Small diesel car

Davd

Hi all, herself is looking to change to a small/midsize diesel car. Preference would be an Astra/Focus in size. Will likely be doing about 1000km per week. What would be the most economical/value for money car to get - budget around 7K and looking at a 07/08.

Moneymaker

Small Ford diesel engines are notoriously troublesome so ensure that if you are buying one that it has a full(and verified) service history.

Otherwise, something like these;

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/renault-clio-1-5-litre-diesel/6107046

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/renault-megane-1-5-litre-diesel/7138518

Little over budget but nice car;

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volvo-s40-1-6d-s-110-bhp-270-road-tax/6834035

This looks nice;

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/hyundai-i30-1-6-litre-diesel/7166481

Davd

Her initial preference is towards the new model Astra from 2009. Have had a look at these and they offer a 1.3, 1.6 and 2.0 CDTi engines. They tend to overlap a bit in terms of mpg depending on the power output but is there a downside to any of the engine sizes? Thanks

bazz26

1.3 is a Fiat engine and feels sluggish.
1.7 is an old Isuzu derived engine, a bit unrefined but reliable.
2.0 is a Fiat engine, plenty of power in the Astra but a bit noisy and rare enough in the Astra.