31 Mar 09
Alfa Romeo 156, 2001
A labour of love: Alfa Romeo 156 (2001)
From the picture we got the distinct impression that this metallic blue 156 isn't going to be a paragon of reliability. It was a 2001 1.6-litre petrol with 134,000 miles on the clock, so we think first-name terms with the local mechanic will be the inevitable result. It had plenty of kit though: airbags, ABS, air con, electric windows and mirrors. It's a stylish alternative, but we suspect there may be trouble ahead.
Sporty spice: Fiat Coupe (1996)
This was lovely. The classified ad pictured a gleaming sports car that looked good to go. It had black leather seats with adjustable lumbar support, electric windows and mirrors, airbags, 15" alloys and, most importantly, a history check. The Fiat Coupe has proved to be pretty reliable and this 2.0-litre, 20-valve version might well be a winner. The West Midlands dealer put it up for around £1,500. Goodbye Nano.
Chrysler Voyager, 1998
Voyager of discovery: Chrysler Voyager LE 3.3 (1998)
Let's face it the Nano isn't going to make much sense if you and your family want a weekend away at the in-laws so you'll need an MPV. The Chrysler Voyager is largely unloved, because it's not much cop, but this offering caught our eye. With a 3.3-litre petrol lump in the engine bay, this five-door is going to be hugely expensive to run. It does, however, have the longest kit list of all the cars in this feature. You get cruise control, air con, electric mirrors and windows, a radio cassette, airbags, adjustable steering, alloys, roof rails. Great for only £1,400, but then alarms bells started to ring as we scrolled down: '174,000 miles, no MoT or logbook, needs attention'.
Got the keys to the Nano then?
Practically speaking: Vauxhall Vectra LS (2002)
This is the one-before-last Vectra and sure, it's bland, but for a modest £1,495 you'd get a seven-year-old workhorse to ferry you and your progeny around in relative comfort. The example we found had a 2-litre diesel under the bonnet and plenty of kit - CD player, alloys, air con and electric windows. Not bad. Finished in green metallic paintwork it was butt-ugly, so it's probably well worth making an offer to the Yorkshire dealer who's probably struggling to get rid.
Vauxhall Vectra, 2002
Safe option: Volkswagen Golf Mk4 SE (2000)
There aren't many Mk4 examples for this kind of money but we found a very nice 1.6-litre 16V SE for just £1,690, but with no mileage listed. The photo was very kind though - nice alloy wheels to go with metallic blue coachwork. For your money, you get a sunroof, airbags and electric windows, then we saw, right underneath this advert a photo of a fully-loaded 2000 2.3 V5 Golf Estate for £1,895. It looked great in silver - again with alloys - but with a 2.8-litre petrol rumbling insidiously under the bonnet, it'll hurt your bank balance.
