Which is the best engine for a 2014-2018 car. family car, 3 isofix child seats, mpv/estate/saloon

seatbeltnoob

Hello 

Not your typical question. But here goes. 

Instead of going by the brand/model of a car. Let me go to the heart of the vehicle. I want to buy a car based around the reliability of the car before the platform. Looking for an engine and gearbox that is going to be as bulletproof as the early 2000s vw diesels. But obviously up to date and meets london emissions requirements. 

Budget is up to 8000. But can spend more if it's more future proof. 

I was trying to choose between a petrol touran and a diesel touran. They both are ridiculously expensive for what they are. those boring mpvs at 10 years old used to be <£3000 before covid, they're now 7-8K. 

The toyotas look good. SHould I get a bog standard verso (non hybrid) because the hybrids come at such a high premium. The prius plus are just insanely priced. 

The zafira are dirt cheap. you can grab one for below 2 grand. My wife has a ex learner car corsa and it's got 112k miles on and seems to run without issue - just doesnt have oil or cooland sensor so you can imagine if there is a coolant leak the VX drivers just keep driving it until the engine melts. 

born_again

Well you have missed the details that will make for the best replies.

Mileage you do & type of trips.

Low mileage  & short trips would be better in petrol.
Long trips then diesel could be a better option.

What about EV?

ButterCheese

It depends on who you ask; and many sources online will be from the US.  Generally Honda and Toyota make great engines but I would steer clear of any with variable valve timing.  Likewise I would steer clear of most automatics unless you know from a trusted source that they have a famously low failure rate.

It is also worth noting that many total loss failures are due to poor maintenance, and/or issues other than the engine itself.  VW still make great Diesel engines (I don't know about ULEZ but my 2014 Passat Diesel was £35/year to tax).  They can be expensive to fix though, and that is what I would be looking at rather than the engine on its own.  E.g. The Passat has some common failure items such as rear ABS sensors and headlight warning lights which will light up your dashboard warning lights like a christmas tree.  Fairly easy to fix but at the end of the day it is time off the road.  It also has a dual mass flywheel which cost me £1300 when it failed, it's a lot of labour cost.

Lastly, it is much more of a lottery these days.  Nearly every manufacturer makes their cars down to a budget; the lower end BMWs and Mercs are not the most reliable cars anymore as their brand name would suggest.  Likewise, some of the most expensive cars are very low in the list for reliability.

Buy on service history and condition.  Find a forum or FB group on that particular model and see what people say about them; you will soon see what the consensus is even though they are enthusuasts of that model, they can still point out weeknesses and top tips for buying a used one

WellKnownSid

I had the Toyota Verso in diesel form.  It was the older BMW 1.6 and reportedly prone to timing chain issues, yet rarely reported in Toyotas because of their 10,000 mile oil service interval.  Then again I think BM owners just don't service their cars!

Mine was a 17 plate registered 1 day before the road tax change so eligible for £30 tax.  Good car - not massive.  You may find the back seats only suitable for smaller children but the ability to move the middle seats forward and back individually helped a lot.

Buying one with full Toyota service history would mean two more years of warranty still remaining (almost three if you can time a service one day before its 10th birthday) as long as the mileage is under 100k.

Frozen_up_north

Do you have a local independent service garage? If so, pop in and ask them.

Some cars are very awkward to work on, ie expensive. Things that seem simple can be anything but… light bulbs are a good example.

seatbeltnoob

Frozen_up_north said:

Do you have a local independent service garage? If so, pop in and ask them.

Some cars are very awkward to work on, ie expensive. Things that seem simple can be anything but… light bulbs are a good example.

everything is expensive these days. everything has a turbo and super charger, sometimes both. hybrids used will have battery issues 10 years in and will be expensive to replace. 

Turbos are cheap to run - but the DMF and DPF will go kaput at some point and all your fuel savings will be lost. 

I asked slewhere and mazda  skyactiv were recommended as they still have NA engines. But i read that skyactiv are expensive to repair and have engine issues - and very few people who know how to work on them. 

daveyjp

No idea about London emissions, but for bullet proof engine and gearbox (assuming whoever changes the clutch on manuals knows how to do it).  Non turbo, non hybrid, non supercharger,  non wetbelt, non DPF

Subaru.  £8k will get you into a Forester less than 10 years old.

WellKnownSid

daveyjp said:

No idea about London emissions, but for bullet proof engine and gearbox (assuming whoever changes the clutch on manuals knows how to do it).  Non turbo, non hybrid, non supercharger,  non wetbelt, non DPF

Subaru.  £8k will get you into a Forester less than 10 years old.

Always thought the boxers were a ticking time bomb?

seatbeltnoob

WellKnownSid said:

daveyjp said:

No idea about London emissions, but for bullet proof engine and gearbox (assuming whoever changes the clutch on manuals knows how to do it).  Non turbo, non hybrid, non supercharger,  non wetbelt, non DPF

Subaru.  £8k will get you into a Forester less than 10 years old.

Always thought the boxers were a ticking time bomb?

Whats amazing is you can buy a used subaru from main dealer for £4000!!! Every other dealer takes them in PX and sends them to auction. They will actually take it and and check it through and sell it. 

If I wanted a subaru I would 100% buy from them and not an indie. 

https://usedcars.subaru.co.uk/usedcars/subaru/forester?order=priceasc

At least you'll get no fuss with your consumer rights. 

Arunmor

assuming you do decent mileage the I would be looking at VAG 2.0TDi. Mileage doesn't need to be that high but some relatively frequent long runs.

CliveOfIndia

WellKnownSid said:

daveyjp said:

No idea about London emissions, but for bullet proof engine and gearbox (assuming whoever changes the clutch on manuals knows how to do it).  Non turbo, non hybrid, non supercharger,  non wetbelt, non DPF

Subaru.  £8k will get you into a Forester less than 10 years old.

Always thought the boxers were a ticking time bomb?

We've just got rid of our Forester.  Not because of any issues, but we just don't need it any more (not carting around 3 hulking teenagers).  Honestly I can't fault it - it's been super-reliable.  It's thirsty on the fuel, for sure.  But it's towed many a vehicle out of mud and snow.  A lot of the local farmers have them.

They're a PITA to service - my local mechanic said he hated doing them, 'cos the spark plugs were so inaccessible.  But they do last - typical Japanese mechanicals.