2006 Kia Carens Diesel

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Wed 25 Dec 2019 16:07
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - Nobby Clark

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you're all having a great day.

I would like your help and opinion please.

I've seen for sale a 2006 Kia Carens 2.0 diesel with only 43k miles on the clock and a full Kia service history with 13 stamps in the book and 2 owners, the second of which is from 2007.

My question is would this car with a diesel engine be ok for a daily commute round trip of 15 miles or do you think the DPF would get clogged in the long run?

Thanks as always for your help peeps and enjoy the rest of your Christmas!! :)

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Wed 25 Dec 2019 16:52
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - badbusdriver

I'm not that sure a 2006 Carens would have a DPF. I'm sure I've read on the forum that Hyundai/Kia were quite late in taking up the DPF. quite a good car otherwise, and while they did do a petrol version, they are vastly outnumbered by the diesel.

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Wed 25 Dec 2019 18:15
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - Nobby Clark

Cheers BBD! :)

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Wed 25 Dec 2019 19:20
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - KB.

NCAP five star, 94% Adult Occupancy result ... commendable and reassuring.

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Wed 25 Dec 2019 20:16
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - Nobby Clark

NCAP five star, 94% Adult Occupancy result ... commendable and reassuring.

Wow!! 94% is brilliant!

I wonder after viewing it, and if its a decent and genuine car, if it'll be worth a punt because of the potential DPF filter and my daily commute is only a 15 mile round trip??

Or would a 1.8 petrol Nissan Almera Tino at the same dealer be the better bet??

Decisions, decisions!!

Edited by Nobby Clark on 25/12/2019 at 20:17

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Wed 25 Dec 2019 20:28
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - elekie&a/c doctor
Any Diesel engined car of this age is going to be a risky business. I would stick with a petrol car. Less to go wrong .
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Wed 25 Dec 2019 20:43
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - Nobby Clark
Any Diesel engined car of this age is going to be a risky business. I would stick with a petrol car. Less to go wrong .

Cheers mate, I think I agree with you.

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Wed 25 Dec 2019 23:18
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - Andrew-T
Any Diesel engined car of this age is going to be a risky business. I would stick with a petrol car. Less to go wrong .

I would wonder why a 13-year-old diesel car has only done about 4K a year. But it almost certainly has no DPF and if the history is there, I would think a good 'dose of salts' followed by busy use on a longish commute might be good for it.

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Thu 26 Dec 2019 07:26
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - Oli rag

Nissan almera tino is an excellent car, I had one for 6 years and had zero faults with it. Mine was the 1.8 petrol, it was nice to drive, torquey for a petrol engine, had a really good ride and averaged 38mpg.

They must however have had regular oil changes, as the only known weakness of this engine is the timing chain which stretches if the oil is ignored. I think a small oil capacity of around 3 litres didn't help the chain life.

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Thu 26 Dec 2019 07:38
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - FiestaOwner
Any Diesel engined car of this age is going to be a risky business. I would stick with a petrol car. Less to go wrong .

If it was manufactured without a DPF, I would still consider the Carens.

I'd be concerned with condition, service history and how it drives/ sounds.

If the dealer has a ramp get them to put the car on it and have a good look underneath for rust. Rust would be my biggest concern on any car of this age.

Check for contaminated oil and coolant (with the engine cold). NB expect the engine oil in a diesel to be jet black (that's quite normal).

Check the MOT history online particularly for rust/ corrosion issues. Possibly will have reference to corroded brake pipes, wouldn't be worried about that if they have been repaired or replaced. Check the mileage on the previous MOT's online.

If the dealer will supply it with a long MOT it's certainly worth considering.

I would apply the same logic to the Tino, you mentioned earlier.

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Thu 26 Dec 2019 09:19
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - Nobby Clark

Hi guys and thank you all so much for your help and comments - it's much appreciated!

The only reason I'm looking to change my car is for something a bit more spacious with a good size boot and I thought the Almera Tino would fit the bill.

It's a very low mileage one owner car with a full service history and a great Mot history too.

I'm only considering the Kia Carens as its at the same dealer with the low miles, full Kia history with 13 stamps and a cambelt change and the last owner had it since 2007 and I think it'll be even bigger than the Almera. The Mot history is good too with no mention of rust or corrosion on either car.

