Estate cars - advice and tips please!

Marktheshark

tony6403 wrote: »

OP refers to buying a 2014 model which is in a different league to your old banger.

Which was not an "old banger" when we bought it, it was under two years old with 38k on the clock.
First DMF went at 55,000, then it needed 4 new injectors at 70k, then at 89k the flywheel went again despite been driven like a nun owned it.
Thats now 2 DMF it's had and two starters .
Suspension bushes every 2nd MOT at £300+ as the sub frame has to be dropped.
100k the injectors packed up again 2 new ones and the the other 2 recoded.
Recoded injectors fail and have to be replaced another £600
Back shock absorbers fail, £600 bill, new sub frame, coil springs and shock absorbers to get the MOT.
Then just as we thought it might stay running, the starter goes again.
New starter and within 500 miles its the DMF back again and the starter has packed in as well .
It is was only 7 years old and it is time to call the scrap yard and take the £300 offered.

As cars Go, it was the worst car we have ever owned.
Not to mention Months garages and a useless lying Ford warranty

The "other car" we have A volvo V40 is a 2001 1.8 volvo engined petrol bought as a put on and has never broken down since two years old, its needed two front shock absorbers and two brake pipes in all its mot's, it starts every morning first click, never misses a beat and refuses to break, I think we will have to have it shot !
It does 38 MPG average on petrol, the Mondeo never did more than 43 MPG on Diesel.
As the two cars go side by side, the Volvo lives on another planet.
Quirky basic cars, but built to last.

poppasmurf_bewdley

I currently run a Mk4 Mondeo Titanium Estate auto, and I'm delighted with it. It is actually a bigger car than the previous Granada/Scorpio. I've had it for nearly four years now.

Only problem I've had is it is pretty heavy on front tyres, getting about 16k out of a set, and at £125 for each tyre they work out pretty expensive. And before anyone says, I'm not a boy racer.

Before this one, I had a Mk3 Mondeo Estate.

I've not found anything I couldn't get in the car.

=rizla=

I also had a MK3 Mondeo tdci, Similar story, starter motor followed by a new DMF/clutch etc, The suspension was fine on mine, but I did have the split turbo pipe, injectors failed pulley tensioners. 42mpg was about my average, so with all that hassle i'm staying away from Ford and diesels.


It does seem a lot of people have expensive problems with them, DMF's, Turbo's (funny you mention A4's being bullet proof, a mates just changed his turbo as apparently there is a weak part in the oil pump which failed killing the turbo), DPF's I do wonder if the potential running saving of modern diesels warrants the risk of a £1-2k bill.


Back to OP, why not people carriers?, they make it a lot easier to put children into car seats.

forgotmyname

But most cars have DMF's these days. High powered diesels can give them a short life if abused.
Driven sensibly they will do far more miles than the scare stories. My petrol car had 150k miles and not a peep from the DMF.

My diesel had one about 120k miles.

Im probably the the last person that should be picking a diesel. Lots of short journeys, Low yearly mileage. I do give it a good blast fairly often.
But it still works for me. I would have paid the same sort of money for a petrol or diesel car. It would have been a similar age also.

Im glad everyone keeps on with thge scare stories. It keeps the prices low.

If you dont want a bill for a DMF and it doesnt cost £1000 unless you goto a main dealer then you need an auto.

Chrishazle

Take a look at Mercedes - E class if you want maximum boot space, C class if you find the E a bit to large (wife's opinion, not mine!). We're on our second C class estate, a 2008 C220 Elegance with loads of toys, bought it 3 years ago with under 50k miles for 14500. Plenty of other engien choices - but they're practical, comfortable and economical.

ratrace

Marktheshark wrote: »

Which was not an "old banger" when we bought it, it was under two years old with 38k on the clock.
First DMF went at 55,000, then it needed 4 new injectors at 70k, then at 89k the flywheel went again despite been driven like a nun owned it.
Thats now 2 DMF it's had and two starters .
Suspension bushes every 2nd MOT at £300+ as the sub frame has to be dropped.
100k the injectors packed up again 2 new ones and the the other 2 recoded.
Recoded injectors fail and have to be replaced another £600
Back shock absorbers fail, £600 bill, new sub frame, coil springs and shock absorbers to get the MOT.
Then just as we thought it might stay running, the starter goes again.
New starter and within 500 miles its the DMF back again and the starter has packed in as well .
It is was only 7 years old and it is time to call the scrap yard and take the £300 offered.

As cars Go, it was the worst car we have ever owned.
Not to mention Months garages and a useless lying Ford warranty

The "other car" we have A volvo V40 is a 2001 1.8 volvo engined petrol bought as a put on and has never broken down since two years old, its needed two front shock absorbers and two brake pipes in all its mot's, it starts every morning first click, never misses a beat and refuses to break, I think we will have to have it shot !
It does 38 MPG average on petrol, the Mondeo never did more than 43 MPG on Diesel.
As the two cars go side by side, the Volvo lives on another planet.
Quirky basic cars, but built to last.

Im with you there are crap, but your going to find it difficult convincing the ford loyalists mate :rotfl:

forgotmyname

Driver abuse. Driven like a nun owned it is probably what killed it. Yes it produces tons of torque low down. But lumbering around at tickover in a high gear puts a lot of stress on the DMF.

A DMF to only last 55k is unlucky, But then another one to go within 35k miles and again at another 30k miles..ish.. I would put down to teh driver.

Ony getting 43mpg. I presume mostly town work, On a run i easily get high 50's. My best is late night 40mph roads with roundabouts and traffic lights. 67mpg. I wouldnt drive like that all the time though. Boring.

But 57mpg on a run to the coast fully laden and some traffic.

The estates dont suffer from rear subframe bushes that the hatchbacks do.

Low revs = DMF killer. And sounds mad but actually uses more fuel.

andrewf75

Octavias are huge, you must be thinking of something else.

Robisere

My son has a Mondeo estate, 2.0 ltr TDci, 2004. Almost 200k miles now, FSH from new, still goes well. Bearing in mind its age, has spent quite a bit on it,but when talking about the DMF, also bear this in mind. A rattle that we could not place was diagnosed at one garage as the DMF. He continued to drive it whilst saving for the repair, when the water pump broke. This is attached to the PAS pump and the same shaft drives both. A different garage was recommended by our DD and he took it there. They fixed the pumps and told him that was the rattle, nothing wrong with the DMF, which had been changed by a previous owner at 111k miles. Now my son does not hang about, doesn't break the limit but drives up to it and the car does long journeys, often with a hefty loaded trailer. So perhaps the idea that a DMF lasts longer in a harder-driven car, is correct.

It is also true that cars of exactly the same make and model can wear out and break components at different lengths of time. One owner can drive the same model as another, and use it for many thousands of miles without serious expense, whilst another can be spending a fortune on repairs. There is no engineering science that can say why this happens, but it does.

forgotmyname

andrewf75 wrote: »

Octavias are huge, you must be thinking of something else.

The older Octavia was a golf size, The newer one grew a bit bigger though. Maybe they have seen an older one?