Advice on automatic diesel please

Susie120704

I need to buy an automatic diesel car for very little money. I have 5k and a 2004 petrol Golf to pay for it so hopefully 7500 total. What would you buy and is it easy to get one with lower tax. All I keep seeing are over 2 litre and the tax would be crippling

Matthewjohn

How about a Prius?


http://www.carzone.ie/search/Toyota/Prius/1.5-HSD-/34513656954946370/advert?channel=CARS

colm_mcm

My thoughts exactly.

unkel

Pius is not very diesel though is it?

colm_mcm

Yeah, but you're not gonna get anything with cheap tax and auto in a diesel that isn't French, and it'll probably have one of those stupid automated manual boxes.

Susie120704

Needs to be diesel though as I find the petrol is killing me pricewise. I do a good deal of mileage

colm_mcm

Surely you can justify €700 or so for tax then for a 2.0 - if you do a lot of driving?

unkel

I wouldn't be too hung up on the tax. If you do big miles the cost of the tax is dwarfed by the cost of the fuel

How about a BMW 530d? Lovely substantial car and great to drive. Far more economical than a gas guzzling Pius too

Susie120704

unkel wrote: »

I wouldn't be too hung up on the tax. If you do big miles the cost of the tax is dwarfed by the cost of the fuel

How about a BMW 530d? Lovely substantial car and great to drive. Far more economical than a gas guzzling Pius too

What are they like maintenance wise?

Max Power1

Susie120704 wrote: »

What are they like maintenance wise?

The e39 is one of the last great BMWs, with a good service record they will go on for ever

bazz26

This would not have been on my mind when looking for an auto diesel on cheap tax but it may tick alot of boxes for you OP if it is genuine:



http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=33213652477201920&message=You%20searched%20for%3A%20Opel%20Vectra%2C%20Automatic%20Transmission%2C%20Diesel%20Only%2E%20Your%20search%20returned%20one%20vehicle%2C%20which%20is%20shown%20below%2E&CFID=95145916&CFTOKEN=46941050&jsessionid=f030a27826619b89e85d15515e45147e2831

unkel

I've never seen you recommend a Vectra, bazz. Are you ill?

bazz26

unkel wrote: »

I've never seen you recommend a Vectra, bazz. Are you ill?

Lol, maybe.

Susie120704

It looks good. Vectras used to have timing belt problems. Does anyone know if this has been resolved in the more modern ones?

Stinicker

Have you considered LPG as an alternative to Diesel?

Susie120704

Stinicker wrote: »

Have you considered LPG as an alternative to Diesel?

No is it readily available and cheaper than petrol? Once the car is automatic and cheaper to run it ticks the boxes for me

Stinicker

Susie120704 wrote: »

No is it readily available and cheaper than petrol? Once the car is automatic and cheaper to run it ticks the boxes for me

That really depends on your location and where you commute to but its availability is increasing all the time.

Susie120704

I live in Tipperary but hubby lives in Meath so I use a variety of stations so it would need to be readily available on the journey

Stinicker

Diesel would probably suit better so

CiniO

Susie120704 wrote: »

Once the car is automatic and cheaper to run it ticks the boxes for me

Then we are going round the circles, as Prius would suit you well.

It will be probably more economical than any diesel of that size with automatic gearbox, it will most likely cost less on maintenance, and if you manage to get 08 or newer, tax will be really small. It will also most likely depreciate less than diesel.

galwaytt

Octavia diesel Tiptronic, 1.9.

If OP thinks 2.0 tax is OTT. ...why are people suggesting 530d ???

LPG is very viable, esp as it's half the price of petrol in some places. Loads of midsize petrols for sale. ..

Susie120704

Thinking of buying an Audi A6 automatic. Local garage reckon they can be expensive to maintain. Anyone here have one and would you recommend?

dutopia

Hyundai i30, Ford Focus...

Susie120704

dutopia wrote: »

Hyundai i30, Ford Focus...

