small or medium hatchback

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Fri 16 Dec 2016 23:12
small or medium hatchback - logger

This is probably the impossible dream

Time to change our car again..

Looking for a stylish hatchback or maybe saloon with good mpg and fastish( ie as opposed to slowish ...0-60 11sec or less )

..and all for under £3000

We have sort of drawn up a short list...the obvious diesels

Golf ,Audi,Leon,Focus,Civic, I30, Mazda3

...now before the petrol brigade bang on about diesel vs petrol I have to say ouf of the last 5 cars/4x4's we have had the diesels have been the most economical, most reliable...I even have for our dog an old astra 1.7dti van with 225,000 miles on the clock and its brilliant, never goes wrong, 60mpg

...as far as I understand as long as the diesel has been well maintained, regular oil, serviced etc it should be fine

.anyway I digress..is there really any different between the ones I have listed in terms of reliability etc... I have thrown the focus in even though I dont think the model we can afford is exactly stylish ..

All comments welcome..I have a relatively thick skin so wont take things personally lol

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Fri 16 Dec 2016 23:37
small or medium hatchback - logger

Let me just clarify comment on diesel..I am happy to consider a petrol but would have to be more around the £2500 mark so we can out the extral fuel costs away..

cheers

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Sat 17 Dec 2016 00:39
small or medium hatchback - Avant

You don't have to be defensive: you may have a very good reason for preferring a diesel, such as high annual mileage. Even then, it's only fair to say that a £3,000 diesel will be likely to have a lot of miles on the clock, and the experience (not prejudice) of many people on here is that diesels can go veryt expensively wrong at higher mileages.

At this price level, condition matters more than make or model, but the VW Group 1.9 TDI (one with a Skoda badge will be better value tha a VW or Audi) and Ford's 2.0 TDCI (not the 1.6) have a better reputation thajh most for longevity. Even the generally reliable Japanese makes have had problems with their diesel engines (particularly Mazda - don't go near a Mazda diesel).

But if you've had good service from your last few cars, go for one of those makes again, and make sure you find one with a service hostory.

Edited by Avant on 17/12/2016 at 00:41

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Sat 17 Dec 2016 07:27
small or medium hatchback - SLO76
Shopping for a cheap diesel is a minefield of potentially expensive problems waiting to sting your wallet. Turbo diesels are far more complex than petrol engines, they'll have a higher mileage than any equivalent petrol and they're bought largely to save money so many are run on a shoestring with servicing scrimped on.

I'd advise against a diesel at this price and personally would focus on a petrol engine. If you stretch to you maximum a decent 1.8 Civic is a possibility, these will break 40mpg easily enough, have loads of performance and use a near bombproof chain driven engine so there's no costly timing belt change, turbocharger or particulate filter to worry about. A 2.2 diesel is possible and hasn't got a DPF but it will have high mileage and timing chain, EGR and turbo issues are pretty common past 100k.

The Focus is good news with the 1.6 Yamaha designed petrol, it's a lovely car to drive but don't touch the PSA 1.6 diesel with a ten foot barge pole! It's notorious for problems. If you must have a diesel as Avant suggests the 2.0 is the best bet and the 1.8 can run to high mileage if serviced correctly but avoid any with a DPF.

As you already know Vauxhall's Astra with the 1.7 Isuzu diesel is a hardy thing too, the estates are handy wagons. I've seen them with 250k plus and running well but many are run into the ground as workhorses because they're cheap. Find a well maintained car without a DPF and it could be a good bet. Avoid the Fiat 1.3 or 1.9 diesels and ditto the thirsty 1.8 VVT petrol.

Kia Cee'd and Hyundai i30 are pretty robust too if a little bland. Just watch for rot on the front subframe and crossmember and buy only with a full history. Many have full dealer histories to preserve that excellent 7 & 5 year manufacturer warranty and few are owned by boy racers so abuse isn't common. They're well made and pleasant to drive but the petrol is again far less likely to go wrong purely because there's less complexity.

As Avant says avoid Mazda diesels like the plague especially the PSA 1.6 as used in the 3. The ancient Mazda 2.0 diesel in the 323 & 626 was tough but is rare and in true banger status now.

The 1900 VAG diesel in the Golf, Leon and Octavia is also good news and well fit to hit 500k if looked after. Avoid anything with a DPF and remember they're due a costly timing belt and water pump change every 4yrs which will most likely be due or overdue on any car you look at. ABS control modules fail regularly too which is a costly repair. But this is one case I'd take the diesel over the petrol at any age as long as there no particulate filter. It's a good engine as demonstrated by thousands of taxi drivers.

I'd beg borrow or steal to get a bit more money and buy the best and lowest mileage car with a FULL service history (not fast fit 40 point servicing) you can afford up front. It's cheaper than fixing a troublesome and complex turbo diesel later on.

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Sat 17 Dec 2016 07:55
small or medium hatchback - SLO76
Secondary to this. Be careful not to overpay for a Mk V Golf, the 1.9 diesel minus DPF is good engine but they're rusting badly around wheelarches, sills and tailgates far more so than any rivals or previous gen Golf so watch for cheaply patched paintwork that will flake and rot through in no time. Despite the reputation they're really not that well made. The Octavia is a better car with more room but watch for clocked ex taxis.
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Sat 17 Dec 2016 10:23
small or medium hatchback - logger

GREAT!..

what excellent advice so far..I'll sit down and go through all the comments.

...just to complicate things (haha) we did think of going for a cheaper fast! petrol ( we like our driving ) and put the money saved towards the petrol costs for a couple of years... we once had an imprezza turbo station wagon..one of the bets cars we have ever had

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Sat 17 Dec 2016 10:40
small or medium hatchback - SLO76

GREAT!..

what excellent advice so far..I'll sit down and go through all the comments.

...just to complicate things (haha) we did think of going for a cheaper fast! petrol ( we like our driving ) and put the money saved towards the petrol costs for a couple of years... we once had an imprezza turbo station wagon..one of the bets cars we have ever had

I'm a big fan of the Impreza but wouldn't buy a complicated performance motor at this price unless you can afford to bin it if or rather when something expensive goes wrong. Can't stress enough the importance of keeping it simple at this budget.
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Sat 17 Dec 2016 11:11
small or medium hatchback - RT

When I first switched to 4wd, I very seriously considered a new Volvo XC70 diesel but a suggestion on this forum that a year old Subaru Outback petrol would be half the price to buy - a saving big enough to pay the extra fuel cost for many years.

I bought an Outback and instantly realised I wouldn't have liked the "old man" handling of the Volvo, despite being an "old man" - an excellent car which was more expensive to service but no more expensive overall than a Vauxhall as repair/replacement costs were so low.

They were different price points to you, logger, but the principle's the same - I've no idea if the age/price fits your needs but the 2003-2009 Subaru Outback and Legacy Estate might give you a left-field choice - the 3.0 Spec-B is a superb drive but very heavy on fuel, the 2.0/2.5 would be better.

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