I am thinking of changing my car sometime this year and would appreciate some suggestions as to it's replacement.
I do at least 2k miles per month, sometimes upto 3k.
My current mode of transport is a 1.4 Polo [1996]. It's not a great car, but it does the job well enough and if I keep the speed down to a steady 60 on the motorway I get very good MPG. It works out a about 45MPG when driven this way.
Trouble is I used to own a S Type Jag (3.0 petrol) before this and I feel the Polo lacks, how shall I put it, a bit of finesse.
As I do more than average miles per year am I better off buying a higher mileage car to begin with [which should be cheaper] and just pile on more miles over the next year or two? Or should I go for a lower mileage car and change it after 1 year?
My budget will be £4K max.
My preferences would be something nice to drive, automatic preferred [easier when you in unfamiliar towns and cities] 4 door and not too thirsty. Not bothered about petrol or diesel. Something 'flash' would be nice but not essential.
Any suggestions appreciated.
|
how about this? just found it on a popular 2nd hand car website.
2002 HONDA ACCORD 2.0i VTEC SE Executive 4dr - on at £4500. 1 owner full dealer service history. 73k miles, leather.
reliable, quick, comfortable.
|
|
You might consider an old shape Passat TDi, although high mileages may be less of a problem with manuals, than with auto boxes. It's certainly 'refined' for a mass market car and prices now will be fairly low. An old Focus too would be a bargain now. Mileage is less of an issue I think than age, so the newer the better.
|
How about a Mondeo for £4k? Not much on the snob appeal but a good car.
2003 FORD Mondeo 2.0 TDi Zetec (trade)
Motorzone Ltd
50,000 miles
BLACK
03 reg (2003)
03 reg. 50000 miles, 130 bhp, 6-speed, 5-dr, met black, air con, CD player, alloys, e/w, pas, remote/locking, cat C.
|
I'm sure he doesn't want to buy a Category C insurance write off though!
But yes, apart from that the Mondeo is a good idea...
Blue
|
|
How about an earlyish Lexus GS300? Buy with FSH and mileage/age should be much of a problem and it has a bit of flash, esp a Sport with the big wheels.
|
Honda and Lexus sound good as does the Passat.
Any recommendatons about diesel or petrol?
|
|
Definitely a diesel for your mileage. TDi's seem quite robust if noisier than the CR stuff.
|
I would second that the TDI engines seem tough. My father in law has a Golf TDI 130PS with 120k on it and it still performs brilliantly and returns 52 mpg. Nothing under the bonnet has given a day's trouble, oil consumption is nil, and there are no outward signs that any bills are forthcoming.
I agree with Xileno though, they are very agricultural sounding next to a CR, but the midrange grunt on tap really is rather impressive.
Cheers
DP
|
A mate of mine bought an S reg Passat TDi 110 about 18 months ago for £3.5k and has covered nearly 30k with absolutely no problems whatsoever. The car has about 120k on it and yes it does sound a bit tractor-like compared with a Peugeot/Ford common rail unit but he gets around 55mpg if he sticks around 65mph on the motorway- he's had 650 miles out of a tank on numerous occasions.
Martin
|
I have a 1999 Passat TDi 110 I bought at 90k miles which has now reached 150k. It's not a bad ownership prospect once you no longer have to go to main dealers - the fuel economy is great, the refinement is more than acceptable (more tyre noise than engine noise) but the cabin has a few rattles here and there. The main expense was when I had to replace suspension arms, dampers and springs as well as rear axle mounts within 18 months. To be honest I wasn't happy with the prospect of standard Passat parts costing so much and potentially failing again, so I went for Koni dampers & springs which have been great - much better steering feel and accuracy, less wallow/bodyroll when turning. Everything else has been fine. Not a sports car though, you won't be able to chuck it about as it's a bit of a barge.
Anyway, I've had almost the same sort of questions as you recently. I've had the Passat four years now and am thinking about changing - following the discussions I had on here recently, I'm now leaning towards an older Volvo S80 with the VAG non CR/PD 2.5 TDi engine, which could be another decent VFM alternative for you.
--
andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
|
I'm not that familiar with diesel engines. What is the difference between a TDi and a CR engine and what cars are they fitted to?
My wife has a 1.5DCi Renault Modus which is a great drive - trouble is she uses it for the school run so I don't get a look in - that and the fact that the Polo is only 3 door so she wouldn't use it for carting the kids around.
Most of the suggestions have been for 'family' cars. I am not adverse to driving smaller cars - would the reduction in weight assist with a higher MPG?
That said the extra room would come in handy if I were to get a slightly bigger car.
|
I'd back andymc's suggestion for the Passat. I've run one for the past three and a half years and taken it from 64k to 136k in that time. Just returned from a 3000 mile European trip and over the last 1000 miles, taking it gently, I've averaged 64mpg.
The handling is not great (previously ran a Golf GTI and Leon) but it's bearable. Having a months worth of clothes etc in the boot definitely helps the handling as do the koni dampers and springs (I've also gone down that route!). For value for money and comfort I don't think there are too many other cars around that I'd choose for 2k-3k. I'm 6ft 5 and suffer from a bad back but the seat and interior layout are fine and having sat behind the wheel of equivalent Mondeo, the dash layout is far better (incl. the blue backlighting) IMHO.
In answer to the fuel economy question then yep generally the less weight the car, the more chance of gaining higher MPG. However particular engines and aerodynamics seem to be of relevance too.
