I'm looking for a long-term addition for my shoestring charity fleet, I have a maximum budget of £6000 and it has to be diesel. The car will be used as a workhorse, covering 30k miles per year until it's dead.
Any suggestions welcome, at the moment I'm thinking of a Skoda Octavia ( but not a former taxi hack!) or a Focus estate.
Reliability and longetivity are more important to us than looks or performance.
Cheers!
|
Saab 9-5.
Proper estate (as in lots of room).
Very comfy, lot of car for the money, various engines (2.2, 1.9, 3.0V6), will go forever if serviced properly and safe.
|
|
|
Don't laugh, but have you considered a Fiat Stilo? You should be able to get a really good 1.9JTD estate for very little money. I should know, I just traded one in.
The 1.9 diesel engine is very reliable, and very easy on fuel. They're galvanised too, so the bodywork is very strong. Overall Stilos have a poor reputation, but this is mostly because the petrol engined versions are crap. The diesels are much, much better and are very good value.
The one I just traded in was a 2005 1.9JTD 115 ActiveAircon, 33k miles on the clock and very reliable and cheap to run. I let it go for £2.5k in February because I needed an automatic. I'd have got another Stilo diesel estate if there were any autos out there, but they never fitted them with auto boxes. :-(
|
|
The Saab 95 is a great motorway barge with lots of room but I wouldn't recommend the 3.0V6 the engine is not the most reliable despite being great when it is running. If it does go wrong the car is effectively a write-off. The 2.2 is a bit tractory on start-up but it's a fairly bomb-proof engine.
|
|
|
|
I wouldn't bother with anything that has the GM/Fiat 1.9 diesel in it - too risky.
Anything VAG with the 1.9 TDI 105 would be a sound bet IMO, so the Octavia is looking very good for the money.
|
I'd go along with the Saab 95. But a more slightly boring, but totally reliable estate - is the Toyota Avensis - the boot mat from a Saab 95 fits the Avensis without modification, so a reasonable size. And being a Toyota, it'll probably outlive the driver!
|
I'd go along with the Saab 95. But a more slightly boring but totally reliable estate - is the Toyota Avensis
I had an Avensis Diesel estate as a hire car on a recent business trip in Norway.
It was fairly high spec with leather, cruise, nav etc . My colleague and I put just over 2k miles on it in a week with no problems and in a pretty relaxed manner.
I'd happily have one if I needed to change my current car.
|
The Avensis is a good option, but being a Toyota you'll probably have to pay a bit more and fight off 100 cab drivers for a good model.
The 9-5 is very under estimated. Which is why it halves in price the minute it's off the forecourt. As mentioned the 3.0V6 has some issues and isn't that economical for a diesel, so if economy is what you're after maybe give it a miss.
The 1.9 is the GM/Fiat engine as mentioned above (I think). Not sure what the issue is with these - I've heard good things.
And the 2.2 can sound like a tractor when cold and at idle, but there's so much noise suppresion in the 9-5 it's not a problem. And with a light foot, no load and the wind behind you it'll do 50mpg.
Has veeeeerrrry comfy seats too.
|
A Passat B5.5 (2001 - 2006) estate would be in that bracket I think. Either 105, 115 or 130bhp.
Very economical, lots of toys and well put together.
Two main weak spots and one item to watch for:
-- front suspension ball joints can fail unpredictably (depends on usage etc) and it's around £4-500 per side to fix. If the front suspension clonks, bargain hard or walk away. If the paperwork shows they've been done, great.
-- the bulkhead drains (ahead of the windscreen) can fail. This can lead to water in the footwells or ECU. Either way, you get unpredictable electrical / engine problems. Again, some get this, others don't.
-- the diesel engines MUST use special oil that meets VW 505.01 spec. This isn't expensive oil, in fact it's as cheap as Castrol GTX, but if it's NOT used the camshaft and followers will take a very early bath. If this can't be proven, walk away.
I'd guess a previous-shape Mondeo TDCI would also fit the price bracket. Don't know much about the strengths / weaknesses of these, though.
|
Vauxhall Astra diesel estate.
In March 2003, I bought a two year old Astra 1.7DTI estate. It had 30,000 miles on the clock, and cost £6k.
It is now the wife's car, and has 210,000 miles on the clock.
We still get around 55 mpg from it. It would seem to match all your requirements.
|
|
|
|
the bulkhead drains don't fail they get blocked with crap and leaves. they are supposed to be cleaned out at service(same as my Octavia) but the garages never seem to bother doing this and still charge an arm and a leg.
|
|
|
|
The 1.9 is the GM/Fiat engine as mentioned above (I think). Not sure what the issue is with these - I've heard good things.
From HJ CBCB:
"On 1.9JTDM timing belt drives waterpump and waterpump failure can fling it off in as little as 40k miles, wrecking the engine.
1.9 diesel autos vulnerable to failure of heat exchanger in radiator admitting coolant to the ATF and wrecking the transmission. On cars just out of warranty GM SAAB will usually contribute 40%."
And that doesn't even mention problems with the swirl valve actuator, EGR valves, etc...
When they're running OK, then they're great, but on 30k a year, no thanks. Sooner or later...
The old 2.2 GM diesel isn't 100% reliable either.
Can't beat the 9-5 for comfortable seats mind.
|
I was in a Passat B5.5 this weekend. 178,000 miles and the taxi driver said it had no more than regular servicing.
The only rattle I heard was from the badly installed meter on the dash.
|
|
|
The old 2.2 GM diesel isn't 100% reliable either.
Isn't it the Isuzu sourced 2.2Tid in the Saabs? I was under that impression. I'm on my 3rd and as long as you use fully synthetic oil you should be okay. Both my previous ones have gone over 120k with not a single problem. (Both 9-3's though).
|
|
Yeah, it can be a good unit, if a little gruff. But they do have quite well known issues, or at least some of them can. Generally quite bomb proof compared to the 1.9 though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'd go for the Octavia, followed by Mondeo / Focus (depending on how much luggage room you need - the Octavia has almost as much space as the Mondeo), Passat or Avensis. If performance isn't important look for a 1.9 TDI Octavia or Passat. Tha engine is particularly long-lasting.
As you know, low mileage doesn't always mean better but it may be a factor for you if the car is to do 30,000 a year.
|
|
Volvo V70 D5, Seat cordoba Vario (estate) 1.9 TDi, Mondeo/Focus TDCi estate, Vectra estate. Go a bit leftfield and off the beaten track and you can pick up some good bargains.
|
I'd recommend a Ford Focus estate, we have one, it's super to drive, functional and easy on fuel. 30k miles per year would require 2 services per year every 12500 miles. Insurance costs are low. You'll get a good one for £6k. The 1.6 TDCi 109ps can handle a full load with no problems and is good on fuel economy, 64 mpg on long journeys. The 1.8 TDCi is also good but uses slightly more fuel but is pretty economical on long journeys 60+ mpg, less mpg when/if they are hammered.
Whatever you decide to buy check out the long term servicing costs as they can vary a lot from car to car and consequently impact on running costs.
Edited by MikeTorque on 08/05/2009 at 00:09
|
|
|
|
