3K for a cheap family car

attila_

Hey i bought a passat tdi estate pd130 02 reg for £3.2k...

Had 120k miles on it. The important things is make sure its been well looked after (forum members etc).

Car is solid like a tank but i do 30k a year and i know i need to spend money to keep it in good shape.

Hope this helped

bigjl

I would head for a mk3 Mondeo, stupidly cheap at the moment, the 130 TDCi is a nippy car, with a 6 speed box to help economy a bit.

Yes they have had issues with DMF's but they don't have DPF's, though somebody once said on here you could have one as an option!

Make sure it has good history, avoid any ropy ones and off you go.

Mine is original apart from consumables, a boost hose and two handbrake cables.

150k, on original DMF, shocks, exhaust, clutch, suspension, rear subframe bushes.

Yes a Passat may be some peoples preference but that has a well known suspension issue, and due to the complexity of the suspension and the number of bushes, a simple suspension overhaul can make the car uneconomical to repair. They are also a lot more expensive than Mondeo's. you can get a 2 or 3 yr newer Mondeo for the same money.

Mine is a 2005/05, and it is best to stick with the 2004/5 models onwards.

advice_please_2

Why did you rule out merivia?

I would say a skoda, Vw, Audi manual with a 1.9tdi engine
Chose of model and make dependent on what you prefer.
And seat, so VAG family

MaxStein

advice_please wrote: »

Why did you rule out merivia?

Simply because I sat in the model I was primarily looking at (the 1.7 enjoy) and it was uncomfortable, cheers for the engine advice though (took a little looking up, I had no idea what VAG was ).

MaxStein

BTW jase1, I forgot to thank you for that great write up
As a result I've changed my thoughts to the C-Max 1.6 (a smaller engine size, so hopefully dodging the DMF) and have started worrying less about the mileage, but I doubt I'd get any newer than the 2004/5 model for my money though.

The mondeo is still on the radar but the insurance group/mpg is a little worse, but not a deal breaker.

jase1

Yes I believe that the Focus 1.6TDCi (which isn't really a TDCi at all, it's a Peugeot HDi engine with a TDCi badge!) does not have the same issues as the Mondeo does. I have seen sporadic cases of turbo failure but that's it. Nothing scary.

Of course you do realise that the C-Max is nothing more than a rebodied Focus don't you? Not that this is a problem IMO, but you did say that you didn't like them for whatever reason.

You may find that the Focus estate is just as suitable for your needs, and a good £500-1000 cheaper for a car of the same age.

Couple of "funnies" on the Honest John rundown of the car: first, the advice seems to be "don't buy the CVT auto" because they break, and second headlight replacement is a dealer-only job???

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/ford/c-max-2003/?section=bad

I must admit I'm surprised about the headlight thing; I've replaced the headlights on my MK2 Focus and did not find it a particularly onerous job; sure the entire headlight assembly needs to come out but it's only one bolt!

Hammyman

jase1 wrote: »

DMF = dual-mass flywheel. Most larger diesels of the last few years have them, and they do go wrong.

If the DMF goes on the Mondeo, they sometimes take the starter motor out with them. A clutch/flywheel kit, labour and starter motor costs several hundred pounds to put right, and some unscrupulous dealers will just replace the starter and sell the car on -- leaving you with a huge bill a short time later.

In addition the 2.0TDCi is prone to injector failure, an additional expense.
.

To inject a dose of reality into this, my MK3 Mondeo 2.0TDCi is on 149,000 miles with no signs of the above. There is nothing on the service record (its still on the original clutch) and I've done 69,000 of that 149,000.

AlexisV

Every car has one or two known problems, but any of these would be a good buy:

Small Family:
• Ford Focus
• VW Golf
• Seat Leon
• Skoda Octavia
• Mazda 3
• Vauxhall Astra

Family:
• Ford Mondeo
• VW Passat
• Mazda 6
• Toyota Avensis

You have small family and family cars there. You've mentioned the Meriva (small MPV).

You're best off deciding which class of car you need before anything else.

jase1

Hammyman wrote: »

To inject a dose of reality into this, my MK3 Mondeo 2.0TDCi is on 149,000 miles with no signs of the above. There is nothing on the service record (its still on the original clutch) and I've done 69,000 of that 149,000.

That is only one car though. A fair percentage of Mondeo TDCis do suffer from the faults I have described, and it is only fair to any potential buyer that they go in knowing exactly what to be prepared for.

*If* any of the above problems do occur, your whole diesel savings for the ownership of the car could be lost in a stroke.

wba31

MY CAR!!

i have the older shape Honda Civic. I picked up a 54 plate last year for £4000. 1.7 diesel gets 65mpg on the motorway at 70mph. the 5 door is massive (Im very tall and could sit behind myself when my driver's seat is set up for me). I find it very comfortable, my only downside is no cruise control, so my ankle aches after being used to cruise control for so long...