Recommend Me a Car

[nick crisp]

So my Dad's Focus 1.8 is now mine to do as I please with. It's too expensive to run for me, so I'll be looking to chop it in soon. So what should I go for? I don't know anything much about cars, but my brother is recommending a smallish turbo diesel, as much cheaper to run. Obviously I'll want something that's pretty reliable, not too expensive, no price figure in mind yet as I haven't yet looked to see what's out there at what price, or what I'm likely to get for the Focus (30-ish k miles on't clock, good condition, full service history). And I'm not made of money!

It's not about performance to me, but may end up needing it for a commute of up to 35 miles each way for a while. As long as it will sit at 70/80 on a motorway trip without sucking the tank dry at an alarming rate - well, you get the picture.

Ideas?

[Skippernick]

They say that with modern diesels you need to do more than 15,000 miles a year with longer journeys to warrant not messing up the engine and to gain in mpg anything less go for petrol as the cost of fuel is better that way.
So 35 miles is enough to warm the diesel engine in a trip so decide what your annual milage will be and go from there.

[nick crisp]

Thanks Nick, but everything is in a state of flux at the moment, so I don't have any definites on what mileage I'll be covering  :\
Just really need something generally more fuel-frugal, and less VED-heavy than the Focus, hoping to make the change sooner rather than later.
Actually the motorway trip thing and commute may not even happen, so that's perhaps a bit misleading - let's say general use.

[mr self destruct]

What year/spec is the Focus? Look on www.parkers.co.uk for realistic values, but as for a replacement, my mrs' 04 plate Focus 1.8tddi (not the later tdci) does 65mpg on the motorway easily, and you can pick them up for under £1k.


Trouble with diesels is that round town they're thirstier than petrols, so you need to hit the motorway to justify the extra fuel cost.


We bought it at 2 years old for £6k and it's never broken down. Ever. The engine is on 230k and running well.


The only downside is that it's terminally dull, but coming from a bike aren't all cars? 

[Frosties]

This....they are seriously good sound reliable cars which normally run to 250k miles with no more than maintenance. I bought one as part of the company car "opt out" scheme. Mates were signing up for X-Type Jags and RX8's etc on lease...me I spent £700 and the car did nearly 75k miles (pocketing the £375 monthly allowance    ) in 3 years with no issues. Gave it to my sister about 5 yrs ago and its still going strong. No fancy electrics anywhere to go tits up, just glow plugs.


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/a...?logcode=p

[keithfzs1000]

i have 2 friends who work in different garages one an mot, the other a council motor port, both say the same thing

Keep away from italian too expensive and techy,  french pure money pits only go british if its an absolute bargain and get japanese when ever you can hmmm bit like bikes then :rollin :rollin

[Dead Eye]

One question which hasn't been asked yet is how old are you willing to go? Do you want something less than 10 years old for example?

A few friends seem to always want the latest models, or only ever less than 5 years old... me on the other hand; I've never owned a car younger than 10 years (2 of the 5 were actually older than me). As a result, my friends 06 Focus cost more than all my cars and their servicing over the past 5 years combined. He then lost 50% on the price when he sold it 2 years later, but that's mostly because he is a muppet

[rustyrider]

I'd second the older Peugeot diesels (as would Christo I'm sure).  Low tech diesel so don't cost a fortune if anything breaks and economical.  Downside is they are boring as hell.  Although they use less fuel than an equivalent petrol engined version of the same car, I worked it out for a friend once and found you need to do more than 9,000 miles a year for the diesel to be cheaper to run.  The VED on a diesel is higher due to the crap they belch out of the exhaust and fuel is more expensive than petrol. 

[ChristoT]

I'd second the older Peugeot diesels (as would Christo I'm sure).

HAHAHA. Not.

The 106 handles well, but the electrics are a law unto their own, and the seat will fuck up your back on any longish trip.

The engine will bore you senseless, it's grim! I bet the petrol version would be better though.

[snapper]

My mate has just got a new car He loves it ! its a 2ltr turbo diesel
he says he can get 70 miles to the gallon  cheap tax and the insurance isn't as bad as he expected !

the only issue is the purchased price ,, its new  BMW 5 series  only 40k to buy
sorry not much help
I have a ford cmax 2lyr diesel  cheap to insure does up to 55miles to the gallon  you can pick one up for a couple of grand  in good nick only real issue is the egr valve ,

[alan sherman]

Sounds like keeping the free car, which is a good reliable model, is the way to go.  Why do you say it is too expensive to run?  Is it insurance?

