Strange, but as keen as id been on the two Jetta diesels id been looking at, I ended up with neither. One was on Ebay and went for the frankly ridiculous sum of £1121, the other local to me went before I made a move.
As fate would have it a 96 Rover 420 D ( 86bhp ) came up on ebay, 93k, 10months mot and 6 tax. I had a look at it as it is literally 5 mins from where I live.
What I found was a dirty but solid car which ran well and just needed some cosmetics which I can tackle myself.
Aside from broken front fog light, broken clock, slightly split bumper and some rust spots in usual places, it was a straight motor.
Ive always liked these cars since my days working at a Rover dealer, plus the diesels dont have the same appetite for HGF as the K-series, which is the only real letdown of this model.
I won it for £670 which sounds a lot but finding a straight diesel with long T&T and under 100k isnt easy at my budget, but hopefully, it will prove a good buy.
Anyone got any words of warning about the 420 diesel? Oh and yes I know the 86bhp is slowish!
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but what could that be sold for?, you only have £670 to lose anyway which is a few weeks of a hire car.
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I think cleaned up and tidy, I think it could realise £900 maybe. Des nee a cambelt change fairly soon though. Far more refined than an Esort too!
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Keep us posted on how things pan out, Stu. I once toyed with a 220/420/620D as they appear excellent VFM - and some nice colours, too :-)
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It wasnt so much the VFM, mainly the extra urban mpg of 72 and the old-style plodding nature of the L-Series. Its one of my favorite diesel units.
The colour is a solid dark blue/turquoise - I used to know the name of the colours but time hs caught up with me on that! Will polish up very well though.
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Good luck with it, Stu. Your experience could be very helpful to some other people who've posted recently asking for advice on buying a cheap car. You went for condition and long MoT, and liking that particular model is a bonus. I don' think you've much to lose.
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When your spending a low amount, the priority has to be finding a genuinely cheap car - ie not one that needs a whole lot spending on it asap, so a long MOT and general condition are the main things, not specific spec or colour.
Also, a reputation for good build and reliability add to the package, with the 420 based largely on the Honda Civic, its an added bonus. I think values are unfairly affected by the rep of the K-Series engine too - few know the 1.6 auto has the Honda unit, not the K.
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I take a very different approach. I've a mate in the trade which helps, without that, I'd be looking for a trader in similar circumstances, ie one that's been in business for years and then just choose the most appropriate vehicle he has in stock at the time I need one.
As it is, I've just bought a Boxster S, he phoned me up from the auction, described it, I said how much, he bid, I've got a car, actually for a lot less than I was prepared to pay, and I wasn't prepared to pay above trade book, so I've got an excellent car for a very good price. I'll give you an update once I've put a few miles on the clock. It's a second car, the Mondeo will continue to suffer the 30k miles PA that I end up driving.
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I read often, only post occasionally
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Just picked the car up. On the face of it, brilliant! Steering, suspension and engine all as good as they could be, not even a creak from the interior, far better than I expected to be honest. Id forgotten how good the ride is on these cars.
Engine also pulls quite well - gearing is very high indeed - less than 2000 rpm in top at 45, which goes some way to explaining the economy.
Booked in on monday for a precautionary cambelt and full mechanical check which should throw up any issues if there are any.
Once its clean, I will be very happy indeed!
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