Diesel Cars

[alansmith7]

Hi All


I want to buy a diesel which is good mechanically i have been looking at vauxhall astra are these car reliable?

Or

Could you name me some other vehicles which are good mechanically as i do high mileage

Thanks

[Crafty_]

You'll get 101 opinions and doubtless be told that the astra will fall apart/explode/cause you to commit suicide etc.

Reality is they are no better or worse than any other car, its more about how the car has been treated.

Is this a company car or are you getting an allowance ? Im thinking that if you do lots of miles and it is for company use there are tax implications based on emissions output, I would think that needs to guide your car selection.

[alansmith7]

Crafty_ said:

You'll get 101 opinions and doubtless be told that the astra will fall apart/explode/cause you to commit suicide etc.

Reality is they are no better or worse than any other car, its more about how the car has been treated.

Is this a company car or are you getting an allowance ? Im thinking that if you do lots of miles and it is for company use there are tax implications based on emissions output, I would think that needs to guide your car selection.

no its not a company car, i have to travel a lot due to my jobs.

[Mr Daytona]

OP, could you supply some more info ? Such as budget, mileage, type of driving etc.

[alansmith7]

Mr Daytona said:

OP, could you supply some more info ? Such as budget, mileage, type of driving etc.

Im looking to spend upto 3k but i do wanna spend little as possible because i will buying a house, mileage i do about 20k to 30k a year.

I drive sensible and i dont trash my cars, i tend to look after my cars.

[BGarside]

From what I've read on the 'net the 1.7CDTI diesel and the older 2.0DTI engines are more reliable than the 1.9CDTI.

The 2.0DTI will only appear in the older Astra Mk 4 though which was last made in 2004.

The 1.7 is based on an old Isuzu design which has been around since the Cavalier and seems to be fairly robust, but is noisy.

The 1.9 seems to have various issues with turbos, water pumps, EGR valves and swirl flaps.

This is just what I've read and bear in mind the number of problems reported on the internet may not be statistically significant in relation to the number of cars sold.

[ShaunTheSheep]

I bought a 2001 1.7 DTI Astra estate with 150k on the clock for £600, unseen, from gumtree.

I'm not Vauxhall's biggest fan but i needed a snotter and this looked better than the Mondeo on gumtree that day! It came with a month's tax and 11 months MOT. Previous owner had it for years. I've put 4 tyres on it although they weren't strictly needed. Total spent so far is just over £800.

It's the base model so there isn't much to go wrong. Faults:

• 4 different brands of tyres, 2 with slow punctures - all replaced with £63 Falkens now, which are ace btw!
• There's tin worm eating a chassis leg that the engine mounts on, this will be an MOT fail if i don't plate it up i think
• Could do with a service. I might treat it to a fuel filter. I did buy that £9 5L own brand oil from Asda when i saw it but i haven't felt generous enough to tip it in yet. Waiting for ECP to offer those 60p oil filters again... last of the big spenders.
• Lumpy on the overrun when warm. Could be a bunch of things and most are cheap / easy to fix. Just haven't bothered properly diagnosing or fixing
• Paintwork is st
• Alloys are kerbed
• Seats creak
• Boot lock sticks, tailgate is now a wee bit dented because a kick always frees it

Tax was cheap, i think £60-ish for the year? Insurance is pennies extra on a multicar policy. Does 45mpg and i thrash it. Like properly wring its neck everywhere, from cold, in the most cruel fashion possible.

You can join the waiting list of buyers, 3 on there so far. Cheapest i've offered it to anyone is my mum at £900. 4th place on the list is the same price as 2nd & 3rd, £1100...

[alansmith7]

BGarside said:

From what I've read on the 'net the 1.7CDTI diesel and the older 2.0DTI engines are more reliable than the 1.9CDTI.

The 2.0DTI will only appear in the older Astra Mk 4 though which was last made in 2004.

The 1.7 is based on an old Isuzu design which has been around since the Cavalier and seems to be fairly robust, but is noisy.

The 1.9 seems to have various issues with turbos, water pumps, EGR valves and swirl flaps.

This is just what I've read and bear in mind the number of problems reported on the internet may not be statistically significant in relation to the number of cars sold.

the only reason im thinking about the astra is because i like the shape.

would be better if i was to buy mark 4 golf?

[davidsc]

1.7's are chain driven and from what I've heard are pretty solid, my friend who owned one said something about the turbo's being weak, however I don't know how reliable this is.

MK4 golfs with the PD 1.9 TDI are also a good unit and shouldnt really put a foot wrong. It's the bits around it that play havoc though.

[ben5732]

Old boring and bland. 406 2.1TD. The other halfs is 16 years old, does a fair bit of mileage and it just sailed through its Mot. If anything breaks hit it with a hammer and its good to go again. Paid 400 quid for it one owner and fsh.

[bigdom]

davidsc said:

1.7's are chain driven and from what I've heard are pretty solid, my friend who owned one said something about the turbo's being weak, however I don't know how reliable this is

We had a selection of these at work as pool cars, so essentially thrashed by most people who drove them during their lifetime. All happily went into 100k>, boring to drive, although pretty reliable.

[alansmith7]

davidsc said:

1.7's are chain driven and from what I've heard are pretty solid, my friend who owned one said something about the turbo's being weak, however I don't know how reliable this is.

MK4 golfs with the PD 1.9 TDI are also a good unit and shouldnt really put a foot wrong. It's the bits around it that play havoc though.

my mates does have the astra which does have timing chains, mk4 golf i have heard are good, which mk4 golf are good on fuel because there are couple of version i.e 110bhp, 130bhp and 150bhp so im not sure which mk4 golf should i buy?

[alansmith7]

ben5732 said:

Old boring and bland. 406 2.1TD. The other halfs is 16 years old, does a fair bit of mileage and it just sailed through its Mot. If anything breaks hit it with a hammer and its good to go again. Paid 400 quid for it one owner and fsh.

im not a fan of the 406 but i do know they are reliable.

[alansmith7]

bigdom said:

We had a selection of these at work as pool cars, so essentially thrashed by most people who drove them during their lifetime. All happily went into 100k>, boring to drive, although pretty reliable.

in what do you find it boring to drive?

[BGarside]

alansmith7 said:

my mates does have the astra which does have timing chains, mk4 golf i have heard are good, which mk4 golf are good on fuel because there are couple of version i.e 110bhp, 130bhp and 150bhp so im not sure which mk4 golf should i buy?

The VW 1.9 PD engine is pretty reliable compared with later common rail engines but is fairly gruff. I have the 150hp version in a Mark 1 Seat Leon.

It's economical, powerful enough and I get at least 50-52 on a run, and have seen a genuine 60mpg when taking it easy. The 130hp version is seen as the sweet spot in the range though as it has less turbo lag than the 150hp and is less susceptible to camshaft wear, as the 150hp variant is known to be.

Bear in mind these engines need PD-specific oil though and it's not cheap.

However, the Golf and Leon are not the best-made cars in the world so be aware the rest of the car might fall apart around the engine! Plenty of how-to guides for common faults on the web though, if you are happy to fix it yourself.