Car choice: A car for kayaking?

David Perry needs a car that is cheap to run, including insurance, yet also large enough for his regular kayaking trips

Cheap, economical and roomy – what’s not to like about the Astra? (Vauxhall)

A car for the head

As anyone who has ever tried to get a kayak into a car will know, it is almost impossible. Indeed, the best place to put one is on the roof. Therefore a long roof would be handy – plus a roof rack. As we all know, estate cars have kayak-friendly roofs. A cheap-to-run example would be a Vauxhall Astra. These are reliable and easy to fix, and many come with a small and economical petrol engine. We found a two-owner 2006 1.4 Life with a year’s MOT for £1,250. It even had a service history.

A Citroen would tick all the boxes for David’s needs (Citroen)

A car for the heart

I do think that the Astra is the perfect compromise and should be the cheapest small estate car to buy and run. However, there is also a compact people carrier which has a sizeable roof and bags of room for all David’s kayaking gear. The Citroen Xsara Picasso is a wonderfully versatile vehicle that is around in large numbers and is very cheap indeed. The petrol 1.6 variants on the Picasso theme would be cheap to insure and return a creditable 42mpg. So they may be worth considering. A 2004 Desire model, described as outstanding, that I located is up for just £1,090. That might be the perfect option.

If you would like James Ruppert to help with your car choice, email james@freecarmag.com. For more motoring views visit freecarmag.com