Estate, Diesel, VAG or Volvo sought.

[Tanni]

Originally Posted by andya

What about vw passats? I think your find them in your price range. I had them before I got into Audi's. Built like tanks, cheap to run and parts easy to come by. Also nice and plush inside with loads of room.

Originally Posted by The Real MSH!

I bought a brand new diesel a long while back, but kept is a decent while, and used it a lot on longer journeys, so it did pay for itself.

As an alternative; Mazda 6 2.0d. Easily achieved 53mpg with me driving. 53plate. My brother recently bought an average looking similar age car for £hundreds. It had very little service, though, and needed some stuff for the MOT.

Passat. I've rented a couple, and loved 'em, but they were later models. I've heard only good things about older cars, circa 2000-2003.

I've done a full circle, viewed 6, been too late for 4 I liked, sent RAC out to one (best 186 pounds spent!), got a marriage proposal in Birmingham, met 4 private seller and 2 dealers, two were absolutely delusional and one just clueless, (Dealer of Toyota Avensis, "why would you want to look under the engine cover, no one has ever asked for that in the 23 years I've been selling cars, I don't have the tools, it's bolted, you can't open it" I kid you not!), I ended up with this:

https://www.gumtree.com/p/volkswagen...di-/1134810575

It's and SE. I am aware of the catalogue of faults from this make and model and the milage is high, but within my budget I very much liked what I found. It's been owned by 2, mum and son, son was a proppa petrol head so had a newer BMW too, and he really knew the car he was selling well which was a very refreshing touch in the Jungle of dubious private sellers!

Words of encouragement are welcome, I try and tell myself that at that milage, the built in faults and teethng problems will have been caught and corrected? It was evidenlty really wel looked after, which the seller said his mum had always done, she works for Mariott hotels and did 30 miles daily in it. Seen how my 80TDI has served me, buying a used car is also a lot about luck! And NOT taking your car off road and leave it unattended on your driveway, either don't take it off road or get it into one of those indoor schemes that run them regularly, lesson learned!

Other cars I viewed, that wasn't sold before I manage to get there, were Honda Accord, Toyota Avensis, Saab 9-5 2.2 TiD Vector, two A4s 2004/5 and a Volvo think it was a V50. My backup plan was the SAAB as the Dealer gave 3 months warantee, and I really wanted one of the A4s, if he had met me on my request on fixing the front, electric windows.


Buttom line: The used car market is NOT for the faint-hearted!

[Coxy]

the one I had sold straight away Tanni.

Shame you didn't come to view it as it was ideal, and cheap!

We buy and sell cars at work as part of our business and every car we have gets a full service, fully diagnosed and everything done before it goes out the door. There are way too many dealers and even private sellers trying to pull the wool over buyers eyes, but I sell a lot of cars to people I know so always good to know that we've done everything we can to make sure it's a goodun'

[Tanni]

Originally Posted by Coxy

the one I had sold straight away Tanni.

Shame you didn't come to view it as it was ideal, and cheap!

We buy and sell cars at work as part of our business and every car we have gets a full service, fully diagnosed and everything done before it goes out the door. There are way too many dealers and even private sellers trying to pull the wool over buyers eyes, but I sell a lot of cars to people I know so always good to know that we've done everything we can to make sure it's a goodun'

I hear what you say and I know you. But I had a budget set by what I've saved up and a time limit with the 80tdi. I had to think of both insurance and buying price. And I don't have a network here that allows me to borrow money privately. Once I qualify life should be richer! :-D

[Coxy]

Originally Posted by Tanni

I hear what you say and I know you. But I had a budget set by what I've saved up and a time limit with the 80tdi. I had to think of both insurance and buying price. And I don't have a network here that allows me to borrow money privately. Once I qualify life should be richer! :-D

I'd offered it to you at pretty much the same price as the other cars that you'd posted up, as I naturally assumed that was your budget!!

[Daveymaclad]

Originally Posted by Tanni

I've done a full circle, viewed 6, been too late for 4 I liked, sent RAC out to one (best 186 pounds spent!), got a marriage proposal in Birmingham, met 4 private seller and 2 dealers, two were absolutely delusional and one just clueless, (Dealer of Toyota Avensis, "why would you want to look under the engine cover, no one has ever asked for that in the 23 years I've been selling cars, I don't have the tools, it's bolted, you can't open it" I kid you not!), I ended up with this:

https://www.gumtree.com/p/volkswagen...di-/1134810575

It's and SE. I am aware of the catalogue of faults from this make and model and the milage is high, but within my budget I very much liked what I found. It's been owned by 2, mum and son, son was a proppa petrol head so had a newer BMW too, and he really knew the car he was selling well which was a very refreshing touch in the Jungle of dubious private sellers!