The cost to change vehicles will wipe out any fuel savings for the first year or two.  Also you know this history of this one.

[tex]

I run a old 406 diesel, 55+ to the gallon, plenty of room, air con, cost me £600 2 years ago, it had 90.000 on the clock, cam belt and clutch had been done, its run with no probs, change the oil regular though. wife has a Toyota 2.2 diesel not as economical as the 406,but had lots of electrical gremlins.

[Lank]

So my Dad's Focus 1.8 is now mine to do as I please with. It's too expensive to run for me, so I'll be looking to chop it in soon. So what should I go for? I don't know anything much about cars, but my brother is recommending a smallish turbo diesel, as much cheaper to run. Obviously I'll want something that's pretty reliable, not too expensive, no price figure in mind yet as I haven't yet looked to see what's out there at what price, or what I'm likely to get for the Focus (30-ish k miles on't clock, good condition, full service history). And I'm not made of money!

It's not about performance to me, but may end up needing it for a commute of up to 35 miles each way for a while. As long as it will sit at 70/80 on a motorway trip without sucking the tank dry at an alarming rate - well, you get the picture.

Ideas?

what are you expecting running cost wise? My old 20002 focus with 160k still returns 38mpg. Are you looking for much more than this?

[sadlonelygit]

well funnily enough the daughter is about to flog off her 1999 306 1.6 petrol.
sailed through the test, starts first turn of the keyetc. no good for towing horseboxes so has to go!
£750ono

[noggythenog]

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 :eek ....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.

[Dead Eye]

There seems to be a lot of hate for Diesel engines but I don't find that overly surprising since we are on a bike forum after all.

In case its any help, here's my opinions;

If you go for a youngish car, then sure Turbo Diesels are pretty good, but be sure to look at 2 litre engines or larger. Some of the smaller 1.6 TD's tend to produce almost as much power as their 2.0 counterparts - consequence is worse fuel economy (the Peugeot 2L HDi is much better than the 1.6). The only real exception is for smaller cars with smaller power where the smaller TD's do well (can we see the trend here...)

For older Diesels, I'd be tempted to look at some of the NA stuff providing it has the power - Turbo's can be an absolute pain in the butt and are often expensive to repair and replace.

In the grand scheme of things, most Diesel engines will be quite dull until you get decent power (120+ hp) - you then get a decent amount of torque which can be quite fun I agree with the other sentiments though, that Diesel engines must be allowed to get to a proper working temperature reasonable often - if commuting throughout the week in short distances or start / stop traffic I'd suggest a good weekend drive out to give it a good clean.


That all said, there's a lot of good small, economical petrol engines these days - think VW Bluemotion stuff

I had a 306 1.9 Diesel (NA) which was gutless but a really nice drive - my dad had a 406 2L HDi which was a fantastic car and engine and easily returned 55 MPG.

[mr self destruct]

There seems to be a lot of hate for Diesel engines but I don't find that overly surprising since we are on a bike forum after all.

I've seen quite a few diesel bikes I'd happily roll. 

[Rexr]

We have a Skoda Fabia (Monte Carlo) limited edition with a 1.6 TDi it gives awesome mileage when cruise control is on we have seen 74mpg on a trip down to Wales, there's plenty of torque from what is basically a VW golf bluemotion engine I'd highly recommend any of the Skoda range as they are basically Vw's

[noggythenog]

We have a Skoda Fabia (Monte Carlo) limited edition with a 1.6 TDi it gives awesome mileage when cruise control is on we have seen 74mpg on a trip down to Wales, there's plenty of torque from what is basically a VW golf bluemotion engine I'd highly recommend any of the Skoda range as they are basically Vw's

When salesmen close a Golf door they proclaim........."sounds just like a Skoda"

[midden]

[quote author=Rexr link=topic=13199.msg149316#msg149316 date=1400589296]
We have a Skoda Fabia (Monte Carlo) limited edition with a 1.6 TDi it gives awesome mileage when cruise control is on we have seen 74mpg on a trip down to Wales, there's plenty of torque from what is basically a VW golf bluemotion engine I'd highly recommend any of the Skoda range as they are basically Vw's

When salesmen close a Golf door they proclaim........."sounds just like a Skoda"
[/quote]
I've got octavia 1.9tdi does the job plus for me both commuting 30m eachway and round town  cheap on road tax.
For you I would suggest the fabia.
My only beef with diesel is how it overtook petrol in price as soon as I got one.


Seats are pretty good these days and bloody cheap new