OK random change of direction for me..
Called a local ad for a Jeep Cherokee 1999, 2.5 Diesel. Seems like a genuine old farmer guy (yeah, yeah, you can never totally tell - but this guy doesn't even use banks he is that much of an old farmer - he said he buries money in his land - said it with a straight face).
I know immediately a few of you (PO) will say go for the 100000 litre petrol version instead, but I can't justify the running cost. Now, the only reason I am looking at this one is the running cost seems to be the same if not a little worse than my 1.8 petrol Mondeo, so I'm not loosing too much MPG. I also have wanted a 4x4, just to 'tick off the list' kind of thing. It also has a tow bar, which would enable me to collect the bus. It is also cheaper than anything else of that age and spec (about 1k cheaper compared to other Cherokees!).
The farmer guy doesn't need the money, he has loads of classic cars that he plays with and didn't even know his ad was still running in the local papers. Took it for a drive, gave it a good look over and it is in very good condition with 120k on the clock.
It's got two leaky injectors from what I can tell, but I THINK it's just the over-flow pipes that need replacing. I've found some other injectors for the VM diesel engine for 60 quid from a local scrappy just incase. Started cold, no smoke, quick start up. Water is under maximum, but he said no matter how many times he tops it up to maximum, it will go down to half way, then not move. I took it for a drive, left it idling for a while, looked at the water and it hadn't moved.
Need to check a few bits out tomorrow, but there is a good chance I'll get it
I'm thinking:
*This helps get the bus back
*Gets me back on the road
*I can use it as trade-in part-ex when I do see a Mondeo that I like (as Mondeo is still top of the list due to size/MPG ratio). Even if they give me under market value (about 2.2-2.5k for that Cherokee), I'll still be up as I'm getting it for a deal - tell you more later.
*If it's any good, I might keep it