People carrier for £1,000 to £1,500

rev_henry

Mr_Thrifty wrote: »

Thanks for all the useful input and suggestions guys.

I like the ideal of the galaxy simply because of the size and practicality, although a V70 would be fine too. Interestingly, the seat alhambra looks virtually identical to the galaxy - are they made on the same production line or something? The Espace looks like a great car, but I would never buy a renault again as they seem to self-destruct after 100,000 miles (flimsy plastic, unreliable engines, etc). Fords on the other hand just never really seem to have any major problems like other brands do. And even when they do have problems, everyone knows where to get the parts and how to fix them. The VW and Toyotas look good and may be more robust but may be more expensive to run (parts/servicing)?

Any idea what kind of mpg those vehicles get? The 2.0 litre ones seem very underpowered (just 115bhp for a vehicle that size??) and I'm concerned that the 2.8/3.0 litre ones might be gas guzzlers particularly as I do many very short journeys (like 6 journeys of less than 3 miles each per day). I saw a 4WD one which looked great but again, am concerned that would just reduce the fuel economy even further. Obviously I'm not going to drive the thing like a formula 1 car, but having had very slow cars in the past, there is nothing worse than having a car full of people and luggage and crawling up a steep hill while the engine screams away at 6,000rpm. Being able to effortlessly go about your journey without having to do a michael schumacher style 10 millisecond gear change on steep hills is a big benefit.

Finally, what do you think of LPG versions? Obviously, with LPG being so much cheaper, it's very appealing on that front (if you can find one of course!), but are they prone to expensive problems?

The bottom line is, I just need a big, safe people carrier that isn't going to cost a fortune to run. Most journeys are less than 10 miles, but occasionally will do very long journeys too. Any further thoughts/suggestions? Very much appreciating all the input so far.

Er a 2.8 or 3.0 petrol will drink petrol yes. LPG would be ok as long as its been properly serviced, and that means an separate LPG service, as well as normal service history.
With regards BHP, diesels tend to have less bhp and more torque, so really aren't as slow as you might think from the bhp figure.

What about something like this?
http://www.taxi-mart.co.uk/taxis-for-sale/private/lti/fairway-driver/81608/

Ultra reliable, loads of room, will do 40mpg on a run...

atrixblue.-MFR-.

the 2.0 TDI pd engine alhambra gives about 140bhp and fuel econemy.

yes ford VW and seat share the same chassis and body on these models just rebadges and different range of engines.

blue_haddock

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

the 2.0 TDI pd engine alhambra gives about 140bhp and fuel econemy.

.

if you can get a 2.0 tdi alhambra for £1500 i'll have three please.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

blue_haddock wrote: »

if you can get a 2.0 tdi alhambra for £1500 i'll have three please.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2009-SEAT-ALHAMBRA-REFERENCE-BLACK-LPG-/320932910952?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4ab9179768

Rolandtheroadie

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2009-SEAT-ALHAMBRA-REFERENCE-BLACK-LPG-/320932910952?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4ab9179768

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/seat-alhambra-reference-2009-black-lpg-dual-cheap-to-run/103978204

blue_haddock

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2009-SEAT-ALHAMBRA-REFERENCE-BLACK-LPG-/320932910952?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4ab9179768

two main issues with that vehicle

1. Its petrol with LPG

2. it's not going to finish the auction at £1500 or anywhere close.