I can't find anything in either model within my price range which is 8k. I found a Focus but don't fancy an estate

gowley

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Focus/2007/31513540211273450/advert?channel=CARS heres a focus in range

NuckingFacker

Susie120704 wrote: »

Thinking of buying an Audi A6 automatic. Local garage reckon they can be expensive to maintain. Anyone here have one and would you recommend?

Weak gearbox prone to expensive faults. From experience. Lovely car to drive though. Pretty quick and very solid. Autobox is pish though.

bazz26

Skoda Octavia:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Skoda/Octavia/AMBIENTE-1.9/6213341619614920/

gowley

smallest engine is a 1.9 in the a6 auto

Manta Mad ovci

galwaytt wrote: »

Octavia diesel Tiptronic, 1.9.

If OP thinks 2.0 tax is OTT. ...why are people suggesting 530d ???

LPG is very viable, esp as it's half the price of petrol in some places. Loads of midsize petrols for sale. ..

Octavia are a good car on diesel but have a poor auto gearbox.
Audi A6 have a better auto gearbox than the Octavia but its not much better.
Mercedes diesels from E class and S class form 1999 on are good but they still give trouble and sometimes end up been big money repairs.
Volvo have a good auto gearbox in there diesel cars but i do not know how small of a diesel they come in.

Susie120704

bazz26 wrote: »

Skoda Octavia:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Skoda/Octavia/AMBIENTE-1.9/6213341619614920/

I like that Skoda. will definitely give them a buzz in the morning. Thanks for the heads up

Susie120704

I took the Skoda for a test drive on Wednesday evening. It was a fine car but somehow it did not fill me with enthusiasm. I was offered a great price for my own though so I might still be tempted to buy

galwaytt

Manta Mad ovci wrote: »

Octavia are a good car on diesel but have a poor auto gearbox.
Audi A6 have a better auto gearbox than the Octavia but its not much better.
Mercedes diesels from E class and S class form 1999 on are good but they still give trouble and sometimes end up been big money repairs.
Volvo have a good auto gearbox in there diesel cars but i do not know how small of a diesel they come in.

We'll have to agree to disagree so

The A6 multitronic box has a poor reputation and rightly so.
The Tiptronic box in older Skodas is miles better.

The DSG box with wet clutches is good too - don't know if that's what's in that Octy

Susie120704

The Octavia I am looking at has the DSG box. I have spoken to a few mechanics who tell me that they are usually good for 150,000 miles before they give trouble. Realistically that would be another four years of driving for me. I suppose it does make sense to buy but it doesn't float my boat.

Slutmonkey57b

A big diesel automatic is going to drive completely differently to the nippy little golf you're used to. At first & second gear speeds you're going to have to let the car go at its own pace, it's only when you're at touring speeds you can give it a bit of wellie.

colm_mcm

The op is looking at a DSG though

Slutmonkey57b

Still won't behave the same as a petrol golf due to the turbos.

Susie120704

I am not looking for something peppy just something that won't cost too much to maintain and automatic. The Octavia was grand from that perspective but it simply did not excite me. I am used to driving diesel as hubby has a diesel and I also occasionally drive an old Trooper.
I did expect it not to be as zippy as a Golf

Prius needs only oil and filters every 10K miles, auto box oil and coolant change every 100,000 miles. Sparks every 60K miles or so.

Prius only has one belt to drive water pump.

There have been recalls over the water pumps so check they were done.

DSG and AUdi Multitronic prone to very expensive failure and need gearbox oil changed every 40 K miles.

If you can't get 55 mpg in the Prius then there is something wrong with your driving, the most I got in the A4 TDI Auto was about 45-48 mpg per tank.

I can get 65 mpg in the Prius.

The Prius is one of the most reliable cars on the road and have been proven to go over 350,000 miles without problems.

Prius on LPG would be a seriously cheap car to run !

