Small, Van-like car, Sub £5k
Discussion
My trusty old van is starting to get to an age where it has a year or two left in it, and a replacement will be needed. For acceptability from Mrs_Shtu, and easier access to the local tip, a car will be better than a van, and something a bit smaller. So far, I've thought of taking the rear seats out of a,
Fiat Doblo
Citroen Belingo
Peugeot Partner
Skoda Yeti
As it's intended as a tip run\ dogbus car that won't do huge mileage, I'm tending towards something a bit basic like the Fiat.
Any other ideas?
Fiat Doblo
Citroen Belingo
Peugeot Partner
Skoda Yeti
As it's intended as a tip run\ dogbus car that won't do huge mileage, I'm tending towards something a bit basic like the Fiat.
Any other ideas?
Berlingo/Partner 2.0 HDI 8v. They're so spacious and you'll get a really good example well under budget. It won't be the newest thing available to you, but it pre-dates things like DPF, Ad-Blue, etc., whilst being a lot less agricultural than the 1.9D. It will likely outlast a lot of newer, more complex vans.
If there's no record of it, replace the timing belt and water pump. Service it once a year and it'll go on and on. Not much to go wrong, any garage can work on them, and parts are unbelievably cheap.
Alternatively, a Nissan Note 1.6 petrol is a good shout. Nowhere near as practical, but a bit more car-like and similarly reliable.
If there's no record of it, replace the timing belt and water pump. Service it once a year and it'll go on and on. Not much to go wrong, any garage can work on them, and parts are unbelievably cheap.
Alternatively, a Nissan Note 1.6 petrol is a good shout. Nowhere near as practical, but a bit more car-like and similarly reliable.
£5k will get you a good pre-adblue C3 Picasso 1.6d. Best balance of size, price and space - bigger inside than it looks from the outside.
If that's not big enough, Berlingo/Partner or Doblo are bigger, but more expensive. Doblo is decent to drive, but only it's mother could love the looks!
I had a 2009 Qubo (basically the same as Nemo/Bipper), which was a good little car, but with a serious design flaw - rear seats couldn't be folded down flat unless the front seats were slid pretty much all the way forwards.
If that's not big enough, Berlingo/Partner or Doblo are bigger, but more expensive. Doblo is decent to drive, but only it's mother could love the looks!
I had a 2009 Qubo (basically the same as Nemo/Bipper), which was a good little car, but with a serious design flaw - rear seats couldn't be folded down flat unless the front seats were slid pretty much all the way forwards.
clockworks said:
Berlingo/Partner/Doblo
That's where I'm at. Berlingo or Doblo, haven't really looked at Partner (though from a quick glance they look near-identical)I think that size is better than the Qubo which just looks too small. Something that can carry a couple of bulk bags of garden rubbish would be about right - too small and we'd end up having to do multiple trips every time, which makes it more of a hassle than just booking the van in. (there's no restrictions other than booking-in, but that's bound to change eventually)
Someone above made a good point about pre-DPF, pre-Adblue. I'm fine with that, this won't be anywhere near a ULEZ.
Something that also has a proper commercial version is probably better, it doesn't need to do double-duty as a daily car, so payload, simplicity and touighness matter more than climate control and satnav. I'm leaning away from the Yeti\Roomster as maybe too much car, and not enough van.
blue_haddock said:
What about something like a Ford Galaxy or VW Sharan?
Bit too big really. That's almost the same size as the existing van, and only rarely need the space\weight capacity. Roof bars or a second trip will do for those odd times.Needs to be something Mrs_Shtu will drive. So I don't have to spend half my weekend doing tip runs.
Mk2 B9 Berlingo multi space from 2008 (or Pug Partner equivalent) is a brilliant vehicle for the money.
I picked up an early 2008 HDI model as a cheap stop gap vehicle in Sept 21 (160k on the clock!) while we waited for a new car delivery, and we still have it in the family 2 years later as an occasional load lugger. As noted above, an early one like ours avoids DMF, DPF and fuel additives which is great for reliability but you have to be weary of low emissions zones (I got done in Brum…).
I picked up an early 2008 HDI model as a cheap stop gap vehicle in Sept 21 (160k on the clock!) while we waited for a new car delivery, and we still have it in the family 2 years later as an occasional load lugger. As noted above, an early one like ours avoids DMF, DPF and fuel additives which is great for reliability but you have to be weary of low emissions zones (I got done in Brum…).
I've a B-MAX. The front passenger seat folds flat, so with the back seats down you have a lot of length for a small car. The sliding doors and no B-pillar means that you can finessese fitting in large loads. Mine has done 115k, and is starting to cost money to keep running. My son drives to work in it every day and gets 40+ mpg.
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