a hefty response. however i missed a few points out.
i am only 23 and really want i car to be proud of and to catch peoples eyes. i have remove the likes of skoda and the toyota avensis diesels out of the choice because of the looks of the toyota and the badge of the skoda.
the thing that attracted me the VW's was the looks and reliability.
i have no problem with the engine of my 406 diesel, but the rest is poor.
a small car is too small for me, i would say a civic would be the smallest car i could cope with.
to be more specific i can tell you exactly what i want:
loverly looking well built car,
torquey diesel,
low co2 emissions 150max,
lower than group 13 insurance,
at least 45 MPG,
as said top reliability results.
|
|
mmm.... just read the vw thread, not very impressed to say the least.
|
|
|
Andy
For looks and build quality road test a Audi A4, the 110bhp version retails around 10K for a 98 model (parker guide).
Insurance group 12
50mpg on the motorway
reliability not as good as the japs but can't think of a jap car with looks and a good diesel engine.
|
"reliability not as good as the japs but can't think of
a jap car with looks and a good diesel engine".
How about a 3 door Rav4 diesel then - imported for around £11,000 brand new with 3 year warranty and fulfills all the required criteria.
KB.
|
"reliability not as good as the japs but can't think of a jap car with looks and a good diesel engine". How about a 3 door Rav4 diesel then - imported for around £11,000 brand new with 3 year warranty and fulfills all the required criteria. KB.
Rav4 - good looking? Suppose it is a question of taste.
Isn't the MB 3.2l diesel and the BM 3.0l diesel the best around. It won't be too long before you can get a tasty high miler for a sensible price.
Also IMHO if you want a very good diesel try a BM 325tds. I know that it is not the latest technology nor the most economical but it is a really sweet engine and has 6 cyls.
|
>> "reliability not as good as the japs but can't think >> of >> a jap car with looks and a good diesel engine". >> >> >> How about a 3 door Rav4 diesel then - imported for >> around £11,000 brand new with 3 year warranty and fulfills all >> the required criteria. >> >> >> KB. >> Rav4 - good looking? Suppose it is a question of taste. Isn't the MB 3.2l diesel and the BM 3.0l diesel the best around. It won't be too long before you can get a tasty high miler for a sensible price. Also IMHO if you want a very good diesel try a BM 325tds. I know that it is not the latest technology nor the most economical but it is a really sweet engine and has 6 cyls.
Not so much a question of taste, more opinion, I feel.
As it happens, I myself am not all that struck on the looks of the Rav4 but I have the distinct impression that most are and the 3 door is a bit sporty looking and Andy has said he's badge conscious and obviously wants to look cool in it. His post reads..........
i am only 23 and really want i car to be proud of and to catch peoples eyes. i have remove the likes of skoda and the toyota avensis diesels out of the choice because of the looks of the toyota and the badge of the skoda.
the thing that attracted me the VW's was the looks and reliability.
i have no problem with the engine of my 406 diesel, but the rest is poor.
a small car is too small for me, i would say a civic would be the smallest car i could cope with.
to be more specific i can tell you exactly what i want:
loverly looking well built car,
torquey diesel,
low co2 emissions 150max,
lower than group 13 insurance,
at least 45 MPG,
as said top reliability results.
My personal views of the ownership of BMW's and Merc's lead me to think that ownership of one of these is very much about the feeling of having achieved membership of a somewhat elite group who looks down on the likes of lesser makes like Skoda or Ford, whereas in reality BMW's and Merc's are so common a sight these days that it's just not the case. I agree that the engineering is good, but ownership of one doesn't automatically confer good taste on the owner - very often it's quite the opposite in my opinion.
Back to the issue in question.....I was wrong to say that a Rav4 DIESEL can be had for around £11,00 imported. It's the entry level 2 wheel drive one that can be had for that sort of money - the diesel is a good bit dearer.
KB.
|
|
|
|
|
Fair point KB but i wasn't thinking of the Rav4 as a car but a 4x4.
|
|
|
|
I have a Fabia ('01) Saloon 1.9 SDI. I have owned it 6 months and had one small hicup (the oil pressure sensor failed). I am very happy with it and find it a joy to drive. Obviously it's not as powerful as a TDI, but it still is fairly nippy.
I get around 50+ MPG and the insurance is cheap. Just under £400 fully comp for a 21 year old, is good going in my opinion.
