On the lookout for an auto petrol

tom_tarbucket

Long time reader, first time poster

I'm on the lookout for a petrol automatic.

- automatic
- I only do 7000 miles a year.
- in start stop city driving
- need a decent sized boot
- need back doors
- like a bit of power, 150 bhp +
- want a car that's reliable
- looking at 2008 - 2010
- MAX budget = 11,000
- don't want to be paying stupid money in tax, like 1200 euro
- want relatively decent mpg

A lot of criteria there. What are peoples thoughts on this car as a starting point :


http://www.carzone.ie/search/Saab/9-3/1.8T-150/36513825225090760/advert?channel=CARS

colm_mcm

Prius would do only its not 150hp

tom_tarbucket

colm_mcm wrote: »

Prius would do only its not 150hp

What are your thoughts on the Saab ?

colm_mcm

Looks well minded but I wouldn't buy one.

That said I probably wouldn't buy a Prius either and for your budget the 93 is well under.

tom_tarbucket

colm_mcm wrote: »

Looks well minded but I wouldn't buy one.

That said I probably wouldn't buy a Prius either and for your budget the 93 is well under.

Is the Saab 93 in auto format a bad car ?

KwackerJack

tom_tarbucket wrote: »

What are your thoughts on the Saab ?

Fancy Opel afaik, older ones were anyway. I had a 01 95 2.0 turbo, very comfy and very quick but in traffic your looking at 25mpg and that was manual.

Narrow your search on carzone to Auto and 1.6 cc max.

There are a few 1.6 petrol turbo cars out there that are pretty quick

tom_tarbucket

OSI wrote: »

Golf GTI DSG. 200bhp, twin clutch semi auto is regarded as one of the best, and you'll get an 08 for your money.

Thanks. But need a bigger boot.

colm_mcm

KwackerJack wrote: »

Fancy Opel afaik, older ones were anyway. I had a 01 95 2.0 turbo, very comfy and very quick but in traffic your looking at 25mpg and that was manual.

Narrow your search on carzone to Auto and 1.6 cc max.

There are a few 1.6 petrol turbo cars out there that are pretty quick

I cant think of any decent size turbo 1.6 automatic cars that are fast (or even slow tbh)

Engine size not too important post 08

KwackerJack

Volvo S80 2.0 Turbo 180 hp

Have a 02 manual one and its by far the nicest, biggest, fastest car I've ever driven. Beating my previous saabs, bmw, merc, maxima etc.

Most will have leather heated seats, air con, cruise control.

Drive it quick but not hard and average 30 mpg. Drove a 02 520 2 weeks back and was definitely not as nice, bmw handles a bit better but that can be changed.

Or the smaller S60, same engine just not as big

Tax is 710

Lex Luthor

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Mazda/Mazda6/GH-2.0/33913627557821470/

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Toyota/Avensis/**LOW-MILEAGE/37113779605242880/

best of luck though trying to find a big booted auto petrol car after 2007 in this country

what about this, pics arent great but worth a look at this price
http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/BMW/5-Series/523-523I/201331217512467/

colm_mcm

€750 tax on that avensis (which for the record is a very very outdated 4 speed affair with very slow tiptronic mode)

Hard to justify an old model avensis unless its cheap

veetwin

Lifted from the 523i thread;

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-523-automatic-08-new-tax/5824643

Appears to tick a fair few boxes even if it is an extremely annoying ad.

colm_mcm

Sorry if I'm about to drag off topic, but what's wrong with that ad?

Most un-Irish ad, no 'first to see will buy' even

BorneTobyWilde

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mercedes-e200-avantgarde-sport/5849329

Only a 1.8
Fast enough
Low miles
Big boot
4 doors
Low tax

BorneTobyWilde

Or if you prefer a standard one
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mercedes-benz-e-class-e200-auto-eleganc/5865410

veetwin

It's just the listing of basic features that pretty much every car has and somehow presenting them as something noteworthy that annoys me.

