Help choosing a car?

arctine

arctine

arctine

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Joined
7 Oct 2009
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Second time car buyer reporting in.

First car (which I still own) is a 2001 Astra 1.6 petrol which I paid £750 for and is still going strong and owes me absolutely nothing. For this reason, I'm not in a huge rush to buy a new car, i'm just after some direction in what might be good cars to consider.

Basically, I travel a lot. Talking at least 300 - 400 miles a week with the bulk of it being sat on the motorway at 70. The Astra is not the most comfortable or fuel efficient motor for such mileage in my opinion, and this is my main reason for wanting an upgrade.

The car has to be more fuel efficient and preferably cost less in the way of tax (I currently get around 40mpg on the motorway and pay about £250 a year for tax).

Cruise control is definitely something I desire along with all round improved comfort. I have absolutely nothing bar a heater and radio in the Astra :o.

It doesn't have to be crazy fast or fun to drive. I have my bikes for that. It is purely to get me around in the most comfortable way possible.

Car doesn't have to be big and I will definitely sacrifice size for fuel economy as long as it's not ridiculously small. I was close to buying a used Audi A1 TDI for around 10k but changed my mind about spending that much money.

I've decided my budget is a maximum of 5k. I really like the idea of a used Audi A3 but nothing is set in stone so I'm open to ideas.

Thanks for reading and sorry if I've missed anything out.
 
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My money would go on a Passat TDI. Maybe a bit bigger than you would like, but it makes a difference on the motorways. The 1.9 TDI (130 BHP) will get 55 mpg on the motorways (well, my in-laws get that out of mine) and comes in at £180 per year for tax. You should be able to get 2 decent ones for your budget, lol.

The A3 would be okay though, although I never liked the 2.0 TDI engine. That said, I averaged around 45 mpg in my one ('53' A3 2.0 TDI) and that was mapped to ~170 BHP and hoofed around everywhere, so taking it easy I would suspect an easy 50+ mpg too.
 
Watching thread with interest, these are my requirements also.

Definitely look at a saloon model for the extra refinements over a hatch. Passatt is a lovely car, I remember when I was 15/16 (10 years ago) going to golf with my dad in his friends Passatt, I remember how nice it was inside, very comfortable and quiet too, and the blue dash looked cool!
 
arctine said:
I've decided my budget is a maximum of 5k. I really like the idea of a used Audi A3 but nothing is set in stone so I'm open to ideas.
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Realistically, if you're not fussed about the badge, £5k will get you a better example of a non-Audi (or associated premium brands) so you're probably best finding something like that.

A £5k saloon will undoubtedly feel nicer than your £750 Astra anyway, so you'll just be lumping yourself with a ratty Audi, rather than a nice motorway cruiser.

Mondeo has already been mentioned, but it's where I'd start my search. If you're looking for something slightly smaller, I would probably stop at getting anything smaller than a Focus. Focus is a decent shout too, I picked up a 1.6 Ghia Petrol (with Cruise) for £3k a few months ago, with about 70k on the clocks. £5k will get you a nicer, lower mileage one.
 
Mk2 focus 1.8 tdci

Tough as old boots nice driving cars and although you would need to shop around for one with cc there's s million of them out there so plenty choice. Oh and they return cracking mpg as well as long as you don't happen to be my wife
 
Well, I was looking at the A3 just because of its size. I thought the mpg would be considerably better than that of a saloon.

Now I think the comfort benefits of a saloon outweigh the tiny fuel efficiency I would get from a smaller car.

What about an Audi A4?
 
Same as I was saying above about the Passat, as they are basically the same car / engines, you just get an older one for your money. The 1.9 TDI's are great engines. Little in it performance wise (130 BHP 1.9 against the 140 BHP 2.0). The 2.0's are a little worse on fuel economy though (my 143 bhp only averaging 41 mpg compared to the 47mpg in my 1.9 TDI).

If comfort is your thing, avoid the S-Line due to suspension. Not sure how hard the Sport rides on the Passat, as mine is a simple S, but is perfectly useable and smooth. That being said, I don't mind the ride on any of my motors, being M-Sports with RFT's or S-Lines or even my S4. I've run cheap coilovers and shocks / springs combos in the past, so anything is an improvement really.

As I said, the Passat will get you newer / lower miles for the money. The A4 you'll be looking at a REALLY nice B6 (1.9 TDI) or a nice enough B7 (2.0 TDI). Passat would likely see you a few years newer, if that's your thing.
 
Left field suggestion, but the euro 3 Volvo S60 D5s (up to 05 plate - black engine cover) are fairly bulletproof as well as incredibly economical for their size (50-60mpg average common) and comfortable. Sweet spot is 54/05 plates as they are facelifted cars with the euro 3 engine (so no DPF and better economy). Biggest bill is the dual mass flywheel (about £1000 for clutch/DMF/slave). You need to ensure that the timing belt has been changed (with vital tensioner) at correct intervals and the intercoolers are a weak spot (not expensive though). Suspension wise - usual drop links and control arms, same as all heavy FWD cars.
This looks decent (and is half your budget):
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201409297783676
 
Thanks for all the help and suggestions guys.

Looking like a toss up between a Passat and an A4 at the moment. Leaning more towards a Passat as you seem to get more for your money without the Audi badge.

I really do like Audis though, ha.
 
[TW]Fox;27126068 said:
Somebody needs a Seat Exeo...
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Just had a quick look. They seem like a decent choice but they are either over my budget or at the very limit.

Taking into account that the reason for this extra cost is probably because they're a few years newer, I'm not sure why else they're worth the extra grand or so over an 06/07 Passat?
 
arctine said:
I'm not sure why else they're worth the extra grand or so over an 06/07 Passat?
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It's an Audi A4. When the A4 ended production in 2008, Seat began producing it instead but with different badges and minor front and rear styling tweaks. It is otherwise the same car, and has the dash from the slightly more modern A4 Cabrio. It therefore makes a good choice for somebody who wants something well put together but doesnt want to pay over the odds to ensure it comes with the right badge.
 
I actually find myself really quite fancying an Exeo

Unfortunately I really quite fancy a petrol estate....of which there are pretty much none!

The Jetta is a decent enough car but I think I'd rather the Passat personally
 
[TW]Fox;27126809 said:
It's an Audi A4. When the A4 ended production in 2008, Seat began producing it instead but with different badges and minor front and rear styling tweaks. It is otherwise the same car, and has the dash from the slightly more modern A4 Cabrio. It therefore makes a good choice for somebody who wants something well put together but doesnt want to pay over the odds to ensure it comes with the right badge.
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Just had a look at these. Some on autotrader from a car supermarket: 2012, 143PS, nav, BT, park, etc. £10k. A lot of car for the money!
 
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