new car for the Mrs...

Soldato
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My missus has a 5 door 1.4 fiesta diesel, its still going strong with 75k on the clock and no issues apart from the normal wear and tear.

But going from a petrol to a diesel does see a sharp spike in the price. :(

They don't do diesel auto's. it's not the fiesta I'm saying is unreliable, it's the fiesta's auto box
 
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[TW]Fox;23731622 said:
You are forgetting the fact it's old, not particularly reliable and not particularly cheap to fix. You seem to be wanting low running costs - hence the requirement for fuel economy - but on an older car reliability and non-fuel running costs can be what makes the difference between a cheap to run car and an expensive to run
Plus the autoboxes in the 3 Series have a very high likelyhood of needing work at pretty much exactly the same age/mileage as all the cheap ones are now at.

There no older than the other cars in this thread? On way of going newer is to buy French, or get an Astra.... Neither of which I'm happy with!

Fuel costs need to be low yes she does a fair few miles, and we'll probably use it at weekends over my 330 petrol coupe. But I'm a competent mechanic, and my best mate runs a car garage... I need the engine and box to be reliable. The rest I can fix cheaply enough.

If the boxes get unreliable then that's annother issue, and the information I'm looking for.... Although it seems most auto's aren't very hardy. :(
 
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Ah, its one of those threads where you ask for advice then criticise it?

The 320d is one of the most popular cars of its type on the used market, the ones priced to begin with a 2 are almost invariably the tired life expired ones. Good ones fetch good money but even a good one can be a pain. The sealed for life autobox almost never lasts the life of the car, you have the turbo and high pressure injection system to worry about, all with the added fun of it probably not being a mint example in the first place.

They are cars I simply cannot see the point in at this money. Anyone for who running costs is an issue should avoid and anyone who isn't bothered about costs can just avoid the diesel.
 
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[TW]Fox;23731789 said:
Ah, its one of those threads where you ask for advice then criticise it?

The 320d is one of the most popular cars of its type on the used market, the ones priced to begin with a 2 are almost invariably the tired life expired ones. Good ones fetch good money but even a good one can be a pain.

not criticising the advice at all. just a misunderstanding... I do need it to be good on fuel.. changing the odd sensor/bush/arm, removing swirl flaps, overhauling cooling systems etc.. etc... doesn't bother me. (did it all on my old 325, will probably have to do it on my 330). I already run on 3l in line 6. having two on the drive makes no sense at all, and her car does the most mileage...

Refurbing an auto box bothers me! I can't do that myself... which is the info I'm after. most people who need to make this choice have the option of buying a manual.. or know nothing about cars. I'm not in either camps. I'm trying to find out what cars in and around budget (I could go to £3500 probably) have good auto's that wont self destruct at 60k miles like the one in her old fiesta did...

The C4 could be a decent shout. I normally don't like french... but budget buys a newer car to start with... anyone have experiences of those auto boxes/thier reliability.
 
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Back on topic... theres plenty of 320d's with over 150k miles on them flying around, I wouldnt buy one, but it seems to suggest that they tend to make it that far. is it the same box as the 330d?

must be a few on here who have ran a bmw auto? same question for the VAG auto.

Google doesn't bring a lot of info on either.
 
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Back on topic... theres plenty of 320d's with over 150k miles on them flying around, I wouldnt buy one, but it seems to suggest that they tend to make it that far. is it the same box as the 330d?

must be a few on here who have ran a bmw auto? same question for the VAG auto.

Google doesn't bring a lot of info on either.

Of course it will make it to 150k, people don't tend to scrap the car they get it fixed?

You have no idea how much it cost to get it there, so not really sure what finding 150k cars proves.
 
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[TW]Fox;23731969 said:
Of course it will make it to 150k, people don't tend to scrap the car they get it fixed?

You have no idea how much it cost to get it there, so not really sure what finding 150k cars proves.

I'm not sure what it proves either, thats why I asked! It may mean plenty get to that mileage, it may mean they all have their boxes re-furbed at 80-100k miles...

Who am I to question the mighty fox.... but I will anyway!

