What car - daily driver 4-5k

[soprano]

Sorry for another what car thread - just after some ideas really. Changing jobs in a few months so will have to downgrade in the short term and will be in the market for a daily driver. Considerations are:

- £4000-£5000, possibly a bit more if need be, depending on whats out there
- Reasonable MPG, doesnt need to be uber efficient but late 30s/40s would be good
- Reasonable running costs
- A decent level of performance, doesnt have to be world beating, but am coming from a Z4 3.0i SE and not sure I could cope with a massive drop
- Comfortable for motorway cruising
- Reasonable creature comforts, CD player etc
- Shape doesnt really matter but probably a saloon/larger hatch
- Must be decent/respectable enough to see clients but also not attract too much attention
- Would prefer petrol but realise I might have to get a diesel to meet some of the above!

Proabably VAG group meet most of the above requirements, have thought about an Audi A4/Golf c. 2002 ish but there doesnt seem to be a great deal out there within the price range. The VAG diesels seem to be quite highly priced (presumably because they do lots of the above very well and go on forever).

So ladies and gents - your ideas please...

Links to adverts etc are all welcome.

[Mansell90]

1st gen audi s3 would be worth a look, good performance and pretty good economy, early ones within your price bracket. Same goes for early audi S4's if you want a bit more performance, at the expense of a less frugal and slightly older car. If you prefer the saloon shape more you could go for an a4 1.8t quatrro sport.
Seat leon Cupra's and Skoda octavia vrs's are also worth a look if you like VAG cars.

Bmw e46 330i saloons are also within reach for your budget, obviously at this price bracket they are higher mileage, but then im sure the audi's would be too at the price your willing to pay.

Also worth a look... Honda accord type R's, Early mondeo st220's, Mazda 6 Mps, Volvo s60 T5.

[confused_buyer]

S60 a very good choice but I'd go for a D5 over a T5. 45mpg easily and no slouch.

Accord/Avensis/Mondeo etc. would probably be a better bet than things like 330i's all of which will be quite leggy and quite old in that price bracket.

A4 1.9 TDI SE 130 would probably do the job but will most likelt have 100k+ and the S60 is, marginally, the better car (and better value).

Edited by confused_buyer on Tuesday 6th July 21:11

[Mansell90]

Hmmm i doubt a 1.9 tdi is going to be adequate going from a 3.0 z4, how powerful is the D5?

[soprano]

Mansell90 said:

Hmmm i doubt a 1.9 tdi is going to be adequate going from a 3.0 z4, how powerful is the D5?

Yeah I have thought about the 1.9tdi VAG range but like you say i'm a bit worried that i'm going to get very frustrated very quickly! Hadn't thought about the Volvo, looking at the stats online looks like 2.4l, 185bhp 0-60 in 8.2 or so as a rough guide as to what it can do.

I also thought about the 2.5d A4 of c. 2001/02 which I think has around 180bhp and should return decent economy - not sure if that will be slightly out of my price range though. In terms of price the A4 2.0 FSI's look quite tempting but not really sure about fuel consumption and performance of the 2002/2003 cars. I think there was an upgrade in 2004 which increased performance.

[Mansell90]

If your looking at vag's i would say the 1.8t is probably the best compromise between power and economy, easily tunable with by chipping for 200+ bhp. I think a N/A 2.0 in a relatively heavy A4 will feel pretty gutless to be honest, and not all that economical either. The 1.8t at least has the torque punch.

Alternatively, if you want a quick diesel, how about... http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1793881.htm

Edited by Mansell90 on Tuesday 6th July 22:57

Edited by Mansell90 on Tuesday 6th July 23:01

[confused_buyer]

soprano said:

Yeah I have thought about the 1.9tdi VAG range but like you say i'm a bit worried that i'm going to get very frustrated very quickly! Hadn't thought about the Volvo, looking at the stats online looks like 2.4l, 185bhp 0-60 in 8.2 or so as a rough guide as to what it can do.

At your price point you'd be looking at the pre-2006 163bhp D5 lump. It is actually smoother than the post-06 Eu4 compliant 185bhp version. It's a good engine with a 80's style Audi-ish pronounced 5-cylinder beat. It is very economical and can take serious miles, it is not going to be as fast as a 3 litre coupe/convertible but it's OK. A lot of people chip them to 200bhp.

I'd avoid the 2.5 litre Audi V6. Noisy, very expensive cambelt change every 60k but most of all pointless as it uses more fuel than equivalent petrols. The 2.5's are cheaper than the 1.9's because no one wants them.

Edited by confused_buyer on Tuesday 6th July 23:18

[twazzock]

Mansell90 said:

Alternatively, if you want a quick diesel, how about... http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1793881.htm

What he said^, or the 5-series equivalent if you need more space.

Edited by twazzock on Tuesday 6th July 23:24

[Dominicc01]

An XJ fits all the requirements except for MPG.

