Guidance for a family car...

BronsonTB

Folks, I'm looking at buying a diesel Passat / 407 or Avensis but need help...

Budget 5k / Annual Miles 25-30k

Really from a dealer as I want a warranty with whatever I buy
In order of priority - 1 Reliability / 2 comfort / 3 performance / 4 spec..

There seems to be very different conflicting views on all 3 cars...

This car seems to tick all the boxes as the mileage is reasonable & it has service history & warranty & within budget...

Anything specific I should check beside the dpf? No experience of Peugeut but a dealer is local to me.

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/peugeot/407/used-2007-peugeot-407-st-1-6-hdi-sligo-fpa-146214249427414960

porsche boy

for reliability go for an Avensis, for comfort go for the 407 for performance go Avensis or Passat for spec probably the 407. hope that helps!!
to be honest go drive all of them, you'll know what suits you best. The only criteria you wont be able to gather on a test drive is reliability. On that the Avensis would win out, stuff will go wrong but it will be relatively cheap to repair, the Passat would come second and the Peugeot would be bottom of the list. If it were me I'd have a Passat, they just feel stronger then the passat, more protective if ya get me but thats just my opinion. There will be someone along soon to tell you they've done a million miles in a peugeot without having to even service it and it's the best car in the world.....

porsche boy

passat stronger then avensis, sorry.

Bpmull

I think buying a 407 1.6hdi of that era would've a bad idea on a reliability basis. Infairness they are cheap for a reason like the one you linked what other diesel car of that year would you buy for 5k not too many. Them 407 with that engine can give dpf, abs / traction control, turbo, egr problems and that's only some of the comon problems.

Personally I'd go for a passat. Just because I know several people who have 2005 onwards model 1.9tdi passats and never have an real trouble with them.

RobAMerc

BronsonTB wrote: »

Folks, I'm looking at buying a diesel Passat / 407 or Avensis but need help...

Budget 5k / Annual Miles 25-30k

Really from a dealer as I want a warranty with whatever I buy
In order of priority - 1 Reliability / 2 comfort / 3 performance / 4 spec..

There seems to be very different conflicting views on all 3 cars...

This car seems to tick all the boxes as the mileage is reasonable & it has service history & warranty & within budget...

Anything specific I should check beside the dpf? No experience of Peugeut but a dealer is local to me.

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/peugeot/407/used-2007-peugeot-407-st-1-6-hdi-sligo-fpa-146214249427414960

1. you can buy your own warranty for far less than a dealer premium, buying from a dealer because you think you are getting something better or a warranty is foolish. Only buy from dealer if you have something to trade I think ( look at UK )

2. why do people think Avensis are reliable ? because of the add on telly ? They are not in the same league as the Passat imo.

3. The 407 is awful andwill deteriorate quickly.

4. A Mondeo would be better than any of these.

porsche boy

RobAMerc wrote:

2. why do people think Avensis are reliable ? because of the add on telly ? They are not in the same league as the Passat imo.

the easiest way to judge the reliability and maintenance costs of a car is to look at what taxi drivers have. The avensis is their current darling, before that Carina E and import corollas and Camary's, before that it was the Jettas and Primeras.
Besides any of that my own experience as a mechanic i can tell you that all cars go wrong but the Avensis is the most reliable and cheapest to repair when they do go wrong. I wouldn't buy one personally, i think their as dull as dish water but if realiability and maintenance are deciding factors then it's the toyota. The passat is a close second espically if it's the earlier 1.9 tdi, the 2.0 tdi is problematic as a new engine design it was rushed to comply with emissions legislation and suffered from a lack of development.

Bpmull

Op although it's considered a class below the passat etc what about the skoda octavia 1.9tdi. Good space in the back and a decent boot. Reasonably cheap to buy and quite reliable.

GERMAN ROCKS

id get the 407. mileage doesn't seem too bad for a diesel of that year. if buying straight expect to get it a bit cheaper. I would expect to have that for €4300 €4400 with a warranty. that gives ya change if anything ever did go wrong. I know people that have done a million miles in Peugeots haha. id have the Passat second and I would rather walk than have the avensis.

soundman45

For what it worth i have a 07 reg 407 1.6hdi, 165000kms on it now at never a problem, just needs to be serviced on time and with right oil, lovely car to drive, if you do go to look at it check that the air con is working properly on both sides as the original flaps are weak and need replacing with an upgraded piece, if you get it for €4500 it a lot of car for the money but if you put up some mileage it wont be worth much in future, lads give out about flywheels and dpf failure etc but they are part and parcel of the modern diesel car, any doubts check out a guy called row here he knows his peugeots

Foxhole Norman

Another vote for the 407 here, we had a 2006 1.6HDi for 3 years and over 180k was put on it with no problems at all. It's still been in the family since 2009 and nothing has gone wrong. It was always serviced well and on time due to being a company fleet car while my dad owned it.

BronsonTB

Thanks for all the input...Have driven both an avensis & the 407...

Edging towards the 407 as it was very comfy....It's reliability is a worry tho...

Bpmull

BronsonTB wrote: »

Thanks for all the input...Have driven both an avensis & the 407...

Edging towards the 407 as it was very comfy....It's reliability is a worry tho...

Once you get a 407 that was minded you should be ok. But I know from experience that 1.6 Psa / hdi engine can't tolerate any form of even the slightest abuse. If it was serviced late or the wrong grade of oil was used you could be in for serious bills. Personally if I had 5k to spend on a diesel Id be sticking with an octavia or passat 1.9tdi or even an avensis. There is a reason why you can buy a 407 07/08 for 5k euro most diesels of that year would make a lot more than that.

AMKC

What about looking at a mkIII Renault Laguna with the 1.5dci engine. Its not the biggest car in its class but it is a good car and classy. Its a good looking car too especially in top spec. They have been very reliable too. Renault have always been good at making good diesel engines.

arthur daly

I would be bet between the passat and avensis possibly more to the passat if I had the choice afarmer up the road gives his Passat a fair bit of going 160miles and has had little trouble..
The mondeo was mentioned back in posts which is another good choice.

BronsonTB

Decided against going for this 407...

gordieboy04

Mondeo all day long. We got rid of the little sporty number 4 months before baby number one arrived in 2011 and bought a 2006 Mondeo. There was an injector gone in it when we bought it so it was bought at a good price and before we put it on the road we got the 4 injectors reconditioned and 60000 miles and baby number 2 later it's never looked back! A toddler seat booster seat and baby seat can all fit in the back although it's a bit tricky to get the last belt buckled. 2 slight drawbacks uve to go to ford to get passanger airbag turned off in that model and there is very bad light in the back for strapping kids in at night but overall I think it's the perfect family saloon

_Brian

We recently bought a 2.0 140bhp 2010 Mondeo.

Wow what a cracking car, great drive, quick enough for a large salon, huge boot, economical.

Just love it. Only pity is Mrs drives it all the time and I only get the odd spin at weekends.

unklerosco

I'll stick in my vote for a Mondeo.. Had a 08 Titanium X Estate.. Brought it in from the UK with 110,000 miles on it and sold it with 140,000 miles and it drove like new. Best car I ever owned, only sold it as we needed the cash at the time. We've a C-max now and need something bigger, can't think of anything else other than a Mondeo estate... will be looking to get a 10-12 plate titanium X again. Fantastic cars...