European road trip

[thewhitesheep]

hi all,

i am planning a European road trip this year, through France and Italy some 4000 miles but want to use something "different" (ie not my 2005 passat) to do it in, has to have 4 seats (going through wine country so space needed!) and be (within reason) reliable and fun to drive.

any ideas?

if youve done this, what did you do it in and what advice do can you give me? i have some mechanical skill but its a bit limited!

thanks in advance!

[Grumpy Northener]

Not done that a long a trip before but classic car wise - 4 seats - comfortable - keeps up with modern traffic - and space for the purchases / luggage along the way ? - You will have to go a long way to beat the Rover P6

[kevin]

P6 would be a great choice or even a nice jaguar?
Whatever you choose, my advice would be to get it asap so you can use it, get it deep serviced and fettled.
Good luck

Kev

[Luxobarge]

Not done that a long a trip before but classic car wise - 4 seats - comfortable - keeps up with modern traffic - and space for the purchases / luggage along the way ? - You will have to go a long way to beat the Rover P6

That's a good shout IMO, whatever engine size you went for.

We really need to know what sort of budget you might be looking at, and in what way you want it to be "different".

However, a little smaller than the P6 and very reliable and full of character would be a Volvo Amazon. Great cars.

Almost any 4-seater Jaguar would be cool too, but again it all depends on budget, for example I'd recommend taking a £3k Rover P6 but not a £3k Jaguar unless you intend to do most of the trip on the back of a transporter. A £10-15k Jaguar on the other hand, and you'd be fine (probably).

Edit: wrote this before Kevin posted above - great minds think alike eh?
Cheers!

[JPB]

Volvo 120 or 140 series also get my vote. I did the North Cape run in a (B20-engined) 142S and its heater was ultimately what made it stand out from the stuff that a lot of fellow club members were using for the trip, but that wouldn't matter where the O/P plans to go.
Either a 120 or a 140 may well be only as large as a P6 on the outside but both have loads more space for occupants and luggage. I have no idea how comfortable the rear seats are in a P6 because I don't fit into the back of one unless the front seat is as far forward as it goes.
If you want quiet, smooth and economical cruising, an A60 or similar mid-sized BMC would be a good choice too, and they're much quieter inside at speed than either of the Volvo mentioned. I haven't been to the edge of the world in one of those but regularly travelled from Windsor to Aberdeen (and back after my days off), in my Oxford VI, in a oner with no issues at all. That was a stock, 1622cc petrol one mind, I'm not sure that the 1500 Diesel would be quite so refined as they have an awful buzz from the gearchange and steering column areas at around 60mph.

[suffolkpete]

The Rover P6 is a more comfortable drive than the BMC Farina, though I think the load carrying capacity of the latter is better, but if you want to carry a large load, how about a big Citroen? No matter what the load, it stays dead level. A CX, BX or XM in Turbo Diesel form would be fast an economical and if it goes wrong you can get it fixed locally. Whatever you end up with though, the important thing is to give it plenty of use before you go in order to tease out all the faults.

[rich.]

ford transit or bedford ca?

[Murray]

How about a more modern classic such as a Vauxhall Senator, Audi 100/200 or even a Rolls Royce which is certainly different.
Although its been mentioned a nice jaguar xj saloon would be nice.

[arceye]

I'm going to put a vote in for a jaguar too. I'd suggest a XJ40 type, preferably with the 4.0 litre engine. I'm even going to go out on a limb and suggest different to our esteemed Mr Luxo, and say that sub 3 grand can buy an XJ 40 and prep it ready to munch those miles.

I ran a £1000 Daimler Jag lwb XJ40 a couple or so years ago (admittedly possibly as many as 5 years now) and it proved most reliable if a little deadly in snow, and they are very competent once the wrinkles are ironed out. Mine needed a fuel sender unit, front wheel bearings, and a couple of brake pipes, and it was good for 1000+ mile round trips even in sub zero temperature, though after a nasty incident involving a blizzard, black ice, a big hill, and getting stuck on the wrong side off the A9 north of Inverness one new years eve I stopped driving ours and swapped it for an impreza in fairness it was probably the only time I was genuinely so scared that I thought myself, the wife, and kids actually had a good chance of not making it out alive but even the 4x4's were grinding to a halt that night.

So, yes, perhaps avoid one for Artic conditions, should do the job in this case though

[tractorman]

From the "wine country" bit, I would suggest a large estate car is essential (or, as Rich says, a Transit!). I'd be looking at a Volvo (eg a 245) or, as Pete says, a big Citroen (knowing that, if it broke down, a French garage will be able to repair it).

A teacher I knew (about 25 years ago) had just come back from a trip to France in his beloved Citroen. He said the only snag was that he needed a headlight bulb and asked, in French for a Citroen headlamp bulb (without correct French pronunciation of Citroen). He said the garage owner was wondering why he wanted a headlamp bulb for a lemon! I suggested that he was correct with his pronunciation - and was unpopular for a while (he loved that car!). That's when I learnt not to annoy your IT teacher - and make good backup copies of your work!