I've read a number of posts on these forums, but I'm still open to suggestions:
I'm looking at around a £15k budget for a new(ish) motor and the models I've been mostly considering are:
Audi A3
[What about the new 1.6MPI car they have on Special Offer at the moment?]
Honda Civic (5-dr)
[Not impressed with the lack of rear visibility in the 3-dr models]
Golf
[Taking a lot of stick right now, but I'm even thinking about the Match and Final Edition old-style cars - thoughts?]
Mazda 3
[These look cheap(ish), reliable and have plenty of kit, but I do have a preference for 5 drs (yes, I know the new Audi A3 is 3-dr only atm!). Any comments on the Mazda 3 and does anyone know when the 5-door Mazda 3 is out? (I heard June this year somewhere I think).
Bottom-line, I'm interested in your comments.
I'm after something:
1) Reliable
Had a Honda Civic for 8 years and absolutely NO problems with it outside of the usual wear'n'tear.
2) Comfortable
I spend about 2.5-3 hours a day minimum driving this car, so I want to feel comfortable in it.
3) Eats up mileage
I'm running about 25000 miles a year and would be looking to keep hold of this car for 3-6 years I reckon.
4) Petrol or Diesel
I need to work out the figures, but I'm open to running either a diesel or petrol engine.
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How about a Seat Leon? You could get a new Cupra for that kind of money. Won't have the new floor plan shared by the Golf V and the new A3, but you do get the 1.8 20VT engine with 180bhp, and lots of toys (climate, CD changer, lights in the doors etc). And HJ likes them too- had one himself for a while...
Had mine for 5 months now, not a single problem to report, and average 30mpg. Very comfortable (I drive about 80 miles per day, and it's a nice place to be).
With the arrival soon of the Leon II, should be some good deals. The RRP is £15,500 for the petrol, and there is a diesel version (150bhp) for £16,500, about 50mpg I believe.
And respond well to chipping, too (if that's your sort of thing- I find mine plenty quick!)
Just food for thought.
Alex.
--
Dr Alex Mears
Seat Leon Cupra
If you are in a hole stop digging...unless
you are a miner.
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My daughter has recently bought a new Mazda 3 with the 1.6 petrol engine, - too early to give a long term report, but the ride quality is really excellent and Mazda reliability is second to very few.
If you want to avoid absurd servicing costs, I would steer well clear of the Audi.
I know it was in a different comparison, - BMW 320d, Audi A4 1.9d and new Honda Accord 2.2d, but the servicing coats over 3 years or 60k miles show an alarming difference with Audi by far the dearest.
www.motoring.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?x...l
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At 25k miles a year, I reckon you'd save enough on overall fuel costs to justify a diesel in simple money terms, ie ignoring what you prefer in terms of the way a petrol or diesel drives (PS I prefer diesels!). But that's in general, for example the Mazda3 diesel will be quite a bit more expensive than the petrol and apparently won't have quite as good a level of fuel economy as the likes of VAG diesels.
You're right about the reliability, Honda or Mazda will come top here.
New Golfs are way too expensive at the moment, but then again so are the Audi A3's. Buying a final edition Golf might save on the list price, but what do you think about how the depreciation will be affected in three years' time for a car which is about to become an obsolete model today?
How soon do you have to buy? Could you wait for the new Seat Leon/Toledo, or the new Skoda Octavia? Any of those would IMHO be more desirable than the Golf, and cheaper than any of the Golf/Bora/A3 equivalents, plus any initial "new model" glitches will hopefully be addressed by the time these models are released.
Alternatively, could you wait for Honda to put a new in-house diesel into the Civic, or for the new diesel Accord or new Volvo S40 to become available as nearly-new? If you can't wait that long, then as comfort and reliability seem to be high priorities for you (rather than having more emphasis on sporty driving) I'd stick with a Civic - it won top spot in the What Car ergonomics test a couple of years ago, so can't be too bad on comfort. Diesel version for cruising economy and motorway calmness. But I would try to wait if I could!
Finally, (ducks below parapet) what about a 12-18 month old Rover 75 Connoisseur CDTi? Low-mileage 2003 models start at £14650 on Autotrader.
andymc
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Has their even been a reliable Rover?
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Have you considered the Toyota Corolla (or even Avensis in the 15k bracket). It is a very well made, reliable car, comfortable car. The petrol engine is a bit thirsty - you could go for the 2.0 diesel.
If I were spending around £15k, I would go for the Avensis T3-X diesel for £15,097 from drivethedeal.com.
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Second correction:
Has there ever been a reliable Rover?
Hardly worth asking the quesion now!
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Second correction: Has there ever been a reliable Rover?
Yes, there was. If I recall correctly it was owned by a bloke in Norfolk. Mind you, he didn't use it much.
Seriously though, there doesn't seem much evidence to suggest that Rovers over the last 10-15 years are any worse than various Peugeots, Citroens, Fords etc. IMHO if you want reliability, Japan still rules.
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Do give the Leon and Corolla a look. Nice cars really.
Or you have the new Astra coming out soon-very nice motor.
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"Has there ever been a reliable Rover?"
