Diesel with 160,000 miles, should I buy??

[chriswhyte95]

So I've found a car I like the look of. It's a 2006 Vauxhall Astra SRI 1.7 CTDI. Looks really tidy inside and out. Only thing that is putting me off is the fact it has 161000 miles. The advert says this:

"I have owned the car for more than 1 and a half years and commute 100 miles each day to work and the car has never missed a beat!"

"Mechanically the car is sound and well maintained with a full service history up to 133,000 miles and the cambelt changed at 100,000 miles. Since purchasing I have had new oil and filter changes, new pads and recently new front discs. The tyres all have good tread and all the electrics work as they should. The gearbox is good and pulls well in every gear. Overall it is a great drive and extremely economical. MOT valid until July"

Would it be a bad idea to go ahead and buy this car? It will be my first car so I don't really want to be shelling out money all the time if things are going to go wrong with it. The asking price is £1375

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[HustleRussell]

How was the insurance quote?

[phil y]

Seems a bit pricey for the age/mileage.

Looking at Autotrader I'd expect to pay under a grand. It could be reliable for years and many more miles to come, or it could cost you an arm and a leg.

Shop around, there's plenty about.

[chriswhyte95]

£2000. Would cost me the same to insure a 1.4 petrol which is crazy! Even a 1.4 Astra was £2000, and that's with a black box!

[HustleRussell]

In my opinion it should be cheaper. 161k is not necessarily a reason to condemn the car but there are a multitude of parts which could go expensively wrong and the probability of that happening will now be climbing with every mile. Even parts which have been replaced before may soon need replacing a second time.

[Digby]

Get a Honda.

If not French, Vauxhall is fast becoming the next obvious choice when seeing something broken down at the side of the road on my travels.

[chriswhyte95]

That's what I was thinking. For example if the turbo goes I could end up paying more to get that repaired than I paid for the car in the first place

[Francy555]

First impressions where no definitely not.
But..

Thats the Isuzu engine and will do 300k no problem with regular oil changes, and I don't mean every 15k, every 8k or so will keep the engine in tip top condition
.
Keep an eye on the coolant level as one thing that the Isuzu engine doesn't like is being cooked.

If the rest of the car is in good enough condition, suspension, bodywork, interior, electrics etc, then i'd offer 750quid as 1375 is a piss take for a 10yr old astra.

[HustleRussell]

I have to say I can't imagine I'll ever buy or recommend a Vauxhall.

[andy101093]

chriswhyte95 said:

£2000. Would cost me the same to insure a 1.4 petrol which is crazy! Even a 1.4 Astra was £2000, and that's with a black box!

Have a look at insurance quotes for cars that aren't commonly driven by new young drivers (boring saloons like the Mondeo or such).

[ZX10R NIN]

2005 1.7 Astra Design 106k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Well under your budget.

[chriswhyte95]

ZX10R NIN said:

2005 1.7 Astra Design 106k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Well under your budget.

Too far away from me I live in Plymouth

[anonymous-user]

Got some quotes

A 2007 volvo s40 sport r should cost £900 + £1300 = £2200

2004 Mazda 3 sport saloon = £700 + £1500 = £2200

[anonymous-user]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...
£2400 all in

£1300 should get you a clean one

[exelero]

That car is relatively young and it has high motorway miles, meaning that the engine ran mostly at 2-2.5 k rpm at all times, not revving around. If it has been well maintained which according to the advert has can triple the mileage without issue. 160k miles is nothing, being from E. Europe I've seen much higher mileage, like my fathers ex-car with 378k KM on it never skipping a beat