Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx.

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Fri 4 Jun 2010 12:12
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - tarifa

Hi Everyone,

I would like some advise on the purchase of a used disel estate. My main requirements are:

Reliable, Reasonable to repair, High MPG - 45-50 if possible, Dog friendly, Sporty if Possible. Comfortable on long journeys upto 4-6 hours.

Budget is £1500 upto £3000 at a stretch.

I have read through the previous threads on the recommendations and these are the estate cars that I am interested in:

Audi A4, A6 Avant estate, BMW 520 or 3 series Estate, Skoda Oktavia, VW Passat, Honda or Saab?

My preference is for an Audi or BMW but I am concerned that the servicing and repair costs for these vehicles are very high.

I could not find many Skoda Octavia diesels on the used market?

I should add what I need it for. I will use it to carry one small dog, mountain bike, and camping gear for 1,2 people. I will travel around the UK with it, Wales, Scotland and would like to take it to Europe on extended trips. Last year I took a vaukhall around Europe and it broke down 3 times and I had to leave the vehicle in Gibraltar when the engine went.The RAC would not help me as I had broken down already. So this stressful experience I would not like to repeat again.

I prefer diesel as I will get higher MPG but would consider a petrol if the overall cost of servicing will be lower.

Many thanks for all your replies.

Tarifa

Edited by tarifa on 04/06/2010 at 12:26

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Fri 4 Jun 2010 13:39
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - Paul G1pdc

if you find any of those cars for that price...please let me know because i want one....

i personally think that for 1500-3000 your better off getting a lowish milage petrol estate rather than a 200,000+ miles diesel that might have turbo/intercooler issues....a petrol should be more straight forward to fix away from home turf.

i would hunt around for a car with service history a (focus,etc) or similar estate.

mind you if your after real fun car, i read an article a few years ago about a couple who did a tour in an old london taxi......hahahhaa

paul.

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Fri 4 Jun 2010 13:57
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - Sam49

If it's reliability you want - Mazda 626, Old Shape Nissan Primera, Toyota Avensis. They do diesels as well, but not sure what they're like. Most will be better kitted out (European trip, air con essential I would have thought) and the fact that they are not as desirable as the Euro models means you could possibly get a better example for your money

A quick Autotrader search reveals

51 reg 626 diesel estate , 75,000 miles, air con, elec everything, airbags...£2,295

51reg Primera Sport+ (sporty!) 2.0 petrol, 80,000 miles, fully kitted out, £2,250

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Fri 4 Jun 2010 14:29
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - tarifa

Thanks Paul and Sam49 for your replies. I was concerned about Turbo diesel engines having issues with high mileage.

Mazda, Nissan and Toyota are great options too. Good point I will get more for my money on undesirable models. Will definitely look more at those models.

I am assuming they are much cheaper to service than German cars? My dad had his 5 series 10 year old BMW recently serviced at an independent garage and it cost him £1100 for a couple of tyres and other stuff! Ouch!

Edited by tarifa on 04/06/2010 at 14:34

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Fri 4 Jun 2010 16:57
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - pd
As others have said, that budget is very, very, tight for what you are looking for. The world and his dog (both figuratively and actually) are looking for a reliable estate which does 50mpg for under £3k.

To get anyhing moderately modern and under silly miles you might well need to go the route of auctions, ebay and maybe the odd underpriced private sale to find what you want.

You might just get a very early post-98 A6 TDI in that bracket but any E39 diesel (they don't do a 520d btw - 525d is entry level) will be very difficult to find at retail under 3k and they can (and do) go expensively wrong.

Personally, I'd forget any of the "prestige" badge stuff and look at the fleet fodder - Mondeos, Vectras (although the diesel on those are carp), Avensis, Octavia (good choice), Golf Estate, Passat etc. You should find something in that lot in your budget range.
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Fri 4 Jun 2010 17:02
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - tarifa

Thanks PD you talk alot of sense.

I think I have a case of "foolish vanity." After reading hundreds of reviews old Audi and BMW are cars to be avoided - defintely cars you pour money into with numerous causes of faults. Something I surely want to avoid.

So it looks like it will be Japanese or Skoda.

Edited by tarifa on 04/06/2010 at 17:09

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Mon 12 Jul 2010 00:58
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - Kingjohn

I've had an '98 Octavia TDi estate for a year with no problems apart from the central locking which isn't always willing to unlock all the doors. The load space is enormous and in the summer I expect it to give 70 plus mpg at speeds upto 70 mph.

My wife has had a Fabia estate for years and the only problem is that batteries do not last much more than three years. It has the 130 bhp engine and she cannot get near my fuel consumption. The Octavia SD is said to be gutless.

Hope that helps.

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Mon 12 Jul 2010 08:56
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - Rumfitt
Funnily enough, just had a similar search a couple of weeks ago, for a 'prestige' small diesel estate under £3000.

Most of the supposed bargains are on offer from small time traders, who will rarely offer decent warranties (sold as seen at this price mate) and always seem to have something to hide...