Can't say I'm a huge fan of the overall range - wouldn't look near a 45 or 25, nor the CR, but I do rate the 75 and ZT variants - they seem to have performed consistently well in a variety of satisfaction and reliability surveys. Problems seem to arise more frequently with the likes of Peugeot, Renault, VW, etc., even on the Tech forum here.
In fact .... this isn't entirely scientific, and it is hijacking the thread a bit (sorry!), but I've done a search in the Tech forum for threads about Rover 75 faults. I just used "Rover 75" as a search term in order to get all threads mentioning the car, and didn't bother looking at threads whose titles didn't indicate problems, e.g. "Vegetable Oil instead of Diesel". Results:
one thread about low fuel economy (32 mpg, diesel)
one about water/coolant loss
one about a pressure sensor problem
one about a faulty indicator lamp on the instrument panel
Not too bad for three pages of threads. I'm also aware of issues with chrome pitting, although that would be the least of my worries.
Since I own one, and since many people who don't visit this site still think that a VW badge makes a car desirable, I decided to use "Passat" as a search criteria - which brings up 23 pages of threads. It was a bit too daunting to read through all of them, but from what I saw they contain requests for help with problems such as:
Tyres scrubbing
Suspension (mine!)
Unidentified annoying noise (2)
Heater fan
Loss of power
Turbo noise (2)
Brake lights
Climate control
Wiper control
Heater problems
Rattling air vents
Gearbox
Interior trim working loose
Multiple problems
Temperature gauge (3)
Starter motor
Engine cutting out
Cabin rattle
Water pump
Timing belt (of course)
Central/Remote Locking (3)
Headlights
Alarm
Airbag warning lights
Electrics
Water leaking
Creaky dash
I gave up after page 10, now thinking about selling my motor as quickly as I can :(
andymc
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Got rid of my appalling Pasat at 18 months old (poor build and reliability). I've now had my MG ZT for a year without so much as a cresk or rattle. It's a darn site cheaper tp service as well.
This will be my fourth Rover product over the years. I've never had a problem with a single one of them.
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What about the new Astra turbodiesel 1.9 - when it gets released.
Reviewed in today's Telegraph.
I think the A3 is better built than the Golf, so I'd go for that over the VW.
Have VW sorted out their reliability 'issues' with the new Golf?
The Mazda should have the same level of reliability as your old Civic. The new Civic is nice - but I wouldn't spend £15K on one ...... unless it was the Type R - and I think the excitement might be a bit much for long distance travel.
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Well, thanks to everyone who posted and has provided me with a number of things to consider. (Nice to see a forum where there are constructive, positive and useful comments as opposed to the more usual [IMO] immature complaining and arguing).
I had a look round the new Golf this weekend (no test drive yet), and yes, the cabin is very 'plasticky' and it's cheap plastic at that. I knew this would be the case having read about it numerous times, but it was still a disappointment TBH. On a plus note, I found the seats extremely comfortable and a good drving position very easy to find.
I also managed to have a look round the Mazda 3, which I expected to like, and frankly I found myself a little disapponted at the more 'cramped' space in the cabin compared to the Golf and Civic, and I'm not sure about the dials on the dash within the 'cones'.
Sitting in the Audi A3, I felt it was a little 'bare' in the cabin compared to the other cars I've looked at recently. Not sure if it's a place that would hold great interest over long periods of time.
My attempt at a West London Toyota dealership (hope that isn't overly descriptive!) to get a copy of the Corolla brochure and then perhaps some more details on the car was met with a "Ain't got none" comment. ...okaaaaay. Bye. (Won't be going back there...ever).
Seat Leon - yup, this was considered earlier in my deliberations - main negative points were question mark over reliability (any further comments?) and the fact that the Leon II is due to appear at some point (anyone know roughly when?).
Still, more to think about now... thanks again to everyone.
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I have a Leon TDi 110. Love it. Engine not as refined as best competitors now, but that's about it. Quick, sure-footed, comfortable, well-equipped. I sometimes have people who don't know the brand get into it and after a few minutes, tell me "this is a nice car". Reliability very good - a few very minor items all sorted under warranty. Bought as an import with a view to selling again after a year, liked it so much that I'm now into my third year of ownership and likely to keep it for at least another two.
Leon II not due till next year, although Toledo may be released later this year. New Octavia will be out this year as well, built on the same platform. A lot more desirable than current Octavia IMHO and worth investigating.
So the Rover 75 doesn't tempt you then? ;)
andymc
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Thanks for the info andymc - and you're right, the Rover doesn't tempt me :)
(I know it's a different motor, but the Rover 25 I had on hire for a week recently was awful).
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I had a 25 as a courtesy car and hated it - my old Fiat Punto was nicer to be in. On the other hand, I've been in a few 75s and really like them. Preferred it overall to the few 3-Series I tried. You need a higher spec one though. Those diesel engines will last forever at 131 bhp - the same engine puts out in excess of 150 bhp in the BMW 320d. Can't hurt to take one for a spin ...
andymc
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Leon II not until 2005 according to the car-by-car breakdown on the site.
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