I've tried the Diesel thing.......but i've now gone back to Petrol.....basically I would say unless you do galactic mileage then petrol is still the king...IMO.
But I'm still thirding the old Peugeot 205 diesel......never had one but have talked to numerous people over the years who state that they are absolute tanks and go on forever...my wifes grandparents had theres since new and only got rid of it last year for a couple hundred quid....basically they gave up before the old diesel did.
You'll need to research when exactly but after a certain year on diesel cars it became mandatory for them to be fitted with Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF).......these are renowned for being a PITA....basically the soot builds up in the filter over time until it reaches a certain point and must be burnt off or vapourised at high heat by the exhaust......this is called a regeneration.......if the car is kept at decent speeds over decent mileage and under load then this process is just continuously carried out so no probs......so id like to think you would be ok......however doing short journeys or lots of stop start stuff or maybe even just babying the driving too much will cause the filter to saturate to a level where it requires the driver to do a regeneration..dashboard warning light.....basically go and kick the cars pan in for 20 miles......if you fail to do this then it reaches critical and another light comes on which equals go to the Dealer to get them to fix it...for much money......if it needs a new one that'll be circa £1000
....my last diesel needed one...only as an injector failed and destroyed the filter though in that case.
So you maybe think that you'd be better with an older turbo diesel then...an old golf tdi or seat leon tdi perhaps......not entirely without their issues....no DPF to worry about however they can be subject to sticky turbo veins that have become clogged up over time....happened on my Leon...most likely been babied from previous owner who perhaps never went much beyond 50mph so the veins became sooted up at that speed if you like...one day I boot it and the veins get jammed.....car goes into limp mode.....they can sometimes clean them out but usually a new turbo
......if you had to go turbo diesel then I would say don't shy away from a well used one...it seems that the drive them like you stole them hyper mileage turbo diesels are much more reliable than the drive it like a nun low mileage examples are.
As said already...don't be tempted by a cheap Renault...my workmate has 2 Renault Scenic, absolute nightmares both of them...usually electronics going but even the wipers aren't reliable and are prone to jumping off.
I would also agree with going Jap....Honda are very reliable cars.
Vauxhall Astras appear to be pretty bulletproof too and can be picked up dirt cheap.
Some of the Japanese cars also have cam chains which will save you money on servicing as a big service and cam belt change these days can be extortionate and many sellers flog them on just before one is due.
I still say go petrol though..........a 1.4 petrol Honda...actually a Honda Jazz......you cant go wrong..get a Honda Jazz.
Topic: Recommend Me a Car (Read 5935 times)