Depending on mileage, there will have to be a trade-off between performance and MPG.

[HellDiver]

V6 Mondeo? V6 ZT Tourer? Both good daily hacks.

I went from a Lancer to a 1.8 Mondeo, as I wasn't doing a long commute any more, the Mondeo is fine for most things, though a bit more power would be useful for overtaking.

[300bhp/ton]

soprano said:

Sorry for another what car thread - just after some ideas really. Changing jobs in a few months so will have to downgrade in the short term and will be in the market for a daily driver. Considerations are:

- £4000-£5000, possibly a bit more if need be, depending on whats out there
- Reasonable MPG, doesnt need to be uber efficient but late 30s/40s would be good
- Reasonable running costs
- A decent level of performance, doesnt have to be world beating, but am coming from a Z4 3.0i SE and not sure I could cope with a massive drop
- Comfortable for motorway cruising
- Reasonable creature comforts, CD player etc
- Shape doesnt really matter but probably a saloon/larger hatch
- Must be decent/respectable enough to see clients but also not attract too much attention
- Would prefer petrol but realise I might have to get a diesel to meet some of the above!

Proabably VAG group meet most of the above requirements, have thought about an Audi A4/Golf c. 2002 ish but there doesnt seem to be a great deal out there within the price range. The VAG diesels seem to be quite highly priced (presumably because they do lots of the above very well and go on forever).

So ladies and gents - your ideas please...

Links to adverts etc are all welcome.

For less money you could get a nice MG ZT (or Rover 75). The V6's variants are pretty peppy, nice cabin, well specced and a good chassis. MPG wise is more likely to be 28-33mpg though, but on a run might sneak into the mid/higher 30's if careful.

If you want a bit more mpg and can live with less speed, the the diesels are good (they use a BMW engine). And can be remapped.

Personally I'd have thought anything VAG would cost you more money for older and lesser spec, and not as good a steer.


£5k would also get you into a Jaguar X-Type. 3.0 V6 is rather good and the 2.0d makes a good case for itself. 45mpg+ and again can be remapped. Good chassis too on the X-Type, not as sporty as a 3 Series, but always (in every review) rated as superior to the Audi (VAG) offerings.

[Hitch78]

Mondeo ST220 - quick enough, handles well, looks ok and has room for the family.

[Dominicc01]

Dominicc01 said:

An XJ fits all the requirements except for MPG.

Depending on mileage, there will have to be a trade-off between performance and MPG.

Actually, this or this are perfect for you.

MPG - 40
Comfort - ace
Poke - 0-60 8.1, 320 lb ft, 206bhp

Yes they're diesel, but as I say, it's a trade-off.

[soprano]

I hate it when you never find out what the OP bought so thought I would update this thread.

Purchased a 2005 Volvo S60 D5 as below, yesterday:



ETA: So thanks for whoever suggested it! Wouldn't have thought of one of these without this post.

Edited by soprano on Monday 2nd August 17:25

[visual123]

Looking good. Would've been my choice also.

[Roger Woods]

Excellent choice, exactly the one I would have chosen for the task in hand, our family car is a diesel XC90 and Im a proper volvo convert, something only a couple of years back would never have happened..... Enjoy

[sjc]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2004-04-MG-ZT-T-2-5-190-SE-5...

[Jake.]

soprano said:

I hate it when you never find out what the OP bought so thought I would update this thread.

Purchased a 2005 Volvo S60 D5 as below, yesterday:

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn84/coccaro123...

ETA: So thanks for whoever suggested it! Wouldn't have thought of one of these without this post.

For <= £5000 ? Nice.

So, how do you like it?

[soprano]

Jake. said:

soprano said:

I hate it when you never find out what the OP bought so thought I would update this thread.

Purchased a 2005 Volvo S60 D5 as below, yesterday:

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn84/coccaro123...

ETA: So thanks for whoever suggested it! Wouldn't have thought of one of these without this post.

For <= £5000 ? Nice.

So, how do you like it?

Yep it was £4750.00. 2005 with 100,000 miles on the clock, really tidy. The chap I bought it from has owned it for about the last 90,000 of those and just punted it up and down motorways which is what I will be doing. Recently serviced with new discs at the back, cam belt also recently done. MOT until April with no outstanding advisories, decent tyres all round. Good spec, its got the Dolby Pro Logic 2, Heated leather memory seats etc.

Never going to win any performance awards but excellent at what I bought it for which is to sit in comfort on motorways.

[sc4589]

If you want something a little left field, this should do the trick...





Selling this at the moment. Honda Civic Type S. 160bhp, returns on average around 36-40mpg, depending on circumstances (Isle of Wight driving to motorways).

Respectably quick, hugely practical, and also absolutely lovely to drive. Perfect car for motorways or a nice back road.