Wondering. New job, new car.

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Fri 20 Sep 2019 16:55
Wondering. New job, new car. - Jetsam1

I have a 2005 VW Transporter 1.9 tdi that I have had and used for work for a few years now and it is getting close to 185k miles and a few things are starting to fall apart/off.

I have been offered a job. Hooray! However it means two or so 3 hour round trip motorway commutes a week and maybe a little tooing and froing when I am there. I do not want to move the kids or lose the house where we live currently so am accepting some hassle and working away certainly for the next little while.

So I am considering changing the VW for a normal car. This is not so simple. Cars I am considering;

Mid 2000s Vauxhall\Opel Astra Estate 1.7 tdi (used to have one and it was a good car for me)

Mid 2000s Ford Focus petrol, but again my wife used to have a 2011 1.6 diesel and it never missed a beat, well on 2 hours a day motorway commute.

More expensive is a 2010 Skoda Yeti 2 ltr 4x4 with only a few miles on the clock considering its age. Looks decent and would be good consiidering where we live.

Various other Astras and Foci as many other options do appear expensive for what they are.

THoughts? Persevere with the Transporter (it is a LWB) and a bit tiring to drive for long periods or take the chance on something else? I have been self employed for a while so any kind of credit agreement may get complicated. I tend to increase the entropy of cars by a large factor so I worry about spending a lot.

The other car is a Subaru Forester so the bee keeping side is covered while I go off to be corporate boy.

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Fri 20 Sep 2019 17:25
Wondering. New job, new car. - badbusdriver

How much money are you looking to spend?. I ask as there must be quite a gap in price between mid 2000's Astra or Focus and a 2010 Yeti 4x4!. Having said that, the first thing i'd do is rule out the Yeti. Your Transporter doesn't have 4x4, neither does the Astra or Focus, so you don't need it. Just adds complexity and increases fuel consumption. For the amount of time you will be spending on the road i'm assuming a long commute distance wise, so diesel would probably worth considering. If you can get a decent Astra 1.7 that is going to be a good bet for a budget diesel and will be significantly more efficient than the Transporter. But it comes back to budget, and the 'better the devil you know' train of thought. You have owned the Transporter for a few years, and you know it pretty well. It isn't the most efficient option, but shouldn't be too bad at main road speed, plus of course, that 1.9TDI is a strong engine!. Point is, if you were going for a cheap replacement, it might turn out to be a bag of nails.

Also, why is the Transporter tiring to drive?. Being a van it is designed to be driven for long periods, and having worked at a VW garage i have in the past spent plenty of time behind the wheel of various Transporter's and Caravelle's. I always found them very pleasant and comfortable (assuming it didn't have the weedy 68bhp motor!) to drive.

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Fri 20 Sep 2019 18:04
Wondering. New job, new car. - Jetsam1

It has the weedy 68hp engine! :-) And is a LWB with 5 seats....... I have driven across Germany in it though!

The Yeti could deputise for the Subaru with pulling the big trailer and we live in a house down a long unmade road, The VW has been good though and it does have a decent ground clearance.

I'm just a little concerned I'm about to put a lot of miles on it and maybe it may be time to change while it is still worth something.

I would be looking at the £3-6000 range and while that is wide for the right car I would push the budget further. I have no interest in cars as a status symbol so anything reasonably big would be ok. And the Astra H is a known quantity especially with the Isuzu 1.7.

It would be a few months in the future once I have the contract in my hands and a few salaries in my hands too. I am worrying I will overthink it.

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Fri 20 Sep 2019 19:34
Wondering. New job, new car. - badbusdriver

It has the weedy 68hp engine! :-) And is a LWB with 5 seats....... I have driven across Germany in it though!

Ah, fair enough!. I do have a Caddy 2.0 SDI myself, with all of a giddy 70bhp(!). It isn't too bad though, and i don't drive fast anyway.

Actually the Isuzu engine was used right up to around Dec 2014 (according to the specs on the HJ review), so that takes you well into the Astra J lifespan and gives you a lot of choice. Only thing i'd say about that, given the useage, is to go for the Exclusiv spec rather than some of the fancier ones. Firstly, it has all of what you really need (including cruise control), but also the ride is likely to be better on its smaller diameter wheels with taller tyres (they'd work better on your driveway too).

As for the Yeti, i do like the looks and can see the appeal. But as you've already got the Subaru, getting another SUV seems a bit uneccessary, especially a 4x4. And while the 2.0TDI does seem to be more reliable than the 1.6, i doubt it would be anywhere near the 1.7 Isuzu unit. The 4x4 system on the Yeti is, i believe, one of these newer jobs all controlled by electrics, with traction being diverted hither and thither. All good when its working but i think i'd have more faith in the Subaru's system long term. Not sure what sort of mileage you are likely to be covering, but maybe worth looking at one of the 2wd petrol models?.

An alternative worth considering is the Dacia Duster with the 1.5DCI engine. These are pretty good as a modern diesel without too much emissions equipment related problems. You do get 4x4 versions, but most are 2wd, so you get the extra ground clearance of an SUV but more it is a bit more frugal. Your £6k budget could get you into a 2016 car like this,

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20190906192...1

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