Eg drivers airbag, electric windows, "centralised locking"

If I'm buying a 523i it's fair to assume it will have these features.

bazz26

If this is genuine then it might be worth a look:


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Volvo/S60/NCT-022016/37613710622994230/

They are old hat now but still a better car than a 9-3 imo.

tom_tarbucket

Lots of options there.

Of all the cars suggested, what would be the most reliable on paper ?

I only do low miles a year, I just want to drive the car and service it every 10,000 miles. I don't want to be forking out for a new turbo, new gearbox etc etc.

KwackerJack

tom_tarbucket wrote: »

Lots of options there.

Of all the cars suggested, what would be the most reliable on paper ?

I only do low miles a year, I just want to drive the car and service it every 10,000 miles. I don't want to be forking out for a new turbo, new gearbox etc etc.

Unfortunately big petrol cars can have issues with turbos, gearboxes ect especially auto and suspension parts

7k miles a year, hmmm maybe GTI Golf or Audi S3 ? For that mileage you don't need a prius as good as they are 60-65 mpg. Or maybe you do depending on how much you intend to spend on fuel ?

You'll use at 60 mpg in a prius 530 litres of petrol average 1.52 per litre = 805 euro's for 7k miles. and 400 Euro tax in a pre 2008 or 130 in a 08 + about 200 euro's

a 30 mpg car will need about twice the fuel so about 1600 a year and if it's a 2.0L the tax will be 710 euro's. Or much more after 2008 depending on the emissions.

Prius is one of the most reliable cars in the world. Mk III can be got for 11K with over 60K miles though lower spec can be got with less miles. MK III is a better car than the MK II. Both cars are a decent size.

tom_tarbucket

[Deleted User] wrote: »

7k miles a year, hmmm maybe GTI Golf or Audi S3 ? For that mileage you don't need a prius as good as they are 60-65 mpg. Or maybe you do depending on how much you intend to spend on fuel ?

You'll use at 60 mpg in a prius 530 litres of petrol average 1.52 per litre = 805 euro's for 7k miles. and 400 Euro tax in a pre 2008 or 130 in a 08 + about 200 euro's

a 30 mpg car will need about twice the fuel so about 1600 a year and if it's a 2.0L the tax will be 710 euro's. Or much more after 2008 depending on the emissions.

Prius is one of the most reliable cars in the world. Mk III can be got for 11K with over 60K miles though lower spec can be got with less miles. MK III is a better car than the MK II. Both cars are a decent size.

Thanks for that.
Golf and S3 boot not big enough.

I don't really like the look of the Prius.

bazz26

If reliability is the main focus them maybe one of these:


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Honda/Civic/AUTOMATIC-4/34213633497508470/

Not the most interesting of cars but probably the least likely of any suggestions so far to break your heart. They are nearly the same size as the 2003 to 2008 Accord and the 1.8 litre engine has 140bhp.

tom_tarbucket

tom_tarbucket wrote: »

Thanks for that.
Golf and S3 boot not big enough.

I don't really like the look of the Prius.

How about an accord estate or non estate ivtec ?

They make brilliant petrols, and they sound great.

Even at that mileage you could get a honda CRV with Vtec. We also got a 2000 non vtec crv and it's a great car. Decent power about 150-160 hp depending on year, good torque low down and flies when you drop the gears to over take.

I would have to say an automatic in most petrols isn't going to be economical in all but the Prius.

But if it were me I'd consider the dual clutch automatics far better than any cvt or torque converter, cvt is the smoothest you can get but they like power or they rev a lot.

You can convert to LPG most petrols, will cost around 1k, might take a while to pay back though so you'd want to keep it a while maybe.

tom_tarbucket

bazz26 wrote: »

If reliability is the main focus them maybe one of these:


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Honda/Civic/AUTOMATIC-4/34213633497508470/

Not the most interesting of cars but probably the least likely of any suggestions so far to break your heart. They are nearly the same size as the 2003 to 2008 Accord and the 1.8 litre engine has 140bhp.

