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I've got a new job which I'll be starting at the end of this month. I'll be doing at least 80 miles round trip everyday so I'm planning to buy a diesel car. I haven't got huge amount to spend I'm afraid and my budget is ideally around £2k mark. What cars would you suggest in this price range. Out of these 80 miles 70 odd miles would be on lovely M4. I would ideally like a VW Bora but I believe its out of my budget so I'm thinking about VW Golf (mark 3), Vauxhall Astra 1.7TDi, Toyota Avensis D-4D. Please give me some advise, thank you.
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Don't spend £2k - horrible sum - too much to write the car off if the bills get too big, but still in banger territory.
Popular with caravan-dwelling, luck-heather selling types and other folk who are soap-averse, the 405 TD is worth looking at - mine's done 181k, and although it needed a new driveshaft recently at £180, it's been very reliable. 45 mpg about standard.
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I've had nightmares with French cars in the past so I'm definitely not going near one. I think I could pick up a Seat/Skoda with VW diesel in it for that much money?
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If your looking at 405 TD then august 1994 onwards when they gained drivers airbag, seatbelt pretensioners & side impact bars plus a better alarm system.
GTX is a nice spec ( no standard ABS till june 95 though )
Exec spec is top of the range, full leather with heated seats ( that wont now be working due to design mistake ) but even the early ones of these didnt have ABS
I had a 2 litre 405 Exec for over 5 years, even that managed around 33 mpg around town, the 1.9 TD 405 is a lively old lump plus is virtually bullet proof if looked after.
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Rover 75 CDT. Two main things to look for are that the ECU isn't doing backstroke and whether the clutch/master cylinder has been done (if you're going for a manual).
I desperately want to get one but haven't got enough pennies yet. I'll be going for an auto though. You can still get parts easily enough for them so don't let that put you off. Such a lot of car for relatively little money.
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Forgot to say in my previous post, these are powered by chain-driven BMW designed engines.
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If Rover 75 shopping you need to make sure the engine cooling fan has been replaced with the new modified unit or knock £400 off the asking price.
Needs to be tested with & without the aircon running & engine up to normal operating temp so the fan cuts in & out.
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If Rover 75 shopping you need to make sure the engine cooling fan has been replaced with the new modified unit or knock £400 off the asking price. Needs to be tested with & without the aircon running & engine up to normal operating temp so the fan cuts in & out.
Why is this LeePower? How does the problem manifest itself? Reason for asking is my mother has a 75 Diesel and she has reported recently about the temp gauge being slightly higher then it has been in the past, is it something to worry about?
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The cooling fan fails / wont work correctly & you will end up cooking the engine / blowing the head gasket.
The modified unit comes with a new fan & motor plus a control box & wiring loom, some of the front bodywork has to be removed to fit it, the new unit is simple unbolt & plug & play.
Easy enough to diy if you have a basic set of tools & a few hours at a weekend.
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Lets take a look at the economies. 80 miles per day for 228 days per year. If the diesel does 48mpg and the petrol does 35 mpg, then all you will save is £500 per year in petrol. The additional cost of buying a diesel and the grief (see this forum) if anything goes wrong in a CR or PD diesel would suggest that you but a petrol engined car.
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Would a Rover or Peugeot diesel engine be reliable? I doubt it guys. I would like something which would give me least trouble.
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People I've spoken to with the 75 CDT engine rave about them (their own forum echoes this). I wouldn't be looking at them if I didn't think it was going to be reliable! But a lot of it boils down to style and personal taste, if you don't like the look of a car then it doesn't make any difference what anyone on this site, or anywhere else, says.
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Of the old diesels I see rumbling and, er, smoking their way around here, an awful lot are 306s and 405s. (Probably a fair few ZXs and Xantias too but the badges are harder to spot on those even if the soot isn't.) I'd say that if a car has lasted long enough for its value to fall into the territory we're discussing here, it's proved its longevity and you can make a reasonable assumption on its reliability. Tidy and well-maintained are probably more important attributes that any specific badge. And 'only' £500 a year on fuel?
Just as I was about to press Post, one of my neighbours rumbled up the street in her 306 XRd - and no soot in sight!
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>>Would a Rover or Peugeot diesel engine be reliable? I doubt it guys. I would like something which would give me least trouble.