As an indicator in the Passat, running at 60mph on a motorway with cruise control I can usually get 70mpg. Best is 78mpg over 80 miles but that was with the gradients working with me! 70 mph brings around 60 mpg and 80 mph around 52mpg.
HTH
|
I like the look of the Passat and from the responses recieved so far it seems a reliable motor.
Should I go for the facelifted 2001 on model or are the earlier versions also worthy?
Bearing in mind that I am unlikely to be changing vehicles until the end of this year so prices will have dropped further [nearer the £3 to £4K mark.
|
The Passat's not perfectly reliable, with the chassis components mentioned seeming to be a recurrent weak point - hence the option taken by bostin and myself to have Koni parts fitted instead of the standard items, which provide a better drive and seem to be less vulnerable - certainly the 50-odd thousand miles I've put on mine haven't been problematic. Also, it seems that the post 2001 facelifted models might have lower quality interiors. Certainly a friend's 2004 model that I drove had a dashboard of beige-coloured, hard, brittle sounding plastic as opposed to the black soft-touch dash in my 1999 model and I felt mine was a "classier" cabin to be in. Plus the body roll seemed significantly worse in the newer car, although I don't know whether that was just a problem with that particular motor - the steering also felt far too light in comparison to mine.
Given recent discussions about potential issues with common-rail/pumpe-duse longevity and robustness, I'd be more inclined to go for the slightly older-tech but apparently less troublesome TDi engines (either 1.9 litre 110 bhp or 2.5 litre with AFAIR 140 bhp or 155 bhp, depending on age). Although MAF sensors can fail, these are a relatively cheap and easy fix/replacement.
I'd say £4k would be expensive for a year 2000 Passat by the end of this year, although mileage and condition will affect the price more than age. I reckon if I sell my (150k mile) one after it gets the MOT in March, it might go for somewhere around £2k - to expect much more than that would be optimistic, I think. NB I'm not trying to subtly sell you mine, I'm in N. Ireland so it wouldn't be too handy for you! Just trying to give an idea of possible prices you can expect.
As I said the Volvo S80 might be another good option - has that 2.5 litre TDi.
If you're considering something in the next size bracket down, I can definitely recommend the Seat Leon TDi 110 - had one from new since 2001 and still like it.
--
andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
|
Thanks andymc.
HJ's car by car breakdown seemed to indicate the facelifted versions [2001 on] were much improved on the previous version, however you can't beat personal experience.
I've done a bit of looking and found a few 2001 facelifted versions around the £4500 mark with 80K miles. One was described as a 1.9 TDi (130). Is this the same engine as the one you describe above or is it a common-rail/pumpe-duse engine?
|
Pumpe duse. This is VW's version of common rail. The standard 1.9 TDi engines were available with either 90 or 110 bhp. Any other power output for the 1.9 TDi will signify the PD versions, which could be had variously with 100, 105, 115, 130 and 150 bhp, depending on year and what car they were fitted to. Off the top of my head, that list includes VW Polo/Golf/Passat/Sharan, Audi A3/A4/A6, Seat Ibiza/Cordoba/Leon/Toledo/Alhambra, Skoda Fabia/Octavia/Superb - some of these of course have also had the 90 and 110 bhp versions fitted.
I think one of the earliest PD engines fitted to the Passat was the115 bhp version, but this was soon superseded by the 130 bhp one.
It is possible to have the 110 TDi remapped up to as much as 180 bhp, but that might be a bit excessive in your insurance company's view - however they're not as likely to put the boot in with a remap taking the 110 bhp up to around 140 bhp. It's another option worth thinking about.
--
andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
|
I'm not that familiar with diesel engines. What is the difference between a TDi and a CR engine and what cars are they fitted to?
The difference is in the way the fuel injection system works. There are essentially two types of diesel engine currently in production.
Pumpe Duse (or Unit Injector) TDI engines have been used by VW, Audi, Skoda and Seat since around 2000. These engines use combined fuel injector and pump units which are driven off the engine's camshaft. These engines deliver incredible response, torque and economy, but are not particularly refined. They have a very good reputation for reliability over high mileages, but it is critical that the correct engine oil is used, and that the service schedule is adhered to. Apart from the a relative lack of refinement, the other main downside is that they are quite "dirty" engines in comparison with Common Rail. They will be discontinued in the near future as emissions regs force the manufacturers to go common rail.
Common Rail (CR) used by almost everyone else. The fuel injection system works much like a conventional petrol injection system in principle with a pump supplying a pressurised fuel rail, which in turn supplies the fuel injectors which are controlled electronically by the engine management system. In practice, the pressures involved in these systems are much higher than in a petrol engine, and there are concerns among some experts over the longevity of components such as the injectors and the fuel pump. These are machined to incredibly high tolerances, and are very expensive to replace. On the plus side, CR diesels are incredibly refined, and produce much higher power outputs compared to a traditional diesel.
All modern diesels are very intolerant to misfuelling (filling with petrol), but the CR systems are especially so. Diesel fuel is also a lubricant, whereas petrol is not. Run on petrol, the internals of the CR pumps literally grind themselves to pieces. There have also been cases of "unexplained" pump and injector failures on common rail diesels reported which have cost hundreds or even thousands to rectify. Opinions vary on whether these are design or component faults, or simply isolated incidents caused by misfuelling, poor fuel or other "abuse". There have been many cases on this forum.
Cheers
DP
|
Thanks - that's made it a lot clearer.
|
