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Theoretically, what car would you pick for wafting up and down the UK's motorways and A roads in absolute comfort?
Criteria ;
£5k budget
Cruise control
Reliable
Easy to buy with minimal mechanical knowledge
Room for a bike (with wheels off if necessary)
90s boxy style.
Merc, jag, bimmer - stuff like that...
big Citroen - very wafty
That sounds like a Volvo estate
Volvo estate
BMW engined Rover 75.
a well looked after, petrol auto BMW 7 series would be my choice for regular motorway trips, if thats the only type of use. If usage was to be more varied then the 5 series
I feel we need to know the acceptable maximum 0-60 time of your potential waftmobiles. It appears this is very important we have all recently learnt.
Put some pics with your recommendations 😉
Unless it's a jag, I want angular aesthetics 🙂
I feel we need to know the acceptable maximum 0-60 time of your potential waftmobiles. It appears this is very important we have all recently learnt.
So long as I can safely pass lorries on the A9, I'm happy 😇
Lexus LS400
Get a Jag
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Volvo V70 max 2006year. SE with the upgraded radio. 2.4 170hp non turbo petrol for simplicity.
Ours does/did the annual run down to Perpignan in one hit in utter comfort with the dog happily snoozing in the back.
Hmm that lexus looks goooood....
Reliability? Given my previous old car (mk1 caddy) I need something that ain't gonna break down constantly (hypothetically)
Skoda Superb 170 Tdi elegance, based on owning the 4x4 version for four years.
Loads of room, well built ( much nicer than the Octavia), reliable- only failure was a central locking switch. Very comfortable over a long distance, drove from Herefordshire to Poolewe in a day on three or four occasions. Still had 1/4 tank of fuel at Inverness. The elegance trim gives cruise, good stereo, leather interior, heated seats etc. etc. Not 90’s but certainly boxy
Non 4x4’s are in your price bracket
Reason it's gotta be old and boxy is that I've already got a caddy maxi, which does a perfect job. I just want to scratch a 90s itch!
I <span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">want angular aesthetics</span>
Vauxhall Carlton or Senator Gsi3000 24v?
I know someone who had a Senator a few years ago, very well built for a 90’s mainstream vehicle and very comfortable ride and interior. The police used them for years so they must be tough?
BMW engined Rover 75.
I had a 75 for a while, needed an auto car as my motorbike or clutched cars were out after a minor miscalculation at BPW,. Had an auto diesel, didn't so much waft as oooze. Loved that car though, made me chuckle everytime I drove it.
Nothing but nothing is waftlier!
Austin 3 litre.
Nothing but nothing is waftlier!
£585 VED????
Mondeo?
Just looked up on How many left- there appear to be more Austin 3litres left on the road than Senator 24v’s. 30 vs 8. So perhaps not so tough after all
.
Old roller?
Having seen your maintainance on the previous caddy via the medium of Instagram
Lease a new car and make it angular with some cardboard
Waft factor 999, plus its cooler than literally any car Jaguar or BMW have ever made. I will not be taking further questions at this time.
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/auctions/1993-citroen-xm-30-v6-R8G02g
You've set me off now...
"typical Jaguar electrical gremlins" is probably the key wording in this ad, but still.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184783356191?hash=item2b05f2411f:g:7l4AAOSwaxlgmDME
The best wafter I've ever driven was my old 2.2 mondeo. Comfy, spacious, and at 70mph in top gear it was basically idling. You might be thinking, mk3 mondeos aren't very boxy, well WRONG! I crashed it into the back of a VW and turned the front end completely rectangular.
Volvo 850 T5 ftw! Very wafty…
Get real guys, he needs this. I nearly bought it so it must be good. Full 1950's waft with 1990 components and free entry to places like Ascot and Henley
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1314024
Rover 800 (not a Montego)
Boring choice but as above Mondeo Estate. Comfy, relatively efficient on fuel, You can probably fit the shed in the back. Never owned one but they've been our works pool cars through various interactions for the last 15 years. People, kit, motorways, site roads, no bother. Just sit back in the velour seats and calmly cruise to wherever.
My longest trip in one to the far side of Germany and back in a week with 3 days on site in the middle. The car just worked, no hassle, no surprises and not burned out on arrival.
Edit: it'll swallow a bike wheels on. Can probably get a tandem in the boot it's that big.
Is Wafty a thing on pistonheeds or is it literally a new thing tonight? I love it, beautiful definition.
