Passat/Golf/Octavia - Used car for around £3k

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Mon 23 Feb 2015 20:30
Passat/Golf/Octavia - Used car for around £3k - abtx

Hi,

I'm thinking about buying a car for around £3k, although I don't do more than 12k miles a year, I'd like a VAG diesel engine as I hear they're durable. I need an advice on getting one. There are few passats with around 110k-130k miles on the clock - I wonder whether this is when Volks will start to brake. Alternatively, there is an Octavia 2.0TDI with only 80k on the clock, but it has got a DSG, which I am worried about. It's meant to be great, but when breaks down it costs a fortune to repair/replace. Then there is a golf with under 50k with SDI, which are great for reliability, but it's 8 years old, and I hear not driving diesels can be as bad. I need someone with experience to advice me on next buy. I chose VAGs also because their resale value is quite good. I need a car to serve me for approx. 3 years and then sell. Hope get at least half the price I paid for. What do you think? Cheers!

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Mon 23 Feb 2015 20:42
Passat/Golf/Octavia - Used car for around £3k - Avant

"I chose VAGs also because their resale value is quite good."

Actually that's a reason against getting VAG, because for your £3,000 you'll be looking at something older than, say, a Focus, which will have depreciated faster.

An Octavia will be better value than a Golf or Passat, and if you must have a diesel the 1.9 TDI is a better bet for reliability than the 2.0. But you don't have to have a diesel, and in your position I'd look at something Japanese and petrol-powered, or alternatively a Ford Focus (simply because there are lots of them around).

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Mon 23 Feb 2015 21:15
Passat/Golf/Octavia - Used car for around £3k - abtx

Yes, true that Japanese cars are pretty damn good, but for around £3k I'll still get comparable year and miles to a VAG. I'll have a looked at some Hondas and Toyotas, good ones are quite price. Thus I reason it may be better to get a good German diesel for the money, for extra fuel economy (though Civics diesel seem pretty great). I'd go for Octavia if the DSG was more reliable. Passats seem to be most reasonable solution, but I never had one and not sure whether over 100k is going to be as good as they say for a VAG.

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Mon 23 Feb 2015 21:26
Passat/Golf/Octavia - Used car for around £3k - Trilogy

I'd go for an Octavia over a Passat, you are paying a premium for the snob appeal of VW badge. I had an Octavia 1.9 TDI from 94,000 miles to 222,000. Now have a Focus estate. It has been more reliable than the Octavia and nicer to drive. Octavia was better built and a bit more economical.

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Mon 23 Feb 2015 21:34
Passat/Golf/Octavia - Used car for around £3k - abtx

How about Mondeos? They've got hefty diesel engines, are not that pricey. Chain driven engines too, so cam belt worry free. Would you recomment the 2.0 diesel engine at all?

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Tue 24 Feb 2015 12:07
Passat/Golf/Octavia - Used car for around £3k - slkfanboy

Doing only 10K miles a year the MGP is a major cost for you. The cost of repair and MOTs is a bigger cost and the major factors that affect the value of the car will be condition and having an MOT. Average repairs from the stats show you are likely to spend £300-£500 per year. Nearly any Japanese are be better (£300) than german cars(£400-£500). Ford/Mazda do very well in the low running cost stakes.

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Tue 24 Feb 2015 12:57
Passat/Golf/Octavia - Used car for around £3k - S40 Man

The SDI golf probably will be reliable. Its an old school indirect injection diesel. It probably won't be much fun to drive though and will be noisy also. I used to have polo one. It was ok off the mark but more revs just seemed to make more noise, with limited acceleration.

Apparently you can run them on veggie oil/diesel mixture.

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If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?