I agree with Avant, to already have a Focus and to ask for something sporty and more responsive leaves you with precious few options as the Focus is one of the best in this class of car. I think the Fabia and Golf are the only options, or for 7k you could probably get a newer Focus. An 03 one was still a late 90s design which feels pretty old now.

One option you have missed out would be the BMW 1 series, probably a 118d or 120d and theres 04-06 plates going for 4-7k but it was an overpriced car when it was new but it is a good car. But the more powerful ones are still pretty pricey.

Edited by jamie745 on 15/08/2011 at 22:31

BMW's trend throughout the 00s of using runflats as standard with an unforgiving suspension setup may be good on nice German roads but wasnt suited to alot of the broken British surfaces.

I know two people with Post '05 PD130s. Neither has had injector problems. (VW replace them free with a bit of arm twisting anyway). The Skoda variants didn't use DPFs right up until Euro V became mandatory in 09. Whatever the merits of Ford bodyshells and floorplans, their diesel engines are pretty poor.

@ unthrottled: Agreed. Given the reliability record of the car so far, I think now is a good time to get rid before something expensive goes - DMF, fuel pump or turbo! The PD130 engine seems a fairly reliable unit with well-known issues. I understand I need to buy one with Bosch injectors though rather than Siemens (recalling previous posts by 659FBE) - any quick way to check which are fitted when viewing a car?

@jamie745: TBH nothing Peugeot have done since the 205/306/405 generation has done much for me. I also have a prejudice (irrational?) against French cars as being unreliable. Have recently read about Peugeot 307s & 8s being fitted with DPFs since about 2002 and being subject to repeated, low-mileage DMF failures....

Perhaps it's time to go back to petrol to avoid the EGR/DPF/DMF issues, but I think I would miss the grunt and economy of a diesel.

The 308 has ironed out alot of the 307's niggles and i can only speak from being a passenger in a test drive for 20 minutes in one but the 308 was quieter than a mid range Focus and with a better ride, and it was a 1.6 petrol which was certainly quick enough, and quite a nice interior.

The 308 is one to watch as a decent value alternative to the Focus IF it is superior to the 307. I'd like to think that they have improved the reliability, the same with the Renault Megane (I wonder if you still have to go through the inner wheel arch to replace the headlight bulbs), but the shortfalls tend to show themselves after a few years. We'll see.

I test drove a Seat Ibiza PD100, and have to say it was great fun to drive - the PD130 would be a blast, but many of them must have been thrashed by now. There is quite a bit of vibration through the car on idle, but it's to be expected considering it's a PD engine in a small car. There is also a fair amount of road noise. But as long as you're within the engines narrow power band it really punts itself along nicely. Going down sliproads and getting up to speed just by accelerating in fifth gear was a breeze, and with only a few revs showing. I had a few concerns over reliability niggles after reading one of the owners forums, so I didn't buy one. But they are extremely good motorway cruisers.