A Car For The Oul Lad?

cson

Hoping you motor enthusiastic boardsies can help me out here!

Right so the story is this; The oul lad wants to change his automobile. He currently drives a 06 Primera with ahem 73,000 Kms on the clock :eek: Madness I know, considering he only bought it in April 06.

So Nissan have stopped making the Primera and afaik they haven't a replacement lined up, so he's gonna have to go for a different make or model. He's had 5 Primeras now (Changes every 2/3 years) and loves them because they never gave any trouble etc.

I don't know an awful lot about cars (I have told him he needs a Diesel engine and leather seats on the next one cos of the amount of milage he does) So I said I'd ask people that do know stuff about cars. Any ideas on a type of car? I'd hazard a guess at a Mondeo/Passat being the best option?

Thanks!

eringobragh

Passat TDi
Bora TDi

Go for the higher BHP models, i wouldn't go for any lss than 130BHP on those and try and get the 6 speed gearbox.

If he waits until July next year the Road Tax will have halved on the Bora and the VRT will be lower also.

cson

I doubt he'll buy it new, he'd sorta be of the "banger-nomics" view of hating losing thousands on a car after driving it off the forecourt. He'll probably go for a 07 car that was a rental or something like that.

Why do you reckon it'd be better to go for the higher BHP models eringobragh?

eringobragh

I've heard there more reliable and better economy wise , i've a mate that swears by them.

colm_mcm

Avensis? 125bhp standard on them. leather optional on all specs.

cson

Are the new Mondeo's any good?

eringobragh

I heard good things about them!!!

woop

as youre dad had an nissan, Id say avensis nice and reliable, .....the diesel perhaps?
they look cool thats for sure(mondeo)

E92

eringobragh wrote: »

Passat TDi
Bora TDi

Go for the higher BHP models, i wouldn't go for any lss than 130BHP on those and try and get the 6 speed gearbox.

If he waits until July next year the Road Tax will have halved on the Bora and the VRT will be lower also.

I think you'll find that these cars are in fact older than the OP's old man's car.

That VAG TDI is meant to be a very poor unit by todays standards. It is very noisy(I know this to be true) and the power is said to arrive in one big lump(again this is hearsay, I can't verify this since I haven't had the chance to drive one). I would suggest an Avensis(not the Carina E based one, the current one). My old man has one and I think the best thing I could say about it is that is a Toyota in terms of name and the way it looks. It is most un-Toyota like in terms of the perceived quality(as good as any German car in terms of fit and finish) it is as good as the best for ride quality, and it is very quiet and there isn't so much of a boot as a neverending well behind the back seats(the boot is huge). Toyotas usually suck for ride quality, interior plastics and are usually noisy as well(and I speak as someone whose family have owned Corolla's, Carina E and now Avensis, so I'm very familiar with what Toyotas are like). The D-4D in the Avensis is meant to be a very good engine too(its certainly a lot quieter than a VAG engine).

The other thing worth noting is that the cheaper tax structure only applies to anything registered after July, any car registered before July is the same system as at present, and lastly the Avensis is due for replacement in the not too distant future so I would suggest that the OP advises his dad to hold off because the current shape D-4D Avensis will be a lot cheaper after July because a replacement should be in at that stage and the new VRT scheme will make the diesel only a few hundred euro dearer than a 1.6(assuming Toyota pass on the saving to the customer) a D-4D *should* go down in price by around €3,500)so clearly that is going to make a D-4D worth a lot less as a used car and the introduction of a new model will also reduce the price significantly too.

colm_mcm

I don't think we'll have a new model Avensis till 2009

bazz26

Primera will be replaced by a new model in 2008. It was only dropped in countries like the UK where saloon type cars simply don't sell. Nissan will however sell continue to sell a Primera in countries like Ireland where sales of saloon type cars are still strong. There are plenty of new unsold ones still around on dealers forecourts so there could be a good discount to be had on them. Diesel model however was discontinued back in 2006 however.

I would consider the new Mondeo 1.8 TDCi also but at the moment usedprices are still a bit on the high side due to it still being a "new" model and 2007 models scarce on the ground.

Another one to consider is the Mazda 6, with the new model just launched this makes the old model that bit cheaper. Diesel engine is quite good especially if you can get the 142bhp version.

Regarding the Passat, the only one I would consider is the 2.0 TDi, the 1.9 TDi is very old, noisy, course and surpassed by the competion. Unfortunately Passats are still very expensive second hand and still suffer from niggly problems.

cson

Would you consider a Skoda Octavia/Superb to be a better option than the Passat, from what I understand they're more or less the same car just a different badge?

I think he'll probably go for the 1.8 Mondeo (He's of the old view - wouldn't touch a 2 litre for the life of him, too much tax, insurance etc)

Riskymove

bazz26 wrote: »

Primera will be replaced by a new model in 2008. It was only dropped in countries like the UK where saloon type cars simply don't sell. Nissan will however sell continue to sell a Primera in countries like Ireland where sales of saloon type cars are still strong. There are plenty of new unsold ones still around on dealers forecourts so there could be a good discount to be had on them. Diesel model however was discontinued back in 2006 however.

I currently have a Primera but am trading in for a different brand. The info i got from Nissan was that they are not going to replace primera in Ireland and are gonna focus on developing Qashqai sales.

ninty9er

If he's getting something in the VAG group then it should be the Skoda 2.0 TDi...explain that the fuel effeciency will save him the extra €60 tax over the 1.8

Mazdas depreciate like lead balloons so one of them might be a good idea for him. plus the 6 is also cool enough that it wouldn't be mortally embarrassing to be seen driving it (unlike my mam's Yaris)

E92

Riskymove wrote: »

I currently have a Primera but am trading in for a different brand. The info i got from Nissan was that they are not going to replace primera in Ireland and are gonna focus on developing Qashqai sales.

If they're after bringing in the Tiida specially for Ireland then I wouldn't rule out a Primera replacement hitting our shores at all.

Biro

He mustn't be all that concerned about depreciation if he bought a Primera!
Mazda 6 is probably his best bet really. Don't buy an ex-rental.
The Octavia is a class below, the Superb is in the same class, but a fairly unwanted car. Avensis would be grand.
Did he buy the primera new?

E92

Biro wrote: »

He mustn't be all that concerned about depreciation if he bought a Primera!
Mazda 6 is probably his best bet really. Don't buy an ex-rental.
The Octavia is a class below, the Superb is in the same class, but a fairly unwanted car. Avensis would be grand.
Did he buy the primera new?

And the Superb is based on the old Passat too. If anything depreciates like a lead ballon this is it!

Biro

E92 wrote: »

And the Superb is based on the old Passat too. If anything depreciates like a lead ballon this is it!

Exactly! Even though the Octavia is the class below, it'd be a better buy than the Superb.

paulksnn

Biro wrote: »

He mustn't be all that concerned about depreciation if he bought a Primera!
Mazda 6 is probably his best bet really. Don't buy an ex-rental.
The Octavia is a class below, the Superb is in the same class, but a fairly unwanted car. Avensis would be grand.
Did he buy the primera new?

I have to agree.
I drive a Mazda 6 2L Diesel.
It's is a very comfortable and well-spec'd car.
Also the diesel makes a difference at the pump.