The Dark Wob

Skoda Roomster.

Looks crap but fairly big inside yet reasonably compact.
The diesel goes well on the motorway.

I feel that I may have taken this question too literally so if rampant rust and thirst are prerequisites then a VW T2 fits the bill, along with glacial acceleration and the cross wind stability of a paper bag.

Peugeot 205/ 306

+1 for the 205, never had a 306 so I can't really comment on them.

A slightly bigger 205...

A Radio Flyer with the handle on backwards.

I would say an XJ, but a Series 1-3. Trouble is, they're a beautiful thing but they're too fragile and rot prone. Daily use would ruin it very quickly - think of an X300 only ten times worse.

Big nineties Kraut tin. They weren't chucked together by a bolshy workforce from Lucas bits. So really, an Audi A6 or A8 with the V8 our an E32/E38, again with V8 power. A 740i takes some beating.

Too big?

An A4 Avant with quattro, automatic and the 2.8 V6.

Oh, and fuck fuel economy. Have the car you want and man up at the pumps.

CLINT wrote: ↑Tue Jan 14, 2020 9:47 amPeugeot 205/ 306

Well, it beats a Rover R8 I guess.

190E. Not quite future-proof (but could easily be with a few selected NOS spares) but timelessly anodyne and a great balance between driver and front passenger - seperate heating controls, airy interior, compliant handling. Crap in the back but I can't afford a chauffeur anyway. Not too big or stupidly small, good looking 3 box shape. Mine is getting completely re-bushed once the inevitable jacking point repairs are done - having endured a 10 year old Focus for most of the winter I really appreciate how right a well-engineered 80s design can be.

I've had mine 10 years/70,000 miles and it might be bottom of the range but it is a better car than the W124s I had. Maybe a 2.6 version would be worth trying but I like the balance of the four-pot.

I remember a What Car? Group test in about 1982, where they say a modern 2.0 executive car is all the car anyone could ever need.
100mph, 25 mpg, all modern luxuries like cloth seats and a laminated screen etc... I think it was 2.0 Granny , 2000 Sd1 , Renault 20 or maybe a 505.
I still think that something like that would be a great all rounder, maybe a 10 year newer diesel Audi 100 or Merc W124.
Logic would say a Berlingo or Kangoo or some utilitarian shit like that, but then why not a 2CV , R4 or Model T ?
There's a reason people love Golfs too, they just do everything you could reasonably expect a car to do, I rented a 1.5 TSi automatic in Spain in the summer and couldn't really fault it 150kmh cruising with 4 adults and luggage it still managed 40 odd mpg , I suggested to Mrs getting a Golf for her when we returned, her response " Fuck off, I'm not that old and boring yet!"

I'll stick with my 21st Century equivalent of a 2.0 Granada ( or Merc' 190) my e220 Cdi.

Dozens of cars come close to those criteria, as has been mentioned the Benz 190, Saab 95/96 V4, Volvo 140 series, Volvo 240 series, Saab 9000, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord , Benz W124, if Junkman was about he'd be telling us we're all talking bollocks and refer us to something American...