3 grand Audi/BMW diesels

Stormster

Stormster

Stormster

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
4,671
Location
Stoke-on-Trent
*Don's flame suit*

Not interested in other stuff. 3 grand give or take a few hundred. I think a 100k mile car in good condition with good history is actually do-able. I think I will actually consider 3 series/A4 sized now (I must be getting old chaps!).

Talk to me. Don't tell me it's a bad idea. Just tell me the negatives and positives of what you know on these kind of cars around 2006 age as that is where they seem to be sitting at this budget. I don't want anything too poverty spec but A3's, A4's, 1 series and 3 series are my main area's of interest :) Happy to hear anything to do with major/common reliability issues. Performance isn't of massive importance now but I definitely do not want to be fixing it every weekend.

We love these kind of threads :D
 
It's a shame you're not interested in other stuff.
I bought a 2007 Saab 9-5 Vector SportWagon 1.9 L TiD Estate for £1600 in June.

My budget was up to £3k but the Saab ticked all of the boxes so I went for it:
- Full Saab Dealer Service History, and all repairs through Saab dealerships
- Leather upholstery
- Heated seats
- Autodimming rear and side mirrors
- Heated side mirrors
- Xenon headlamps
- Cruise control
- Dual zone climate control
- Parking sensors
- Electric folding mirrors
- Electric wipers
- Integrated sat nav

All other diesel estates at this price were absolute dogs.
 
Bad - it's a diesel and a VW one at that.
Good - should be cheap as a result.
Bad - don't blame me if everyone gets asthma.
Good - fuel consumption.
Bad - Fuel costs and limited access to towns - possibly.
Andi.
 
Looking on Autotrader with the search criteria I can't help but think it's a bit like scraping a barrel. everything i'm seeing looks pretty sparse but I have only had a quick look.

I'd be going older or higher mileage personally at that budget in order to get something that isn't poverty spec.
 
At that point the VAG's are going to be choking themselves up with carbon, the EGR's will probably be knackered, the inlet clogged, the air shut off valve seizing and the DPF (if fitted) will be probably approaching saturation.

Go with a 3-series if you can find one, feel a bit less refined but they just don't go wrong anywhere near as often.
 
Iamzod said:
Looking on Autotrader with the search criteria I can't help but think it's a bit like scraping a barrel. everything i'm seeing looks pretty sparse but I have only had a quick look.
.
Click to expand...

Agreed.


Ricochet J said:
It's a shame you're not interested in other stuff.
I bought a 2007 Saab 9-5 Vector SportWagon 1.9 L TiD Estate for £1600 in June.

My budget was up to £3k but the Saab ticked all of the boxes so I went for it:
- Full Saab Dealer Service History, and all repairs through Saab dealerships
- Leather upholstery
- Heated seats
- Autodimming rear and side mirrors
- Heated side mirrors
- Xenon headlamps
- Cruise control
- Dual zone climate control
- Parking sensors
- Electric folding mirrors
- Electric wipers
- Integrated sat nav

All other diesel estates at this price were absolute dogs.
Click to expand...


I don't really like Saabs, but I'd rather have this Saab than a £3k diesel A3/1 series or whatever.
 
If you want a bargain you have to go bigger to A6 - 5-series - the bigger you go the better the bang for buck. A4 - 3-series segment is too popular and there are too many poverty spec examples around.
 
Mondeo ST TDCi. That's what I would be looking at with that budget.

You would get a half decent E46 330d for that money I think.
 
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Get a Mk1 Superb or B5.5 Passat and be done with it.

BMW is a liability at this price range.

Remind me why you sold your 120d??
 
Phil W said:
You would get a half decent E46 330d for that money I think.
Click to expand...

Really REALLY wouldn't satisfy his need to reduce costs/outgoings though. Over the length of my ownership of a 330d (which ended 6 years ago, so the cars were younger), I averaged 42MPG (which you can get out of a decent petrol), and had to spend a fair amount on maintenance, repairs, and general upkeep. Not to mention that decent tyres in 255/35/R18 aren't exactly cheap either.
 
BMWs especially seem to be a minefield at this price and age. So many have been obviously clocked, crashed, or are just in real bad shape mechanically. Personally, I wouldn't go any where near one.
 
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avensis 2.2d T180 boring as anything but reliable and well in budget

or if you don't want to do sensible for your budget

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...price-asc&radius=1500&fuel-type=Diesel&page=2

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...price-asc&radius=1500&fuel-type=Diesel&page=2
quick mapping session on either of those will yield not far off 300 bhp and buckets of torque, also if your a not averse to being hated on here delete the EGR at the same time for some future trouble negation


we had a C class c320 albeit a w204 in the family for a while, mapped to 285 bhp and 500lbs/ft took a severe battering every outing and was no worse for wear with regular servicing.


OR

an Octavia VRS

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...ar-from=2006&price-to=3000&radius=1500&page=1

FSH and belt just been done on the above from a dealer so maybe get them to throw in a years warranty at screen and your laughing

or some super silly suggestions

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...imum-badge-engine-size=3.0&radius=1500&page=1
A8 4l tdi

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...um-badge-engine-size=3.0&price-to=3500&page=1
or a nice A6 3l tdi not this one though as the specs rubbish
 
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I'm not looking for a performance car, despite it's modest turn of speed I sort of already have one :) So I don't want to buy a diesel to turn it into a weapon.

I don't want a Ford, Vauxhall, Skoda (I know they're much the same), they do nothing for me in any way, sorry.

I sold the BMW to free up money for as big a house deposit as we could to get into something we weren't expecting we'd get into. It worked. I just want to put my money into that for a year so despite the Civic having sensible enough running costs and I've (actually stupidly) spent a small fortune on it within a few months, it's not the most practical choice at the moment. Because of where the house is I'll be doing a lot more traveling up and down to visit family. Hence thinking diesel. No intention to go mad tuning it.

I just want something solid, reliable, good build and decent looking which has that German badge. Don't ask me why, because that is not in question :)

Thanks so far guys. I think you're right and a cheap beemer is probably not a wise idea. We have loads of VAG specialists around Stoke. All within 5 mins of work should I need to dump the car anywhere in a rush. I think I am swaying more to a nice enough A3 or A4 to be honest. I just need to know as much as poss about what goes wrong as I do understand the budget I'm willing to go to is low for a good one. But, it can be done, I have every faith, if I do my homework.
 
I thought Audi & Skoda were pretty much the same thing nowadays? I don't get the whole German badge thing as every one I have been in has left me underwhelmed.

Surely it's only worth the hassle if going for one with a proper engine, ie not a 4 pot diesel?
 
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