CX Loadrunner if you could still get one...
ls400 all day long. just look at it
Honda Goldwing
It's basically a car, and a wafty one at that.
and that's the colour to have ^^^
Actually.
I can't match a load runner.
6wheels
Something French
big 608 Peugeot
Citroen
Or the ultimate wafting machine a jag
Boxy waftiness that makes economic sense Mondeo
But an LS400 for true boxy waft really.
My boss had a late 90s 7 series loads of irritating faults towards the end iirc.
Not so angular but S-Type Jag fits wafty and very 90s!
Caterham, obviously.
Wafty not windy. Der.
£585 VED????
Has the benefit that for those who complain that as a cyclist you shouldn't be on the road as you don't pay road tax you can tell them to get out of your way in their diesel (it's always a diesel) as you pay more than them.
For the OP there's nothing boxy and reliable you can buy from the 90's with minimal mechanical knowledge. The Lexus above is the prefect though especially in Jewish racing gold. A Volvo 940 SE saloon is the waftiest car I've owned but they're far too expensive now. Saab 9-5's are very comfortable and cheap, but don't really waft.
Toyota Crown for wafty weirdness for JDM
Mazda Xedos 9 for wafty curvy 90s or how about Honda Legend.?
Some excellent suggestions. Lexus currently in number 1 position... surprised there's been no mercs suggested - aren't they the million mile cars of choice swanning around west africa?? surely something like this must be a goer?
this is an approximation of my current vehicle - a mondeo will not be sat alongside it on my drive!
6K gets you a lot of Deutsche Waft in an A8 via Autotrader
Quattro, filthy diesel, even a W12 long version for back seat waftery and crucially available in Jewish Racing Gold.
The LS430 I had was the best and waftiest car I have ever owned. As long as the air suspension is OK, everything else was pretty cheap to work on as it is Toyota parts.
Oh and that bonkers citroen 6 wheeler - chec out http://www.thejoyofcx.co.uk/index.php?page=home
My favourite car for big mile trips was my rover 620si just comfortable. Loved that car. Mind you it was the late 90s
Mondeo 2.0L TDCI estate. Titanium X spec. You should be able to get a 2012 or newer with under 80k for your budget. Very comfy on the motorway. Reliable and the few known issues are well understood by the indie Ford specialist mechanics and much cheaper to fix than BMWs, VWs, Jags etc.
Doesn't tick the 90s style criteria
I think that the OP mentioned reliable? I had 3 XM V6 over about 10yrs and 2 were reliable. One, the least reliable car I have ever owned. However they were all the waftiest things ever!
Waft factor 999, plus its cooler than literally any car Jaguar or BMW have ever made. I will not be taking further questions at this time
Honda Goldwing
It’s basically a car, and a wafty one at that.
Mine looks like this, not like a car but is wafty.
So the OP wants 90's ish.
Maybe it's my age as I passed my test in '89 but late 80s and early 90s car interiors almost make be feel a bit bilious! Earlier car interiors (thinking 60s and most of 70s) I like - some good styling and some so basic and rustic that they are good because they are crap kind of way. 90's cars almost feel like a really bad version of current cars - not retro enough to be cool and not new enough to function particularly well!
Range rover?
Mercs are classic waft-mobiles and cruise up the motorway without breaking a sweat. Even more importantly you'll still be able to walk when you reach your destination as the seats are supportive unlike the marshmallow stuffed torture devices used in french motors 😉
There's the classic beige leather and wood trimmed E class estate:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104161426116?model=E%20CLASS&radius=200&include-delivery-option=on&make=MERCEDES-BENZ&body-type=Estate&body-type=Coupe&sort=relevance&price-to=6000&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&postcode=sa54nf&advertising-location=at_cars&page=1
But for proper waft you want the car inspired by speedboat curves & style as there's a few CLS in your price range also available, with monster Petrol V8s possible:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105112477079?model=CLS&radius=200&include-delivery-option=on&make=MERCEDES-BENZ&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&body-type=Coupe&body-type=Estate&sort=relevance&advertising-location=at_cars&postcode=sa54nf&price-to=6000&page=1
Boring as f*** but vectra diesel estate (120hp is powerful enough) - can be had for a grand or less - enormous boot - no need to remove wheels if the rear seats are down.
£585 VED????
Wowzers, I know there's an era of car that got hit hard by retrospective emission based VED rules, I guess that's one of them.
