I have £8000 to spend..

Liquidfox · 22 Oct 2012 at 21:31

I manage 35-37MPG without issue on motorways. That was both stock and mapped.

Jono8 · 22 Oct 2012 at 21:41

Liquidfox said:
I manage 35-37MPG without issue on motorways. That was both stock and mapped.

Lies

Unless you were going 50-60 mph downhill i just cant see that being possible.

I would say low 30's at the most.

paddy · 22 Oct 2012 at 22:33

Facelift Octavia for £8000 ? 1 owner from new, FSSH, Maxi-dot, leathers in good nick.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201239486688799

I took it for a short test drive a couple of weeks ago and it felt ok*

I think they've dropped a couple of ££ off the price since I saw it.

*I wasn't paying full attention as I'd already decided I wanted an estate, there are some big questions I'd be asking Skoda themselves before buying that example!

Jono8 · 22 Oct 2012 at 22:43

paddy said:
Facelift Octavia for £8000 ? 1 owner from new, FSSH, Maxi-dot, leathers in good nick.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201239486688799

I took it for a short test drive a couple of weeks ago and it felt ok* I think they've dropped a couple of ££ off the price since I saw it.

*I wasn't paying full attention as I'd already decided I wanted an estate, there are some big questions I'd be asking Skoda themselves before buying that example!

Haha. Risky, but could be great for the money....maybe!?

if i wanted a facelift though i would prob spend the extra 2k and get one with no dramas and normal miles.

rexehuk · 22 Oct 2012 at 22:53

Clearly the only logical solution is a car that does 5-20mpg in this situation

Hedge · 22 Oct 2012 at 23:52

That Octavia looks great but I personally don't fancy taking much of a risk.. It does look a potential bargain though I must admit.

This decision is hard. First time I've ever had funds for a good car and I'm scared ill screw up

rexehuk · 22 Oct 2012 at 23:54

Hedge said:
That Octavia looks great but I personally don't fancy taking much of a risk.. It does look a potential bargain though I must admit.

This decision is hard. First time I've ever had funds for a good car and I'm scared ill screw up

Go drive some mate, it's the best way. Screwing up buying a car these days is hard, you have a wealth of knowledge online.

Read up, find common issues with the cars, inspect them well when viewing, listen to them, get a feel for it and the seller.

Hedge · 23 Oct 2012 at 09:02

rexehuk said:
Go drive some mate, it's the best way. Screwing up buying a car these days is hard, you have a wealth of knowledge online.

Read up, find common issues with the cars, inspect them well when viewing, listen to them, get a feel for it and the seller.

Noob question but when going to garages and arranging test drives etc, do I need anything more than just my driving licence?

I should be excited buying a car but the choice is daunting lol. Are BMWs worth a look at 8k?, 320d, 520d etc. I just have to resist pushing my budget up because 9k doesnt seem far away, but when does it stop.

Hedge · 23 Oct 2012 at 09:14

Also are Mazda6 diesels worth a look? they look quite nice and can be had with pretty low mileage for 8k

rodenal · 23 Oct 2012 at 09:35

I wouldn't honestly bother with a modern diesel that has dpf etc unless you really need it, too much to potentially go wrong.

For test drives you generally just need your license, though some places won't even ask for it. Bigger dealers generally take a copy and then come with you for a drive, some smaller places will just ask you to leave your car keys and send you on your way for half an hour

Hedge · 23 Oct 2012 at 12:33

rodenal said:
I wouldn't honestly bother with a modern diesel that has dpf etc unless you really need it, too much to potentially go wrong.

For test drives you generally just need your license, though some places won't even ask for it. Bigger dealers generally take a copy and then come with you for a drive, some smaller places will just ask you to leave your car keys and send you on your way for half an hour

I agree with the whole DPF and more to go wrong, but maybe a well maintained car is gonna be less prone.. although I dont know much

Cheers for info regarding test drives. I think Ill make a trip to see an Alfa 159 lusso tomorrow because I just find it so much more pretty than other cars around 8k. It stands out to me.

Could turn out to be a money pit but at spending 8k I maybe should stop being such a pessimist and just treat myself to something Ill have more pride in.

If I get a mondeo and find it boring every time I look at it, ill be less inclined to polish and wax it and keep it looking pretty.

[TW]Fox · 23 Oct 2012 at 12:44

Hedge said:
I agree with the whole DPF and more to go wrong, but maybe a well maintained car is gonna be less prone..

Why? The DPF isn't serviced as part of normal servicing so it could have been main dealer serviced every single month it's still not going to prevent DPF issues?

Hedge · 23 Oct 2012 at 12:53

[TW]Fox;23015173 said:
Why? The DPF isn't serviced as part of normal servicing so it could have been main dealer serviced every single month it's still not going to prevent DPF issues?

You left off the end of my line of text which kinda confirmed I didnt know much about it lol.

Not really any point in questioning me, youre best just saying "Yeah you dont know much because servicing has no bearing on DPF issues".

And then I can go "I see, thanks for clearing that up"

So its kinda pointless me worrying about DPF anyway because any modern diesel is equally prone then? so its just luck of the draw?

rodenal · 23 Oct 2012 at 12:59

It's not just dpf's - injectors, egr, clutches & flywheels to name but a few issues that generally plague modern (and by modern i mean circa the last 5 years, most commonrails tbh) diesels.

Some are worse than others and if you're driving them as intended i.e decent length motorway trips regularly the likelyhood is decreased but if you're not doing the mileage where you'll save any money / running it as a company car why bother in the first place.

Hedge · 23 Oct 2012 at 13:03

Well Ill be doing very little by way of town driving. Everywhere I go is either up / down the M54 to my GFs house or Up / Down the country to Newcastle.

Its a shame that there are lots of things on modern diesels for a noob like me to worry about (although I do overthink things).

Thanks for the input here because the more knowledge I gain the more confident Ill be splashing out my cash.

Jono8 · 23 Oct 2012 at 16:02

Hedge said:
Well Ill be doing very little by way of town driving. Everywhere I go is either up / down the M54 to my GFs house or Up / Down the country to Newcastle.

Its a shame that there are lots of things on modern diesels for a noob like me to worry about (although I do overthink things).

Thanks for the input here because the more knowledge I gain the more confident Ill be splashing out my cash.

Ofcourse equally, if you got for something more powerful and turbo charged in petrol form it will still have the potential for turbos,injectors, DMF to go. Though i think it is regarded as less likely in petrol form.

Hedge · 23 Oct 2012 at 23:41

Been hammering auto trader a lot today and just noticed Saab 9-3tid 150s..on a 2009 plate with around 30k on them and full leather and sat nav etc.. I understand Saab had issues but are these a risky buy as a result. Economy and spec seems good.

[TW]Fox · 23 Oct 2012 at 23:50

How many miles are you actually planning on doing? If its almost all Motorway its going to be difficult for anything that isn't a turbocharged nutcase car or some sort of V8 to be THAT thirsty on mostly Motorway runs..

Hedge · 24 Oct 2012 at 00:06

I plan to do around 20k a year. Owning a comfortable and pretty economical car is going to increase my number of trips home from where I'm based.

BiGT- · 24 Oct 2012 at 01:11

Dont mean to butt into your thread but is there a reason why people dont suggest a 2003-2006 BMW 5 Series which can be bought for about £5k? millage might be slightly high at around 80k but surely its worth it for the price?

slight noob here but I thought it was a good car.