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wisemen

wisemen

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We recently traded our old car in for something a little newer to us, however, we now also need a workhorse. The new car is too thirsty to use to commute or for longer journeys plus I'd like to keep the miles down a bit.

So what is needed is,
  • Decent mpg / running costs
  • Reliable
  • Reasonable to insure
  • Big enough for family of 4 for weekends away, not masses of bags, but enough boot for small weekend bags.
  • Roof rack compatible, mainly for 3/4 bike carrier. Preference is fixed rails.
  • Preferably around the £3k mark, could go more if needed but it is going to be third car, so don't want to spend unnecessarily.
People's thoughts? So far, Octavia estate, passat estate and something a bit out there, a panda 4x4. Anybody have any other ideas?

Cheers!
 
what do you use your new car for if not for commute or longer journeys then?

have you got a range rover or jag for popping to the shops?

I would consider selling whatever car you just bought and getting the right car :-)
 
The car is currently used for longer journeys and commuting, however, 15mpg ish doesn't bode well for long term commuting plus some of the others using the work car park are a bit slapdash when it comes to parking, dinks, dings and scuffs are commonplace. The other car is a keeper, won't be getting shut, like I said I want a workhorse. I'll keep the other as a weekend toy, occasional driver.
 
Mr Bump said:
what do you use your new car for if not for commute or longer journeys then?

have you got a range rover or jag for popping to the shops?

I would consider selling whatever car you just bought and getting the right car :)
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Nothing wrong with having a "nice" car and a workhorse car.
 
For 3k there is a million different options me personally I would buy something along the lines of a mondeo estate diesel and run it till it dies it's probably a "do everything" car
 
Octavia estate. Don't get the PD engine after 2005. They have issues with the dpf, unless you do lots of motorway.

This will probably apply to the passant as well.

The do engine wasn't designed to have a dpf, so when it was added on it did have some issues for those doing town driving. Newer engines are better but you always need to do some long motorway miles with a diesel.

I did 140,000 miles in my Octavia over 8 years and everything inside worked perfectly. Extremely reliable if treated well.
 
Dale_tem said:
Octavia estate. Don't get the PD engine after 2005. They have issues with the dpf, unless you do lots of motorway.

This will probably apply to the passant as well.

The do engine wasn't designed to have a dpf, so when it was added on it did have some issues for those doing town driving. Newer engines are better but you always need to do some long motorway miles with a diesel.

I did 140,000 miles in my Octavia over 8 years and everything inside worked perfectly. Extremely reliable if treated well.
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ST4 said:
1.9TDi Passat or Octavia. They just go on and on and on.
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:agree: and within price range. If you do go down the passat route don't go for any 2005+, nothing but problems. Not just with the DPF but also injectors and some other stuff I can't remember off the top of my head. You might get lucky and have one without the common problems but they are not as reliable and long lasting. Also nothing comes close to a good VW diesel engine in performance and fuel consumption. My 2004 1.9tdi 130pd passat has been tuned up to 220bhp and I can still make the 550mile journey from my house to visit family in south Wales in only 3/4 of a tank with a fully loaded car, roof box on a bike rack on the boot.

I've done 180K miles in mine. I bought it and tuned it when it was only 17kmiles. All I've done is general servicing.

Edit: no I'm not encouraging you to get tuning lol. If anything all my modifications are causing more wear and tear, but it just shows how well they keep going.
 
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1.7 CDTi Vauxhall Meriva? £3k might get you an 05 or newer reg.
 
+1 for VAG diesels. I have Toledo '06 1.9TDI non-dpf and apart from minor bits its been great so far and could handle some stupid loads in the rear. Not good for sleeping in though... Maybe a tiguan but that's 2x more pricey. Passat / Superb / Octavia / Touran should do great job also. Skoda's have a great chance being beaten up ex-taxi so be careful with inspection.
 
