DodgeT

im looking to buy a turbo diesel, from 1999 onwards.
Considering Audi A3 A4 1.9 & 2.5, BMW 320D 330D, VW golf gttdi 130 150, vectra, at the mo.

gona be doing approx 700 miles per week, so need something economical, dont want anything less than 40 mpg really.

looking for owners comments on the above cars re. mpg, reliability, running costs, how nice the car is etc.... Also how much grunt they have!!

also, if there are any cars i have missed, please advise.

like the idea of the BM's cause the in dash tv would be good for when im sitting on the m6 morning & night!

Andy Porter

I have a Bora TDI 110 BHP. Goes ok, cruises at 90 MPH doing 2500 RPM, on runs I get 55MPG, approx 600 miles from a tank. Handling is a little strange though. VW are pretty solidly built, no rattles ect in interior, my car has 120k on it ( y plate ) and drives fine. I spent 6 hours in it the other day going to Lincs and back and felt fine afterwards. I paid £5900 for mine a year ago, same car now £4000. Not driven a BMW diesel so dont know what I'm missing

Dracoro

My G/F is looking at similar things. Pretty much decided on the Alfa 147. Nice looking inside and out, the most reliable model Alfa have made, cheaper to buy (£7/8k for 2/3 yr old one) and newer so in warranty etc. You'll get more car for your money than with the audi/vw etc.

brickboy

The just-superceded Passats are a good buy in PD130 Sport trim, average across all driving of 45+ mpg and 50+ on a run. Also getting cheaper 'cos of the new model.

My own Passat will top 130mph, and do all the in-gear increments from 30 to 80 in 4th gear in under 5.5 seconds. Of course it's not good from a standing start (9 secs to 60), or a track car, but on the road in the real world it's a great overtaker.

Also the Bora PD130 too. Go for one with the 6-speed box if you can, the engines have more torque & the bigger choice of gears is better for economy.

Maybe for the ultimate econo model, get an Octavia TDi 110bhp for about £3K, then spend £300 on a remap which will take it to 130+bhp and well over 200lb-ft torque, and you'll still get 50mpg.

As Drac said, the Fiat / Alfa JTD motor is very good too in the 140bhp spec. Very grunty and economical.

ozzy

My Brother has a 18mth old Golf TDi 130 with 19K miles on it. He paid just over £10K private and has been an excellent car and easily does 55+MPG - the git!

It's very good for motorway crusing and overtaking.

Personally, I'd stick with German stuff (or even german owned e.g. Skoda)

logiclee

For ultimate economy then an Octavia 110TDi has got to be the main choice, but the engine is noisy and wind noise intrudes at speed. Can't argue with near 60mpg though.

The VAG options are good but if you enjoy driving and like good handling then all but the very latest models are a bit soggy with numb steering.

Of course the BMW is going to be the drivers choice but with your budget it's going to be a high miler and your piling on more miles as well so maintenance costs may be an issue.

A Vectra? Driven many and the latest 1.9CDTi 150bhp are pretty good but the older versions are not that good especially the 2.0DT models.

My choice would be a Mondeo TDCi, the top end of you budget should get you a 2 year old high spec, low milage model with the 2.0, 130PS engine and six speed box.

Cheers
Lee

AudiLover

80% chance your going to regret it. Wouldnt liek to ahve one outside of warranty.

brickboy

To echo Lee's point, even in Sport spec (lowered suspension etc) Passats are NOT a driver's car. Very safe but little feedback. Good for A-roads etc though and ride well.

Dracoro

Thing is, everyone I know who has an Audi or VW has had problems (remember the coil packs!). Thing is, we can get an Alfa in warranty for, say, £8k. We CANNNOT get an Audi in manufacturers warranty at that price. In fact, at that price, many A3s are dogs, whereas most Alfas will be newish and OK and in warranty. In other words, a 2 year old alfa or a 5/6 year old Audi.

AudiLover - what basis do you put this '80%' chance of regret? I know of a few people who have Alfas and they've no problems (not same for old or bigger complicated alfas though but there aren't any of them left!). Is it just your perception of them or what? remember we're referring to 147's, not any other model.

Note depreciation on an £8k car isn't a great concern as she'll keep the car for ages.

We were looking at Audi A3's but we just can't justify it. Plus I wasnt impressed by some dash plastics considering the reputation of Audi. No-way near the quality of bigger audis.

NotoriousREV

I've got a Bora PD130 Sport and it's a great motorway car and very cheap to run (45mpg when commuting which is a mixture of local roads then 90+ on the motorway) and well built. Everyone tells me it's a nice car (which they never did with any of my Scoobs) but it's just so boring and the handling isn't fun or rewarding at all. Get a Focus instead, at least they can be fun to chuck around.

brickboy

That's another point, an "old shape" Focus TDCi 115 would fit the bill too, they are getting relatively cheap now.

