Expectations - 4-6k diesel

Born To Be Mild

Looking for a used car and wondering if my expectations are ok.

Budget is 4k - 6k max (aiming for 5-6k).
Must be diesel as I will be travelling a fair bit - therefore I also need something reliable.

I'm looking at cars like Kia Ceed, Mondeo, Focus, i30, Fiesta, Citroen C5, Peugeot 207 / 407, Mazda 3.

Looking to get something around 100k miles, 2007/8. At this mileage I want something that has a recent NCT and had the timing belt done (and possibly clutch & flywheel).
Mileage under 90k makes me suspicious of a car this age.

Am I being ridiculous with my expectations here or is it possible but not likely?

I'm hoping to find something in Galway / Mayo but will travel for the right car at the right price.

bazz26

The bigger the car the more comfortable they tend to be which is very important if your doing alot of driving/commuting. For me that would rule out anything Fiesta or 207 size. They are grand for the occasional long drive but not really designed for long daily commutes.

I'd throw a Renault Laguna III into the mix too, generally a good and comfortable car especially compared to the model before hand and can be bought for reasonable money these days.

Born To Be Mild

bazz26 wrote: »

I'd throw a Renault Laguna III into the mix too

I can honestly say that I will never own a Renault again in my life. Or a Fiat. I do most of the servicing on my own cars and the Renault was an absolute nightmare to work on. Removing the wheel arch liners & front bumper & grille to replace a headlight bulb is a bit much. Everything was odd-sized - including oil sump nut.

I will be commuting approx 1 hour each way daily. Expect to be going from Galway to Cork / Dublin / Belfast once a week, so I agree about the comfort. Top of the list is reliability though. The only comfort aspect I insist on having is somewhere to hold my coffee! (And air con)

selectamatic

2008 gen 1 Octavia. Cheap tax and still the same running gear as mkiv golfs and boras including the pd 100bhp tdi engine (atd/axr) I think are the codes. not to be confused with the bad 105bhp engines in gen2 Octavia's.
Reliable yokes but above all very easy to work on compared to every other 2008 diesel car (because they're really a 1999 design :P)
Very cheap to buy aswell but obviously resale value is very low.

Born To Be Mild

Cheers. Figured the Octavias were reliable since they're used as taxis a lot.

I've only owned petrol up to now, but have driven a diesel company van for a while - do the diesel engines tend to live longer or is that just because they're mostly used for longer trips / motorways etc? And am I right expecting the timing belt to be changed around the 100k mark?

Is there anything I'm forgetting here that's going to cost me?

Atlantic Dawn

Volvo S80, the higher tax will be covered by the low purchase price.

colm_mcm

selectamatic wrote: »

2008 gen 1 Octavia. Cheap tax and still the same running gear as mkiv golfs and boras including the pd 100bhp tdi engine (atd/axr) I think are the codes. not to be confused with the bad 105bhp engines in gen2 Octavia's.
Reliable yokes but above all very easy to work on compared to every other 2008 diesel car (because they're really a 1999 design :P)
Very cheap to buy aswell but obviously resale value is very low.

Octavia first came out in 96, so design is older again

would look for dmf (dual-mass flywheel) + clutch to have been done as well as timing belt on a car at 100k+ mileage.
dmf will go at some point most likely and not cheap.

bazz26

Born To Be Mild wrote: »

I can honestly say that I will never own a Renault again in my life. Or a Fiat. I do most of the servicing on my own cars and the Renault was an absolute nightmare to work on. Removing the wheel arch liners & front bumper & grille to replace a headlight bulb is a bit much. Everything was odd-sized - including oil sump nut.

I will be commuting approx 1 hour each way daily. Expect to be going from Galway to Cork / Dublin / Belfast once a week, so I agree about the comfort. Top of the list is reliability though. The only comfort aspect I insist on having is somewhere to hold my coffee! (And air con)

Most French cars are like that so that would rule out the C5 and 407 too and I'd rate a Laguna III alot higher than a 407. Also regarding comfort, after a 2 hour drive each day you will appreciate a bit more comfort than a cup holder. Nothing worse that getting out of a car feeling shattered only to face a day's work and another trip home. I'd place comfort just as high as reliability in this instance.

kirving

At that mileage, comfort is number one. S80 could be a good choice, particularly if it has the electric seat option as many do. Easy to make lots of little adjustments along the journey that you wouldn't bother making otherwise.

If you fancy taking a chance on a multitronic gearbox this looks good.....

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/07-audi-a6-2-0-tdi-automatic/12827888



07 Audi A6
2.0 TDI Automatic
Multitronic gearbox
NCT 05/2017
TAX 08/2016
111747 miles
Timing belt & water pump done
Gearbox oil changed & new flywheel
Electric windows x4
Electric mirrors
Air con
CD player
Leather multifunction steering wheel
Cruise control
Centre armrest
Front fog lights
Alloy wheels with good tyres
Great driving car
Reason for selling is I have upgraded