Head is wrecked with 6k burning a hole in my pocket for a fuel efficient diesel

tonyrich1

Hey guys, need some help.

Looking for a diesel saloon, thinking, Mondeo, insignia, mazda 6, passat.
Budget 6k on the road... plus have a clean 00 civic to trade in. Probably not worth much.
I've been to quite a few dealers, and my gut feeling with a lot of them is off. Anytime I do some research, it tends to throw up some horror stories...
Can anyone give me a bit of guidance. Send me to a genuine dealership that has looked after Them? . I'm based in Dublin but will travel for the right clean car.
Does anyone know of any cars in my price range and also what to look out for with the models I've mentioned.

Thanks guys

darragh o meara

tonyrich1 wrote: »

Hey guys, need some help.

Looking for a diesel saloon, thinking, Mondeo, insignia, mazda 6, passat.
Budget 6k on the road... plus have a clean 00 civic to trade in. Probably not worth much.
I've been to quite a few dealers, and my gut feeling with a lot of them is off. Anytime I do some research, it tends to throw up some horror stories...
Can anyone give me a bit of guidance. Send me to a genuine dealership that has looked after Them? . I'm based in Dublin but will travel for the right clean car.
Does anyone know of any cars in my price range and also what to look out for with the models I've mentioned.

Thanks guys

The problem with going to dealers is that they tend to want newer trade ins and not have to worry about selling them on afterwards. Depending on the dealer most will sell older stuff onto other local traders who'll want it a trade price so effectively your trade in now has 2 people looking for a slice of what is already a small pie, whereas firing it up on DoneDeal yourself will get you a lot more, it also gives you a slight upper hand by being able to buy as a straight deal.

6-7k supposing your civic is worth a grand, should get you a decent VW Passat and very likely a post 2008 one at that. I've had one for a few years now and never really had much hassle with mine despite doing a lot of mileage. Mondeos are great too but some of the older 2.0 Tdci engines gave problems with injectors but I'd imagine with the cash you have you'll be away from the troublesome ones.

Also I believe that the likes of a dual mass flywheel for a Passat is much cheaper than the Mondeo which is something you need to check before you buy but also be mindful that they do go on modern diesels and are now seen as a consumable item.... my advice would be to get a car that has had one done recently and it should see you through and in the 08-09 market there should be loads for sale with them done.

Stravos Murphy

Them dual masses are the devil altogether.

Nekarsulm

As long as you're not looking for excitement....

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2008-avensis/13490442

tonyrich1

Cheers guys,

Has anyone else an argument for Passat v Mondeo?

I've driven the avensis and they're so so so boring... would like something a little bit cooler 😂😂

Nekarsulm

tonyrich1 wrote: »

Cheers guys,

Has anyone else an argument for Passat v Mondeo?

I've driven the avensis and they're so so so boring... would like something a little bit cooler 😂😂

Have a look at the "maintenance and repair" section on here. Compare the number of posts about Toyotas/Japanese models versus VW and other European models. I must be getting old, but sometimes boring begins to seem attractive !

bazz26

Cannot see how a Passat or Mondeo, etc are much cooler than an Avensis to be honest. All just different shades of grey.

17 year old Civic is worth nothing to a dealer and he will just add whatever he gives you for it back onto the price of the newer car. Better off sticking it up on donedeal and see what interest you get. Also on a budget of 6k most Passats, Mondeos or Avensis being sold by dealers will be hovering around the 9 or 10 year old car so don't expect much in the way of dealer warranty on cars that age.

tonyrich1

bazz26 wrote: »

Cannot see how a Passat or Mondeo, etc are much cooler than an Avensis to be honest. All just different shades of grey.

17 year old Civic is worth nothing to a dealer and he will just add whatever he gives you for it back onto the price of the newer car. Better off sticking it up on donedeal and see what interest you get. Also on a budget of 6k most Passats, Mondeos or Avensis being sold by dealers will be hovering around the 9 or 10 year old car so don't expect much in the way of dealer warranty on cars that age.

Cool was probably the wrong word to use, I drove a petrol avensis but wasn't keen.... I could be swayed for reliability though....

So do you think there is better value privately risk v reward pays off?

pajo1981

Stravos Murphy wrote: »

Them dual masses are the devil altogether.

9yo e90 230k still on original dmf. Car wouldnt be driveable without it. There is a reason you can potter around smoothly on bearly over 1k revs.

bazz26

tonyrich1 wrote: »

Cool was probably the wrong word to use, I drove a petrol avensis but wasn't keen.... I could be swayed for reliability though....

So do you think there is better value privately risk v reward pays off?

There is no right or wrong answer however some dealers are better than others at honoring warranties/fixing things while others are complete chancers once they have your money. Remember that a 6k car from a dealer will have the dealer's profit margin built into the price but there are also alot of chancers on the likes of donedeal selling tired old cars and/or clocked ones. Whether private or dealer you need to have the car checked out by someone who knows what they are doing. You also need to do your own background checks into the car's history.