Words of encouragement are welcome, I try and tell myself that at that milage, the built in faults and teethng problems will have been caught and corrected? It was evidenlty really wel looked after, which the seller said his mum had always done, she works for Mariott hotels and did 30 miles daily in it. Seen how my 80TDI has served me, buying a used car is also a lot about luck! And NOT taking your car off road and leave it unattended on your driveway, either don't take it off road or get it into one of those indoor schemes that run them regularly, lesson learned!

Other cars I viewed, that wasn't sold before I manage to get there, were Honda Accord, Toyota Avensis, Saab 9-5 2.2 TiD Vector, two A4s 2004/5 and a Volvo think it was a V50. My backup plan was the SAAB as the Dealer gave 3 months warantee, and I really wanted one of the A4s, if he had met me on my request on fixing the front, electric windows.


Buttom line: The used car market is NOT for the faint-hearted!

Guess you're just unlucky. I'm on car number 40 now which is a lot of cars to get through in 17 years (but admittedly still amateurish compared to some on here!) and in all the cars I've viewed there's only one that I got such a bad feeling about that I walked away from without even driving. NO tell a lie I bought a mini cooper from cars with no reserve in reading, that I waslked away from too, still 2 in 40 purchases isn't bad for the second hand car market!

[Tanni]

Originally Posted by andya

What about vw passats? I think your find them in your price range. I had them before I got into Audi's. Built like tanks, cheap to run and parts easy to come by. Also nice and plush inside with loads of room.

Tried one out, 2005, never bonded with it and got rid of it when I had to work abroad. I think it's difficult to go from an Audi to a Passat. EVEN when it was from a K-reg TDI avant!

Originally Posted by Daveymaclad

So then to the OP, consider the frugality of some of the petrols out there that'll be fewer pennies to buy in the first place!

Originally Posted by Coxy

a lot of people seem to think that buying a diesel will mean they are getting about 6 million mies per gallon and petrols do low 20's!

they also forget that it generally costs about 30% more to buy a good second hand diesel based on the above facts!

they also forget that servicing costs are generally 30% more on a diesel as well!

someone on here did a very interesting chart a few years ago which basically let you put in how many miles you did a year and work out how long you'd need to own a diesel car to make it a more viable option than a petrol. The only slight plus side now is that diesel is marginally cheaper than petrol where as before, it was about 5p a litre more.

But at the end of the day, it still sounds like you're driving a tractor!

Very true! Spent 3 weeks trawling eBay and, in particular, Autotrader (GumTree is useless) and they are indeed more expensive in price. Prob 30% yes.

Anyhow, very much to my surprise, as soon as I did my first insurance check on a price comparison website, got proper penalized on price! That was the end of me considering petrol estates!

Originally Posted by Coxy

We've got a 1999 VW Polo Estate 1.9 SDI as a dog carry hack and generally run to the shops, got somewhere carrying junk and all around work horse. It does an average of around 65mpg and will get 70 if driving sensibly.

Would a recommend anyone owning one?


Nope!

Neither did 'Which', it does not recommend the Golf, used ones.

Originally Posted by Daveymaclad

I've always had an accord for the accord! That would be the first one I'd go and see. Decent engine, & massive spec.

Yep, according to 'Which' Honda Accord and Toyota Avensis are very reliable indeed. (Strictly looking for estates). Could I find any? Not in my price range, no. Not with automatic in the recommended range of years either, no!

Originally Posted by John.

Out of that lot, I think the Avensis would be my choice all things considered.

Tried a Passat estate '05 with tonnes of miles on it, never had any majoe problems with it, never learned to like it either. Got rid because of moving abroad.

Tried a SEAT Altea 2.0 TDI Sports, semi-automatic. 2005 and high milage. MPV. First car I have ever driven with automatic. Absolutely LOVED how it drives. Million minor things went wrong with it but never left me stranded and I went to Scandinavia, and back, in it. Twice! Until one day d1xxhead at the traffic lights decided that giving 'Right of Way' to my Seat Altea is an optional. And you know the score with them thieving, barstewards insurance companies...


This time round I gave up searching and "settled" with the first car I found, with the lowest insurance premium on comparison website and also looked at emission not being in the higher end.

But, I really feel I have peace of mind with an Audi. And I can fit more flatpacks in it than any other car!

[Tanni]

And I would swap it for this any time of the day...

http://www.classic-audi.co.uk/forum/...ad.php?t=38757

[BIGGYIN]

Originally Posted by Tanni

And I would swap it for this any time of the day...

http://www.classic-audi.co.uk/forum/...ad.php?t=38757