My only critiscm is the length of time to get parts at the dealer, normally 24-48 hrs and they don't appear to have many parts in stock. Apart from that free courtesy car and friendly staff (Fish Bros Swindon).
|
IanB,
Who are you insured with? Under £400 is good going! How many years NCB do you have?
Thanks
|
Good going if the insurance is in his own name anyway.
To get that at 21, you'd have to have 4 years' NCB, a Tracker fitted and live somewhere like rural Gloucestershire with a 3000 mile limit.
Or at least I would have thought.
|
|
|
|
|
Yes, but those VAG diesels are really awful, especially the PD versions. If you want an agricultural vehicle get a tractor. If you want an A4 get a 1.8T petrol.
|
I agree Fergus, i have the 1.8T myself, but advice was asked for a diesel, unfortunately Audi do not fit a Pug diesel. On the question of BMW diesel cars my neighbour was unimpressed with his 2.5(which surprised me) and now runs the new A4 2litre petrol.
|
|
|
|
|
Andy, i'm a similar age to you and I'm looking for a similar car as well. After driving a lot of different cars for work I can honestly say my favourites are the HDi Peugeot 406s - I'm now a hooked TD fan after getting 55mpg over a 200mile run which included some spirited driving (and my favourite 6mile twisty B-road all in second and third at full acceleration except on the tight bends!)
I am therefore looking for a 3dr 306 2.0HDi DTurbo. The DTurbo model looks identical to the 306GTi-6, same alloys, front fogs & spoilers etc and looks great in moonstone blue. Cheap and does loads of mpgs. Only Group 5 insurance. After reading these treads on the PSA/HDi problems I'm slightly worried about reliability but hopefully I'll get a good one.
|
MikeC, Andy drives the 406 at the moment, enough said. Ensure you drive the 306, don't assume its as good as the 406.
|
Sorry for the delay....
I am insured with directline and have 3 years no claims. I have a £450 excess and I think that's the only down side. Everywhere else I tried it was around £600 fully comp. Directline have been my cheapest quote for my last car aswell. I don't have a tracker or any extra alarms etc. Bog standard fabia.
|
Sorry i missed the bit about a mileage limit which is 10k/year and I live in Swindon. Hardly the countryside.
As an example I had a 1999 1.0 Saxo (bog standard again) which was about £350 TPFT with directline. That was based on 2 years no claims. I don't understand why they are so competitive, I tried tesco and the like and they are far more expensive.
|
insurance varies, tesco was cheaper than direct line for me.
anyway, i'm really stuck, my budget of 11k has to be somewhat lowered to around 7K. i know its an impossible task but i'm trying to cust cost big time.
my new idea is a astra diesel, the reviews aren't very good but have you seen the tax band - the lowest £80pa. and 55mpg
or for more reliability, the new civic 1.4, apparantly 47mpg.
or maybe focus diesel.
my dad has a astra though and hasn't had a single problem.
|
Andy22
How about a Seat Ibiza? Seat are doing free insurance at the moment and I’ve seen the 1.2 Ibiza for £7495 brand new with air con. That’ll do 45 to 50 mpg, chain drive cam ( a big big pull for me - see my Astra thread!!) and it’s quick enough, surely? It’s even a nice cool shape! And you get VW bits 'n pieces too. (Why do Seat get better reviews for reliability than VW when it's basically the same car?) Got to be the deal of the moment, particularly for younger drivers..
Baz
|
|
Andy, if you're particularly keen on a diesel then I suggest you look at a pre-owned Clio dci Dynamique. That car is supremely economical (over 60 mpg) and smooth to drive, with a great level of standard equipment and lots of safety features. The engine has incredible torque for its size - took me and three adults up a steep hill in fourth and kept accelerating - and the car is only in insurance Group 3, too. You can get them for around £7k now - I had one for a year and am sorry to see it go. Otherwise, if you're not bothered about petrol and want the free insurance, I'd agree with Baz.
|
|
|
"Why do Seat get better reviews for reliability than VW when it's basically the same car?"
Probably because expectations are different. People make a fuss if their "if only everything was as reliable as a" VW gives trouble, while they are pleasantly surprised if their cheap Spanish motor doesn't!
I like the Seat, too - I hadn't realised it had a chain-driven cam.
|
|
I think you will find that it is only the 3 cylinder 1.2 engine that has chain driven cams !!
|
|
|
|
|
|