Thanks. I've driven one of these before. Didn't really like it - I had to rev the livin crap out of it to get it to go any way fast and the engine sounded like it was going to blow up.

dnme

Here's 65 cars to get you started. Give it a second to load

http://www.carzone.ie/search/results?searchsource=finder&nParam=0&channel=CARS&cacheBuster=1383002437426500#nParam=200590%2B200292%2B200782%2B102455%2B200396%2B200439%2B200254%2B351%2B200479%2B287%2B329&sortby=Make|0&channel=CARS&currency=EUROS&searchResultsView=THUMBNAIL&maxrows=10

colm_mcm

bazz26 wrote: »

If reliability is the main focus them maybe one of these:


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Honda/Civic/AUTOMATIC-4/34213633497508470/

Not the most interesting of cars but probably the least likely of any suggestions so far to break your heart. They are nearly the same size as the 2003 to 2008 Accord and the 1.8 litre engine has 140bhp.

Any idea what gearbox is in those bazz? I know the iShift in the hatches is muck but not sure what the saloon got

Lurching

I don't see anything wrong with the Saab you suggested.
Yes it may have Opel underpinnings, but who cares?

Why bother limiting yourself to 1.6 if you find a car which is well below your budget, thus allowing more towards your annual car tax? Also, with only 7k km per year, I doubt fuel milage is much of a concern.

tom_tarbucket

Lurching wrote: »

I don't see anything wrong with the Saab you suggested.
Yes it may have Opel underpinnings, but who cares?

Why bother limiting yourself to 1.6 if you find a car which is well below your budget, thus allowing more towards your annual car tax? Also, with only 7k km per year, I doubt fuel milage is much of a concern.

Saab isnt bad alright, but are they reliable ?

its 7000 MILES per year , but still not much

dantastic

Saabs are excellent cars. They don't have mass appeal, a lot of people don't "like" them for various reasons (not all rational).

Yes, they are reliable. At least as reliable as every other car in the segment.

If you like the Saab, go have a look at it and take it for a spin.

colm_mcm

I wouldn't agree with them being an over reliable car. I worked for a garage that had a saab dealership and other brands and they definitely can give trouble often expensive.
That said thats a later car with good history.

tom_tarbucket

colm_mcm wrote: »

I wouldn't agree with them being an over reliable car. I worked for a garage that had a saab dealership and other brands and they definitely can give trouble often expensive.
That said thats a later car with good history.

Thanks so the one I linked was a 2008 with a very good service history

Are the later model Saabs ( around 2008 ) supposed to be ok ?

bazz26

colm_mcm wrote: »

Any idea what gearbox is in those bazz? I know the iShift in the hatches is muck but not sure what the saloon got

It's a regular 5 speed auto, the i-shift is 6 speed semi-auto right?

tom_tarbucket

bazz26 wrote: »

If this is genuine then it might be worth a look:


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Volvo/S60/NCT-022016/37613710622994230/

They are old hat now but still a better car than a 9-3 imo.

What are peoples opinions on the Volvo S60 - in General, and specifically from the year 2008 and the 2.0 petrol engine and the automatic transmission.

Any comments, good or bad ?

tom_tarbucket

tom_tarbucket wrote: »

What are peoples opinions on the Volvo S60 - in General, and specifically from the year 2008 and the 2.0 petrol engine and the automatic transmission.

Any comments, good or bad ?

They are a good car, I don't believe there are many problems with them. I haven't heard much anyway.

The Auto on the other hand, I just detest a lot of torque converter auto's. And they are thirsty.

Really you won't get a more economical auto than the prius in petrol or diesel form. Even with the eCVT, it's far better than most torque converter autos.

tom_tarbucket

Thanks Mad_Lad, anyone else have any comments on this ?

mickdw

This meets alot of your criteria. I think in this sport spec they are quite stunning even if an old model now.
Reasonable tax,
Fuel will be fine when doing 7k miles
Lots of space,
180 bhp or so

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Mercedes-Benz/E-Class/E-E200/34613668246316130/

Wheelio

There's a few nice 06/07 Audi A6 2.0 TFSI Auto's on carzone too at the moment would fit the bill..

mickdw

mickdw wrote: »

This meets alot of your criteria. I think in this sport spec they are quite stunning even if an old model now.
Reasonable tax,
Fuel will be fine when doing 7k miles
Lots of space,
180 bhp or so

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Mercedes-Benz/E-Class/E-E200/34613668246316130/

180 hp ? is it a turbo ?

tom_tarbucket

Thanks lads, but any thoughts specifically on the Volvo above ?

mickdw

Deleted User wrote: »

180 hp ? is it a turbo ?

