Philip Chidlow wrote:Enterprise won't let you take their cars out of the UK. OK if I was considering a trip to Wales for instance (but then again I'd take the ZX!) but not for a trip to France. Or have I misunderstood?
I'm not aware of any such limitations, as far as I was aware you can take them where you want as long as you return them? They have never put any restrictions on any of the ones I've hired. In ref. to insurance we use our own company insurance and get a much cheaper rate, but you can hire themon Enterprise' insurance.
Kevan
1997 Mercedes C230 W202
2003 Land Rover Discovery Series 2 Facelift TD5 - Daily driver / hobby days and camping.
1993 Land Rover Discovery 200tdi Series 1 3 door - in need of TLC
2020 Fiat Panda 4x4 Cross Twin Air.
I can and will get clarification re car hire... Cos it seems like you should be able to take a car and return it as you say.insurance and recovery cover might be the sticking point.
As for a petrol car I'm already looking at petrol cars as an option. People might well warn me off but I am particularly attracted to an MG ZT-T estate. I think they look great. I'd even consider a V6 as opposed to the obvious CDTi option. (Runs and hides )
That MG is not bad looking externally. Personally I absolutely hated the interiors... must be just a personal thing but mainly the white dial instrumentation. Don't like white dials, don't like white dials, etc etc. Funny thing is traditional creamy white light with black dials is fine. Green is the lowest level (colur) light for visibility at night (handy green LEDs were the cheapest to make) then white. Having a white dial kind of crackers your night vision ability, pretty much regardless of lighting colour, I don't get it. Even worse on a bike.
Unfortunately some of the best instrumentation is perhaps a little boring but it is just so much easier to use and unobtrusive. The japs though just loved that Rover 75, well I suppose it shows as I regard the Nissan Juke as the ugliest car currently on sale. Weird design, looks great from side, front etc but it is a 2D car just does not work in 3D, it happens sometimes with design.
I know where there's a tidy 307 1.6hdi estate on a 05 plate, owned by my pug mechanic mate for £1000, only issue is its just had a new bumper and tailgate as it had a very light rear shunt so is showing on register.
Fair enough Phil - TBH I would worry that something unforeseen would happen! It's never left me stranded in 130k miles, so I'm probably on borrowed time...
I'm actually having a bit of a dilemma too, about which vehicle to take for a French trip next year. But I'll keep that to my blog rather than drag this off topic.
Having just come back from a fairly gruelling 500-odd mile round trip I have to say the ZX is pretty darned good. Didn't hold the horses (those few that are available ) and did the first half at an average of around 60mph and 47.8 mpg. Haven't worked out what it did on the return but I think it was about the same economy if not speed (someone having an accident on the M11 put paid to any hopes of a similar speed average).
Phil - How about a 1996-2006 Ford Galaxy, Seat Alhambra or VW 'Sharon' - Basically the same vehicle - with trim differences and some engines being unique to each brand. The diesel had the VW 1.9IDI engine.
Did consider but I've gone off people carriers for now. They do tend to have had hard lives too. I want an estate and have, wisely or not, got fixated on the MG ZT...
ZT/T are a great car, stupidly cheap, but buy a (BMW powered) diesel and strangley enough an auto as the manual suffers with clutch/flywheel issues. The 1.8T is ok if the headgaskets been done but the turbos can let go aswell.
The V6 is a hoot but are juicy and headgaskets alsocan be a pain.
Im going to be after something like this in 2014. Maybe around April/May. So if you hear of one that might be coming up for sale (must be good and not a project) let me know
ZX update. Feeling rather left out (seeing as I have no BX!) by all the frenzied pre-NEC activity. I have to hand it to you guys, it's all looking like it'll be a memorable weekend.
On the subject of BX's although my good wifey and I are keen to get a family estate with a few comfortable touches etc. We would quite happily settle for a BX TZD turbo estate (assuming it was a good one) and it occurs to me that, for considerably less that the £1,650 or so I might have to pay for an MG ZT-T or whatever, we could find a very nice one indeed should there be the choice. There's the rub. Finding one...