Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Sanity check needed as i think i'm developing ULEZ anxiety. Current car is a 93 Saab 900 Turbo, good and bad aspects listed below. I've found someone to restore the bodywork and will need to put down a deposit shortly for work that could total £5k. Plan was to keep it in London with minimal use but a bad back and home DIY work has left me wanting a car that i can use more locally without giving it too much thought (within reason). Since ULEZ has kicked in i've only used it once for an out of London trip but using it so infrequently might not be the best for keeping it ticking over (just ordered a cover as i discovered the interior had got pretty damp during the rain storms).

My question is what alternatives might be out there that would offer at least some of what i have already? Current budget in mind probably £7k max.

Brief
ULEZ compliant with decent omissions (petrol only?)
Good mpg
Good loading and probably 5 door
Air con
Low maintenance/running costs
Character with some ability to personalise (Yeti?)

Current car

Good
Low fuel costs (due to usage, mpg ok not great)
Amazing loading capacity for the size
Almost zero running costs thanks to mechanic dad and well stocked for spares/consumables
Has passed emissions tests without issue for the 10 years i've owned it
A lot of fun on the coast where we like to holiday
Appreciating classic. The car owes me very little and even if i poured money in to getting the bodywork done i'd have a high chance of getting my money back if i decided/needed to sell
It's a cool car with sentimental attachment, plan was to be more involved in nerdy car stuff like classic rally's and show's in the future.

Bad
Non ULEZ compliant. Original forecast was using the car twice a month so £300 a year but i'd like more opportunity to use it so could easily double that
Bodywork looks tired and needs work
No air-con/climate not great for summer trips and dog (apparently is available as retro mod for approx £1.5k)
Bit tiring on motorways
May be subject to tighter emission restrictions in the future

This might not be aplicable, especially since it's Saab and records might be tricky to get, but I managed to get a non euro-4 car exempted from the ULEZ.

It took a homologation certificate (teh bit that might be impossible) showing its nox emissions and then a submission to tfl for exemption. Took about a month to gather all the bits.

for motorbikes you can put them through a test for under £200, maybe someone is offering that for cars

Interested to hear more on this, which car, and how did you obtain the certificate? Thanks!

Thanks yes i have heard of people doing this but as you say tricky from a now non existent company. Would definitely like to hear more about it though!

Enjoyed the coupe, when they were cheap.

I do like french cars.

Not that I know of.

For motorbikes some fit a catalytic converter while others re jet the carbs to run richer and low Nox

This is the registration page - you need V5c and the some kind of proof - a homolgation letter is the listed, I've no idea if you'd be able to get in touch with a human to find out if there's a process for where that's not available....

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/compliance-registration/before-you-start

Mine was a late 90's car (non turbo - is it true that turbo's are generally cleaner?) and the NOX on the homologation letter was well within the limit. Love to hear if you managed to do it!

I think there's a lot of bikes that are pre-Euro3 or whatever it is that meet the standards as stock anyway. My old Triumph apparently did, but the V5 didn't note down the right particulate figures or something, and Triumph never got back to me. In the end I got a new bike anyway and it become redundant

Thanks, will do some digging as i'm struggling to find the factory Nox figures. Mine was born under Euro 1 so i'm not optimistic but some interesting reading below suggesting Saab were ahead of the game and yes i believe turbo's are generally better. There's also a parallel discussion about having the car tested in lieu of readily available documentation but it appears the process is not making waves due to cost and political pressure.

https://www.saabscene.com/threads/1999-saab-9-3-ulez-question.251616/page-2#nested_reply_top_post

No, lower compression means less Nox

Two stroke Vespas pass!

What do you mean by some ability to personalize and character?

I have a 2017 Seat Leon estate Ecomotive that hits all the other points, and I bought it for £7k in 2020. It's nothing exciting, but it is really great at what it does, and cheap to run. I've done nothing other than replace consumables, and there isn't even any VED to pay each year. Insurance has also been very reasonable. Being VAG the fuel economy might not be quite as good as the inbuilt computer tells me it is, but based on how many miles I get per tank, the fuel economy is very impressive to me.

What do you mean by some ability to personalize and character?

Good question, for character i like stuff that has a function over form aesthetic that ends up making it look interesting. The Saab was designed primarily by an industrial designer and you can sort of see that. I know nothing about new cars and don't love Audi but always thought the A2 was a good example of this. Also Yeti and maybe the Panda 4x4. Seems harder to find in a more typical saloon package though. My dad is pushing the Octavia mk1 but struggling to find anything interesting about it.

In terms of personalisation i guess subtle factory options or well regarded after market stuff designed for long travel that won't fuck up the insurance or make it look too Max power. Winter steels, a roof rack and maybe a factory dog guard would be nice.

Yeah, alright - got it. Seat Leon estate aint that then. You've already listed the Skoda Yeti which I think is a good shout. What about a Honda Civic tourer from somewhere around 2016? I think they look pretty good, have a huge load capacity, are reportedly good and cheap to run, and have a cool little bike mounting system that you can buy if you want.

@jambon Wolseley (or Riley) 1.5?

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ever want to make a friend for life and work on mine in exchange for said friendship and beer/food/tea I would be straight round!

If you are nearby, I would quite happily help.
Get a strange sense of pleasure, working on cars. The I've fixed this.

What about a Honda Civic tourer from somewhere around 2016?

@sacredhart

The answer is my Honda Civic.

ULEZ compliant with decent omissions (petrol only?)
It's diesel but ULEZ compliant and super low emissions

Good mpg
Currently averaging 64mpg across 2yrs ownership

Good loading and probably 5 door
It really really good a carrying stuff. Massive boot plus 'magic seats' gives you lots of options +90degree opening rear doors

Air con
Yes

Low maintenance/running costs
About as reliable as you can get

Character with some ability to personalise (Yeti?)
I've already done a couple of bits. Lots of mods available

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/391011/#comment17172347

superb. keep it for another 8. thats the way to go

Hate to say it, but strong dibs if you ever sell it!

That’s the plan. We only change cars when they die.

my head is turned all the time, but am committed to this too.

Saw this jacked Mitsubishi Delica today looking set for serious business.