I think they are around 180 bhp. Kompressor engine.. Supercharged.

bazz26

That is one of the last of that model S60 so any problems with early examples should have been ironed out at that stage which is a big plus. I had a S40 which was a very comfortable car so I'd imagine the S60 would be even more comfortable. Like most Volvos the suspension is soft so watch out for signs of worn bits like wishbones and ball joints. That model S60 is supposed to be nice to drive too.

I'd avoid main Volvo dealers for servicing/maintenance as they really know how to charge. 2.0 litre engine has a turbo and has been around a while, nothing overly complex about it nor with the auto box, probably not that frugal but given your low mileage fuel bills shouldn't be a deal breaker. Worth a test drive anyway imo.

tom_tarbucket

I have narrowed down my search to 4 cars

Here are the 4 :


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Volvo/S60/NCT-022016/37613710622994230/


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Saab/9-3/1.8T-150bhp/36513825225090760/


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Audi/A4/se-160bhp/201345219472821/


http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/cheapest-around-the-country/5929708


I know they are 4 different cars, but any thoughts on which one would be the best choice ?

mitosis

tom_tarbucket wrote: »

I have narrowed down my search to 4 cars

Here are the 4 :


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Volvo/S60/NCT-022016/37613710622994230/


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Saab/9-3/1.8T-150bhp/36513825225090760/


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Audi/A4/se-160bhp/201345219472821/


http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/cheapest-around-the-country/5929708


I know they are 4 different cars, but any thoughts on which one would be the best choice ?

The Audi has no NCT, isn't VRTed. Is it even legal to sell a non registered car privately?

The Volvo is nice, but the price drop thing makes me nervous. I love the Saab, but the VW is probably the most practical.

tom_tarbucket

mitosis wrote: »

The Audi has no NCT, isn't VRTed. Is it even legal to sell a non registered car privately?

The Volvo is nice, but the price drop thing makes me nervous. I love the Saab, but the VW is probably the most practical.

Good comments, Yeah that Audi is a weird one, rang the number and the lad was Polish or something, very unwilling to give info, I was just trying to ascertain how he acquired the car......but before I even got to that, he didnt even say hello really and was asking me " how much you give me for car" I hadn't even seen the bloody thing and he is looking for cash.


Yeah, the price drop of the volvo from 12,500 to 7,500 seems a bit drastic

Saab is nice alright.

VW is steady.

I found a really nice clean well maintained Volvo S80 for my brother, haggled a few hundred off the price because it needed a service and timing belt and water pump done.

Ideally you should buy something you don't have to put money or work into but it was a really nice car with 78k miles full dealer service history the best of all the cars we saw. Got NCT until 0714

It's a 2003 2.0T 180 hp 5 cylinder, and it's ultra smooth and quiet, i really hated giving it to him, he plans to keep it only 6 months, he was renting a really horrible 3 cylinder 1.0L corsa and he isn't going to know himself now, that 3 cylinder engine in the corsa was really horrid, rough, noisy and absolutely no poke, I wouldn't recommend them. What people do for economy is unbelievable.

From Irishtown to Naas I averaged 37 mpg, I got caught in really heavy traffic. So I'm confident I could have got the 40 mpg with my driving, the thing is you got plenty of power when you need it and it's nice and relaxed when you just want to cruise. But trip readings are not so accurate, it may have been 37 mpg over that particular trip but it would be interesting to know what I'd get per tank.

Anyway we got the car for 2100, it's a 2003 and I may buy it off him to replace the crv and I might convert it to LPG, or not depending on how many miles I intend to do, but seemingly that engine takes lpg brilliantly.

