04/05 Reliable & Efficient Saloon (~€2500-€3250)

rosboy

Hey all.

Looking for some advise from people more knowledgeable than me on the matter.

I want to buy a saloon, about 04/05.

I'd ideally like to spend less than €3000, but could stretch a to maybe €3250 for a car that was right.

I'm looking for a diesel, that has less than 140,000 miles on the clock. It should have clutch/timing belt/brakes done...basically all the stuff that tends to need to be done about the 100k mark.

The big two factors for me are reliablilty and fuel efficiency.

Ideally, I'd like an Avensis as it meets my two criteria.

I know the Octavia are very fuel efficient, but are they reliable? I've heard they are good, but also heard a couple of people complain about them.

I like the S40, but not sure how reliable they are.

Have ruled out the Mazda 6 due to poor fuel efficiency.

Passat (slightly higher repair costs) and Mondeo (have had ban experiences with Mondeo in the past) also ruled out.

Would be interested to hear peoples thoughts...am I looking at the wrong cars...ruling out ones I should be looking at...not looking at ones I should be?

Would be particularly interested in hearing about the S40 reliability and economy.

christy02

Why have you set a limit of 140k miles? For a 10 yr old diesel that's not a lot and you will have trouble getting one under that for your money.

D4d engine will go on forever if well minded. Octavia 1.9d the same. Look for service history rather than set a mileage limit.

Mazda 6 diesel from that era was not good. Would not rule out mondeo.

04 Volvo s40's are a mix of older shape and newer shape. Newer shape I think has ford tdci engine. Old shape 1.9d has either a Laguna or mitshubishi unit depending on the engine code.
Ford unit can give trouble with injectors at high mileage.

murphyebass

Personally if I was buyin a car of that age I would buy jap. I've had 10year old VW and Seats in the past. In my experience they give window regulator and locking problems.
Engine wise they're tight and will go on and on but other repairs would put me off.
Jap cars of that vintage shouldn't really have the above problems. And as the other poster mentioned the d4d is a good engine just ask the million taxi men in them.
Stay clear of the Mazda 2ltr diesel though.

bazz26

How reliable any 9/10 year old car especially diesel will depend really on the specific car and how it was maintained over it's life. Also being realistic most €3k 9/10 year old diesels will have surpassed the 140k miles at this stage unless their is a service history to prove otherwise.

rosboy

Thanks for all your input.

I fully understand that 140k would be low mileage for a 9/10 year old car, and it limits my options. There are however a few viable options out there that fit my criteria, mainly Octavia and a few Avensis.

I know it's stating the obvious, but I'm trying to get as low a mileage as possible to minimise the risk of problems that naturally come with more mileage. Minimise is of course the operative word there.

Avensis and Ocatavia are both my priority now.

murphyebass

rosboy wrote: »

Thanks for all your input.

I fully understand that 140k would be low mileage for a 9/10 year old car, and it limits my options. There are however a few viable options out there that fit my criteria, mainly Octavia and a few Avensis.

I know it's stating the obvious, but I'm trying to get as low a mileage as possible to minimise the risk of problems that naturally come with more mileage. Minimise is of course the operative word there.

Avensis and Ocatavia are both my priority now.

Personally I'd want it to have more mileage than what your looking for. They're meant to be driven. Too many filters etc for short drives and low mileage.

rosboy

murphyebass wrote: »

Personally I'd want it to have more mileage than what your looking for. They're meant to be driven. Too many filters etc for short drives and low mileage.

Interesting point. What mileage would you be looking for on a 9/10 year old car?

murphyebass

rosboy wrote: »

Interesting point. What mileage would you be looking for on a 9/10 year old car?

20k a year on a diesel imo would be normal. More wouldn't surprise me. Lots of rep mobiles out there.

My 2.2ltr Mazda 6 I got recently is 2010 and has 112k km's on it. Didn't bother me one bit. In fact I was happy as I got a better spec for less money.

Diesels, and petrols for that matter to a point engine wise will go and go if they're serviced regularly and looked after, which is where a service history comes in.

I've seen cars a lot older than 2004 in great shape and cars that are only a few years old in terrible shape.