You've contributed no facts to this thread whatsoever.... I'm looking for information. Theres very little info around on the reliability of auto's in mid sized cars, because most people buy manuals. I dont have that option on her car!

I know vag 1.9tdi's are pretty bomb proof except for cluthces which is fair enough on a high torque diesel. but I have no idea what the auto's are like.

I know 3 series are great, but have a few issues (ive had two), none of the issues scare me, but I have no experience of the auto, in terms of reliability or refurb cost. It may well be academic, as I'll think its too big anyway, but its worth exploring. and there must be poeple on here that have...

I'm well aware of petrol vs diesel etc.. but the dynamic changes when the other car on the drive is a bmw 330 petrol. A good foil for that for a a potential family of three with a 15-20k miles per year mileage on her car would be a diesel surely? (my mileage is much lower).

If all auto boxes are knackered after about 100k miles (depending on use obviously) and way worse on fuel than their manual counterparts then I perhaps need to have a re-think! her driving isn't around town, its d-road so I'd imagine they will still be good enough on fuel to justify...

The reason for the budget is that I want to avoid finance and use cash as I'll be moving house and changing my mortgage later this year, I can't save up because the hire car is taken away next week, and she needs to get to work. Not because I'm skint and can't afford to run a car.

If you think I'd be better spending the money elsewhere, then come up with an alternative, but dont make assumptions, then criticise without making a better suggestion! You have plenty of knowledge, so why not use it to help people, not argue with them! I'd really love to hear your advice, If I knew the answer I wouldn't be asking!
 
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I'm not sure what it proves either, thats why I asked! It may mean plenty get to that mileage, it may mean they all have their boxes re-furbed at 80-100k miles...

I'm pretty sure it doesn't mean much at all. Cars are not killed by mileage, they are killed by owners deciding it is no longer worth repairing them. This only tends to happen once the value sinks very low so it's therefore only natural you are going to find higher mileage examples of once more expensive cars - the longer it takes them to depreciate to the point whereby its not worth fixing them, the higher the miles they'll accumulate in this period.

People often cite big mileages as testement to reliability, IMHO it doesnt say that at all.

You've contributed no facts to this thread whatsoever.... I'm looking for information. Theres very little info around on the reliability of auto's in mid sized cars, because most people buy manuals. I dont have that option on her car!

To be fair, I've given my opinion on used 320d's. If you are looking for 'fact' you wont find it anywhere, there are no facts as such as nobody has compiled a detailed survey of exactly what goes wrong and how often with every £2-3k used car, so all you'll get is opinion.

I know 3 series are great, but have a few issues (ive had two), none of the issues scare me, but I have no experience of the auto, in terms of reliability or refurb cost. It may well be academic, as I'll think its too big anyway, but its worth exploring. and there must be poeple on here that have...

My point is that as cars age, they get niggly and annoying. This is especially true of faded prestige cars. Cars that were once expensive and desireable and are now inexpensive yet, amongst some, still desireable. So they get bought by people who can't see the past the idea of being able to get a 3 Series for the price of a Fiesta, who then lavish increasingly variable amounts of care and sympathy on them.

Therefore often running an older BMW becomes faffy and irritating. This is fine if the car in question is something you enjoy enough to be worth it. I like my 530i, it's in lovely condition and I'm a particular fan. Therefore when something goes wrong - again - I'm not that bothered. It's a hobby. I didn't buy it to save money so it's less of a problem. But when the car is purchased as a tool for the wife to go from A to B the situation changes. It's not a hobby, its a car. It's job is to go from A to B.

The 320d is selected for perceived low running costs. That is pretty much the only reason you'd want one. But the older they get the more troublesome they get and more pointless, in my opinion, buying one is. What use is a saving on fuel that is then eaten up by a turbocharger replacement or gearbox refurbishment?

I understand the position you are in - buying a small automatic car is an absolute minefield. Autoboxes are more complex and therefore inherently less reliable than manual boxesand the autoboxes found in smaller cars tend to be cheaper to make and therefore, well, even less focused on longevity as the ones you'll find in much bigger cars. Add in manufacturers obsession with 'lifetime fill' gearbox oil and it remains my opinion that an automatic gearbox on most cars is simply a timebomb waiting to ruin the day of the average buyer of 10 year old cars.

