Ask Honest John

Honest John Ask Honest John » Diesel estate - what would you suggest?
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

Diesel estate - what would you suggest?

I need a reliable estate for commuting (about an hour each way - motorway and traffic) and weekend jaunts with bicycles etc. Budget is around £6k and I tend to keep my cars for a while.

I've narrowed the choice down to Volvo V50, BMW 3 series, Mazda 6, Honda Accord and the X-type (2.0d). I know the X-type has possible issues with the DMF but otherwise seems ok (and no DPF has to be good). The others all seem to suffer from quite major problems - injesting engine parts, clutches, gearbox etc. Would the Jag make a sensible choice?

Asked on 8 January 2013 by Chris Holmes

Answered by Honest John
Readers have had 40k - 200k out of the DMFs in Mondeo Mk III 2.0TDCIs, which are the same as X-Types underneath, and cheaper. But £6k will buy you a 2008 Mondeo Mk IV 2.0TDCI estate. A V50 is a Focus underneath. Okay, but not without problems. Honda can be good. BMW likely to be on its last leg at this sort of money. Mazda 6 prone to DPF problems.
Dear Honest John,

Please help me choose my next car. I would like it to have:
    Select a few terms below
Similar questions
I'm looking to change my 2006 Vauxhall Astra diesel for something suitable to carry a Labrador dog complete with cage. I am considering a new/nearly new Hyundai Santa Fe or Toyota Avensis estate, and am...
I'm looking to change my old manual 2004 Mondeo 2.0-litre Ghia Estate for the latest equivalent model. This appears to be the Titanium range, however, all I can find in the petrol model is the 1.5 T EcoBoost...
I am looking to buy a second-hand Jaguar X-type estate. Can I personally test drive the vehicle before I tax and insure?
Related models
Smart looks and roomy load bay. V6s are four-wheel drive. Diesels are quite frugal.