2nd hand Saloon advice €7-8k

Inish97

Hi, first time poster hoping to get some advice.

Looking to replace my wife's 02 Polo with a diesel saloon with a budget of around 7-8k, as we are having our first child soon.
I bought a 07 Saab 93 1.9 TD 18 months ago and I love it and i have had no problems with it but dont really want to buy another 93 with Saab bust.

For this car, I'm looking at all the usual suspects in our budget and finding it hard to narrow down due to conflicting advice.
What I'm looking for is:
2006-2009 diesel, 1.6 - 2.0, under 100k miles, good mpg, big boot.
Paying cash so expect to get a lot better price than what cars are priced online for.

I cant decide on going for a 2008/9 car such as Mondeo or older but nicer to drive such as 2006 Audi A4 or Accord.
Apart from a Mondeo, which seems to be the main candidate for a 2009 (but a bit boring), what other options are there?

2008-2009 options
Mazda 6's seem to get a lot of bad press everywhere.
Passats are getting some bad press on Boards.
Focus's are too boring to consider.
Vectra's seem to have a bad rep as well, particulary for engine issues.
Peugeot 407 - I dont know anything about them but like look of them..

2006 options
Accord is first choice if budget wasnt an issue, but given they are mostly 2.2 ltr and fairly expensive to tax and run, its probably not a realistic option.
Same for the A4. Does anyone know offhand what MPG the 2006 diesels get for these two?

Any and all advice is appreciated!

Albert E. Arkwright

Have you thought about the ubiquitous Avensis ?

Inish97

I was considering it, but given that I would need to look at a 2006 for the budget i have, i think i would prefer to look at Accord/A4 option, but Avensis is probably a lot cheaper to run/service??

Albert E. Arkwright

Inish97 wrote: »

I was considering it, but given that I would need to look at a 2006 for the budget i have, i think i would prefer to look at Accord/A4 option, but Avensis is probably a lot cheaper to run/service??

A friend of mine has a diesel accord, he has had a bit of trouble with it, and the price of even fairly basic parts were astronomical. He's not very happy with it, but then some people have had a good experience with them.

They won't set your world on fire, but a lot of people seem to worship Avensis, although you'll pay more, you'll get a lot of that back when you go to trade it again, and they are easy to flog privately as well. Saloon versions very plentiful, and there are lots of them for sale to choose from until you get the right one.

Inish97

Yeah I know the Accords are v expensive to run as well, services around €400.
Realistically, I may be better focusing on trying to get a 2009 Mondeo or similar for my budget.
Any advice on the P 407?

Albert E. Arkwright

Inish97 wrote: »

Yeah I know the Accords are v expensive to run as well, services around €400.
Realistically, I may be better focusing on trying to get a 2009 Mondeo or similar for my budget.
Any advice on the P 407?

Nice looking motors, very comfy like the 406, but unfortunately that's where this similarities end. Extremely unreliable and will break your heart, electrics, fuel systems, you name it. Avoid like plague. You'll see them priced cheap for a reason. Most sensible option in diesel would be Avensis or Mondeo.

Inish97

I dont think i would buy a Peugeot anyways, what about their neighbours, the Citroen C5, looks comparable to the Mondeo but doubt it is as reliable?

Albert E. Arkwright

Inish97 wrote: »

I dont think i would buy a Peugeot anyways, what about their neighbours, the Citroen C5, looks comparable to the Mondeo but doubt it is as reliable?

Don't know enough about them, but the older models are fairly good motors as far as I know. Comfy economic cruiser by all accounts. Reliability more like the 406 than the 407.

Older c5 hard to sell/trade in though, and the day you buy is the day you sell.

Unfortunately sometimes you have to go with the crowd / group think and buy what other people will want later on when you're finished with it.

Inish97

Thanks for the advice. I think I will have to play it safe and focus on a 2009 Mondeo, it doesnt make any sense looking at 2006's, really I need something reliable and low-cost to run. I have the 93 for enjoyment!

wersal gummage

Are you comparing like with like in terms of an 06 accord and a 09 mondeo being the same price? I would have thought a nicely specced, low mileage 09 mondeo would be worth more than 7k.

Inish97

Not really comparing like for like, but I'm pretty sure I can get a 09 diesel Mondeo for around €8k cash and I have to sell/trade-in the Polo as well

bazz26

Not going to set the world on fire but it has decent spec and within budget:


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Hyundai/Sonata/2.0-CDRI/31713582023278840/

Inish97

Cheers for the link, decent motor.

The same as the last time I was looking to buy, some dealers looking for crazy money, 4-5k difference when shopping around, i dont know how they are staying in business

FrontDoor

If you are looking at 06 cars, I think those C5s represent good value. Especially a 2.0 HDI model. At this stage, they are heading for donedeal specials, so trading in eventually might not be a big concern. 4-5k would get you a lot of car here and it would shift on a private sale again.

If looking at 08+ cars, octavia/passat and mondeo would be where I would focus. You are looking at probably twice the money though. To get the really cheap tax, I think you need to be looking more to 2010 model cars.

dh0011

+1 for the avensis