Best automatic diesel car?

gemini_girl

I have to buy a car in the next few weeks & my husband is working abroad so have to decide by myself & I'm not sure what is best. We have about €2500 to spend & it has to be an automatic. My husband has said to try & look at diesels but my mind is boggled from all the info on the net so I would be glad of any suggestions please. Oh & is there such a thing as a diesel with a small engine size? Don't want to be crippled with tax :-) Thanks

wesf

don't think you'll get anything below 1.9 in an auto for your budget! depending on the amount of mileage you will be doing, i reckon a little 1 litre auto micra or yaris would be your best bet. great cars, easy run and cheap tax and insurance etc

gemini_girl

thanks for that. I forgot to mention the 2 kiddies :-) First car was a micra but my husband won't be caught dead driving one of them :-)

wesf

never understood mens problems with micras, brilliant little cars that take lots of abuse!
if the car is for you don't mind him a 4 door yaris then?
http://cars.donedeal.ie/find/cars/for-sale/Ireland/?filter%28fuelType%29=Diesel&filter%28max_price%29=2500&filter%28min_price%29=300&filter%28transmission%29=Automatic&sort=publishDate+desc&start=0
a list of auto diesel cars in your budget on donedeal, you'll notice they are all big engines

Matt Simis

wesf wrote: »

never understood mens problems with micras, brilliant little cars that take lots of abuse!

Personally I would say its the same reason "men" dont ride tricycles or mountain bikes with training wheels. Such cars are for learning the ropes and putting up with dogs abuse as you mention.

wesf

they are cheap to run, they take serious abuse, cheap tax and cheap insurance and are a perfect runabout, if you ding it you don't care.
makes perfect sense as a cheap option, not just for learners.

bazz26

Before jumping on the diesel bandwagen because everyone is buying one, work out how much mileage you do a year, then do the maths and see if it is cost effective to warrant a diesel car.

On your budget you will get alot more petrol car for your money than a diesel, you would probably have alot more options in auto petrol too than diesel.

Leonard Hofstadter

I very very much doubt you will be able to get a diesel auto for €2,500 anyway OP unless you're prepared to go for something like a BMW or Merc, and even at that, the odds of finding one in decent condition for that money are virtually zero.

Is there any way at all you could consider a manual instead?

Weylin

WhiteTiger wrote: »

thanks for that. I forgot to mention the 2 kiddies :-) First car was a micra but my husband won't be caught dead driving one of them :-)

if your husband is working abroad, why would he be driving the car? it you who will be doing the school runs etc , tell him to cop on. a 1.9 will cost about 650 a year to tax.(and increasing in the budget) an 1.3 auto micra/yaris would be perfect and low cost to tax/insure/petrol.

ninty9er

Try something like a 206 or Mazda 323. Won't get any decent diesels in that price range, or really any decent automatics at all. Small engines and automatics are a match made in the bowels of hell.

deandean

OP forget a diesel car for that budget unless you are looking for a project.
Go onto donedeal.ie and other sites. Filter search for automatic cars within your budget. If you see any you like, post the link here for some feedback. Best of luck!

gemini_girl

Thanks for the advice.
My husband is in Canada until November. This will be the only car between us both. I'm not licensed to drive a manual as I have the restriction for an automatic so has to be an automatic with enough room for 2 car seats in the back & has to have some kind of boot space to fit big buggy etc.
I don't think we'll be doing alot of driving, mainly from carrigaline to cork city & back (apx 10 miles) a few times a week. There's not alot of choice out there at all & we are stuck on a budget because my husband will be back on unemployment benefit after his 3 months work are done so I guess i wont find a car that ticks all the boxes so will have to compromise

Leonard Hofstadter

WhiteTiger wrote: »

Thanks for the advice.
My husband is in Canada until November. This will be the only car between us both. I'm not licensed to drive a manual as I have the restriction for an automatic so has to be an automatic with enough room for 2 car seats in the back & has to have some kind of boot space to fit big buggy etc.
I don't think we'll be doing alot of driving, mainly from carrigaline to cork city & back (apx 10 miles) a few times a week. There's not alot of choice out there at all & we are stuck on a budget because my husband will be back on unemployment benefit after his 3 months work are done so I guess i wont find a car that ticks all the boxes so will have to compromise

Fair enough, you have to get an auto then. There are plenty of automatics available at that price, but they're all large engined BMWs, Mercs etc etc and they're most likely petrol as well.

Your best hope is to try and find a Corolla or a Focus 1.6 automatic or maybe an Avensis 1.8.

bazz26

You will pick up a Renault Scenic auto within budget. Cheap to tax, spacious and practical.


http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201231209423945


http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=5713325286012860

Leonard Hofstadter

OP, you'll struggle to do better for the money and your requirements than the cars shown below. They look great and have a really high spec as well (the fact that the Cork one is an import helps of course because the Brits don't skimp on their cars the way Irish people do).