You'll find anything from S40 up to 80 take a few for a spin, but we were running out of time and we'd seen so much junk.

One think I really would tell people is make sure the car is clean and you examine every panel on the car carefully, one car we saw looked perfect inside and out, took it for a drive and noticed suspension problems over bumps it would pull strongly to the left, so when I got back I looked closer at the panels and noticed the front passenger wing and drivers door had been replaced, so that was enough for me, it could have been a simple fix to the suspension but I wasn't taking the chance, the car history check showed no insurance claims but that wouldn't tell if it had been fixed for cash.

One other thing is that a respray is never the same again and if they use spurious panels they can rust, and paint peal off, it may look well done but it's never the same.

SO I advised my brother to walk away, there is always the genuine good car if you look long enough, the important thing is don't get too excited with the first car you see, do the car checks and bring someone who knows something about cars, trust your instincts, if you have a bad feeling about something, that's enough reason to walk.

tom_tarbucket

Thanks for reply Mad Lad. . Yeah thats the thing with the volvo s60. It has 96,000 miles on the clock. The seller made out its a chain but I know now its a belt and that the belt and the water pump would need replacing. Also, id need to change the Automatic Transmission fluid also, it may not re recommended to change in Volvo's but it would be better to change I think.

tom_tarbucket

tom_tarbucket wrote: »

Thanks for reply Mad Lad. . Yeah thats the thing with the volvo s60. It has 96,000 miles on the clock. The seller made out its a chain but I know now its a belt and that the belt and the water pump would need replacing. Also, id need to change the Automatic Transmission fluid also, it may not re recommended to change in Volvo's but it would be better to change I think.

I wouldn't be worried about anything with 96 K miles on the clock, our CRV is in pretty good shape for a 00 with 132K miles. If you find something with a good service history, It shouldn't be a problem.

Changing the auto oil is never a bad idea, it's not part of the service on the prius, but I plan on getting it done either way as it's highly recommended on the U.S Prius forum due to independent studies on the oil. Put it this way when you see the oil that comes out, you'll be glad you replaced it.

By the way the volvo I found for my brother was a manual, I don't think I'd drive a torque converter manual as I don't like a lot of them and they are a fair bit thirstier.

It's just a shame that all we'll find post 2008 are poxy diesels because the tax will be ridiculously high. It would be great if the Government reduced the tax on cars converted to lpg, but as they only think co2 and lpg emits higher Co2 yet it's incredibly cleaner than any diesel, it just defies all logic.

Moneymaker

tom_tarbucket wrote: »

Thanks for reply Mad Lad. . Yeah thats the thing with the volvo s60. It has 96,000 miles on the clock. The seller made out its a chain but I know now its a belt and that the belt and the water pump would need replacing. Also, id need to change the Automatic Transmission fluid also, it may not re recommended to change in Volvo's but it would be better to change I think.

96k miles is nothing for an S60.

My father has had an 09 S60 since new, over 100k miles on it and it drives like new still. Stonking diesel engine and it's very, very comfortable. One problem is the legroom in the back is a little iffy if you're gonna be driving around any tall adults in the back but it's got a very good sized boot.

tom_tarbucket

Moneymaker wrote: »

96k miles is nothing for an S60.

My father has had an 09 S60 since new, over 100k miles on it and it drives like new still. Stonking diesel engine and it's very, very comfortable. One problem is the legroom in the back is a little iffy if you're gonna be driving around any tall adults in the back but it's got a very good sized boot.

Thanks for the comment. But your fathers S60 was a Diesel, the one im thinking of is a petrol -- dunno if that makes a difference

Moneymaker

tom_tarbucket wrote: »

Thanks for the comment. But your fathers S60 was a Diesel, the one im thinking of is a petrol -- dunno if that makes a difference

I would imagine the petrols would be just fine.

2ltr Petrol has 177bhp. I'd take one for a spin and put it through its pace for yourself. You'd get an 08-10 for well within budget.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Is the prius 'box not a sealed for life unit, Mad_Lad?