Turnip for the book

I purchased a 2006 SAAB 9-3 1.9tdi 150bhp almost two years ago with 19,000 miles on the clock and have now done 50,000 miles, but have had nothing but problems with it. As I use the car for work, I am interested in buying a more reliable one. A 2007 Ford Focus 1.6tdci 5-door Zetec has caught my eye and is being advertised for £8,500 with 21,000 miles on the clock. I have trawled through various reviews, but I would like to ask which engine you would say was the more reliable or better: the 1.6TDCI or 1.8TDCI? There are plenty of 1.6TDCIs and 1.8TDCIs for sale for around the same price. I will be using the car to tow a small caravan and for work, but I don't see any problems with either engine set up although I appreciate that the 1.6TDCI engine might not have quite as much power as the 1.8TDCI, although the 1.6TDCI seems extremely economical.

Asked on 20 March 2010 by N.O., via e-mail

Answered by Honest John

Not surprising. The 1.9 in the SAAB is one of the worst diesel engine installations of recent years. The Focus 1.6TDCI should be much more reliable, more economical, cheap to service and cheap to fix if something goes wrong. Performance of the 110PS version is entirely acceptable. I ran a 1.6TDCI 110 ECOnetic for 14 months and 8,000 miles averaging 55mpg. It’s a better, more modern and more economical engine than the 1.8 that has its origins in the original Fiesta diesel.

Tags: buying small family cars used cars

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