AUDI 80 1.9 TDi 5dr (1993)

Bit dull to drive but supremely reliable

You'll never get an Audi 80 for the fun experience of it, but if you've outgrown wanting a go kart for a car, and are instead looking for low repair bills and long term reliability, then it's perfect really. I got it on a tip off from a golf buddy who had one for about 15 years. The one I got had 100 thousand miles on the clock, and I paid about five grand in 2004. I've since doubled the miles on the clock and it's still pretty much tight as a drum. How many cars can you say that about??

The repairs have been pretty minimal. The front tyres go pretty quickly, probably the heavy galvanised steel body and chunky engine etc. But that bodywork has also proved very reliable. It's had some work on shocks and things, but those have been very spaced out over the years and I've bought the parts myself through a local breaker, keeping the costs down. I'm under no illusions about selling this thing on, so I can do everything on the cheap.

Like I say it's dull to drive, the steering is a bit vague, hard to really tell what it's doing. You get accustomed to it eventually, but even now it's hardly engaging to drive. The Audi 80 just isn't that sort of car though, it gets you from A to B in reliable comfort, doesn't try to impress any other way.

The fuel economy is brilliant. It's a pretty old car but my Audi 80 still returns over 50 mpg, and if I'm doing long boring drives it'll give back a bit more than that.