What to buy... what to buy?

[Colin Brenton]

Hi,

Looking to change my car at some stage and like a diesel (I know, I know haha...) reasonable-sized estate, something a step up in size from a Focus, which is a bit cramped.

Considering an A6, or maybe Volvo V70. Budget of about 10K, would like something as new-ish as possible, and reliable.

What would be best avoided/recommended?

Thanks,
Colin

 

[Burnerman]

How about a Skoda Octavia or Superb, Colin?
Don't worry about a diesel.....they are with us for a while yet!
Avoid anything with a mega mileage, irrespective of make.
John

 

[Burnerman]

Just a thought.....I've been well impressed with the Ford Galaxy / VW Sharan. Maybe a bit on the large size though?
John

 

[Colin Brenton]

Thanks John, yes, an Octavia could well fit the bill....

Not so keen on a people carrier to be fair, at least, not just yet

 

[DaveHerns]

Not sure I'd buy anything a few years old with a DSG gearbox. When it goes wrong it will be big money.

 

[Colin Brenton]

Agreed.

A DPF and (potentially, but hopefully not!) a dual mass fly wheel will give me more than enough to worry about...

Definitely would be buying a manual rather than an automatic

 

[Burnerman]

Regarding the DPF and DMF it really is the luck of the draw......most vehicles will have a DMF now, particularly diesels. They may last the life of the vehicle, or they may fail sooner than they should and the same applies for DPF's - which don't like short runs.
Autos or DSG's are out for me too, and personally I'd forget top of the range French kit.
I've had a lot of success buying Motability cars for other people - they seem to be cared for as abuse penalties are high, the same applies to excess mileage.....some larger vehicles are available.
I'll let others comment on recent Volvo cars - I've no experience at all, but the XC60 seems to fare well.
John

 

[DaveHerns]

If you went "French" you'd get a lot newer car for your money but I'd avoid the 1.6Hdi engine with known turbo problems.

 

[alan333]

I know it's not diesel, but...
Toyota Avensis 1.8 valvematic petrol estate. Very few major problems since the engine was released in 2009. Some early ones had expensive problems with the electronic parking brake, and occasional cases of front doors cracking at the hinges. Nice to drive, a bit sluggish until you get the revs up - but it lifts its heels nicely above about 3k revs. Gives over 50mpg if driven nicely, or about 40mpg driving 'normal'. Plenty room in the boot. Comes with a 5 year manufacturers warranty. You'd probably get a 13 or 14 plate for your ten grand. The CVT auto doesn't zap the fuel economy much, is also reliable, but can be a bit 'high revvy' on the motorway inclines.

 

[cjard]

!
Avoid anything with a mega mileage, irrespective of make.
John

I disagree on the mileage thing. If I were looking at two identical 3 year old diesel cars, one with 10k miles (one little old lady owner) and one with 50k miles (one sales rep owner) I'd choose the 50k one every time. Modern diesels benefit far more from having done a lot of easy miles on a motorway, than having been put straight into third gear and having had the clutch slipped all the way to the shops/church and back once a week for their entire lives

Our last three cars have been: a Volvo S60 with 195k on the clock, a BMW e39 with 213k, and an Audi A4 with 198k. In terms of "driving feel belies the mileage" I'd say the BMW comes first, then the Volvo, then the Audi but they've all had different drivers, and the Audi in particular had a previous owner who is a bit savage with his clutch and gear change. The BMW is an auto, which certainly helps not ruin a car (cos lets face it, most people shouldn't be trusted to change gear for themselves) by ragging and banging every moving component of the drive train

Truth be told, I'd have an auto any day of the week; modern ones are fantastic. I borrowed a Vauxhall diesel auto (2 litre ish I think can't remember the model, big one- mondeo sized, insignia I think), drove it like an absolute bellend and it was every bit as quick and responsive as my manual d5 Volvo.. Autos are also incredibly easy to drive, particularly if you have a lot of town work to your commute or driving routes, and most friends who do a lot of driving say they wouldn't have a manual car ever again

 

[Burnerman]

I'd agree with your comment regarding automatic transmissions - they are amazing in what they do.
So are the repair bills.......
I'm undecided yet regarding DSG designs, but some can handle huge power - in excess of 300BHP but for how long is uncertain.
With a mega mileage vehicle, expect wear everywhere from the interior through the suspension but at the end of the day it depends on how the car has been cared for.
John

 

[cjard]

I've had several autos, no problems, and I'd be more reassured that an auto was going to carry on working if I could see the service schedule had been kept to, than a manual (given that a manual trans life expectancy is very much down to the human driver element: you just can't know how much that clutch has been slipped/gears ground etc.. autos are computer controlled and can't really suffer these things)

My dad always looked for evidence of a lazy driver, or even asked the owner (if they'd had the car a long time) to do the test driving, so he could assess how much they abused the machine.. clutch pedal rubber worn away on one side, scratches around the door lock (unusually indicates "one careless lady owner" though in this day and age of remote locking, less of a telltale) etc

The one thing that buying a high miler may preclude is purchasing an aftermarket warranty.. I've never been interested, chiefly because when I was young, I'd buy a 500 quid car and throw it away after a year (and now i'm old, I buy a 5 grand car and throw it away after 10) so warranty didn't seem to make much sense. By similar measure, I don't think I can get twice the car for ten grand than 5 grand will buy you.. example the Vauxhall Insignia mentioned before.. Should be able to get a 3 year old 70k one for five k (all values approximate), and it'll be really good value at that. The equivalent Audi might be 10k, but it's unlikely to be twice the car. Depends on how badge oriented you have to be..*

Said the man who wants an E61 M5 as his next shopping trolley/baby bus (but will probably still be chugging a Volvo round while m5s go out of fashion, then buy a 6 series, because they're much better value, performance wise)

*An excellent point you made earlier (possibly without realising) - by going for a lesser badge (even from the same stable eg Seat/Skoda vs Audi/VW) you get more kit on the same chassis for your money.. A £10k 3 year old Audi A6 is more likely to be the base model than a £10k 3y.o. Superb, Insignia, Mondeo etc.. Would I forego an Audi badge to get heated/cooled leather seats with electric memory (so I don't crack my knees every time the wife has been driving), cruise and the upgraded audio? Damn right..

 

[Burnerman]

I guess looking back at the original post, if someone is looking for a car that will see a huge mileage a peek at what the taxi guys are using is reasonable!
I've no idea if a DSG box is serviceable or whether it's 'sealed for life' as per the usual manual transmissions......personally I'd quite like one, just not yet - unless manufacturers put a strong warranty on them as did Honda with the Jazz transmission when they discovered issues with it.
John

 

[DaveHerns]

I'm not sure on DSG's either. A mechanically controlled clutch is probably being "slipped" as much as normal one with a bad driver. I think Audi have gone back to a torque convertor on one of their new "supercars" as a DSG box couldn't take the torque. Didn't we have mechanically operated clutches years ago and they weren't a success? Rover 105R with Roverdrive, Standards with Standrive, Citroens with the DS and C Matic and the NSU Ro80 to name but a few.
Anyhow an abused manual box/clutch is going to be a lot cheaper to repair than a failing DSG or any autobox. £7k for an Audi autobox, I believe

 

[Burnerman]

I look after a Toyota Amazon with 300k on the clock and the auto is just fine.....at the other end, I'm battling with a Fabia diesel on an 07 and 70k and the diff is howling like hell Apparently it's not uncommon so gawd knows what's going on there.
John