The what car thread

Dugganator

Dugganator

Dugganator

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Help lol

Right today I got some good news I got offered a new job. The bad part is that the new job doesn’t have a company car but the wages reflect this so I’m not worried. I'm looking forward to having a car which is my own again but the big question is what I go for.

Currently I'm driving a mark 5 Golf GT TDI. Now I’m completely unsure what to get as a replacement for this. The issue I have is couple weeks back I paid off my credit cards so don’t have a deposit for a car so I’m looking at a loan. Already spoke to the bank they are willing to offer up to 13k but I don’t really want to spend that much if I’m honest.

7K would be the budget I guess, looking at a used diesel. Now the instant answer is normally "get a ford mondeo" which is not a bad car really but I just would like to hear views and reason for any car fitting that budget. I'm open to all suggestions even if there is a good car that’s lower or higher.

Of course I’m looking for all the mod cons extras and the best I can get as close to the budget but understand that this may impact the range of cars :p.

The car is going to be used for a 65mile round trip to work each day.

I look forward to hearing suggestions and any arguments caused as a result of this thread. :D
 
330d E46? Comfortable, with mod cons and none too slow either. But servicing might cost more than some manufacturers, and you'd be a BMW driver. :p

I'm not really sure how big a car you want, how pokey you want..
 
Cheers I like the 330's. I'm looking for something with as much poke as the gt tdi Golf I current have or close enough. Extra power is alway a nice bonus. What are BMW servicing costs like. Also if I go the beamer route can I fit my car with indicators :D
 
iaind said:
I think the 330d should have nearly as much poke as the Golf ;)

Mondeo ST TDCI?
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What are the TDCI engines like remember seeing a few people post that they arent that good with regards to reliability. I could be completely wrong on this. They look quite nice though there are a few high milers about.
 
Duggan said:
What are the TDCI engines like remember seeing a few people post that they arent that good with regards to reliability. I could be completely wrong on this. They look quite nice though there are a few high milers about.
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Instead of retyping the posts I've made before, I'll just copy it from the last one :)

The Mondeo TDCI is by no means a ticking timebomb or "riddled with expensive problems".

Every time someone asks about these, I say the same thing so I'll say it again this time.

The Mondeo, generally, is a very reliable car and the TDCi is no exception. The 2.2 actually manages fuel economy thats nearly as good as the 2.0 and the servicing costs are the same.

There are 2 problems with these that are relatively common and have given the car this stupid reputation around here.

The first is the flywheel - a failure of this is almost entirely due to how its been driven and how many mile's its done. I'd be looking for a relatively low mileage car on its first or second owner, and more importantly get the current driver to take you out in it. If they cant drive smoothly, labour the car in low geers etc and its done most of its journeys around town then its probably not got too long left. There's plenty of these cars about so walk away if you're not happy. Rattling at idle, struggling to start and a squealing clutch tells you its already on its way. If anyone tells you its going to cost £1200+ to fix, laugh in their face. Mine needed doing and cost £650 - yes, thats still a lot of money but its literally all thats gone wrong in the 18 months I've owned the car.

Secondly, injectors. The same point applies here about how the car is driven - if they needlessly rev the nuts off it, have a "tuning" box installed then walk away. Try to see the car when its cold - if it smokes when its starting then one or more injectors are on the way out. Contrary to my advice above, push the car to the red line when you try it - a lot of cars where the injectors have gone pop will go into limp home mode here with a flashing glowplug light. Again, people will spout crap about them costing more than a grand to replace - ignore those people too. A full set of 4 genuine delphi injectors can be ordered new for 300 quid and its an hour's job to fit them.

So, why bother then if there are these 2 problems and other cars that don't? I'm not going to get into the petrol v diesel argument, its been done to death and it never goes anywhere. However, the 2.0 TDCi 130 is a much better drive IMO than the 2.0 petrol, plus youve got the added bonus of better economy. Servicing isnt more expensive on the diesels at main dealers or independents either.

When you're looking at other cars, you have to consider how reliable the Mondeo is generally. I've had the flywheel replaced but thats it - £650 in 18 months (excluding servicing) is really quite cheap, you could buy another car and it might cost you £100 in a little repair every month.

The Mondeo is one of the best cars in the class and is brilliant value for money, if you're after a car like this then the Mondeo's the one to go for - just be rational about the petrol/diesel comparisons. If the car's been looked after and not been driven by an idiot, it will serve you well.
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iaind said:
Instead of retyping the posts I've made before, I'll just copy it from the last one :)
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Cheers for the epic reply. I'll have to have a look see at a few. What would be your suggestions on price for a reasonable one. Also what age. model and miles should I be looking at too.
 
Duggan said:
Cheers for the epic reply. I'll have to have a look see at a few. What would be your suggestions on price for a reasonable one. Also what age. model and miles should I be looking at too.
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No problem, I wrote it in response to a similar thread a while ago so I just copied it - I get fed up of the reputation they've gained for being unreliable so thought I'd justify it :)

Your budget of 7k is a sweet spot for a nice one. For the reasons above I'd value number of owners and overall care over mileage. Listen for knocking from the rear suspension, especially on estates.

A little lesson I learned, although I've no idea how common it is - the service interval is every 12,500 miles and the air filter is only replaced every second service, so 25k miles :eek: - mine got blocked and resulted in poor performance on boost and poor fuel economy...

At this age there's very little else that is a common fault - if you get a good one it will serve you well :)
 
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