The Nissan has Mot until August 2020 and the Kia has mot until February 2020 but a new Mot will be undertaken upon its sale.

I'm going to look at both tomorrow! :)

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Thu 26 Dec 2019 12:20
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - thunderbird

The Mk 1 Carens sold from 2000 to 2006 had no DPF it was Euro3.

The Mk 2 Carens sold from 2006 to 2013 had a DPF, it was Euro4 and the old belt cam diesle would not meet the requirements. When Euro 5 wos introduced Kia fitted the 1.6 diesel with DPF since the old 2 litre would not meet requirements even with a DPF.

That old 2 litre belt cam diesel was jot a clean motor.

Since the car the OP is looking at could be either model its impossible to confirm if it does or doesn't have a DPF.

Perhaps the OP could confirm which model it is.

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Thu 26 Dec 2019 13:12
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - Nobby Clark

The Mk 1 Carens sold from 2000 to 2006 had no DPF it was Euro3.

The Mk 2 Carens sold from 2006 to 2013 had a DPF, it was Euro4 and the old belt cam diesle would not meet the requirements. When Euro 5 wos introduced Kia fitted the 1.6 diesel with DPF since the old 2 litre would not meet requirements even with a DPF.

That old 2 litre belt cam diesel was jot a clean motor.

Since the car the OP is looking at could be either model its impossible to confirm if it does or doesn't have a DPF.

Perhaps the OP could confirm which model it is.

Hi all.

It is a mk1 2006 version.

Could this be a good buy considering the low mileage, full Kia history which is 13 stamps and a cambelt change?

Thanks again everyone :)

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Thu 26 Dec 2019 13:31
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - thunderbird

Just looked at the tread again and saw this

NCAP five star, 94% Adult Occupancy result ... commendable and reassuring.

But that is for a 2013 Mk 3 Carens not a 2006 Mk 1.

Had a look but could not find figures for the Mk1 but the Mk 2 only got 4 *'s for Adult Occupants, the Mk 2 would possibly be not as good.

And also remember that those tests were carried out under very different criteria to later tests, old cars that are retested normally get poor marks, remember the recent Fiat Punto results of Zero *'s

But that is not criticising the Carens alone, the Almera Tino will be no better. In fact no old car will do well.

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Thu 26 Dec 2019 21:22
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - SLO76
Not one I’d buy. That particular Kia had a DPF at that stage and as with most older diesels do equipped it is prone to problems and the filter is quite expensive to replace. It’s highly likely that it’ll be well overdue a timing belt change too despite the low mileage I wouldn’t recommend running any motor with a 13yr old rubber belt and it’s not the easiest job on these so won’t be cheap. There’s too much to go wrong here, I’d stick with petrol on a tight budget.
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Thu 26 Dec 2019 21:50
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - Nobby Clark
Not one I’d buy. That particular Kia had a DPF at that stage and as with most older diesels do equipped it is prone to problems and the filter is quite expensive to replace. It’s highly likely that it’ll be well overdue a timing belt change too despite the low mileage I wouldn’t recommend running any motor with a 13yr old rubber belt and it’s not the easiest job on these so won’t be cheap. There’s too much to go wrong here, I’d stick with petrol on a tight budget.

Hi SLO..

Thanks for your help.

Someone else mentioned that as its a mk1 Carens, it wouldnt have a DPF fitted?

This Kia has a full Kia service history with 13 stamps and a recent cambelt change.

Baring all of this in mind, would you still rule it out??

Thanks as always! :)

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Thu 26 Dec 2019 22:10
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - SLO76
Sorry, I assumed it was a Mk II at 2006 but yes right enough the Mk I didn’t have one. I’d possibly risk it if it’s as tidy as you’d expect but I’d want a new timing belt on it if there’s no receipt for the job. If it’s cheap enough and the risk of a four figure DPF replacement is removed it may we’ll be worth a punt as a cheap workhorse. I’d still rather have a petrol Toyota Corolla, Avensis, Honda Civic or Accord but all down to what’s available at the time.
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Thu 26 Dec 2019 22:56
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - Nobby Clark
Sorry, I assumed it was a Mk II at 2006 but yes right enough the Mk I didn’t have one. I’d possibly risk it if it’s as tidy as you’d expect but I’d want a new timing belt on it if there’s no receipt for the job. If it’s cheap enough and the risk of a four figure DPF replacement is removed it may we’ll be worth a punt as a cheap workhorse. I’d still rather have a petrol Toyota Corolla, Avensis, Honda Civic or Accord but all down to what’s available at the time.