The gearbox in the 320d is a GM box - which tend to be more prone to letting go than the ZF boxes in the petrol ones. A rebuild generally runs into 4 figures, who honestly wants that risk with a cheap diesel?

As for what I'd recommend instead - in this particular case I genuinelly don't know. The autobox requirement is the real issue - if you were after a manual I'd be suggesting something with the generally reliable (well, as much as anything turbocharged can be) VW 1.9 TDI 110 engine in it, perhaps a Golf or a Seat, but my only experience with the autobox in a VW is a 1.6 Golf auto I once test drove my sister which was broken, so I'm really struggling to think of a credible, reliable, no hassle sub £3k automatic.

Especially diesel - diesel autos are reasonably new in terms of popularity. Traditionally manufacturers did not offer diesel autos in anything but the largest of cars. As a result you'll find most of the sort of cars you are finding for about £2k are not even offered with a diesel + auto in the range.

You mention finance - I'm actually starting to wonder whether this wouldn't be a better idea. Are you in a postion to finance something newer with a decent warranty? This would remove the worry about the autobox and allow you to benefit from the additional economy of a diesel engined car without needing to be concerned about when the high pressure injection system is going to cause problems, when the turbocharger might go or when the dreaded gearbox issues appear.
 
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Thanks fox, now you understand the situation thats really useful, and I was starting to think along similar lines, I'm asking an impossible question, and would need to be very lucky. chances are I'd be wasting money.

Ive now changed tack a little bit I think. I really dont think I'm going to get anything but a minefield for the money we'd be spending.

I can sell some shares and get the budget up to around 4500-5500, which brings us into VAG DSG territory. Which bar the odd horror story that your always going to get seem to be reliable enough..

Speaking to the wife, a 3 series is out, too big. 1 series we'd be right at the bottom of the market (not somewhere I want to be). so its looking like Leon/a3/golf, which she likes the Idea of (finally were getting somewhere).

Any other autobox/engine combination worth looking at at this size/price point. I'm not ruling out petrols, but they seem to be terrible on fuel with conventional auto boxes. Theres a few GTI's and 3.2 quattro's.... need to remember this car is for her.... not me! lol

All the 1.9 diesels are 105's in mk 5 golfs.... from memory the 2.0 is a much nicer lump... I'd imagine the old 1.9 is a much simpler engine with less to go wrong though... less easy to sell on though since everyone will be after a 2.0 I'd imagine.

Thoughts?
 
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The 2.0 TDI is indeed nicer - it is more powerful, more 'refined' and more modern.

BUT

the 1.9 TDI is considerably more reliable. As a tool where performance is not a priority, I'd be leaning in favour of the tried and tested 1.9 TDI.

What about a Jetta?
 
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[TW]Fox;23732807 said:
The 2.0 TDI is indeed nicer - it is more powerful, more 'refined' and more modern.

BUT

the 1.9 TDI is considerably more reliable. As a tool where performance is not a priority, I'd be leaning in favour of the tried and tested 1.9 TDI.

What about a Jetta?

Jetta's do appear a bit cheaper than the equivalent golf. Definitely worth a look! good shout!

I'll have to do some digging on the 2.0 vs 1.9 argument. plenty about at circa 70-80k miles. not unreasonable to expect a few years service out of either surely?!? could always chip the 1.9 and have the best of both worlds I suppose?
I'm sure the 1.9 will be adequate, and I suppose less stress on the DSG...
 
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Soldato
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Looking at Leon's now, seems to be a decent savings over golfs, and its the same drivetrain....

Apart from a much worse interior, and a nicer exterior anything else worth knowing? insurance is a fair chunk cheaper as well, and she's not really bothered about interiors...
I think its either a leon or a golf now, not many 1.9's with the DSG about though, most are 2.0tdi's. the fact the leon's in price range are a couple of years newer might make reliability worries a little less...
 
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