Wowzers, I know there’s an era of car that got hit hard by retrospective emission based VED rules, I guess that’s one of them.
There's a £600 band too......
That's 2001-2017 though. Anything >1.55l before that is £280
The Lexus above is the prefect though especially in Jewish racing gold.
Lexuses (Lexii?) have to be in two-tone for me:
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But - how about a Toyota Crown? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265140692701?hash=item3dbb9de6dd:g:I7kAAOSwdDZgiWH4
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I really want that CLS superlightstu linked above. No idea what I'd do with it though, just start it up on the drive and listen to it occasionally!
A former boss of mine had one, it was amazing to waft at light speed in. Although he did tell me once it devalued by £25k EACH YEAR he had it!! (He had it 4 years from new)
Something with a Japanese brand badge on, Camry?
YES Toyota Crown!
Or how about the last hydrapneumatic suspension car Citroen produced, the pinnacle of the design.
Citroen C5 with hydramatic 3. These are actually very sought after by those in the know.
that toyota is beautiful 😍
Or see if you can find a Toyota Century
https://www.handh.co.uk/auction/lot/117-1997-toyota-century-v12/?lot=4633&sd=1
This Citroen XM looks good for £3.5k
My grandad used to have an estate version, but haven't seen any of those on the road or for sale in a while
Surely the obvious choice here is a Volvo 850/V70 from the mid-late 90's (as mentioned above), preferably the T5 variant? My 'S' Reg V70 2.5 was wafty as you like, and frankly they just look so effortlessly cool.
Not fast by today's standards mind, but honestly if you're buying a Volvo then all out speed probably doesn't even feature on the priority list.
"Jewish Racing Gold"
"Deutsche Waft" (maybe even better as a single word Deutschewaft)
I love this thread.
Lexus is the way to go. I have a 2010 IS250 and it is the best built and most comfortable car I have had. It is harder to watch TV than sit on the motorway in the heated & cooled leather seats with the cruise control on and the AC working perfectly.
C6 for waft. I had a Xantia and it was sublime at wafting. Merc various. Left field choice VW Phatoen
As much as I love old Citroens, the suspension is a serious liability as they start to age. All the seals, spheres, high pressure pipework etc. etc...
When it's working, it is absolutely sublime thought. The couple of BX's I've owned were the best cars I've ever had for a long motorway journey at, er, 90's and early 2000's motorway speeds.
I've already sent you all these on WhatsApp but thought the group might enjoy them-
£5kish for a very nice condition car WITH A V12! Looks at home plonked outside one's pile in the Cotswolds.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124698780532?hash=item1d08a06374:g:mMcAAOSw0L5gYf2p
Reliable you say? Also very cool, partly because it's massive and has only 2 doors.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/353485510815?hash=item524d60d89f:g:F1sAAOSwULpgAbqr
The waftiest cars I've owned were a mk2 Cavalier (yes, really) and a Nissan QX V6 (their Lexus clone).
Wouldn't recommend either TBH, but if I had £5k to spend on a car I'd go for as modern a saloon/estate as I could. Not just for reliabilty but modern cars seem quite wafty to me anyway, in feeling more isolated from the road.
Something like a Skoda Superb or Vauxhall Insignia (seem good value) maybe.
Italian Busso Engined Potential Liability 12mpg is what a mate gets from his.
not a Jaaaaag. Expect a lottery of errors, flashing lights and perilous electrical malevolence at any moment. Fun when they work.
V8? Check, Mile eater? Check So you think a Jag's badly put together?
Or not reliable but very cool (sadly the much cooler 164 is out of budget)
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https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203445336874?hash=item2f5e497b2a:g:CWoAAOSwU1pggzmB
Or get the budget bumped for a Granada-
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https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333991209976?hash=item4dc36d6bf8:g:454AAOSwLW5glAPs
Got it...
Nissan QX
Or Nissan Moreno
I have owned a GS, CX, BX,and Xantia , the hydraulic systems were the easiest parts to
work on , it is reliable uses non corrosive oil and when the suspension sinks it protects
the hydraulic suspension rams , the only special tool that is useful is a decent sphere wrench,
change the system oil and clean the filters and it is good for decades.
Colleague had a Phaeton was a very impressive wafter - double glazed windows and all, Lexus a good choice
too , Mercedes S class are OK but lots goes wrong, another colleague runs them , E class does 90% of the job
and goes wrong a bit less but they do have a lot of expensive known issues.