The ultra-small cheap car club.

kitchpoo

alastairq wrote: »

does anybody remember the original Daihatsu Charades?

They did a 3 cylinder diesel version, which was advertised as being able to achieve 100 mpg's.

not been a lot like it since?

I remember the Charade, but more for the 1.0 GTti 100bhp version - mental for a 1.0 car!

There are still 3cyl. diesels out there getting good MPG, but way out of the budget for the OP

Hyundai Accent 1.5D springs to mind and I think some of the diesles in the Aixam range are 2 cyl diesel!


As for the OP, So essentially you are looking for a weight saving car around £600 max..... Citroen AX should be lightest mainstream production and the diesel the highest mpg. But there are a few others to consider -

Original Citroen 2CV, light (canvas roof and thin metalwork), but at the price/age it may be more rust and holes than bodywork

Daewoo Matiz 1.0 Petrol - a bit newer and parts a bit more plentiful

Nissan Micra 1.0 - Good build quality and reliability

Toyota Starlet - as above

alastairq

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm

gives a useful insight into what is available, and the faults generally found....Nissan Micra isn't quite the reliable little motor people think.....lots of issues there...

tomstickland

TBH I don't care about mechanicals on cheap and plentiful cars, I fix them myself and as long as the scrap yards are full of them parts are cheap.

BillScarab

What about the original Panda? Should be able to get one of those for your budget and should be cheap to run and economical.

e.g. the second one in this list