I looked at several Audi A4 1.9 130 Avants and they were all pretty rough - definitely not someone's cherished pride and joy. In the end I widened the search to include the Volvo V70. Eventually got a 200k mile example with full service history for £2.5k. On the surface it seemed a good deal but it didn't take long for the problems with intercooler, dash panel, maf sensor and drop links to raise their ugly heads. Every receipt was apparently included but a ring around the garages revealed they'd battled against all kinds of problems not documented.

I would echo the advice to go for a Japanese petrol estate instead - there are far too many expensive things to go wrong at this price range.

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Mon 12 Jul 2010 09:26
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - Armstrong Sid
On the surface it seemed a good deal but it didn't take long for the problems with intercooler, dash panel, maf sensor and drop links to raise their ugly heads. Every receipt was apparently included but a ring around the garages revealed they'd battled against all kinds of problems not documented.

What are you expecting for under £3000 and with 200k miles? You sem to be expecting it to run like a 12 month 15k model, perfectly smoothly with no problems. Even a Japanese petrol will have something worn out or needing replacement at that age.

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Mon 12 Jul 2010 10:09
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - veryoldbear

You could always think SAAB 95 2.2TID which is a good old clunker with a chain cam engine and can do high mileage.

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Mon 19 Jul 2010 14:18
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - Roly93

You could always think SAAB 95 2.2TID which is a good old clunker with a chain cam engine and can do high mileage.

Good point !

The only problem these cars can have is perished 'leakback' pipes on the injectors which costs pennies to fix, (assuming the inkector pump is okay).

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Mon 12 Jul 2010 16:51
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - Rumfitt
What are you expecting for under £3000 and with 200k miles?

Certainly wasn't expecting a perfect car! Quite relaxed about it really, just amused at how the trade works. Luckily I'm on holiday so can attend to all of the niggles. I've always been one to take a punt on an interesting car at a lowish price - my last car was a neglected Jaguar 4.2 V8... Best advice is to seek out the users forum(s) on the web for common pitfalls and a useful overview. These do tend to be filled with people's problems though. At this level of the market I also recommend seeking out recommended places for spares and suitable breakers yards - with all the expensive systems and kit on the Volvo I wouldn't go near a main dealer at this level of the market. Despite the risks I've usually done ok, selling the car for a little more than I paid, whilst keeping servicing and repair costs to around £500 a year.
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Sun 18 Jul 2010 22:23
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - aj1970

They are certainly out there and find the right one get a bargain. If it has been fully serviced then the mileage is less relevant. I sold my 1998 A4 TDI 110 for just under £2K about 18 months ago with 175,000 miles on it. No problems at all and it was running like a dream so you just need to find something similar!

All my recent TDIs have been high mileage (165K Passat was fine till it crashed!) and I'm running a 2003 TDI Golf with 155,000 miles at the moment.

Edited by aj1970 on 18/07/2010 at 22:25

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Mon 19 Jul 2010 11:00
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - dieselicious

at that kind of price, i'd be looking for a petrol engined estate car, and offsetting the cheaper servicing against the higher fuel costs. I've just done this, shelling out just under 3k on an immaculate Audi A6 Avant 1.8T, 2000 on a W plate, 101k miles and full service history, receipts etc.......complete with 12 months AA backed warranty. Happy? You bet.

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Mon 19 Jul 2010 13:16
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - dizzi141

I'd recommend the 1.9tdi 130bhp Passat, massively economical and happy to do hundreds of thousands of miles. My friend's Psst did Devon to Birmingham at 50mpg driving 80mph+. They're not that expensive to buy now if you look at the 2000-2005 range, certainly within your budget. The speed's not far off my 2.5 v6 tdi Psst and they handle well. My saloon boot is HUGE so I can only presure the estate is spacious too. Good luck!

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Mon 19 Jul 2010 13:17
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - dizzi141

P.S. If you're doing lots of miles I think you'll very quickly find petrol a false economy IMO.

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Mon 19 Jul 2010 13:51
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - nick1975

You can have my 2002 1.6 Zetec Focus Estate for £1,500 if you want. Its done 113k miles, 4 new tyres, new discs and pads, and had the cambelt doen at 80k. Full service history and no issues in the 5 years i had it.

it meets your criteria

Reliable, Reasonable to repair, High MPG - 45-50 if possible, Dog friendly, Sporty if Possible. Comfortable on long journeys upto 4-6 hours

Save for 50MPG, but the saving on purchase price will see that right.

email me if interested

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Mon 19 Jul 2010 14:16
Audi A4, BMW 520, Skoda Oktavia etc - Diesel Estate recommendations 2k approx. - Roly93

You are being very ambitious looking to find a BMW or A4 estate for up to £3K. Both these cars hold their value like Mayfair property !

I think you'd be better off looking for something like a mondeo diesel estate, if its running okay now it will probably be okay for some time to come, ie it will have had the bugs ironed out.

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