Which big estate?

boyse7en

Looking for a large estate car. Unfortunately I live in rural Devon, so there isn't exactly masses of choice. Anybody owned/repaired any of these? Any of them got any particular weaknesses likely to bite me in the !!!!? Anything I should look out for in particular if I go and look at one? Can't afford to go and look at all of them (each works out at about £80 to go and see, not including my time) so after as much info as possible.

2005 Saab 9-5 2.2Tid Vector 100,000 miles, £2795
2004 Honda Accord 2.2CDTi Executive 145,000 miles £2950
2005 Peugeot 407SW 2.0HDi SV 125,000 miles £2695
2003 Ford Mondeo 2.0TDCi 130 Ghia 114,000 miles £2750

wba31

Number of years ago i bought a Honda Accord with the 2.2 diesel engine, was best car ive owned and was gutted when i sold it (at 24 the insurance was a little high...)

When looking for the accord I looked at the 407, and spoke to my dad (has been a mechanic at Peugeot for over 15 years) and he told me to not spend a penny on the 407, he said it is possibly the worst car Peugeot have made, all kinds of engine and gearbox problems, he advised me to avoid it at all costs.

I dont know much about Saabs, are parts still available for them? You'll get a lot of love for the Mondeo on these forums, I think they are good value for money.

If it were me buying I'd go Honda every time, get a decent spec Accord and you'll have sat nav etc to go with cruise control and climate control as standard. I've owned Hondas for over 4 years now, and done well over 80k miles in them and only ever replaced wear and tear items. (54 plate Accord for 1 year, 54 plate 1.7 diesel civic for 2.5 years, now 58 plate 2.2 diesel civic)

womble12345

I have a 2004 Accord, almost exactly the same but mine has done 151k and I have the sport version which is lower specced than the exec. Things that can fail are:

Manifold - When driving it see if you can smell fumes inside, also lift bonnet and sniff around the back of the engine, if you smell fumes you need a new manifold. The manifolds were changed under warranty but only up to 125k miles.
Clutch - Check for clutch slip when test driving it, this can cost £800 ish to fix.
Tailgate lifting motor - The key button should lift the boot lid fine.
Traction control - No idea how to test this.
Timing chain - If the timing chain is rattling then it needs replacing, this will cost big bucks so walk away if you hear a rattle.

The 2.2 diesel is very picky about engine oil, check it has been changed regularly with decent 0w30 oil.

Try https://www.typeaccord.co.uk which is a very useful forum, it has further details on everything I mentioned above and more!

Dont let that list put you off it though, the accord is a great car but it pays to know about its faults.

forgotmyname

Mondeo estate BUT you seem to be paying £1000 over the odds.

I paid just over £2000 in 2009 for a 2004 diesel estate with the 6 speed gearbox.

They all have weaknesses. Most modern cars come with a dual mass flywheel, These add an extra £250 - £400 onto the price of a clutch. And the extra torque from a diesel engine knocks them out sooner if you dont treat them properly.

So you must budget the best part of £600 - £1000 for a clutch replacement on ANY modern diesel.

If you cannot afford that then dont buy a modern diesel with one.

The manufacturers service interval is a maximum not a target. I get oil changes every 6 months even though i have only covered 4000 miles.

And a full service yearly.

steve-L

womble12345 wrote: »

Clutch - Check for clutch slip when test driving it, this can cost £800 ish to fix.

Just been through this..... mine is a 2005 with 180,000 mile Exec.
First clutch as changed at 111,000 by 180,000 it also needed the DMF.
Honda have a fixed price for clutch (£850) that any franchise will apparently honour... this is only £50-£100 more than the £800-£850 it will cost elsewhere (anywhere decent)
IMHO if you need a clutch only then worth paying £50 more to get it done at Honda....
HOWEVR, if you need a clutch and DMF Honda will charge £850 PLUS about £850 for the DMF. he DMF is made by LUK and rebadged Honda and you can get one for £420 incl vat from Cox Honda OR you can get a decent garage to do the lot for £1050 with LUK clutch and DMF ... with 2 yr guarantee whereas Honda will use a provided/sourced clutch (identical except bag) but will not include the guarantee of labour (only on the DMF itself)

Tailgate lifting motor - The key button should lift the boot lid fine.

On my 2005 its not a motor but struts that lift, the Motor just closes the boot not opens it.
The struts tend to get work and not lift it quite so enthusiastically ... however I see this as a very minor convenience and not something worth spending money on... if I did then you can but them quite cheap from eBay and they are simple to DIY fix!

Traction control - No idea how to test this.

Failed VSA will cost a LOT (£700 + labour) despite the car not needing it the car will not start if it has a fault!
My battery was old when I bought it and the morning after I went out and tried to start it and it REFUSED point blank...same as having the immobiliser !!! My heart sank.... but gave it a jump from a spare battery for 15 mins and tried again.... no prob... changed the battery and never a problem since!

Dont let that list put you off it though, the accord is a great car but it pays to know about its faults.

+1
Actually what you buy with your head not heart maybe?
HUGE HUGE estate space....which has a very neat way of the seats folding.... (in other words if you use it seats down a lot then its a doddle)....

Its been as reliable as even a Honda salesperson might say....

2005 Saab 9-5 2.2Tid Vector 100,000 miles, £2795
2004 Honda Accord 2.2CDTi Executive 145,000 miles £2950
2005 Peugeot 407SW 2.0HDi SV 125,000 miles £2695
2003 Ford Mondeo 2.0TDCi 130 Ghia 114,000 miles £2750

Honda more miles and older than Saab and more expensive.... heart ruling the Saab wins.... (if you like Saab's).... spare parts are really no problem - in fact the factories that used to make the cars now produce 'bits of cars' = spare parts.... that is there is no car put together to sell but all the parts are made....

Mondy... Older than honda/Less Miles..... Exec Spec Honda beats Mondy Ghia (and in many ways better than Mony titanium) IMHO! (and its more reliable)
PUG... Nope..... (ex 2xPUG owner) nothing against them but not in the reliability league

boyse7en

"Mondeo estate BUT you seem to be paying £1000 over the odds"

There seem to be loads of cheap Mondeos in the more densely populated areas (midlands, manchester and southeast) but I'm looking at a five-hour journey each way to get to them. That's a long, expensive and time consuming trip just to have a look at a car that might be rubbish when I get there.

So far the Honda seems to get the vote. Will need to check that the clutch has been replaced - if not it must be on its last legs at 150k.
I like the looks of the Saab, and there seems to be an enthusiastic following for the brand online. Parts supply seems OK, and some parts are cheap as they are shared with other GM models. There also appear to be more around in scrapyards, which is also useful for future repairs.