Car recommendation...

Delta Kilo

Hi All,

Ive been lucky to secure very good employment recently and am currently working towards buying a new car, but I dont know exactly what. I was thinking a 2006-2007 car with a budget of approx 9k but possibly increasing it to 10-11k.

I would prefer a diesel, but am open to petrol, annual mileage of approx 15,000 miles.

I work and live in Dublin so only drive at weekends, typically long journeys on motorways or primary roads. Some form of a comfortable cruiser would be nice. I dont depend on the car for work, but I still would like it to be relatively reliable, no ticking time bombs to a massive repair bill.

I had been considering an Audi A6 - I like bigger cars and the interior of them but am worried about the 2.0 engine and the issues with oil pumps etc. (Would prefer to stay under 2.0 for tax reasons, but I would consider up to 2.5 litre)

Also BMW but again worried about expensive repair bills.

Plan to keep the car 1-2 years.

What would you recommend for someone in my position. Am I correct to be worried about the 2.0TDI?

To add, 23 years old with a Full NCB and own policy for the past 6 years so my insurance is ok.

_Kaiser_

You're a bit all over the place on this one OP..

You want a diesel - but only for weekends, and want something with lower tax - but will go up to 2.5L on the CC system? Also you only want to keep it a year or two - in a country where big-engined older cars are treated like the Devil's spawn!

For what it's worth the A6 is a lovely machine (I've a 05 3.0 TDI Quattro version) and you're right about there being issues with the 2.0 TDi version but any car of that class and age is not going to be cheap.. to tax, insure or run/maintain.
Despite a full dealer history and being in excellent condition, my own has had several niggly and not so niggly issues that if I hadn't gotten a warranty with it, would have already cost me an arm and a leg.

Also there's the point above that selling it on in a year or two (particularly if you went for a petrol or bigger diesel) will likely be very difficult as the tax rates are only going to go up. If you're planning to invest in a car like that I'd be planning to hold onto it for a bit longer.

Given the choice (I assume you're considering a 5-series BMW as an alternative) I'd take thew Audi every time but I think you may want to look a bit more into the total costs of such a car before you commit.

Delta Kilo

Thanks Kaiser,

I guess I should have been clearer, Id be willing to pay tax for a 2.5 but ideally would prefer a 2.0.

What Im most worried about is unknown costs. I dont mind €1200 for tax because I know its that and can put that aside. My biggest worry is something going wrong with it and having to fork out a huge amount of money because it is a "prestige" car.

I had looked at the 520D as an alternative and its up there on my list. It seems good reliably but when things do go wrong its very expensive. I heard €1800 for a DPF as an example.

I do like the Audi alright, but there is nothing but poor reviews online for the 2.0 Diesel reliability.

Blue Punto

If your willing to pay the tax on a 2.5 I would advise you to consider the Volvo S60 D5

Diesel economy ,great build and plenty of extras and comfort
Plenty of power too when you need it

I had two one after another but sold my last one because I got fed up paying the tax