Cheers SLO. I've still got my lovely Accord you found for me last year. It's been a great car but it would make life so much easier for a car with a big boot thats not a saloon and that's bigger in the back.

The Kia is at a dealer that's got a Almera Tino with the 1.8 petrol engine which I'm going to look at tomorrow. The Kia is just a back up if I don't like the Nissan, with the Kia being up for sale at £2250.

There is also a 1.8 petrol 2007 Ford Focus C-Max for sale near to me at a dealer with only 48k miles on the clock and full history for £2k which also has a great Mot history as a back up too!!

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Fri 27 Dec 2019 12:55
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - SLO76
“ Cheers SLO. I've still got my lovely Accord you found for me last year. It's been a great car but it would make life so much easier for a car with a big boot thats not a saloon and that's bigger in the back.

The Kia is at a dealer that's got a Almera Tino with the 1.8 petrol engine which I'm going to look at tomorrow. The Kia is just a back up if I don't like the Nissan, with the Kia being up for sale at £2250.

There is also a 1.8 petrol 2007 Ford Focus C-Max for sale near to me at a dealer with only 48k miles on the clock and full history for £2k which also has a great Mot history as a back up too!!”


I wouldn’t recommend swapping one reliable old car you know for another that’s an unknown quantity unless it’s an absolute must. Personally I’d keep the Accord which is a better made and far nicer thing to drive and look at than anything you’ve listed here. The best of the lot would be the C-Max but the 1.8 petrol although a fairly robust Mazda motor does tend to drink a fair bit of oil and again rot is a concern as with any older Ford, it’s pretty greedy too. I think you’d end up missing the Accord. I’d save a while longer and maybe get a good Accord estate. The next gen model can be had with sensible miles for around £4.5-£5k. The diesel is good but has a DPF and isn’t as reliable as the 2.0 petrol which is what I’d buy if I wanted an estate for under £5k. I’d also look at petrol Toyota Avensis and Ford Mondeo estates.

Edited by SLO76 on 27/12/2019 at 13:00

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Thu 26 Dec 2019 22:23
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - SLO76
Further to this, make sure you get under it for a good look. The biggest killer of older Kia’s and Hyundai’s is rot. Sills, suspension components and particularly the front crossmember are weak points even if the body itself looks ok.
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Thu 26 Dec 2019 23:13
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - Andrew-T
The biggest killer of older Kia’s and Hyundai’s is rot. Sills, suspension components and particularly the front crossmember are weak points even if the body itself looks ok.

Surely the MoT history should reveal if that is a problem. Isn't £2250 quite a lot for a 13-year-old ?

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Fri 27 Dec 2019 11:09
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - SLO76
“ Surely the MoT history should reveal if that is a problem.”

Depends on who’s been doing the Mot’s. There’s a huge variation in standards.
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Fri 27 Dec 2019 12:00
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - Andrew-T
“ Surely the MoT history should reveal if that is a problem.” - Depends on who’s been doing the Mot’s. There’s a huge variation in standards.

Well, yes, I think most of us recognise that. We just hope to avoid the rogue places that allegedly will pass almost anything.

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Fri 27 Dec 2019 12:09
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - carl233

Huge drift in MOT standards have been a problem for years. Many places such as some well known fast fit centres use the test as a cash cow and are strict to the point of almost making things up e.g. failing parts that are not even borderline.

There are garages that still exist in which they will pass most things unless it was a serious danger providing palms are greased as needed. It does go on and has for many years. The MOT test is a mess and is not likely to be sorted out soon, the lack of consistency is a big issue.

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Fri 27 Dec 2019 16:56
2006 Kia Carens Diesel - Nobby Clark

Hi all.

Just thought I'd update you all.

I went to view the Nissan Almera Tino today and I've bought that over the Kia Carens!

Thank you all again for your help and advice!

Nobby :)

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