A colleague suggested today, with a totally straight face, that he may be interested in buying a second-hand Ligier Ambra. The diesel no less! Amazing 85mpg claim is the big selling point. 6.5hp would seem a fairly major demerit to me :)
Needless to say, he does not intend using it on the 'open road', it will just be for a few mile city commute. I've suggested many alternatives from BMW roofed-scooter thingies to Smart cars to Honda lawn mowers, but he still seems keen on the Ligier (F1 heritage no less!)....
After several hours, I have stopped laughing and will try to help him out by tapping into the huge font of motoring knowledge that is the back room....
So, has anyone got any experience of one of these. Is it actually possible to keep up with modern traffic? Will it fall apart and require a complete rebuild after 10k miles? Will the parts be available?
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Believe it or not there is a Ligier main dealer in Stockport (they used to sell Reliants). Even the petrol versions I have seen on the road sound very rough, and they appear rather flimsy. In fact they do not appear as well built as the G-Whiz, whcih I have seen in action on tv.
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The main experience I have of these things is seeing them bumbling along the verge of French routes nationales doing about 30 mph less than everything else on the road. There is a guy in our town that has one (I see it from time to time) but it doesn't seem to be able to get above about 28 mph, which is fine until you need to drive it along a road on which the limit is 40.
Personally I believe them to be dangerously slow and (being made of plastic, as I understand it) not very safe. To put the power output in perspective, my old 50cc Kymco scooter had 5.5 bhp and that was good for an absolute maximum of 47 mph with the restrictor removed.
Your colleague would be much better advised to spend his money on a 125-250 cc scooter, which will have enough go to keep up with the traffic, will do the sort of MPG he is after and which in safety terms (if he wears proper kit) will probably not be a lot worse - and will certainly be easier to park.
So in answer to your questions:
1) Definitely not, imo
2) Wouldn't bet on it if he's having to thrash the thing to within an inch of its life to try and achieve 1)
3) Should be OK - they are still made and I am fairly sure there are dealers in the country. In any case, the factory's in France as far as I'm aware so shouldn't be too hard to track down bits.
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He's got to get a Panda Multijet (£6,000) or Peugeot 107 for £5,500 new. Admittedly the 107 would be a petrol but it'll still return over 60mpg, is simple, parts are cheap, it has a warranty, won't kill him when it crashes at sensible speeds, he will be able to drive it when he's not commuting through town and if he knows any short people he can give them a lift.
For the 107 try www.peugeotwatford.co.uk/
Ditto for the Panda except 65mpg and tall people can come too. Try www.fiatsupasaver.com
Road tax is £40 per year on the Pug, £50 on the Panda.
If he's got his heart set on something flimsy and French, a 60mpg AX diesel can be had for the price of a steak-frites and £4k should get him a three-year-old C2 HDi with ten times the power of the Ligier
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They are rubbish.
Since he clearly has no concept of image, tell him from me that a late 1990's to 2001 Reliant Robin will do 100 mpg on a run if your careful, its simple to fix, rugged mechanics if serviced and yes they are expensive to buy but they are virtually depreciation proof so spend £6000 on one and you will easily get it back unless its in a silly colour, same goes for the older ones.
Plenty of Reliant dealers around who give old-fashioned customer service and actually know how to fix cars.
They are actually quite quick, faster than the small engined Panda - 0-60 in less than 15 seconds with only 40 odd BHP.
They are a laugh to own and contrary to popular belief, only estate agents in BMW laugh at them, but everyones laughing back at them so its no wonder. In my experience, people just want to ask
alotta questions rather than laugh.
Im not saying this is a mainstream option, but if he is of the mind that the dreadful Ligier is a worthy choice, he should seriously look at a Reliant.
Please note to anyone who is aghast at this suggestion - I suggesting this because clearly the buyer in question doesnt like the normal channels of car buying!
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Im not saying this is a mainstream option, but if he is of the mind that the dreadful Ligier is a worthy choice, he should seriously look at a Reliant. Please note to anyone who is aghast at this suggestion - I suggesting this because clearly the buyer in question doesnt like the normal channels of car buying!
Cheers for all the suggestions so far chaps. And stunorthants26, you've got him down to a tee! :)
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Cheers for all the suggestions so far chaps. And stunorthants26, you've got him down to a tee! :)
From my experience as a Reliant Rialto owner, I understand the mentality of people who buy and run these cars - you have to be a little bit anti-establishment and be secure in your self-esteem.
My Rialto wasnt very cheap to buy, but I sold it for what I paid for it, road tax was pocket change and even my 1986 car, running rich, was doing 55mpg on unleaded.
I had mine when I lived in the town centre and spent alot of time driving city streets which it was great for but could also do A-roads no problem. Servicing cost about as much as many people spend filling up their euroboxes in a week.
It was the only car ive ever owned which despite my minimum wages I was getting by with at the time, that didnt scare me cost wise.
The owners club is also filled with a diverse and exceptionally friendly and helpful bunch of people, young and old.
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He's got to get a Panda Multijet (£6,000)
Actually, I second that. Mrs B has one. On exclusively urban use it does a whisker under 50 mpg, plus can cruise very happily at motorway speeds. We got ours on 4 years' 0%, too.
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If he really wants a French type microcar, the Aixam looks nicer. There are one or two chugging around here and although they are slow and relatively fragile they are probably fit for purpose of driving round town.
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Neither the Aixam or the Ligier will stand up to UK use/roads. The old boys in France use them once or twice a week for a gentle drive into town along the relatively empty French roads. Try using one for 6-10k/year and they'll fall apart in about 18 months. They are simply not designed for that kind of wear.
The French really do not expect to do do more than 3-4k km/year in one - my wife's parents in law tried it, (they are French) and it simply did not work. They've got an old Astra I think now, and it's fine.
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I saw one today pootling along at 40 moh with a nice queue behind it. Atleast when I was in my Reliant I could keep up with the traffic on main roads! 40 BHP goes a long way in a 450kg car :-)
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The French really do not expect to do do more than 3-4k km/year in one - my wife's parents in law tried it, (they are French) and it simply did not work. <<
Wifes parents in law - wouldnt that make them your parents? :-)
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