This thing is actually still ongoing. In the months that have passed, I've driven the W203 about 15,000 km (granted, there has been some cross-country driving) already, and it's all been smooth sailing. I did resort to some preventative maintenance, as I had the timing chain and tensioner replaced and the cam gears inspected. The M271 engine is apparently notorious for timing part wear, and the cam gears are 850 eur apiece if they wear down. Luckily, the ones on my car were still fine and didn't need to be replaced, and thanks to easy serviceability the job was reasonably priced.
Still, the realities of living on a farm have struck: we do need a beater multi-purpose vehicle that's preferably diesel and van registrable to cut down the diesel tax. While a ForFour would be amazing, it's not spacious enough for that. I'd also gladly combine this all with an opportunity to import a car from the UK just before another possible Brexit deadline: the winter meet takes place in late January and if I can get a car here before Jan 31, any valid UK MOT should be honored here as long as I get LHD headlights on it. Much in the way of the brotherly Lexus Sportcross, then.
Ideally, the vehicle would be cheap yet sturdy. Here's what I'm considering and browsing for (and trying to convince the UK Finalgearians to bring over:
Fiat Multipla JTD/CNG
Pros: It's a fucking Multipla! Even if I remove the rear seats and disable the mounts so I can get it in van plates for cheaper tax, there's still three-abreast seating up front. Super frugal too, the turbodiesel is a durable unit and there's the trick option of getting a BluPower CNG version. We have a biogas plant next door from work.
Cons: It's a fucking Multipla! As they all were FWD, understandably there's little enthusiasm to be found for bringing one to an icetrack meet. And they rust.
Average price: sub-1k
Volvo 945 DTIC
Pros: RWD straight six and often manual! The VW-sourced unit is again a durable and coveted unit, and parts are easy to source here on the Finnish west coast. Including headlights. The cars are also worth a bit more here than elsewhere, even if RHD will affect eventual resale value.
Cons: There's not that much vertical room in the cargo area, so furniture hauling is less convenient.
Average price: 1,5k
Mercedes E-Class diesel wagon
Pros: Logical counterpart to W203, but more space. Can be cheap, can be easily serviced here, can be beat up without losing much value.
Cons: All of the rust in the world, can have weird maladies that are not worth fixing up.
Average price: sub-1k
Toyota Previa/Lucida/Estima/Emina
Pros: Like a Multipla but bigger and mid-engined! Any of these will look weird and transport much, and they are either RWD or AWD.
Cons: Previas are usually petrol engined and really thirsty. The JDM versions are often diesel, but it seems they have a lot of cooling/headgasket issues which are terminal on a sub-1k car. Also, the JDM ones are more difficult to legalize here since there are no bolt-on LHD headlights for them.
Average price: sub-1k
Toyota Hilux Surf
Pros: A Hilux, but with more interior room and less bed thanks to the wagon configuration. A 4Runner in other words, but just JDM and thus funkier. Durable mechanicals, usually 3.0 turbodiesel.
Cons: More expensive than the others, at roughly double the price. Rust is always something to be considered.
Average price: over 2k
Carbodies/London Taxi International TX1/TX2/TX4
Pros: Cheap and well maintained and certainly the left-field choice. Again super durable drivetrain if you go for the Nissan diesel.
Cons: Not sure if one actually register these as vans, as they don't have a large opening tailgate. And I'd lose all the rear seating, which is the point of a London taxi... Slowness isn't really an issue, as long as I can reach highway speeds.
Average price: sub-1k
Have I missed anything?
