vw UP or skoda citigo

martinthebandit

frankie1star wrote: »

now that's the advice I call good. thank you

I have a 1.9 tdi on an 07 plate, I love it, but as you can see its getting a little old, and whilst its got some value, I hope to get a newer one than this. Incidentally, it has 63k on the clock, and in 12 months I have only done 7k miles approx

To be honest, from a purely money saving point of view, you would be far better off keeping the golf.

7k miles a year is very little and almost certainly does not make it worth paying the premium for a more economical car.

Of course, if you just fancy a change ......... well that I can understand

frankie1star

could I ask, at what point would you consider replacing it then?

martinthebandit wrote: »

To be honest, from a purely money saving point of view, you would be far better off keeping the golf.

7k miles a year is very little and almost certainly does not make it worth paying the premium for a more economical car.

Of course, if you just fancy a change ......... well that I can understand

mikey72

daveyjp wrote: »

Can someone who owns an Up or similar advise as to the cambelt change interval please.

I don't have one, and have no idea, but I'd never leave a rubber belt beyond 60k, or 6 years, sooner if I even hear any odd noises.

Johnmcl7

frankie1star wrote: »

could I ask, at what point would you consider replacing it then?

Personally when the car wasn't running reliably or doesn't meet requirements (more seats or space needed etc.). The 1.9 TDI engine is well regarded and having had a couple of them, I agree as performance is good, running costs are reasonably low and it doesn't have a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) that the newer versions of it do have. Also, the 1.6TDI engine which largely replaced it seems to look good on paper but doesn't seem to work as well in practice, in discussions I've found a lot of people who have changed from the 1.9TDI to the 1.6 have been disappointed.

I have a very similar car to you, a late 2006 Octavia (same platform underneath) with the 2.0TDI engine which I bought second hand as I couldn't stomach losing £10,000 so preferred to buy it at just over three years old when someone else had lost all the money. I wouldn't consider getting a smaller, newer car to save money as the cost saving wouldn't be there and my current car is running fine, a seized wheel bearing is the only problem it's had.

However I don't know how well your car is, unfortunately you don't know what's round the corner.

John

frankie1star

thank you, for your help, its so refreshing.

I have a small problem (I think) (intermittent) with the gearbox changing from 1st to 2nd quickly, if I do it slowly no problem, most of the time I try to do it slowly. One or two helpful(!) people have suggested it might need a new gear box (but not confirmed), and this has put the fear of god into me, so thought whilst its got some value trading it (selling) and buying a smaller (newer) car would save me money in the long term. This is quite possibly the major reason for my thinking. (fear and panic and a woman on her own). I have realistically decided NOT TO go for a new UP, CITIGO, MII. I do love my golf, but I cant afford to replace it with a like, so thought smaller and a different approach (slower) to driving would be more beneficial for me. Does this make sense?

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

Personally when the car wasn't running reliably or doesn't meet requirements (more seats or space needed etc.). The 1.9 TDI engine is well regarded and having had a couple of them, I agree as performance is good, running costs are reasonably low and it doesn't have a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) that the newer versions of it do have. Also, the 1.6TDI engine which largely replaced it seems to look good on paper but doesn't seem to work as well in practice, in discussions I've found a lot of people who have changed from the 1.9TDI to the 1.6 have been disappointed.

I have a very similar car to you, a late 2006 Octavia (same platform underneath) with the 2.0TDI engine which I bought second hand as I couldn't stomach losing £10,000 so preferred to buy it at just over three years old when someone else had lost all the money. I wouldn't consider getting a smaller, newer car to save money as the cost saving wouldn't be there and my current car is running fine, a seized wheel bearing is the only problem it's had.

However I don't know how well your car is, unfortunately you don't know what's round the corner.

John

Ultrasonic

frankie1star wrote: »

I am not that experienced in these matters, in case you cant tell and this is the reason I turn to MSE for helpful comments and advice, and not judgements!

I'm not sure who you think was maligning or judging you, but if you were including me then I apologise if I gave that impression, it certainly wasn't my intention. I was merely trying to offer what I had hoped was an explanation of why buying a new car in an attempt to save money didn't particularly make sense. I would like to think this constituted helpful advice.

frankie1star wrote:

I have a 1.9 tdi on an 07 plate, I love it, but as you can see its getting a little old, and whilst its got some value, I hope to get a newer one than this. Incidentally, it has 63k on the clock, and in 12 months I have only done 7k miles approx

I have the same engine in a 2005 Octavia, and for what it's worth I'm certainly hoping I won't need to replace it for a good few years yet! You probably realise this, but 63k on one of these diesel engines in nothing to worry about - a quick nose on Autotrader will throw up several that have done over 150k (and there's an Octavia on there that's done 275k!).

frankie1star wrote:

I have a small problem (I think) (intermittent) with the gearbox changing from 1st to 2nd quickly, if I do it slowly no problem, most of the time I try to do it slowly. One or two helpful(!) people have suggested it might need a new gear box (but not confirmed), and this has put the fear of god into me, so thought whilst its got some value trading it (selling) and buying a smaller (newer) car would save me money in the long term.

I don't think needing a new gearbox should be that scary! Hopefully someone with some mechanical knowledge will be along in a bit, but it strikes me that you need to first decide if there really is a fault at all, and then if there is try and get an idea of what it might cost to get fixed before you panic.

martinthebandit

frankie1star wrote: »

could I ask, at what point would you consider replacing it then?

I would happily keep it for many years, if its maintained and your only doing 7k miles a year you could easily see another 20 years out of it, if not a lot longer.

Oh and your gear selection problem, it might be a new gear box (although its unlikely to be honest) or it might just need a better quality oil in the gearbox.

You need to find a good independent garage and get them to look at it for you.

If, in the unlikely event it needs a new gearbox that is still a lot cheaper than changing your car, there is no guarantee that whatever you buy won't have problems either.