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Tue 25 Oct 2011 11:09

Ford Focus - buying a new car after DPF problems on peugeot 307 - roadnewbie

new to this and a complete car novice so please bare with me lol!

my boyfriend and i have recently been quoted £633 to repair the DPF on our 04' peugeot 307 2.0 HDi, long story short, the car isnt worth fixing, we only paid £1000 for it as the miliage is very high, it was ment to be more of a stepping stone whilst we saved for a better car, now we will just have to take out a car on finance anyway!

my partner wants to get it as 'right' as possible this time, so we would appreciate your opinions on cars suited to us, we do roughly 200 miles per week, and have two small children (2 and 3 months) ideally a cheap car to tax that does some good miles to the gallon etc, preferably WITHOUT THE DAMNED DPF if thats possible! we do around two 20 - 30 minute motor way journeys per week, and the rest is bog standard stop start driving.

he has been looking into a ford focus (not the brand new shape, more the '08 / '09) any opinions on these cars would be great! also please feel free to suggest any cars etc, all advice will be very very appreciated!

Many thanks, Ashley.

Edited by Avant on 25/10/2011 at 21:57

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Tue 25 Oct 2011 13:14

Ford Focus - buying a new car after DPF problems on peugeot 307 - gordonbennet

Hang on a mo, what condition is it and how reliable has your present car been in your period of ownership, what else needs doing to it, or do you just fancy a new car.

Pug's Diesel engines indeed their cars will reach astonishing mileages so long as they are serviced regularly, what's it done now 200k?, it's just about run in then.

If the DPF is the only thing that's wrong with it then getting it fixed would be a one off paymet and the thing should be happy for another 70k or so miles.

Have you shopped around to find a Peugeot or Citroen specialist who might be able to sort the DPF for a sight less than that quote?, some DPF's can be removed and reverse cleaned, but the EOLYS fluid might need topping up which is expensive if you go to the main dealer.

Not trying to tell you how to run your finances, but borrowing to save money is not the ideal way, ask our governments, they've been doing it for years and now look at us.

If you want a new car then by all means get one, it might not be the best economic decision mind.

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Tue 25 Oct 2011 13:58

Ford Focus - buying a new car after DPF problems on peugeot 307 - roadnewbie

Thanks for your reply!

It's done 190k, and we've only had it 3 months and nothing but problems with it, last week it was towed home because AA thought the turbo had gone, it turned out to be something to do with oil etc, god knows! The ESP light is forever coming on and off and the heating system won't turn off unless you pop the hood and remove a fuse! Its constantly cutting out and losing power, and surging when in the motorway! I think it's safe to say its had it's day lol!

We can't afford to be without a car and it will take too long to afford a decent one outright! Finance payments aren't a problem but without a car we can't get to work (live far from work and theres no direct transport :-( so backed into a corner really)

Just don't want to end up with a money drainer again so any suggestions would be great!

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Tue 25 Oct 2011 14:10

Ford Focus - buying a new car after DPF problems on peugeot 307 - gordonbennet

Focus Diesel do have regular turbo issues from these very pages, but i don't know much else about them simply because im underwhelmed by modern Fords.

To avoid DPF, and DMF as a bonus, consider Kia Ceed 1.6 Diesel over 12 months old (check any possible purchase), you might even get the 7 year warranty reinstated if you buy from a Kia dealer.

If you are considering petrol instead then there's more good possibilities than you can shake a stick at.

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Tue 25 Oct 2011 14:26

Ford Focus - buying a new car after DPF problems on peugeot 307 - daveyjp

200 miles a week - 10,000 miles a year is petrol territory. Plenty to choose from, but Toyota would be top of my list.

Kia/Hyundai probably wouldn't be far behind as there is plenty of warranty left on those if you look for an 08/09.

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Tue 25 Oct 2011 18:32

Ford Focus - buying a new car after DPF problems on peugeot 307 - BenG

Petrol cars would be worth a look. There are plenty that will average ~40mpg. The cost difference between 40mpg (petrol) and 50mpg (diesel) over 10k miles a year would only be around £280. One large bill for a modern diesel 'issue' (injector, fuel pump, turbo etc) could easily wipe out 3-4 years of fuel savings.

Why not take a look at a Kia Cee'd 1.6 petrol, with the balance of a 7-year warranty, or perhaps a Mk 2 Focus 1.6 petrol - cheap parts if anything goes wrong? Estate version of boht available if you need the extra space...

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Tue 25 Oct 2011 22:05

Ford Focus - buying a new car after DPF problems on peugeot 307 - Avant

I agree with the above - go for a petrol. Children of that age need a lot of gubbins to be carted about, so have a look at a Focus estate, Kia Ceed SW or (a bit bigger ) a Skoda Octavia estate. Even the Skoda Fabia estate has more room than your 307 - which I suspect has had neglectful previous owners and sounds like a money-pit. Gordonbennet is right about the HDI engine, but French cars don't stand up well to abuse or neglect.

A Nissan Note - good car with a silly name - might be worth looking at: plenty of room without being a full-size (and therefore more expensive) MPV.

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