Kid in sweet shop needs Diesel suggestions

[Cottis]

I really should get a new daily. Been driving a ZX TDI Volcane for over 5yrs and it has been mechanically faultless. Got over 200k on the clock and is still not missing a beat. However, I do a few trips each year to the Lakes, Scotland etc and it is just not really fair to keep asking it to do these journeys. Along with a knackered boot and just general frenchness, I really should replace it. Sorry Claude but you need to go.

So, choices. For a while I have been looking at B6 A4 Tdi Quattros. Recently considered the Passat 4motion (pre haldex) and have been reading good things about Honda diesel engines. My mileage just about justifies a DagDag but I prefer driving them to a petrol for daily use anyway.

Looking to spend anywhere between £3k - £6k for a car that I would hope to run for another 5-8yrs. 4WD is not vital but would be nice.

Was fairly set on a PD but now put off Seat Leon TDI FR after reading anything over 130bhp can suffer with crank failure.

There are too many choices. Help. If a CQ 20v came up in good nick, I would be tempted to deal with the fuel bill and go with that ha ha.

[Bowie69]

There is a CQ20V in the classifieds....

[GazzaG60]

best French car I have heard of that

320d or 530d

[s2driveruk]

Octavia scout...either with a diesel or apetrol tsi. Have run the latter for the last 2.5 years...sub 8.5sec 0-60, 35mpg, bigger boot than an a6 and the then latest version off haldex. Proper swiss army knife of a car and with winter tires, pretty much unstoppable in bad weather. In diesel spec it should return 40+ mpg

[Cottis]

There is a CQ20V in the classifieds....

Hiya, which Classifieds is that and is it in good nick. Not seen a decent one come up in a long time.

[Cottis]

best French car I have heard of that

320d or 530d

Ha ha ha it did surprise me that the electrics/wiring have made it this far and the central locking still works. Madness. The engine and box don't surprise me though. The XUD engine is amazing in terms of reliability if you are not looking for performance or refinement. Along with its Bosch pump and ability to run on veg oil, it is an amazing engine really for the money. I paid £500 for mine over 5yrs ago and have chucked over 70k on it. Changed tyres, brakes, plenty of lower arms and the cambelt a coupla years back along with a couple of wheel bearings. Regular oil changes see it good and apart from possible head failure from poor maint, they are good for 250k. I have taken 2 past 200k and my mate has done the same. If the 306's and ZX's were not so old now with other issues, I would have another in a snap.

I would love a BMW in terms of driveability and their engine quality but where I live I need at least front wheel drive. This year would have been fine but most winters the BMW's/Mercs go nowhere and I dont want to faff around with changing tyres for a couple of months of the year so a FWD or 4WD it must be unfortunately.

[Cottis]

Octavia scout...either with a diesel or apetrol tsi. Have run the latter for the last 2.5 years...sub 8.5sec 0-60, 35mpg, bigger boot than an a6 and the then latest version off haldex. Proper swiss army knife of a car and with winter tires, pretty much unstoppable in bad weather. In diesel spec it should return 40+ mpg

Ta, will have a look at the Derv version. 35mpg is not good enough for me but the Derv sounds promising.

[spink]

With 6k to play with a 3lt a8 would-be on my list(or a 4ltr v8)

[Cottis]

With 6k to play with a 3lt a8 would-be on my list(or a 4ltr v8)

Hmm, I was looking at the entire Audi range as you can get so much for your money but I really don't need something that big and the V8 is just not a goer but I guess you could buy a lot of fuel with the money you would save on purchase price ha ha.

I'm finding myself leaning towards the b6 A4 Tdi Q (1.9) or the Passat 4Motion with around 100k on the clock. Has anyone run one of these for a longish period of time?

[s2driveruk]

loads of people have had great experiences with the 1.9tdi...i ran an a6 with the PD tdi for about 9years, loved and lavished, full history, it went through a set of injectors (£720) 2 head gaskets/rebuilds (£5k) the boot lock failed, aerial base failed, boot struts failed), maf failed all in 140k miles. My bother in law runs a passat on the later 130bhp version and he spent most of the summer chasing a limp mode issue and changing a ton of stuff in the process.

