Used car

BobbyMC82

paul_c123 said:

Vauxhall 1.6CDTi is on my "no buy" list, due to the complexity/cost of doing a timing chain change.

I thought chains where better than belts? Sorry not overly mechanical minded.

sheslookinhot

WellKnownSid said:

paul_c123 said:

born_again said:

Cost effective you say..

When you say long trip, how far is that?

Skoda Enyaq. 
Any EV, so long as you can charge at home.

He's got £6k. What a pointless suggestion. Have a look at what there is for £6k electric on Auto Trader and get back to us with the most practical estate car you find.

To be fair, if the budget was slightly higher at £8k there are a wide range of MG5's available.  Massively underrated car and you can pick up a 22 plate Long Range with 65k miles for that money.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507315016893?sort=relevance&searchId=ebbf1579-4927-4b79-b3c3-84ca9ee5221f&advertising-location=at_cars&body-type=Estate&fuel-type=Electric&make=&postcode=w1d%204dp&price-to=8000&year-to=2025&fromsra

https://youtube.com/shorts/LPp1-zX3qjc?si=O1AzWyWCGGFPy7Pg

What do you mean to be fair ?? The OP said £6k at most. What's not to be understood about that ?

Grumpy_chap

BobbyMC82 said:

afternoon all, 

I'm looking for a new to me used car. looking at a diesel estate but stuck on what make/model to punt for. I'm looking at Skoda Superb, Octavia, Volvo V70 or Ford Mondeo. I'll have at most £6k, what do any motoring experts suggest. Anything on the makes above I should look for or avoid?


Cheers in advance


Bobby

The two Skodas mentioned are generally fine cars.

The older Volvos are very similar mechanically to the Ford but Volvo seemed to get the poorer end of the engine choices for reliability.

If this was me, I'd go for a Mondeo with the Zetec petrol engine, rather than a diesel.  They are extremely reliable motors and offer good fuel efficiency.  I have had at least three Fords with the Zetec petrol engine, none have ever given me any problems, and all have gone well past 200k miles. 

It is important to get the Zetec engine - Ford, confusingly, also have a Zetec trim level which is available with several engine options (including the Zetec engine).  Fords with the Zetec engine are available with a choice of trim levels.  Some dealers at the £6k level in the market and / or some private vendors may not be fully aware and if you are seeking a Zetec can say "yes" if it has Zetec trim, but you really want the Zetec engine.

Hope that helps.

sheslookinhot

Op- you will not go wrong with either of the Skoda estate cars. Just ensure the usual diligence is carried out prior to buying.

paul_c123

BobbyMC82 said:

paul_c123 said:

Vauxhall 1.6CDTi is on my "no buy" list, due to the complexity/cost of doing a timing chain change.

I thought chains where better than belts? Sorry not overly mechanical minded.

The chain on the 1.6CDTi is on the back of the engine, not the front. The gearbox has to come off to change it. They are better but they do need changing eventually, also the plastic guides (of which there are many) go brittle, can fail and cause the chain to jump teeth.

facade

BobbyMC82 said:

paul_c123 said:

Vauxhall 1.6CDTi is on my "no buy" list, due to the complexity/cost of doing a timing chain change.

I thought chains where better than belts? Sorry not overly mechanical minded.

Better in the sense that some chains can last an awful lot longer than a belt, and generally give plenty of warning that they are worn out by rattling rather than breaking.

Some manufacturers- e.g. Vauxhall & BMW, have pulled off the trick of making a chain that is running in a near perfect environment wear out rapidly, but because their engineers were under the impression that chains last "for ever" they are very time consuming (= expensive) to change.

Not a new phenomenon, the legendary Jaguar XK engine used to eat upper timing chains- there was a manual tension adjuster that you were always messing with, I still have the (well used) key that my late father used somewhere, and Japanese motorbikes of the 70s-2000s were always suffering from chain noise, we used to split the old chain and join on the new one, then wind it through the engine and join it back together- I've done loads in my time!

born_again

Arunmor said:

born_again said:

Arunmor said:

Many people don't want EVs!  They are only cheaper to run because of all the de facto subsidies they are still attracting.

What subsidies make them cheaper to run?

• Government backed grant discounts
• Tax reliefs to buy EVs through company
• No fuel duty equivalent to pay
• Lower VAT rate on electricity
• Cheaper EV electricity prices, that the rest of us are subsidising

Grant discount buy a car, does not effect cost of running
Tax relief, as above
20% VAT when charging away from home.
VAT to charge is the same as rest of electric cost
Only same as E7/1o tariffs.

Jump on the bandwagon & enjoy the ride then 🤷‍♀️

Gsaver1

A nice Octavia estate has been recently listed on Copart. Has slight damage to the front end. Might go for a lot considering it is the Scout model. Whether you would entertain buying a write-off only you can answer that. I'd certainly consider buying my next car as a Cat N.

paul_c123

Gsaver1 said:

A nice Octavia estate has been recently listed on Copart. Has slight damage to the front end. Might go for a lot considering it is the Scout model. Whether you would entertain buying a write-off only you can answer that. I'd certainly consider buying my next car as a Cat N.

I hope you're joking. There's no such thing as a "nice" car at Copart, they are all the ones which can't, or don't, make it to a regular auction. Even if it was "nice" the day it arrives (which is when they take the pictures), by the time its been stored at Copart and shifted around by forklift loader etc, they're often damaged or destroyed in weird ways. 

I'd avoid Copart unless you know what you're doing.

BobbyMC82

Gsaver1 said:

A nice Octavia estate has been recently listed on Copart. Has slight damage to the front end. Might go for a lot considering it is the Scout model. Whether you would entertain buying a write-off only you can answer that. I'd certainly consider buying my next car as a Cat N.

I’m not one for write offs. They could be fine, but something in the back of my mind wouldn’t settle. I’d certainly not feel comfortable selling it on if I didn’t want it anymore