Suggestions... Diesel, 8k, ....fun?

Avalon

Avalon

Avalon

Soldato
Joined
29 Dec 2002
Posts
7,691
Budget is 7-8k max
Driving is a mix of (mainly) twistys and A roads (I work at the arse end of beyond)
This will be a run it till it dies purchase so residuals are not an issue.

Got a little one on the way so trying to reduce outgoings a little while the other half is on mat leave. I drive 70+ miles a day, with VED/Fuel price i'm looking to switch from a 3 door D4D Rav to something a little more child/wallet friendly. My first instinct was a PD130/150 Golf TDI or similar and running the numbers i'd be over a grand a year up based on reduced price of servicing/parts/fuel/insurance/tax/rubber.

I did consider the Leon/A3 but TDI Seats are hard to find and Audi seems to equal more money for simialr age car and not a lot more going for it.
The Bora (same engine) on the other hand is a few grand cheaper compared to the Golf but I haven't had a test drive yet and it's not exactly the kind of car I see myself driving. After looking at a fair few VW's locally and nothing jumping out I thought i'd ask what else fits the budget is as reliable as a Toyota but as economical as a VW?

*Mazda 6 is out due to pump issues (same problem on the Mondeo ?)

Thanks :)
 
Avalon said:
Got a little one on the way so trying to reduce outgoings a little while the other half is on mat leave.
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By spending 7 to 8 grand? ;)

How much are you expecting to get for your Rav? I take it you actually have worked out that the best course of action is to change cars to save money, as opposed to keeping your current one? I only ask because I've had a couple of friends recently say that they want to swtich cars to save money, missing the fact that the switch itself costs that much in their cases that it eats up the saving anyway. That said, if this truly is a "run till it dies" job then what I've said doesn't matter quite so much.
 
The Bora will be a MUCH better buy the Golf. Same car, looks a bit more bland, way better value.

That 330d is awesome but VERY cheap and it wont do 55mpg as the seller claims - not on a general basis at least.
 
Bora and fun are not exactly words that I would use in the same sentence. Even the Mk4 Golf is a bit of boat compared to the competition in standard form.

Mazda 6's used Denso pumps which do seem to have serious longevity issues. Ford used Delphi and whilst the very early TDCi's had issues with the rollers in the pump breaking up that was fixed by early 2003. Very rare you hear of a Mondeo pump going these days unless its been misfueled. The injectors can go but unless its a catastrophic failure the car will just be a bit noisy rather than break down. You can get an injector fitted for £150 now at a diesel specialist so it's not the end of the world.

£8k would get you a Mondeo ST TDCi these days which is excellent value. You'll only get 50mpg if you stick to 70mph on the motorway though, generally they do mid forties.
 
OK FUN may be a little over the top but I have two wheels for that so most of the four wheel options in this price bracket including the petrol side of things doesn't compare :P How about we agree to stick to less boaring than a Rav ?

Spending 7-8k includes the trade value on my RAV being 5.5k with a private sale going a little over 6k, without factoring in depreciation (it's a run till it's dead and burried deal) it comes out as follows based on 20k a year and VW/Toyota stated combined average mpg's.

Running costs based on 20k/year (inc VED, 10/20k service, rubber, insurance, Fuel, MOT) per year:

Rav 4966.75
GT TDI PD130 3599.65
Saving 1367.10 a year.

So within 18 months i'm quids in and within 5 years i'm over 5k up including the purchase price.

General repairs for 100k's worth of driving come out pretty similar in terms of brakes, clutch, cambelt/pump etc. so excluding anything going majorly wrong i'm saving enough to make it worth looking. That said nothing's gone wrong with the Toyota.... yet.

*looks outside to make sure it hasn't self combusted as I type this*
 
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PAz said:
Seat Leon - keep searching for one. Great cars
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Found one locally and one of the sales staff had beaten me to it! Other than that they're all 200+ miles away.

*edit* found one locally but only the PD110, still worth a look to get a feel for the car I suppose :) Will also see if i'm feeling the Mondeo love later this week (sounds oh so wrong).
 
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IBIZA TDI fr (130bhp)

Lots of fun to drive - quick enough and excellent on fuel, downside being the ride is a little harsh...
 
The 3 door astra sporthatch, 150BHP CDTi could be had for that money, just a cheap tuning box and 180-190BHP is possible, remap and close to 200BHP/40Nm is possible..

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-u...HALL&model=ASTRA&min_pr=&max_pr=&max_mileage=



Other then that, the VAG diesels as mentioned by everyone above would be the one I'd personally recommend, the problem is getting a reliable diesel that isn't reknown for big bills due to poor reliabili from injectors/pumps etc..
 
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Demon said:
The 3 door astra sporthatch, 150BHP CDTi could be had for that money, just a cheap tuning box and 180-190BHP is possible, remap and close to 200BHP/40Nm is possible..
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My friend has one around that sort of power. Very impressive and superb power delivery masks some of its dieselness.
 
why is diesel classed as so unfun?

Boy at work is just about to swap his alfa gt for the diesel varient as he fells it is much more powerful and fun to drive.

The diesel is only 150bhp aswell, but has a lot more torque than the petrol iirc.
 
Begbie said:
why is diesel classed as so unfun?

Boy at work is just about to swap his alfa gt for the diesel varient as he fells it is much more powerful and fun to drive.

The diesel is only 150bhp aswell, but has a lot more torque than the petrol iirc.
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Let's compare it to an orgasm. With a petrol engine, you go and go and go and go and BOOM, climax...AHHHHHHHHH...change gear.

With a diesel, you go and you go and ...awww all floppy. Change gear. Go..go...go.....awwww, all floppy.

Essentially, you cannot get a good buzz going with a diesel.


The VW Golf, Bora, Seat Leon and so forth are NOT fun cars. They are not fun to drive. They are extremely bland, especially in diesel form. A Seat Ibiza or Fabia vRS might be more fun to drive but the downside is that they are smaller, less well put together and generally too expensive for what you get.

The only thing I can see being close to fun with a diesel engine is a car which makes up for it in the handling department. I know there is a theme of BMW fanboyism permeating the Motors forum but there's a reason. They're good cars hence why I'm going to recommend one. As mentioned, the BMW 330d is about as close as you are going to get to fun in a diesel car. Whether or not you'll get one for your budget is another matter.

If you cannot stand the image of a BMW, I'm sure Mercedes do a C class diesel but I know absolutely nothing about this apart from it being RWD so I'll say no more.

The Ford Mondeo is also a nice car to drive, especially in ST TDCi form but again it's far from fun. It's one of the best handling FWD diesel cars out there but it was made to be a family/rep car, not a sports car. The brakes are absolutely rubbish too.
 
It's all about expectations.

If you want a diesel I doubt you're going to take it to the ring or any track days so you don't want mind blowing acceleration and performance.

If you're driving up and down the motorway and want economy more than performance then a diesel is your friend. At work thats all we have - we have a Passatt diesel at the moment and that flys. Very quick and very little lag. We have an Alfa diesel and again thats not what you would call slow.

At the end of the day you can do 70mph in this country so you hardly need a car that has a top speed of 200mph if all you are doing is driving in normal conditions.



M.
 
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