OT-ish DIY-friendly cars

Presumably Thule et al make roof bars for Jags?

Get a Transit. Car drivers are poofs.

Bill

You can apparently get an upright piano into the back of a London Taxi, and they run on used chip oil quite happily.

Owain

I would not be surprised to see a heavy extra charge for using diesels in London in the next year or two (and other cities too).

Not in the next year or two - the ULEZ is likely to come in in 2020. The consultation period's already closed.

A Mercedes E class estate copes with most of my requirements, although I did need a pair of roof bars to carry some 3m x 1m steel roofing sheets recently. Depending upon the engine you choose, 0-62 in 8.8 to 4.2 seconds, with combined fuel consumption from 60.1 mpg to 28.3 mpg respectively.

I suspect it may be a case of "pick any two" of those requirements.

A grey imported Subaru Legacy GT-B twin turbo fits some of the requirements rather well I found - large estate with plenty of load capacity and roof rails for decent roof bars etc. Four wheel drive and best part of 300 bhp to play with without looking like a boy racer machine. Only you won't like the fuel economy!

A mate has a Toyota Previa - again massive load capacity and practicality.

The old London Taxis already fail the PCO requirements for emissions for licencing a vehicle as a taxi, which is why there are lots available very cheaply.

Owain

Nocturnal and heterosexual activities in the car park suggests that statement is at least partially erroneous.

Owain

Lots of cars fit some of those requirements. If you want to be a bit strange, how about a Honda N-box.

NT

Go the whole hog and get a Nissan Cube (that thing with asymmetric windows).

Sounds like you need a Skoda! Brian

Yes though I don't think the mattress in the back is one of the conventional options. Brian

but, I am told, that was the great attraction of the original Mini van.

Isn't it simpler just to have a CD player though?

Certainly the wind is blowing against diesels and, compounding that, petrol engines seem to have developed enormously in the past few years. So diesels would seem a bad buy in the long term, although there are some good lease deals.

Kinda saw that one coming Bill! Not sure the wife would appreciate a few hours on the motorway in a transit though.

Avoid anything French. You need special tools left right and centre. Changing light bulbs on one model of a Renault Clio means dismantling the front of the car. Neighbours Megane people carrier suddenly blacked out its entire instrument panel - £400.

The only French car I would have considered in earlier years would have been a peugeot 405 or 406. They seem to resist rust better than a dagenham dustbin.

Korean made cars are impressively well protected against road salt. All the bolts and fixings seem to be cadmium plated.

An Octavia RS Estate might fit the bill quite well... and embarrass a few more expensive performance cars into the bargain (they do a 220bhp, sub 7 second 0-60 version)