Loved the car and economy but it was fragile, i think Audi went on a cost cutting mission, my S2 was more reliable in the same period

I've just ordered a new octavia estate with a 2.0tdi CR engine and only went back to diesel again due to it being under warranty for the entire lease period and doing miles to make derv the logical choice.

Not to scare you off but worth thinking about on the PD's - they can bite your wallet VERY hard!

[Cottis]

loads of people have had great experiences with the 1.9tdi...i ran an a6 with the PD tdi for about 9years, loved and lavished, full history, it went through a set of injectors (£720) 2 head gaskets/rebuilds (£5k) the boot lock failed, aerial base failed, boot struts failed), maf failed all in 140k miles. My bother in law runs a passat on the later 130bhp version and he spent most of the summer chasing a limp mode issue and changing a ton of stuff in the process.

Loved the car and economy but it was fragile, i think Audi went on a cost cutting mission, my S2 was more reliable in the same period

I've just ordered a new octavia estate with a 2.0tdi CR engine and only went back to diesel again due to it being under warranty for the entire lease period and doing miles to make derv the logical choice.

Not to scare you off but worth thinking about on the PD's - they can bite your wallet VERY hard!

Hmm, I know. Been reading a few horror stories about the PD's. It seems all modern diesels are a bit rubbish and lame with possible costly repair bills. I cannot afford a new car but then I hear bad things about the 2.0TDI's now as well. Maybe I should just deal with RWD, get a 530d or reluctantly go down the volvo route which seem to be highly rated engine wise. If I could deal with a tiny car, I would get a petrol but I could do with something a little bigger and then couldnt justify the poor economy of a petrol car. The old CQ's have alot going for them in my opinion. Whenever I got tired of modernish cars, I always went back to KV engined CQ's and they never let me down.

[anthonys2]

I currently run 2 Audi A4's! Main one is a 1.9TDI Quattro Sport 130bhp on a 53 plate and I honestly cant praise the car enough had the car since 3 years old had 60k on then and now has 251k still sits on original suspension so its soft as ***** but never misses a beat been to Germany Ireland Scotland Wales infact all over so damn comfortable and a possible replacement for me is another one from the same era with lower miles just love them and it returns 42mpg all the time. My newer A4 which is a 58 plate ive had for 2 years is comfortable but I don't like it as much less mpg and not a Quattro and am looking to sell this car this year. In a nut shell go for 02-54 plate A4 you WILL NOT REGRET IT!!

[Cottis]

I currently run 2 Audi A4's! Main one is a 1.9TDI Quattro Sport 130bhp on a 53 plate and I honestly cant praise the car enough had the car since 3 years old had 60k on then and now has 251k still sits on original suspension so its soft as ***** but never misses a beat been to Germany Ireland Scotland Wales infact all over so damn comfortable and a possible replacement for me is another one from the same era with lower miles just love them and it returns 42mpg all the time. My newer A4 which is a 58 plate ive had for 2 years is comfortable but I don't like it as much less mpg and not a Quattro and am looking to sell this car this year. In a nut shell go for 02-54 plate A4 you WILL NOT REGRET IT!!

This is what my mate with a high miler Skoda Fabia VRS says as well.

I am looking at something like this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-54-Au...item27dc4a229b

Don't appear to be too many available and most of them put me off for some reason.

I guess the long and short of it is that I am still looking at old cars and buying anything 2nd hand you take a chance on. Fingers crossed I guess.

[Christophski]

Watch the Fabia VRS' mate as one of my best mates was looking for one for ages and they were all high milers or written off and bodged back onto the roads. Put it this way, if you go to look at any, look very very closely at them. He was looking to spend top whack and find a low miler and it didnt happen... he brought a Mk5 golf tdi in the end.

Im currently looking at 56 - 58 reg A4 S-line tdi estates and Octavia VRS estates on account of the dog me and my girlfriend just got and its somewhat tricky finding the right one I can tell you. Its primarily going to be her daily but seeing as I drive most of the time I need to be completely happy with it too....I feel your pain!

[simon20vq]

I went from a Passat tdi estate 2006 to a a4 tdi estate Quattro 2004 and can say its 10 times better. Car feels solid handles nice feels better made and no electric hand brake! So far so good agree with ANTHONYS2