Hi Guys,
I need a med/large family car with a budget of £3500-£4000
Priorities are - reliability, fuel economy, Comfort.
My shortlist with my concerns is:
Honda accord - Running costs too high?
Vectra (02-05) - Reliability/build quality?
Mondeo - Reliability?
Toyota Avensis - Dull to drive?
If i went for the mondeo or Vectra, what are the chances of it reaching its 10th birthday without picking up large repair bills, ie Clutch/suspension.
I can get more car for my money with the Ford or Vauxhall but would it be money well spent in the long term?
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The question, what engines and gearboxes are you considering?
For example, my opinion on the reliability of the Vectra C depends a lot on which engine is fitted.
I assume you'll be looking at 2.0/2.2 DTI engines. Fuel economy will be good, comfort will be good, but reliability is not certain. The 2.2 DTI especially seems to suffer from faults with turbo hoses etc. Build quality should be spot on, some of the very early cars had production issues, but should have been sorted under warranty a long time ago.
Also worth bearing in mind with the Vectra that on the whole, earlier cars had much better specs. The 02/52 plate cars were very well equipped, even in LS trim.
From that point on, lots of bits and pieces have been deleted from the spec, with only a handful of things added .
I would prefer a Mondeo TDCI to a Vectra DTI, just a better engine. Now the later Vectra CDTI units are another thing entirely...
Try the Avensis to see if the handling suits, don't expect any surprises but you might not find it that bad.
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Thanks for the reply.
Im not a fan of diesels so im looking at a manual petrol. It would have to be a 1.8 for the reasons of running costs. The avensis ticks all the boxes except for the fact that from the back i think its an awful looking car.
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Don't write off the bigger engines. The Vectra 2.2 petrol is a very good unit and turns in excellent fuel economy.
If you don't fancy the looks of the Avensis, then strike it off.
From my experience, I've always liked the 2.0 Petrol Mondeos, but never tried one in the MkIIIs.
I strongly believe that in the real world, the slight increase in engine size makes little or no difference to fuel economy but makes all the difference to performance, especially when loaded up.
An Accord with either the 1.8 or 2.0 petrols would be a good bet, but, assuming you're looking at the previous generation, is it really any better looking than the Avensis?
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I need to make sure the IG doesn't go into double figures as i've only got a couple of years no claims.
I would add the 99-02 primera to the list but all the 1.6/1.8 only seem to have a radio/cassette and that is built into the dash so i can't just slot in a cd player. CD and AirCon are musts.
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"I would add the 99-02 primera to the list but all the 1.6/1.8 only seem to have a radio/cassette and that is built into the dash so i can't just slot in a cd player."
Can you add a CD changer to the head unit? Might cost no more than replacing a tape deck with a CD.
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2.0 petrol Mondeo, but pay peanuts as the current model runs out, Other than possibly insurance, I can't see that the 1.8 would be any cheaper to run.
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mosschops
As the 02 Primera is now a possibility, why not also consider a Mazda6 of the same year? Some will not have a CD player but all, as far as I'm aware, will have AC. Although my annual mileage is very low, I have found this car to be economical in all respects and, as you might expect, extremely reliable.
Not sure on used prices, though.
clk sec
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The radio/cassette in the Primera is replaceable with a standard cd/radio. You just need a few bits.
Guide here
pgunner.tripod.com/
I have a 1.6 97 Primera. It is very comfortable and cruises well. Struggles up hills a bit.
It is upto 130K and has been very reliable in the 4 years/65K I have owned it.
I believe that the 2.0 Litre engine is supposed to be the most reliable.
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good link primera 97
i have just started using my second primera 2001 with auto
first one was 97 manual
got to say the 2.0 litre is a cracking bulletproof engine with loads of grunt and good mpg in the manual form,not so sure with my auto but i never go far anyway in it
the autochanger in the boot seems more susceptible to jolts than my old one,unless its because i use cdr"s in case my cd collection gets stolen
so to op consider a primera they are dirt cheap because they dont have street cred
loads of room
good mpg
ultra reliable
agree must have aircon though
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Think also about a Skoda Octavia 2.0: What Car's tables suggeste you might get a 2003 model for your budget.
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I'd try for a Mondeo or an Octavia too - both of them are as comfy as a Montpellieran dentists chair to sit in, have a good stereo for listening to the Pet Shop Boys on, and are big enough to transport all your mates to Happy Jacks for a beverage or twenty.
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Hi Guys,
Octavia 2.0l is a no-no, ive already had one. That VW 2.0 petrol engine is really bad - uneconomical and very problematic with ecu lights.
No i know you can replace the factory fitted stereo on the primera i will probably go for that.
I would like a mk3 mondeo though but i'm a bit concerned about reliability. Has anybody here had a mk3 mondeo from new that is now seven years old? how is it shaping up?
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