Discuss What estate car should I buy? in the UK Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net
If you can't bring yourself to become the proud owner of a reliant robin
The next best must be a Vauxhall Vectra,big,reliable and plenty of extra cheap ones around,and with scrapyards overflowing with any spares ever needed
ok Archy...lets up the ante....
CRAGS, I hope it's Black!
"
The only thing I don't like about them is the sad face...your wish....is my command....
anyway....for those on a budget that dont mind the smell of 2 stroke oil and toxic glue vapours theres always the trusty from the east....
this is the de-lux (safari) model Des....comes with peddles.....I dont think I am getting the full picture
There's are no signs of any legs trailing through the chasis
anyway....for those on a budget that dont mind the smell of 2 stroke oil and toxic glue vapours theres always the trusty from the east....
The problem with older cars, especially the higher capacity ones, is the ridiculously high road tax costs.
If you want a serious suggestion for a bargain motor for the job, you could do far worse than follow my suggestion to a college in a similar situation… get Volvo 740 estate.
OK the Volvo is a bit of a plain Jane and won’t win any prizes for its styling, it’s more of child’s eye view of what car should look like. 740s are numerous and while the majority of saloons have gone to the automotive graveyard, thanks to lack of demand for large, thirsty, family saloons, however, the estate is still hugely popular in the used car market. Once a premium auto-mobile beloved by Antique Dealers and Mothers for the school run, the old Volvo is now the vehicle of choice for savvy tradesmen who can’t run a van, Window cleaners, Plasterers, Decorators and Plumbers have already realised it’s cheaper to run than a van and can still be used for the domestic duties like the school run when necessary. Most of the saloons have been broken up for spares to keep the wagons rolling, vehicles with huge mileages on the clock still going strong, consuming little oil and running as sweet as a nut.
In the Volvo 740s favour, parts are cheap and plentiful on the second hand market and still readily available new if you are so inclined, this is partly due to the fact that the 940 that replaced it, retained much of the same running gear, but also because there are still so many still in service that there is sufficient demand to continue the parts in production.
The key to 740s longevity is it supreme build quality, arguably Volvo’s very best in the past 80 years. Less corrosion than seen in the 140 and 240 series that preceded it and less complex than the 850s and 940s, the 740 is the best of all worlds; solid build and simple DIY maintenance, hence the high survival rate.
Most 740 models were powered by the tried and tested 2.3 litre four cylinder petrol engine, a powerful and responsive lump, not the most refined or economic (20-33 MPG), but, indestructibility does come at a price, this engine is legendary for it’s ability to do very high mileages, and for being totally bullet-proof. Some owners report that at about 100,000 miles the engine starts to feel loose and fully run-in, returning better MPG figures than earlier in the vehicles life.
The load carrying capacity of the 740 so loved by Antique Dealers, it will swallow whole 3-seater sofas easily with room to spare, makes it particularly attractive to the tradesman, often my mate just uses the huge space behind the rear seats when doing smaller jobs.
The interior is typically simple, hard wearing cloth upholstery and high quality plastics, with large clear instruments and robust switches that feel built to last, my mate's estate has minimal deterioration, quality throughout.
So where is the catch? I hear you ask, well there are only two weak areas, exhausts tend to trap moisture and rot quickly (after-market pattern ones particularly) if a lot of short journeys are completed, and the billowing head lining that is common on most Swedish cars, all that is needed here is re-gluing with a quality contact adhesive.
As you will have gathered my college took my advise and together we found lots of good examples, all of them were less than £500. The best of which was an F registration (1989) family car with two related previous owners, 149,000 miles on the clock, full service history by the local Volvo specialist, with 8 months MOT and 2 months Tax, in superb condition belying it’s age … all for £275… at these sort of prices the fuel cost is bearable… and my mate has had a smile on his face ever since acquiring his 740, he and his family love it.
View attachment 14103
Volvo 740 GLE
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