Help me choose a car!

Niallers__M

Hi Guys,

need some help choosing a car. Have a budget of 5k. 3 weeks of looking and my head is fried!
We have a child on the way so I'm looking for a good used car. I average about 300-400 mils a week at the moment but can rise or fall depending on where work takes me. Should i go diesel or petrol? Currently in a 1.5 almera which my partner will continue to use. Have had many diesel cars in the past and have been lucky that nothing major went wrong. However these days with wages not as good as they were I'm thinking on sticking with petrol, with the idea that less may go wrong with the engine. Am i mad to stay with petrol with the mileage i do or would i be safe enough. It's not colossal mileage i know but economy is important to me.
I have been looking at every make and model and just can't decide. Focus, mondeo, passat, avensis, corolla, golf, a4, a6.

I'd appreciate any advice from anyone!!

Thanks

Niallers

RedDeadMarshal

Petrol? don't be mad. Well at least if you are buying petrol then buy Japanese and not German. My neighbour has a lot of problems with his 1.6 petrol Passat. 1.9 TDI is something that you can't and will never go wrong on. The design is stone age Pump Duse system with 8 valves and a small turbo shouldn't burn a penny in your pocket, unlike the new engines out their with their big turbo, 16 valves and common rail injection. Toyota 2.2 d4d which is what I own no turbo no hassle it's a car from another planet I owned it three years and I have never ever needed to change the light bulb in the headlight or anything like that ,just change the oil or top it up a bit since diesel burns some oil but I never had to top up mine put some more diesel and drive. If you want something pokey then the Toyota has it but for some reason it feels electric like it doesn't pull as well as in my 1.9TDI maybe because it's common rail and the computer calculates how much throttle you really need. I know the Toyota is probably out of your reach so go for a b6 Passat or a golf but I think the Passat is a bit more problematic with the electronics in it if you want a boot and a VW but not a Passat then a Jetta. 1.4D4D Corolla is good too or a 2.2 D4D Verso or Avensis.;)

colm_mcm

RedDeadMarshal wrote: »

Petrol? don't be mad. Well at least if you are buying petrol then buy Japanese and not German. My neighbour has a lot of problems with his 1.6 petrol Passat. 1.9 TDI is something that you can't and will never go wrong on. The design is stone age Pump Duse system with 8 valves and a small turbo shouldn't burn a penny in your pocket, unlike the new engines out their with their big turbo, 16 valves and common rail injection. Toyota 2.2 d4d which is what I own no turbo no hassle it's a car from another planet I owned it three years and I have never ever needed to change the light bulb in the headlight or anything like that ,just change the oil or top it up a bit since diesel burns some oil but I never had to top up mine put some more diesel and drive. If you want something pokey then the Toyota has it but for some reason it feels electric like it doesn't pull as well as in my 1.9TDI maybe because it's common rail and the computer calculates how much throttle you really need. I know the Toyota is probably out of your reach so go for a b6 Passat or a golf but I think the Passat is a bit more problematic with the electronics in it if you want a boot and a VW but not a Passat then a Jetta. 1.4D4D Corolla is good too or a 2.2 D4D Verso or Avensis.;)

You do know that a D-4D is common rail and turbocharged right?

RedDeadMarshal

colm_mcm wrote: »

You do know that a D-4D is common rail and turbocharged right?

there is two variants of the 2.2 d4d non turbo 136ps 100kw and turbo 150ps 110kw there is even a 2.0 d4d non turbo 90ps 66kw and the present day 2.0 turbo with 115ps 85kw.

JohnBoy26

RedDeadMarshal wrote: »

Petrol? don't be mad. Well at least if you are buying petrol then buy Japanese and not German. My neighbour has a lot of problems with his 1.6 petrol Passat. 1.9 TDI is something that you can't and will never go wrong on. The design is stone age Pump Duse system with 8 valves and a small turbo shouldn't burn a penny in your pocket, unlike the new engines out their with their big turbo, 16 valves and common rail injection. Toyota 2.2 d4d which is what I own no turbo no hassle it's a car from another planet I owned it three years and I have never ever needed to change the light bulb in the headlight or anything like that ,just change the oil or top it up a bit since diesel burns some oil but I never had to top up mine put some more diesel and drive. If you want something pokey then the Toyota has it but for some reason it feels electric like it doesn't pull as well as in my 1.9TDI maybe because it's common rail and the computer calculates how much throttle you really need. I know the Toyota is probably out of your reach so go for a b6 Passat or a golf but I think the Passat is a bit more problematic with the electronics in it if you want a boot and a VW but not a Passat then a Jetta. 1.4D4D Corolla is good too or a 2.2 D4D Verso or Avensis.;)

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=85671213

gowley

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=85671213

maybe theres 2 of them!!!!!!!

colm_mcm

RedDeadMarshal wrote: »

there is two variants of the 2.2 d4d non turbo 136ps 100kw and turbo 150ps 110kw there is even a 2.0 d4d non turbo 90ps 66kw and the present day 2.0 turbo with 115ps 85kw.