Check the history of the Cork one though (pay the €35 or thereabouts it takes to get a history check from Motorcheck or Cartell) - it's an import (I can tell by the reg and it's way too high a spec for an Irish market car) so make sure that the mileage is genuine - cars that are imported by dealers themselves from the UK can sometimes 'lose' a few miles when the cross the water over here if you know what I mean.

Redtop

Trying to open up another option here ---- Toyota Prius Hybrid. Although not for everyone, it might suit you. It has CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission) which is basically similar to an Automatic (No Clutch and no changing of Gears). Very easy to drive and economical. Search online for dealers in your area and take a test drive. If you like it, then you might find one cheaper from a private seller but make sure there is a service history.

Bawnmore

Posted the same on another thread just now but seems more than relevant here too - I picked up a '01 406 auto diesel estate about 6 months back for well below your budget so it's definitely possible.

Car has been faultless and very well specced for what we paid. We're changing again soon as we're not doing the miles for a diesel and need something smaller, and it'll be up for sale in the coming weeks if you're still on the lookout then (mods - please let me know if I should remove this, I thought it seemed sneaky to PM the op based on this thread). If not, definitely keep a diesel 406 in mind anyway if you can find an auto as they're a fantastic car.

aujopimur

The John Dunne guy is good to deal with from what I've heard, He seems to shift a lot of cars, his stock changes fairly quickly.

Ron Burgundy II

Do not buy a yaris MMT. :mad:

blastman

If you're doing such small mileage (based on what you said earlier in the thread), does it have to be a diesel? It will take a while to pay for itself at that rate.

bazz26

Redtop wrote: »

Trying to open up another option here ---- Toyota Prius Hybrid. Although not for everyone, it might suit you. It has CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission) which is basically similar to an Automatic (No Clutch and no changing of Gears). Very easy to drive and economical. Search online for dealers in your area and take a test drive. If you like it, then you might find one cheaper from a private seller but make sure there is a service history.

The only Prius the OP could afford on her budget is a MkI, the batteries have a life span of around 10 years afaik and are pretty expensive to replace too to my knowledge.

Leonard Hofstadter

The original Prius wasn't very economical either - it was only the second and current generation models that gave good mpg, although the current model is eclipsed by several diesels at this stage.

Idbatterim

you could get a C180 for that price op, what kind of mileage do you do per year?

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mercedes-Benz/C-Class/C180,aut/16013408064980900/advert?channel=CARS

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mercedes-Benz/C-Class/KOMPRESS/29813454801870610/advert?channel=CARS

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3828654

gemini_girl

Thanks, great advice. Really appreciate it. Going to go for a petrol car if I find the right one. Doesn't renault have a bad rep? Alot of people have told ,me to stay away from them. We've had 2 fiestas & 2 escorts over the years & always had trouble with them even tho I know ford have a good reputation

boardsusername

captainspeed wrote: »

OP, you'll struggle to do better for the money and your requirements than the cars shown below. They look great and have a really high spec as well (the fact that the Cork one is an import helps of course because the Brits don't skimp on their cars the way Irish people do).

Check the history of the Cork one though (pay the €35 or thereabouts it takes to get a history check from Motorcheck or Cartell) - it's an import (I can tell by the reg and it's way too high a spec for an Irish market car) so make sure that the mileage is genuine - cars that are imported by dealers themselves from the UK can sometimes 'lose' a few miles when the cross the water over here if you know what I mean.

The Brits may not skimp on their cars but they do salt their roads which is a big drawback to buying a UK vehicle.

And in general on buying an automatic, all you have to do is limit the parameters of your search to under a 1.6 engine to omit the larger Jeeps, Mercs, BMW's etc.
Easy.
I had to listen to lots of people tell me about the difficulty of finding & driving an automatic for the past 15 years. A load of waffle. If you have the time you will find the right one.
A salesman told me automatics only came in 1.4 as i was test driving a Focus. He obviously thought i came down in the last shower.

I formerly drove a diesel carvan so am capable of driving manual too, but choose not to. Some people are very quick to assume that if you drive an automatic you can't drive both. Funny how they don't think that when they see some ol' fat fella in a huge fuel guzzeling Merc etc. But a "lady" in an automatic is a different story...?! And when you go to buy one they keep offering you Micras!

I had a Hyundai 1.4, no trouble at all. A Renault 1.8, NEVER again! And now a trouble free Corolla 1.6. All autos. I am on the lookout for a diesel automatic, but yes, they are as rare as hens teeth in a mid size car with low mileage at the right price.

I hope the OP found what she was looking for & it all worked out.