Kevin Mc

Skoda Superb PD130 - all of the good bits of the Passat PD130, but with more space and for less dosh. I averaged 45mpg in mine, though easily got 50+ on a run. Only a 5 speed though as opposed to the Passat Sports 6 speed. On the "Comfort" you get Cruise, Climate, Multi Function Steering Wheel plus loads of other bits that you don't get in the Passat as standard. (I had a 2001 Passat SE before the Superb).

DodgeT

cheers for the replys guys, had a look at a few motors today, audi's are taking fave spot at the moment i think.
Would be interesting to hear from someone with a A4 1.9 tdi sport.....

AudiLover

TBH I dont know anything about the 147 but I would approach with caution and check out some Alfa forums for opinions first.

How about a 4 year old BMW Compact 3 series. Should be able to get a low mileage model for about 8K.

Dracoro

147 surveys and forums seem to indicate that it is indeed Alfas most reliable motor.

bmw compact - absolutely no way. The worst car bmw make.

Bajie

My wifes 2004 Focus TDCi Sport with less than 15000 miles on the clock is soon to go.
If you're not worried about depreciation and want the comfort of warranty still left give me a PM and I'll look for full details and send them on to you.

chiark

You'll get a 330d for that sort of money, but I'd look for the clutch having been done, the front wishbones having been replaced, and generally give it a very good going over. You will also need to drive fairly sensibly to average over 40 - although mine is sitting resolutely at 40.1mpg right now over an average of 15k miles.

320d is a good car, particularly the 150bhp versions, but the 330d is a different animal altogether.

I had high hopes of a passat, but really loathed it. Felt like it was scrabbling for traction and dragging a huge weight around... However, the A4 was considerably better, which surprised me. Didn't like the golf 2.0GTtdi as I felt there was too much weight at the front. Bora very very nearly got my money: lots of car for the money, and way better to drive than the passat and, strangely, I felt it was slighty better than the golf too? Weird. If I didn't need an estate, I'd probably have had the bora.

How about an octavia 4x4 estate thing? It's a crying shame that they're not putting the decent diesel engine into it but it's a great practical car...

Jonto

What about a Seat Ibiza TDI 130 PD Sport !!!!!!!!!

brickboy

@Dave Hutton -- a mate of mine on SeatCupra.net has just got a 90K miler Passat PD130 Sport Estate, and is worried about only getting mid-40s mpg.

He's upsized from a chipped PD130 Ibiza, which used to give him mid-50s.

He's concerned that the Passat may have a problem. He's checked boost levels etc with VAG-com, the diagnostic thingy, which all checked out OK.

I'd be interested to get more detail on your mpg figures for him, if you don't mind

I have a PD130 Sport saloon which gives 50 - 55mpg at 85-ish on m-ways, with an average of around 45-ish across all driving.

I wondered if the different aerodynamics and extra weight make the difference?

cheers, Craig

StiX

iTrader: (4)

A mate of mine has the Passat Tdi 130 estate - I assume its the Sport as it has 6 speed?

He recently had his chipped to 180bhp, and has commented that on his daily commute that mpg has risen from 45ish to 50+. Also he can't believe now how much quicker it is.

DodgeT

so far ive only experience of driving a 330d (which was great) & the sri tdi vectras which i also liked.
considering the mileage im gona be doing (& against the car i want) i think a 320d may be the best option, whatcar.co.uk has them at an average of 50mpg, which sounds good. Need to drive one though.

Bajie, send me some info on pm if you like, dont really like fords, although i have driven a few focus's & they seem alright, you never know i may be tempted.

Jonto - do you need me to say it????????????????????

brickboy

Thanks Dave, I'll pass it on.

ADP

had a golf gttdi 110 - was excellent -really rated the performance, very solidly built and depreciation was 150 quid over six months(I sold it)!

Jonto

The 320d has 163bhp, i raced on the other day and it had the legs on me, i doubt it would if i was remapped.

The Ibiza is a beast and you know it and i formally retract my offer for a beer at lunch time !

TopBanana

I put remoulds on the back of mine and it was brilliant fun, and still safe.

brickboy

@Dave Hutton, he's getting very similar mpg to you, mid-40s when not in town.

He's concerned because his previous Dutch import Ibiza with ABT chip would give mid-50s in the same conditions (don't know if this is 'real' MPG or from the computer). Passat is a godd 200+ kg heavier though, so much more inertia and rolling resistance too.

chiark

Dave, I think I must have driven a couple of dogs of passats to be fair... Both were high mileage (80k and 90k) and both were cheap for the year.

Good advice tho, drive as many as you can before you put your money down, always the best bet. And I wouldn't take anything off a shortlist as a result of what someone says on scoobynet