Please tell me more about these, they never told me about these ones when I worked for them.

thenightrider

colm_mcm wrote: »

Please tell me more about these, they never told me about these ones when I worked for them.

He must be getting mixed up as he is still in school driving for years getting his first car but owns 2005 Volkswagen Caddy with only 53k and has owned so many cars

RedDeadMarshal wrote: »

I've owned so many 1.9 tdis that I can't even count the only thing that went wrong was the clutch because I was driving it quite hard that's it if you are afraid of the tdi then buy an sdi its a 2.0 tdi without the turbo modern day diesels probably fail with their common rail and all that electronic stuff that makes it quiet and all. But not the 1.9 tdi

colm_mcm

Just to give you a hand, here are some of the ones I know about.

2.0 TD Avensis 97-00 89hp
2.0 D-4D Corolla 02-04 89hp
2.0 D-4D Avensis 00-03 109hp
2.0 D-4D Avensis 03-06 116hp (also 04-06 Corolla)
2.0 D-4D Avensis 06-09 125hp
2.2 D-4D Rav4 06-09 135hp (also verso post 06)
2.2 D-4D Avensis/IS200d/Verso 150hp
2.2 D-4D Avensis/IS220d/Rav4/Verso 177hp

Now all these have turbos and (except for the TD) are common rail.



Sorry for derailing your thread OP

gowley

i think john boy and knight rider derailed his thread already

thecomedian

gowley wrote: »

i think john boy and knight rider derailed his thread already

I would say reddead did by talking ****e

JohnBoy26

colm_mcm wrote: »

Please tell me more about these, they never told me about these ones when I worked for them.

RedDeadMarshal wrote: »

Toyota 2.2 d4d which is what I own no turbo no hassle it's a car from another planet

Maybe this explains it :P

Niallers__M

Haha no probs regarding the de-rail, it very informative!!
Colm what is the 1.6 petrol Avensis like? Does it struggle? Anything to watch out for?
Thanks for the replies.

colm_mcm

Niallers__M wrote: »

Haha no probs regarding the de-rail, it very informative!!
Colm what is the 1.6 petrol Avensis like? Does it struggle? Anything to watch out for?
Thanks for the replies.

They're not as slow as a lot of people make out, gearing is short enough. Unfortunately this means its revving pretty high at motorway speeds and this kills fuel consumption.
I could only ever manage early 30s on them, mostly dual carriageway and a small but of town driving,

I wouldn't do 20,000 miles a year in one anyway. I would be looking diesel if I were you.

Ill probably get shot for this, but I'd be looking at a very clean B5.5 1.9 Passat or a Skoda Superb. Problem is there aren't that many good ones left.

rizzodun

I have an 04 1.5 Almera, was wanting a 1.7cdti Civic at the time but couldn't find one in my budget, €5k might stretch you to a 06 pre facelift one if you're lucky. From 06 the engine size was enlarged to 2.2. Not a massive car but plenty of space for one child, and personally I haven't heard them being faulted (someone will no doubt prove me wrong now!)

Niallers__M

Thanks for the reply and the info! Useful stuff there.
I use to be indecisive but now I'm just not sure. What I really want is decent economy, lower tax, a bit of poke and a good boot.
I'll keep the hunt up anyway. Thanks again.

bazz26

You would get a Rover 75 with the more reliable BMW diesel engine well within that budget. VAG stuff goes for crazy money.

Red Kev

Peugeot 406 ? Excellent ones can be got for around €1500, or an older Avensis ca. 2000-01. Both are hugely reliable cars with none of the complicated electronics of later cars, very economical in their own right and you'll have over €3500 more left in your bank account.

Bangernomics thread might be of help to you.

bazz26

To be honest anything diesel with a bit of poke within your budget is going to be around the 1.8 to 2.0 litre mark. Motor tax is not the most expensive part of car ownership in most cases.

Worth a look at:

http://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=945540

colm_mcm

They're a bit severe on the juice I think

166man

colm_mcm wrote: »

They're a bit severe on the juice I think

Not exactly pokey either being the 100bhp and auto.

colm_mcm

166man wrote: »

Not exactly pokey either being the 100bhp and auto.

Not really. Drove one back in 05, funny story, was a new one, destined to be a taxi, was dropping it up to north Dublin to get some bits and pieces fitted to it, magnetic aerial was on the boot, was driving through the old M50 toll cash basket lane and it hit the canvas overhead sign, aerial unstuck from the boot and walloped the rear quarter panel. I was bricking it but luckily car was perfect.

Still see that car now being driven by a different taxi driver nearly every time I'm in Limerick



I guess I'll never know about those lesser known D-4D engines now

Niallers__M

Hi All- went with an avensis in the end. Found a nice 2006 2.0 D4D WITH 90K miles. Was lured back to the diesel engine and very happy all round.
Thanks again for all the helpful info.

Niallers