Car advice - £8K to spend

[peterg1965]

Hi All,

I am in the market for a new car, with a budget of around £8K ish. Would stretch a little more for the right car. It will be used for a weekly commute, mostly motorways and dual carraigeways, it must be a diesel and be economical (45mpg+), low VED band C/D, four or five doors and fairly newish (remaining manufacturers warranty would be a bonus). A few 'toys' would be good too (leather etc), and I must have cruise control. I also want cheap/moderate maintenance costs, I will do £20K miles per year so mileage needs to be less than 60K at purchase. I have considered the following so far:

- Volvo S60 D5/2.4D SE Manuals 04/54/05/55/06 vintage
- Skoda Superb elegance/octavia elegance 1.9 TDi or 2.0 TDi
- Vauxhall vectra 1.9 CDTi 150 (SRi or Elite)
- Peugeot 407 2.0 HDi 136 SE (not massively keen on French cars though)
- SAAB 9-3 Vector Sport 1.9 (150)
- Honda Accord 2.2 CDTi Exec/Sport

Any other ideas? and what are peoples views on the above? I never thought I would look at a Skoda but......

[stupideejay]

Lo Peter,
Have you thought about a Ford Focus.Have a look on 'Honest John's' website.I've got an '05 2.0 Diesel and had no trouble.Built better than I expected.

[peterg1965]

Lo Peter,
Have you thought about a Ford Focus.Have a look on 'Honest John's' website.I've got an '05 2.0 Diesel and had no trouble.Built better than I expected.

Thanks. Focus is a little on the small side for my requirements, plus not many of them have cruise control which is a necessity for me.

[bargepole]

- Honda Accord 2.2 CDTi Exec/Sport ... and what are peoples views on the above?....
I've driven a few of these when I used to work for a leasing company, definitely get the Exec model, with leather and full screen satnav, it's a superb engine which just eats up the motorway miles effortlessly.

I've never known one to go wrong, they just start every time and go on forever. An excellent choice.

[balsingh]

Hve you considered depreciation? Most of the cars you have listed lose value quickly. The ones that woudl hold their value is the Honda and probably the Volvo and I'd pick one of those for that reason entirely.

[peterg1965]

Hve you considered depreciation? Most of the cars you have listed lose value quickly. The ones that woudl hold their value is the Honda and probably the Volvo and I'd pick one of those for that reason entirely.

Definately considered depreciation, most of the cars there, if not all, will have lost a huge chunk of their initial value. All will drop further over the years, some more than others, but it is more important to get a good price in my view.

[03022242]

you havnt considered a passat? it will depreciate less then some of the others

[lincroft1710]

2.0tdi Octavia - on Golf floorpan, but larger, has hatch, fairly reliable and OK to drive, also good value.

[harveybobbles]

Out of your list I'd have the S60 D5 SE. Tho they have a very small boot ans a shoddy turning circle

Vectra 150 diesels are full of nasty problems with the manifold, so go for the 120.
Saab 9-3's are the same as they all share engines.
Hocus Pocus Focus is a good all rounder and the 1.6 110 diesel is lively enough and runs on fresh air.
Accord diesel's are good too. Tho not quite as refined as you'd expect and make sure you keep an eye on the oil level as they get thru it betwwn services.

for 20,000 miles a year why not concider petrol...? As all of the car's you suggested are about 1000 cheaper as petrol...

[maniac886]

Out of your list I'd have the S60 D5 SE. Tho they have a very small boot ans a shoddy turning circle

Vectra 150 diesels are full of nasty problems with the manifold, so go for the 120.
Saab 9-3's are the same as they all share engines.
Hocus Pocus Focus is a good all rounder and the 1.6 110 diesel is lively enough and runs on fresh air.
Accord diesel's are good too. Tho not quite as refined as you'd expect and make sure you keep an eye on the oil level as they get thru it betwwn services.

for 20,000 miles a year why not concider petrol...? As all of the car's you suggested are about 1000 cheaper as petrol...

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[markelock]

honda accord.

[pianeet]

I would second a passat the last of the old shape models 05 reg are now very reasonable,Also x type jag diesels are becoming dirt cheap my 54 reg 50,000miles full dealer history was only £5500 averaging 45mpg £120 road tax,leather,cruise,satnav so plenty of gadgets

[peterg1965]

I would second a passat the last of the old shape models 05 reg are now very reasonable,Also x type jag diesels are becoming dirt cheap my 54 reg 50,000miles full dealer history was only £5500 averaging 45mpg £120 road tax,leather,cruise,satnav so plenty of gadgets

Thanks,

I never thought about the X-Type Jag. I shall investigate. Where did you get yours from? Understand the Jag uses the Ford diesel engines (2.0 Tdci and 2.2 tdci). Do you find servicing to be expensive?

[BillScarab]

From your list I'd get the Superb. Not at all sporty but good long distance cruisers. It's basically a streched Passat so has all the advantages of a Passat without the cost. If you're doing 20,000 a year and keep it for a few years I doubt if resale value is that much of a concern to you anyway.

Other than that I have an Octavia and have been very happy with it. I've only done 21,000 miles in it so far but all it's had done is one service and a new windscreen so I can't complain. It's very economical, good ride and decent enough to drive.

[pianeet]

I bought mine private,but had it checked out by a jaguar mechanic who works for my brother,servicing at jaguar main dealer is £300,but £160 at an independant,like you say it shares an engine with the mondeo tdci which i have seen at well over 200,000 miles in taxis,

[peterg1965]

I bought mine private,but had it checked out by a jaguar mechanic who works for my brother,servicing at jaguar main dealer is £300,but £160 at an independant,like you say it shares an engine with the mondeo tdci which i have seen at well over 200,000 miles in taxis,

Took your advice and had a look for a decent X type Jag. The Jag has certainly been added to the list!

I have found what looks like a very nice car. 2004(04) Reg 2.0d SE in Green (British Racing Green I think) with Cream leather, 48K miles, Full History and everything bar Satnav (which frankly I can live without). It is at an independant dealer for £7400. The price seems pretty good and if the pictures are anything to go by then it looks fantastic.

[harveybobbles]

I've been selling X Type diesels as thus:

2005 SE's with mileage circa 60,000 for 7995
and 2005 plate'd sports with higher miles were around 6500-7000...

Good value and don't have much trouble with them either. Just THAT vile, vile, vile, hateful Ford tdci lump that's in the front...

[peterg1965]

I've been selling X Type diesels as thus:

2005 SE's with mileage circa 60,000 for 7995
and 2005 plate'd sports with higher miles were around 6500-7000...

Good value and don't have much trouble with them either. Just THAT vile, vile, vile, hateful Ford tdci lump that's in the front...

Forgot to add that the car I described is an Estate, even better for me. Why are you not a fan of the Ford TDCi engine? Is the service interval on these cars 12,000 miles? and would you know when the cambelt change is required?

Seems that the price is about right then!

[EXPAT]

I highly recommend a Renault Megane...

[harveybobbles]

Yes, 12,000 miles. They are on a chain.
They sound like a concrete mixer. nothing nice about them at all. Very fast, but struggle getting the power down when you push them.
The Accord estate is bleedin huge! The rear seats have a clever folding device which entertains the kids. The boot is made even bigger by the removal of the spare wheel too!

[peterg1965]

I had a 2.2TDCi Mondeo ST a few years back so am probably used to the 'noise' !

[harveybobbles]

The clanging at idle and general un smoothness too lol.