Thinking of doing charity Rally, what car for £500?

[Hofmiester 10]

http://www.specialeffect.org.uk/twin-town

 

I work in the games/entertainment industry and a few of us are pulling together to participate in this charity rally event as a company team

I'd love to do this in a Corrado but to be honest, they are not that great at the £500 mark.....mostly breakers ;)

 

Any thoughts on good reliable cars that can be had for £500? keep in mind we're doing some big miles and also going on some race tracks so no fiestas please ;)

[Billzeebub 1]

Saab 9000

[seanl82 23]

Saab 9000

 

Absolute tank of a car!

 

I know someone that did it a couple of years ago for charity (can't remember which one), but I think he had a little more to spend. He bought an old 5 series tourer exactly like the one in the centre of that pic on the link! Had about 200k on the clock, had to replaced a couple of tyres, and off he went round Europe with a couple of mates for a couple of weeks. We all gave him a few consumables (duck tape, tie wraps, bungees, bulbs etc) just in case, and he completed it all without a hitch.

[Dox 23]

Vento VR6, performance and a big boot for luggage

[Hofmiester 10]

Not many SAAB 9000 around these days and looking on ebay, £500 wont cut it!

No vento VR6s around anymore either, 2 on ebay and almost £2000.

 

SAAB 93 or 95s can be had for less than a grand though. Bigger engine BMWs dont sell for much these days either by the looks of things.

 

I think looking at 15-20 yr old cars is no good (Vento, Saab 9000) as all the crap ones are scrap for parts and the good ones are getting decent money as a classic.

The sweet spot for cheapness is 10-15 years. Plenty about still but not desirable yet.

 

X reg, Y reg etc

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1997-AUDI-A4-1-8-RED-ESTATE-/331050772854?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4d1429e976

[Rustynuts 0]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1996-BMW-728I-AUTO-SILVER-/181238600667?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item2a32a993db

 

A lot of car for the money

[Purple Tom 0]

Early Ford Focus would be my bet. Maybe a 2 litre Zetec ESP model as they seem pretty cheap due to them not being all that hot on fuel. Cheap parts, fun to drive and reliable - all you need for a charity rally.

 

Here's one - only a 1.8 LX but I bet it'd do the job no problem:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-FOCUS-1-8-LX-2000-5-DOOR-METALLIC-BLUE-MOT-TAX-/231078792755?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item35cd5e8e33

Edited October 23, 2013 by Purple Tom

[bristolbaron 10]

how many in a car? focuses arn't that big if there's rear passengers..

id probably go St24.

[beastie4126 0]

Now this is a tank http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-V70R-Estate-/131027894803?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item1e81df0213 loads of room and you can sleep in the back.

[Jim 2]

Being all sensible.. something Honda? Should run forever!

[dickie 0]

Fiat coupes can be had dirt cheap, I had a 20vt and really enjoyed owning it. They do non turbo 20v and 16v which tend to go or next to nothing.

[davidwort 0]

Fiat coupes can be had dirt cheap, I had a 20vt and really enjoyed owning it. They do non turbo 20v and 16v which tend to go or next to nothing.

He said he wants to do some big miles though, there's good reasons why old fiats are dirt cheap :)

old 3 or 5 series BMW?

[n3p 3]

X-Type. Mondeo parts, etc.

[Hofmiester 10]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1996-BMW-728I-AUTO-SILVER/131026995260?_trksid=p2047675.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D11%26meid%3D2208123929573913439%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D1005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D181238600667%26

 

Looks like the 7 series may be a good one, cheap to buy, massive and probably good to drive.

I'll likley donate the car at the end anyway so buying one that is cheap due to bad bodywork but has sound mechanicals would be the best bet.

[Hofmiester 10]

Hey folks, for all the people that pitched in some ideas.....thanks and and I finally bought a car for this challenge.

 

It is an E38 728i "Individual" which was a bespoke order from BMW in that it has the 2.8i M52 engine but with all the Sport goodies that were only available on the 740i

Total cost in 1998 = £62,000 total, total cost in 2013 = £500!

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]76673[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]76674[/ATTACH]

 

Going to paint it in Satin Black military paint, DIY job as I've always wanted to try painting a whole car

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]76675[/ATTACH]

 

Suprisingly, I've done 200 miles in it so far and everything apears to work....just has some coolant leaks (craked thermo housing) and front disks and pads are on the limit. Also needs new drivebelts as they are really worn

[joebloggsVR69 0]

What a bargain

 

I bought a G-reg 5 series a few years back for a similar rally, for a couple of hundred quid.

Starship mileage, with an auto gearbox, but it felt like driving around on a cloud.

 

Amazing what you can get these days

Edited December 13, 2013 by joebloggsVR69

[seanl82 23]

Cracking car there. :thumbleft: Unbelievable what these go for nowadays, so much car for the money its unreal.

[Jim Bowen 1]

Amazing.

[Hofmiester 10]

This one has 156K, 2 owners from new (I am no 3)

It does have some scabby bits on the bodywork which is why I'm going to re-spray and is also the dirtyest car I have ever had to sit in :)

 

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[Hofmiester 10]

I tried the clay bar on the roof and all that crap comes off easy, I've also cleaned up all the rubber bits and cleaned the interior now.

[seanl82 23]

I never look at a dirty car as a lost cause, more a chance to knock a few more quid off the asking price. Its a great feeling to take a car from a real state to an uber clean one. I now some think that if a person doesn't clean a car then they are unlikely to have kept on top of maintenance and repair work, but there are too many variables and even the most fastidiously maintained car can have deep problems. Take your chance on a bargain and if it doesn't work out, you're not majorly out of pocket.

[sexybourbon 0]

You will end up keeping it haha

[fla 9]

I tried the clay bar on the roof and all that crap comes off easy, I've also cleaned up all the rubber bits and cleaned the interior now.

 

before and after pics? (in addition to the 'before' ones above)

[Hofmiester 10]

before and after pics? (in addition to the 'before' ones above)

 

For sure! Going to be setting up a blog site for the prep and trip, help raise sponsorship etc

 

Going to decal her up like a WW2 bomber, shark teeth, dolly bird mascot and aircraft style markings :)

 

Body in satin grey (RAL 7016) and wheels in gloss black....might slam it if I get get the parts cheap enough

 

I run a design company so fun project for the team!