So a Magazine told me the world will end on June 6th 2006 and we're still hear and the picture box told me some dyke would be President but our President is some dude with orange skin the only thing you can trust is your self.
I'm talking about reputable magazines or buyer guide websites (Auto Świat (Polish version of Auto Bild), Honest John, etc.)
Actually I have heard plenty of stories about PSA's TU series engine (found in just about any Peugeot and Citroen from 1986 to 2014, including the Citroen AX, Citroen Saxo, Peugeot 205, Peugeot 106, Peugeot 206, etc..). It seems those engines are damn near indestructible, and run well into the 300,000 km mark without major issues. They also have decent torque despite the low power outputs, and return good fuel consumption it seems.
Except that the Corolla has more space, is faster and safer. --- Post updated --- Tell me what is wrong with Auto Świat or Honest John? Because from what I know, they are full of people who know the used car trade through and through.
hmm.. you cant really make anything wrong with toyotas when it comes to reliability. a normal starlet might work. very cheap cars. and you can get decent ones for under 1k iirc. mk1 yaris could also work but that thing has a horrible dashboard
Tell me what is wrong with A The Corolla has the same stuff, but in a more optimally-sized package. Smaller and less expensive than the Carina, but more comfortable than the Starlet.
Well, i'm talking about an engine here, not a specific car. There were amazingly well built cars that used the TU engine, and there were also hilariously unsafe tin cans on wheels that used it aswell. I love the corolla, however for my price range all I can find are E80 and E90 corolllas, which are too "thirsty" for me (most of them are carbureted), not to mention the Corolla is too big, despite how much I love those cars To be completely honest with you I'm not too worried about safety. The only safe car is one that doesn't run, after all. I'd rather invest the already small ammount of money I have on a reliable and efficient car without having to worry about getting an expensive new car with more safety features that only pay off in the case of a high speed accident.
I have a TU5JP4 (1.6 16V) engine in my C3, fuel consumption is in the 6-7l/100km range without trying at all. What might put you off is the 5 speed manual that PSA used at the time. The throws are long and the whole thing feels rubbery with a sometimes hard to engage reverse on top of all that, but after a while I got used to it.
Imagine a Peugeot 106 or something being there... TOTAL ANNIHILATION!!! Well, I can't see the good option among TU-engined cars. The 80s and early 90s ones are reliable, but hilariously unsafe. The late 90s ones are acceptably safe, but unreliable. Choose your hell. Also, you might wanna consider the 1.4 VW Polo/Seat Ibiza/Cordoba, or 1.3 Toyota Starlet. They're very reliable, and IIRC they're more spacious and safer than the PSA competitors.
I've played around with those PSA transmissions before, to be fair I don't have a problem with how it feels, considering the only car I drive regularly is a Kia Cee'd. Anything is a step up from that, quality wise I've heard the gear ratios are quite short, though that might be beneficial for low speed driving as the engines aren't exactly torque monsters
Late 90s Peugeot-Citroen cars can be quite reliable. Saxos and 106s are known to run well into the 300,000km mark without major issues. Things get complicated when you get more luxurious and expensive cars, like the Citroen BX (made until 1994), Citroen Xantia etc. which use more complex tech, but I won't be buying one of those anyway
Though a Polo or Starlet would be safer and more spacious. --- Post updated --- Comparison of similar-vintage Corolla, Polo and Saxo crash tests: - Corolla - - Polo - - Saxo - Yeeah...
The ratios are pretty spot on for city driving (4th gear can be used above 47 km/h). But the 5th gear is quite short so at 90 km/h the engine is doing about 2500 RPMs.
Another car wich is sometimes available for under a 1000 euros is a mk1 skoda octavia theyre reliable good looking and safe wich is why we had it as our family car