Who still makes a simple, well engineered car nowadays?

[smutts]

The title says it all really, I'm probably going to have to retire the Mk2 Golf GTD to a more gentle existance, I can't think of anything nowadays that would come close. £550 to buy and a head gasket halfway through our partnership bought me 8 years and 130k miles of 50mpg at 80mph of absolute solid reliability. No garages were allowed to touch it whenever possible. But it's 24 years old and a 130 mile a day commute is asking a lot, especially as parts are getting harder to get quickly.

Any good ideas, diesel of course, banger prices a necessity,  Seat Leon? Skoda? VW? 

Or post your horror stories of what not to buy!

[the caveman]

Certainly nothing VW sells in North America at the moment [yes I know you are in the UK]. That is why I need to keep my 97 GLX TDI on the road for as long as possible, but then what? I am so worried I am thinking of buying an early 90's Benz diesel and store it away until I need it ten years from now.

[bbob203]

With the way cars are now its almost worth it store a copy of what you have now away for the next decade.

[745 turbogreasel]

They are all simple and well engineered now, but yo have to use them right;
Buy new, drive 4-5 years, trash it, and get a new one.

[Dakotakid]

Doesn't Ford produce some good little cars for the European market? Or am I naive?
I don't think anything is going to run as cheaply as you were.

[theman53]

If I were to get a newer car it would be a Toyota. Believe it or not the MKIV I have is cheaper to run than all the MKi's and MKii I owned in life. The MKIV needs parts about once a year, the older stuff needed a car payment worth of parts every month.

[bajacalal]

Doesn't Ford produce some good little cars for the European market? Or am I naive?
I don't think anything is going to run as cheaply as you were.

The Ka is actually pretty terrible. But the new Fiesta, I kind of like... it's one of the few cars I've seen recently where you can get a good little car with a manual transmission, wind up windows, that's still pretty sporty and ready for pickup on a dealers lot. I think they have diesel ones in your country. The name is a huge turn-off to me though, reminds me of awful, gutless 80s econoboxes with acres of brown vinyl inside... You could probably pick up a 5 year old one, they've been around for a little while now. I've actually thought of getting a Honda Civic CNG because there are actually enough places to fill it around here, and I've grown skeptical of VW build quality.

[mystery3]

206? Polo, lupo, fiesta...I wish we had the choices you've on your hands. I love e30 wagons, the original 120d, or 116d or whatever. Did the early A3's come with tdi? I love the styling. Are you looking for new? Lease return? What age range?

[tyb525]

I'd find a nice rust-free mk2 and rebuild it basically ground up, it would be cheaper than buying new, and you'd still basically have a new car. Maybe buy a few spare parts too.

Rust free cars can be had in the western USA, I dunno about the UK.

[tyb525]

If I were to get a newer car it would be a Toyota. Believe it or not the MKIV I have is cheaper to run than all the MKi's and MKii I owned in life. The MKIV needs parts about once a year, the older stuff needed a car payment worth of parts every month.

Yes but once you replace the parts on the old car you still wouldn't have paid for the new car. And once you have the new car paid for, you'd still need to replace all the parts on it eventually too.

Obviously it only makes sense if you don't mind driving an old car.

[mystery3]

If I were to get a newer car it would be a Toyota. Believe it or not the MKIV I have is cheaper to run than all the MKi's and MKii I owned in life. The MKIV needs parts about once a year, the older stuff needed a car payment worth of parts every month.

Yes but once you replace the parts on the old car you still wouldn't have paid for the new car. And once you have the new car paid for, you'd still need to replace all the parts on it eventually too.

Obviously it only makes sense if you don't mind driving an old car.

And if you have the time to do the fixing. I love driving old cars but at this particular point in my life I can't find the hours to put in to replacing the broken bits as quickly as they break.

[theman53]

If I were to get a newer car it would be a Toyota. Believe it or not the MKIV I have is cheaper to run than all the MKi's and MKii I owned in life. The MKIV needs parts about once a year, the older stuff needed a car payment worth of parts every month.

Yes but once you replace the parts on the old car you still wouldn't have paid for the new car. And once you have the new car paid for, you'd still need to replace all the parts on it eventually too.

Obviously it only makes sense if you don't mind driving an old car.

I love the mkii, but I have more into it than I do my MKIV and I have driven the MKIV about 2x as much.

That said, I wouldn't own a new 2.0 clean diesel, I would buy a Toyota before that.

[tyb525]

And if you have the time to do the fixing. I love driving old cars but at this particular point in my life I can't find the hours to put in to replacing the broken bits as quickly as they break.

That's true. And also, I guess there are certain parts that don't break/wear out till 300,000 miles, weird little parts that are hard to find, that you wouldn't be replacing for awhile on a new car.

[tyb525]

I love the mkii, but I have more into it than I do my MKIV and I have driven the MKIV about 2x as much.

That said, I wouldn't own a new 2.0 clean diesel, I would buy a Toyota before that.

I can see the reasoning for that. I am curious, if you had put into the MKII only what was necessary to keep it running and driving good, i.e. bone stock, would you still have spent the same amount, less? (assuming your car isn't stock).

[TimpanogosSlim]

Simple, well engineered? Is Lada still making that SUV? No points for style for using a detroit crate engine but i hear it's basically bulletproof.

I'm afraid that aside from former soviet state industries i doubt there are any simple, well engineered, and new cars. Pick any two.

. :Sent by pneumatic tubes