You have picked two very reliable diesel engines there. The Rover L series is very much bomb proof as is the XUD Pug unit. If you are referring to the 75 Diesel its a BMW unit that is also exceptionally durable (mine did 225,000 before trading it in!)
Both former engines are old technology and seem to chug on for many tens of thousands of miles with nothing but regualar oil changes. You wont go far wrong with either, although keep an eye for HGF on the XUD as its not exactly unheard of!!
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Well £500 will pay for the RFL and insurance for his choice of cars and you've not factored in mileage for non business (pleasure) mileage.
Mk3 Golf is diy friendly for most service items and has good independant backup for service, repair and spares
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For £2k you could get a late 90s Mondeo 1.8TD with around 90k on the clock.
Ok - the refinement is rubbish and the performance won't impress anyone. But they're generally reliable lumps, give good economy (about 45-50mpg) and are just fine for long journeys on the motorway. I've had a couple and was perfectly happy with them, as long as one isn't expecting too much from them and is willing to stir the gearbox a bit to get them going!
Or you could buy a 2.0 petrol version for about £800-1000 less and still get around 30-35mpg. Indeed, for £2k the petrol versions are about 2 years newer than an equivalent diesel and far less miles too. I've also had a few (4 in fact) of the 2.0 petrols, needless to say, they were much nice to drive than the 1.8 TD. Especially if things like vibration through the controls and performance matters to you.
Both were simple to service yourself, if you want to save a few quid that way too. Just make sure the clutch is ok, and avoid auto petrols.
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If you want reliability, get a Toyota Corolla diesel - the Corolla is the default reliability choice bar none and if thats your priority, its a no-brainer. Just get one with history.
Rarely for me, Im on the side of those suggesting a 405 diesel tho - its an old-style engine so not with the complexities of the newer ones and aslong as you buy a well-cared for example, reliable and can take mileage. The thing with french cars is this - the french aint all that bright at making technology last very long, so get a low-tech french car and your fine! They do make good diesel engines.
By the way, if you look at economy figures carefully, some lean-burn petrol engines are as economical as some diesels, though not all.
I had a Volvo 460 1.8 which easily averaged high 40's on a run and contrary to what you sometimes hear, it was faultlessly reliable. Best car ive ever owned. Some diesels only do high 40's ya know. Do your research and make sure diesel is right for you.
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Find an old boy who is selling his pride and joy of a 2.0 Cavalier I got 40 mpg from one on regular long runs without sparing the throttle. Pay £500 for a good un.
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Sorry - I agree with RedBaron.
Don't bother changing.
It's not worth the agrro and to spend £2k on a car you know nothing about is pointless. It could and probably will cost you whatever you save on fuel and more. Keep the current car, unless you drive a thirsty Subaru, and slowly save up until the time comes when you can afford a newer and probably more reliable car.
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Skoda Felicia 1.9D - if you absolutely have to spend 2k on a diesel!
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I'd be looking at one of the last Phase 2 306 1.9TD's around 1998-99. You should easily find a well cared for one of these, with sensible mileage for around £2k- as long as it's not one with a DHY engine built between April 97 and April 98 due to instances of con rod failures. Head gasket failures didn't seem to occur much on 306TDs built from late 1996 onwards- they seemed to occur more on the Phase 1s. Or if performance doesn't really bother you much- settle for a non-turbo 1.9D, not exactly a speed machine with 70bhp lugging a reasonably heavy car around, but is reliable and will get you to your destination in one piece.
Martin
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can pick up quite a few decet audi a4 tdi's around a 95-98 plate for that money
chris
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Buy an Audi 80 Tdi for 500-1000 (L,M reg) and spend 500 quid a year looking after it, you may find you have some spare cash left.
I aimed for 500 pound maintenance with my petrol version and had 200 pound left at year end, this year spent nowt. And car cost 450 quid two years ago
A couple of prime examples
tinyurl.com/3dzmxo
tinyurl.com/2up3z2
{Both links to Autotrader website shortened as was previously screwing up the page width of this thread. Also the postcode changed to one offered by Autotrader to hide posters location - DD}
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Guys I'm getting a V plate 99 Avensis D4D for £1800 with 85k miles on it. Its hatchback. I know Toyotas are meant to be reliable and I've had really good experience with all of them in the past but I've never owned a diesel one so a bit of feedback would be great. Thanks as always.
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