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CaveDweller said:
My 2004 1.9tdi 130pd passat has been tuned up to 220bhp .
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wow. I thought 170bhp was pretty much the highest you could go on these - did you fit any upgraded parts or whole new turbo assembly?
 
daugirdas said:
wow. I thought 170bhp was pretty much the highest you could go on these - did you fit any upgraded parts or whole new turbo assembly?
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Just a stage one remap alone took it to 175. Much more than that then yes you do have to start changing parts for better ones, first of all the clutch. I've changed many parts though including the turbo and everything else to get the most out of it but also safely.

All the newer diesels like the Seat Leon tdi FR can get to 210-220 with just a remap, but I prefer the reliability of the older engines and planning running my Passat till it dies. No sign of that happening yet(y)
180k miles, no rust or body damage and sounds healthier than my dads new diesel Hyundai Santa Fae lol, he's not too happy about that part.
 
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daugirdas said:
+1 for VAG diesels. I have Toledo '06 1.9TDI non-dpf and apart from minor bits its been great so far and could handle some stupid loads in the rear. Not good for sleeping in though... Maybe a tiguan but that's 2x more pricey. Passat / Superb / Octavia / Touran should do great job also. Skoda's have a great chance being beaten up ex-taxi so be careful with inspection.
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I had at least one hours sleep in it on Saturday....I dunno, they shut down less electircal noises and random sounds than a Merc when you sleep

VAG 1.9Tdi all the way. Especially at £3k
 
ST4 said:
I had at least one hours sleep in it on Saturday....I dunno, they shut down less electircal noises and random sounds than a Merc when you sleep

VAG 1.9Tdi all the way. Especially at £3k
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what kind of sounds do you expect in a car with keys in my pocket? Some ghost in that merc maybe?
 
ST4 said:
f*****g Merc when you shut the doors you'd here various electrical circuits fire up, shut down through out the night. I slept in it from 10pm to 4am and it was always making silly noises.
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properly faulty electrical circuits in that one then. A lot of mercs weren't built for reliability but for apparent luxury and easy cash-in.
 
daugirdas said:
properly faulty electrical circuits in that one then. A lot of mercs weren't built for reliability but for apparent luxury and easy cash-in.
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I never had a problem with that car, it was an 09 reg so past the worst merc era. However, I hear you. It is the A8 for me next time. 4wd. I need my snow shots, it is all about the snow and winterscapes for 2016.
 
ST4 said:
It is the A8 for me next time. 4wd. I need my snow shots, it is all about the snow and winterscapes for 2016.
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it may need more ground clearance on some harsher mornings. The Tiguan / Tuareg would do it perfectly - really really tempted myself. You could drive up right to Loch Awe and keep the feet dry :)
 
ST4 said:
You mean I should break a time honoured traditon of having wet feet when I shoot at Loch Awe?
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I can already imagine the state of the interior in that spanking new A8
 
Skoda Superb mk1 1.9 PDI with the 130BHP engine. Remaps to 193BHP and 412ft/lbs torque (or mine did, and I've done 100k miles on it since!).
Total sleeper, invisible to police (!), big, comfy, fast and economical, requires b****r all maintenance and is cheaper than a Passat or Octavia. They're a hidden gem...
 
landwomble said:
Skoda Superb mk1 1.9 PDI with the 130BHP engine. Remaps to 193BHP and 412ft/lbs torque (or mine did, and I've done 100k miles on it since!).
Total sleeper, invisible to police (!), big, comfy, fast and economical, requires b****r all maintenance and is cheaper than a Passat or Octavia. They're a hidden gem...
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If they did an estate back then this would be a real steal
 
If I can cast a vote for the older style Seat Leon tdi. I had two of them covering over 160k miles and nothing other than consumables needed. My second one, the FR tdi was a really superb car and available cheaply now (not mine!).
 
i have not read all of the abov3e, however our workhorse (= mummy car) is a skoda octavia estate. 1.9 diesel. It sips diesel, and can put anything in it or on it!!! ours is an 08 plate and bought 2/h about 2 years ago was £6K, however its a VAG in a primark dress! so will go on forever
 
Everything seems to be coming back to any sort of VAG (VW, Auid, Skoda Seat) based engine. They are good though (y)
 
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