What daily for a Grand

[froggy]

My Rover is getting MOT'd Thursday and if it passes im selling it, so i should be able to scrape together about a grand for a new daily, what would you buy?
Im looking for something retro / classic, thinking maybe a Renault 5 GT Turbo or a Mini 1275 (probably a 998 though for this money) something cheap on TAX but a little something different from your usual crap chav mobiles, punto/corsa/saxo etc.
I've had a MK2 Golf GTI before and this was nice but as its a 2nd car for me to go to work and back i'm thinking something under a 1500 to get the cheap tax band

 

[Araon]

Bond bug fella if you can find one up, was a time you couldnt give em away.....

 

[mcvw]

Datsun 120y???

On eBay (Item number: 320223639539) with a BIN of £850...

 

[Araon]

Nice choice My mate had an old 100A back in the day, the first guy from school to get a car.....

 

[froggy]

Come on lets be serious, a bond bug :lol: and a datsun :lol: :lol:
Think its gonna be either a Mini or a 5 turbo

 

[halfpint_fighter]

Why not a beetle?

 

[froggy]

would consider a beetle but not sure if i could get a decent daily for £1000, i do 40 miles a day to and from work on a motorway and having owned both a Mini and a R5 and never owning a beetle not sure if it would hold up to the daily routine.

 

[Araon]

serious a bond bug is a pocket rocket fella granted if the wind catches them you tend to need a pilots license.....

My dads mate literally took off one day flew the hedge when taking a fast country bend and caught the wind....not much left of the car being fibreglass an all.....but he walked away from it :lol:

 

[mcvw]

Maybe a bit more than a bag of sand, but I'd go for a "modern classic" - something like a '88/89 BMW 320 touring (the estate version).

 

[Araon]

I know where you can get a mini cooper for free... well I say free ..the cost of some scuba gear a tralwer and a plane ticket to Gibraltar..mine got pushed into the med some time ago failing to pay a parking fine, that said the car only cost £1 and the fine with storage was summit like £500)....

a minis always a safe cheap bet.....

 

[bananacustard]

Old mk1 Polos are dirt cheap, economical, simple and bomb proof. I think they're pretty cool for a water cooled as well and there are even some sporty options if you want cheap thrills.

 

[VWAIRCOOLED]

I would go for a mk2 golf gti 16 valve.One of the best cars I had.But That puts it in the high tax and insurance band.Also consider a Polo G40,they might push over £1000 though.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/vw-polo-g40_W0QQitemZ220206566714QQihZ012QQcategoryZ9873QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[froggy]

I used to own a Mk2 Golf GTi but it was the 8v, very nie car and an engine that keeps going, mine had got 170,000 miles when i sold it and i was the 2nd owner with FSH.
The wife wants me to have a boring MODERN car :? but i need something that i can drive and not something that drives you :roll:
Leaning more towards a 5 Turbo unless a decent 1275 mini pops up, i've still got a cobra bucket seat on a mini sunbframe mounting in the garage

 

[VWAIRCOOLED]

Out of the 5 GT and mini 1275,I would go for the 5 GT.Only because I don't like minis.I done an engine swap on one a few weeks ago from 998 to 1275.They look ok but I don't find them comfortable to drive in,and very impracticle if you've got kids etc.
The Renault 5 turbos aren't that reliable either,especially as they're getting on a bit and most have been abused.The key there would be to find a nice unabused one for under a grand? I've driven and worked on a few,done a few head gaskets on them etc.They are more fun than a mini for sure (in my opinion that is).

If you want a little turbo car,how about an Uno turbo? Still quite fun to drive,but you still have to find a nice one but they tend to be cheaper than Renault 5's.

 

[Araon]

or a diahatsu charade turbo

 

[dandaz]

You need a Morris Marina....

I have a couple , 1.8 tax free ,rev counter,servo brakes ,fast as....


The Datsun 120y was my first car..... 8)

 

[bananacustard]

Make sure you grease your Trunnions though :wink: otherwise the wheels fall off (like Morris Minors)

 

[Tofufi]

How about an early bay as a daily?

Mine didn't owe me much more than £1k when I started using it daily. Still owes me under £2k now 8)

 

[ianscooby]

Go for the mini, had loads in my time and they are guaranteed to break down, be damp and rust like hell. :lol: my last one did have a 2litre 16V vaux in it and that added the problem of actually getting it to go in a straight line as well, great fun 8)

 

[easy]

I had a load of minis in me time, i had to take the drivers seat out of all of them and re drill the mounting holes further back so I could get in! :lol:

Had a few piles of poop, but had a cooper which was ace :wink: was tempted to get another one as my daily, but the notch one in the end 8)