i-Zetec-2...

[LP670]

Impasse said:

Be aware that vans/pick-ups and some 4x4s can sometimes be denied entry to council tips by pernickety blokes in a Hi-Viz. Stick to estates.

This is good advice, one of my two local tips wont let my defender 110 in.

[CS Garth]

Shirley a trailer. Or a skip.

[skyrover]

Grand cherokee

[Z06George]

Volvo 850/V70

[4x4Tyke]

You could get an old 200/300TDi Discovery, 4Runner or similar for that money if it has to be a car. You could also get an old Mk3 Hilux pickup. Ideal for this job and all can pull decent sized trailers as well.

[smn159]

LP670 said:

This is good advice, one of my two local tips wont let my defender 110 in.

Indeed. I use a Land Rover Series 2a almost exclusively for tip runs - no road tax and £50 insurance, plus it's even appreciated a bit from the £1500 that I paid for it a few years back.

But... One local tip won't let it in at all without a (free) permit, and the other one will, but only if I arrive with the soft top in place...

[brman]

btw. just to back up my people mover idea.
A Volvo V70 apparently has about 1600 litres of boot space with the seats folded down. A Pug 806 has literally double that at 3200......
(according to the interweb anyway)