Thanks for the advice guys, I *never* thought I would say this, but the Ford idea is out of the window!
I have the opportunity to buy a 99V 70K Vauxhall Vectra 2.0 DTi LS for less than £2.5K
I had an insurance quote on the car and it is £300 cheaper than the Mondeo, and from what I can tell the price is very keen, so I'm gonna head down that route.
Anyone got any horror stories about the 2.0 DTi engine to scare me with then? :-)
Blue
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How about an 'end of the line' Xantia HDI? They are going for peanuts now that C5 has replaced them. The HDIs are absolutely brilliant and bombproof and Xantias are much more durable than people imagine. The bodywork simply doesn't rust and most mechanicals are extremely robust. Ride and handling are both superb. Needless to say, of course, check service history and continue to maintain thoroughly.
The car is also extremely roomy (acres of legroom in the back) I once took a whole bathroom suite home from B&Q + a front seat passenger with all doors closed - and, naturally, with the car's suspension dead level!
Graeme
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Thanks for the suggestion, unfortunately I just find the look of the Xantia really awful, therefore I don't fancy spending any money on one.
I know they are reasonably reliable, cheap, and make good sense, but I just can't bring myself to own one! Sorry! :-)
Blue
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"look of the Xantia really awful,"
what? Compared to a Vectra?? Or Mondeo??
Ah well, each to their own - enjoy your car!!
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306 HDI too small? Very cheap insurance at group 4.
Alternatively how about the cheaper-to-buy Xsara?
Both of these cars are around the same size as an Escort really, the 306 just looks deceptively small
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\"Anyone got any horror stories about the 2.0 DTi engine to scare me with then?\"
The only thing I have had go wrong with mine in 2 1/2 years,was a problem with the injector pump,It wasn\'t major,before anyone asks,just it was leaking air in,making the car cut out at times.It cost me £180 to have repaired,which,for a car that\'s been owned by me for 2 1/2 years,and with 106k on the clock,isn\'t bad.I know the diesel engine isn\'t everones cup of tea,because it\'s the Ecotec and not the Isuzu,but I only find it\'s noisy when cold,but when warm,it\'s fine.Mine pulls my Citroen AX race car and trailer,and a boot full of spares,with no problem.Oh,and the turbo kicks in at about 2200rpm,so below that,it\'s not exactly an F1 off the mark.
I suppose the only thing that pink fluffy dices me off about Vauxhalls,and it happened also on my Cavalier diesel,was that they tend to leak into the boot.Pull the carpet out,and check mostly around the sides and rear panel,where it meets the floor,and in the corners,for water ingress.Also,make sure the air con is working right,and that the system is charged up,and if it\'s got the cd player instead of the radio cassette,then better still.I bought mine when he offered to fit a genuine Vauxhall cd player in place of the R/C.And if you can get one of the better spec cars,(GLS,CD or better) then do so.While your in the front seat,check the display that tells you the time,temp,radio station,etc,as the bars tend to go off after a while,and the display will need replacing,unless you can put up with it.But if the car you\'ve seen is the best one on the planet,you can\'t bear to leave it,and it has any of the above problems,then make sure they are repaired before you part with your hard earned.
Other than that,parts are relatively cheap,like most Vauxhalls,but if you need any,then source out an independent Vauxhall spare specialist,as they tend to have equivalent parts,unless it HAS to be a dealer part.
Ken.
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