Recommend me a family diesel car

BaileyB

Hi guys,

looking for a large ish family car. I would like a diesel as will be doing a few miles.

Am tempted to go for the Mk3 Mondeo but been over on talkford and they don't like them at all. Issues with clutch, flywheel, injections, fuel pumps etc.

It needs a large boot, and would like a few gadgets inside (ghia x etc for ford)

any advice, recommendations would be very helpful.

Around 4k to spend, might go higher for right car.

poppasmurf_bewdley

Don't know where you get the idea that folk on Talkford don't like the Mk3 Mondy.

I've been a member of TF since owning a Mk3 a few years back, and I found most people very helpful with the minor problems that come with a Mk 3.

If you want a diesel, problems with injectors and fuel pumps will be issues with all cars, not just Mondy's.

The Mk3 is essential a very good car, plenty of space, good MPG, and a good supply of spares.

I ran one for two years, and now I'm on a Mk4, which is even bigger.

forgotmyname

Most modern diesels have common rail injectors, dual mass flywheels etc. So that applies to all those.

Fuel pumps were only an issue on early cars. Plenty of ex taxi ones out there with 300k miles +.

Mines on 160k now and dont see why it shouldnt pass 200k with just oil changes.

Gadgets? If you go for a 53 plate onwards they all have cruise control, Trip computer, 130bhp models all have the 6 speed box. Like more power there is a 2.2 engine with 155bhp.

Im a petrol man at heart, My 2 previous mondeo's were petrol and this was meant to be my 3rd petrol but i came home with a diesel.

Buy on condition and paperwork. Dont buy a £800 shed thats not been serviced for 5 years and has issues that the owner cannot trace or cannot afford to fix.

The knowledge on that site is immense. Wouldnt surpeise me if dealers didnt look there 1st.

BaileyB

Ok thanks, was recommend the Mondeo by a few people just to get one with a good pref full service history.

This is some of the posts i have seen on there recently regarding the Modeo diesel.

They are very good cars, my advice though is avoid the tdci diesel's they are very fragile and often a very false economy, I and many other would not touch one with a barge pole, DMF failure, turbo, injectors + re code, pipes, EGR's fuel pumps, fuel filters. Keep away. Buy a petrol one instead much better, the v6's are good but thirsty the 1.8 is a little too slow and in the spec that you are after you will want a 2.0 petrol or a v6 either 2.5 or 3.0.

It's a huge minefield really.

alun4

BaileyB wrote: »

Hi guys,

looking for a large ish family car. I would like a diesel as will be doing a few miles.

Am tempted to go for the Mk3 Mondeo but been over on talkford and they don't like them at all. Issues with clutch, flywheel, injections, fuel pumps etc.

It needs a large boot, and would like a few gadgets inside (ghia x etc for ford)

any advice, recommendations would be very helpful.

Around 4k to spend, might go higher for right car.

I have been delighted with our Citreon C5 Estate. A bit slow on acceleration with our 1.6 engine but achieve 60mpg and the spec is very high ... sat nav dual clim cruise etc etc

harveybobbles

I'm also a member over on TalkFord.

Loads of useful info one there.

However, you could buy something like an Octavia 1.9TDi..

Notmyrealname

BaileyB wrote: »

Hi guys,

looking for a large ish family car. I would like a diesel as will be doing a few miles.

Am tempted to go for the Mk3 Mondeo but been over on talkford and they don't like them at all. Issues with clutch, flywheel, injections, fuel pumps etc.

Top Gear voted the MK3 Mondeo as Car of the Year. I had a MK3 Mondeo which I bought at 90k and sold at 165k and the only thing I had to do on it in the 5 years/75k I had it was the alternator (£200 fitted at dealer) and turbo pipe (£85 fitted at dealer). No problem with the clutch, flywheel, injectors, fuel pump, turbo...

I have a MK4 Mondeo now and the build quality of the MK3 was far superior. The MK4 has clearly been built down to a price with things like plastic tabs holding in fog lights where on the MK3 it was screws.

gilbert_and_sullivan

Notmyrealname wrote: »

Top Gear voted the MK3 Mondeo as Car of the Year.

Good a reason as any to give it a wide berth then...;)

BaileyB

But was that the Mk3 Petrol?

Alexwild

Any Passat/Octavia/A4/A6 with the 2.0 TDI PD engine would be a good option to look at, they're well known to go on forever (hence the popularity of this engine with minicab drivers).

You can get previous generation Passat's for 4k but you won't get as many toys unless you go for the model before (up to 04 plate) but again you'll get a 1.9 TDI PD that's go to moon and back if you give it half the chance. I used to have that engine in a Golf and all it needed was an oil change every 10k (which is easy to do yourself) and it gave me no problems. My Dad's having the same good experience with the 1.9 TDI in his Fabia vRS (bit small for your requirements though!)

flang

bmw 320d touring. Good MPG, Its a BMW so well built, Reliable, All the mod cons, plenty of space inside.