Susie120704

I looked at a Hybrid 1.3 Civic today. It was outside the budget but I am tempted. Only problem is the salesman maintains there are no cons to this car. Next garage I went to advised not to touch a Hybrid with a forty foot barge pole. The Civic whilst petrol will allegedly do 50+ to the gallon. Anyone here got any experience of them?

colm_mcm

Susie120704 wrote: »

I looked at a Hybrid 1.3 Civic today. It was outside the budget but I am tempted. Only problem is the salesman maintains there are no cons to this car. Next garage I went to advised not to touch a Hybrid with a forty foot barge pole. The Civic whilst petrol will allegedly do 50+ to the gallon. Anyone here got any experience of them?

There are a few cons, the bodywork is paper thin so it dents easily, they're not that fast either, and the seats don't fold.

Absolutely no reason to be afraid of one though. A diesel auto is a million times more likely to give trouble.

Prius does it better.

My 2007 Prius has over 150,000 kms now and I got it with 75,000 and there have been 0 faults in all that time.

Steering recall, something to do with the column, they replaced it, it now has a lot more weight and much better feel. It didn't fail though.

Water Pump replaced, again recall. Was working fine.

Brake recall, nothing wrong just check.

So basically it has not failed once in 150,000 kms.

Slutmonkey57b

If. they recalled it, that means they sold a broken product but fixed it before it carked it. Not the same as "0 problems"...

Slutmonkey57b

Slutmonkey57b wrote: »

If. they recalled it, that means they sold a broken product but fixed it before it carked it. Not the same as "0 problems"...

Well better they fix it themselves than expect me to pay for it like VAG would expect I do !

Another way of putting it is, I had to pay for 0 faults.

Susie120704

Anyine have any opinions on the VW Jetta? It would be similar to my beloved Golf which is a bonus for me.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Jetta/1.9-TDI-/31413592947650850/advert?channel=CARS

Susie120704

Susie120704 wrote: »

Anyine have any opinions on the VW Jetta? It would be similar to my beloved Golf which is a bonus for me.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Jetta/1.9-TDI-/31413592947650850/advert?channel=CARS

From looking around the price seems to fair well other Golf's. It looks in good condition and do the usual checks get a mechanic to check it out, but I should warn you that the DSG is prone to failure and is very expensive to fix. The DSG gearbox absolutely needs oil changes ever 40K miles and you need to make certain this has been done. It should have been done at around 40K miles and will be due again at 80K miles.

The 1.9 TDI is a good engine and will go for a long time with proper care, it is very rough though and you can hear them coming a mile away. But it's more reliable than the 2.0L TDI from that generation Golf/Passat/Jetta.

The saloon boot can be a real pain in the ass.

Why not consider this ? OK it might upset some anti Prius people here but don't let their opinions influence your decision. The Prius is far less likely to give you problems then most cars on the road. It's proven to go well above 300,000 miles.

You'll save over 200 Euro's on road tax over the 1.9 too.

You will most likely get better mpg in the Prius than the auto Diesel golf/jetta/passat and probably much better in town and city driving. But either way it certainly won't be worse. I average 60-64 mpg per tank. Mixed driving.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Toyota/Prius/1.5-5DR-/201304212070629/advert?channel=CARS

166man

I couldn't really argue with Mad Lad over this one. The Prius would probably be more practical, more economical and more reliable than most other newer diesel automatics.

Here are other examples

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4980896

http://cars.donedeal.ie/find/cars/for-sale/Ireland/prius?sort=price&source=all

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4880663

166man

166man wrote: »

I couldn't really argue with Mad Lad over this one. The Prius would probably be more practical, more economical and more reliable than most other newer diesel automatics.

What is this, a long typo ? :eek:

Susie120704

I did think of the Prius but don't really like the look of them to be honest

Susie120704

Susie120704 wrote: »

I did think of the Prius but don't really like the look of them to be honest

Neither do I but I got to tell you for once when buying a car I let my head do the buying and I'm glad because it's the most reliable, economical car I ever owned.

You could get a far better spec Prius, say T4 or TSpirit for the same money as any VW.

colm_mcm

I definitely don't think the op will get better mpg than the jetta but as an ownership proposition id sooner have the Toyota given its tendency to not go wrong. Mpg is only one cost of ownership.

Again if the op doesn't like the look of a certain car, its unfair to expect them to buy it regardless.
I would encourage the op to drive one though.