Cheap Diesel £2000 or less

[anonymous-user]

My dad is changing his job so requires a diesel, he is not looking to blow a lot on a car as he thinks that it's not worth it. He is after a large car, something for the family. I have suggested the 3 following:

Mondeo
VW Passat
Volvo S60/S80

If anyone could suggest any others, as he's never had a Diesel, only Petrol due to the mileage he used to do. I also said about Audi, BMW and Mercedes, but he was concerned by the high costs of maintenance and parts.

[SlowV6]

What body shape (of car ) is your Dad looking for? Two in that list are saloons whilst the mondeo is a hatch.

If saloon and large then an S80 with the 163bhp non-dpf DPF D5 would be a good starting point and manual if possible. I would personally discount the S60 because it isn't spacious at all in the rear.

[denzilpc]

jaguar x type 2.2 saloon or estate lot of car for the money

[Chestrockwell]

denzilpc said:

jaguar x type 2.2 saloon or estate lot of car for the money

A lot of headache too! My mums friend had one, divorced, got a nice bit of money and ran it for years, nearly every single thing went wrong with it, it was a 57 plate and she ended up scrapping it. Nice looking car though, nice to drive and the interior is also ok if not a little cramped.

[Chestrockwell]

rdb85 said:

My dad is changing his job so requires a diesel, he is not looking to blow a lot on a car as he thinks that it's not worth it. He is after a large car, something for the family. I have suggested the 3 following:

Mondeo
VW Passat
Volvo S60/S80

If anyone could suggest any others, as he's never had a Diesel, only Petrol due to the mileage he used to do. I also said about Audi, BMW and Mercedes, but he was concerned by the high costs of maintenance and parts.

Careful with those cars as most of them may have been cab cars and they’d definitely be clocked back. If size isn’t an issue, try a car that isn’t popular amongst cab drivers.

For 2 grand, you’re not going to get a large diesel car that isn’t going to cost you in maintenance and parts. They’ll all be high mileage with lots of wear and tear. Volvo S60 is the best bet I’ve never seen a cab driver use one.

I keep mentioning cab drivers because I went to college, one of my friends dad was a cab driver and I’d ask how many miles his dads Merc had, and if it was reliable etc. He said his dad clocks his car back before every MOT so the HMRC don’t see how many miles he’s actually doing and to save money on resale value. To think this guy was ‘religious’ is insane, didn’t drink alcohol or date girls, yet brags to me about his dad being a thief!

Anyways, since then, I wouldn’t touch any diesel exec saloon with a barge pole. Tell your dad to be careful OP, even if the previous owner isn’t a cab driver, the owner before him may have been!

[anonymous-user]

So my Dad likes the look of the Mondeo, he is going to look at the neighbors S80 as he has the D5 2.4. To see what that is like. Another criteria is that it must have a large boot.

He may even consider an estate. Any suggestions?

[GreatGranny]

Can't go wrong with the S60 D5 IMO either manual or auto.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Mondeo is a good shout but DMF is expensive if they go (to my dad's cost on his a few years ago).

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[WonkeyDonkey]

I quite liked my Alfa 147 JTDm that I had although it may not be big enough. 159 May be?

[ElectricSoup]

Skoda Superb 1.9.

This one's so good I'm tempted to buy it myself. Even the advert says it's "grate". ;-)

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Auto as well. An absolute blinding car for £2k.

Edited by ElectricSoup on Friday 14th December 11:42

[ALawson]

Honda Accord Tourer 2.2 Cdti EX, fully loaded with electric and heated gubbins. Returns 50mpg on a run, 40mpg around town.

The space in the boot with the seats up and down cannot be matched by any other estate in terms of total volume and shape (in my opinion). Ok E Class and Skoda Superb are close but you get the idea.

The looks take some getting used to but I drove mine to the alps in one go with two 10mins breaks and then rode 220km the next day on a bicycle (which was one of three in the boot with the seats up).

Dynamically they wont set your heart on fire but if they have been well maintained there isn't much to go wrong. Just make sure you check the brake callipers all round as they can bind/stick, exhaust manifold will have cracked by now and should have been repaired if not (factor £500) in.

They can throw a VSA module (Honda will charge £3k) but a Bosch can repair for £300. Motors on the tail gates can fail but disconnecting the battery can reset it.

Plenty of drop links and ARB can wear and need replacing.

Well looked after they can easily do 300k miles.

In short I love mine, its boring as hell but does the job.

[anonymous-user]

I like the look of the Skoda, although my dad thought the tax was a little high. He may still consider one if he can find one that’s within a hour to see what they are like in person.

The Honda is also a possibility, due to the reliability of them.

Mondeo and S60/S80 are also a contender.

But I guess it comes down to which is the easiest to maintain with servicing and parts. Another one he considered was a Toyota Avensis.

[ZX10R NIN]

I'd say look for a Mercedes C270 they don't cost a bomb to run & are pretty much bulletproof, the gearbox needs a fluid & filter change every 40k in nearly 100k I had to replace the alternator & number injector (I had the other 4 refurbed) it was a fantastic car.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Or the six cylinder 3.2d fitted in the E Class

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Next would be the Volvo S60 but I'd recommend manual only as the auto can be a bit troublesome:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Citroen C5

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

407 GT

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Mondeo Titanium X

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

ST Mondeo

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[anonymous-user]

ZX10R NIN said:

I'd say look for a Mercedes C270 they don't cost a bomb to run & are pretty much bulletproof, the gearbox needs a fluid & filter change every 40k in nearly 100k I had to replace the alternator & number injector (I had the other 4 refurbed) it was a fantastic car.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Or the six cylinder 3.2d fitted in the E Class

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Next would be the Volvo S60 but I'd recommend manual only as the auto can be a bit troublesome:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Citroen C5

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

407 GT

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Mondeo Titanium X

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

ST Mondeo

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Thanks for them, My dad like the look of the C Class, but he would have to get some more information on it. The E Class he said looks nice, not a fan of the French cars.

I think he likes the Mondeo in either Titanium X spec or ST. He also does like the Volvo S60. Can I ask some more information on the C Class? What to look out for, any problem areas, parts, servicing etc?

[ZX10R NIN]

rdb85 said:

Thanks for them, My dad like the look of the C Class, but he would have to get some more information on it. The E Class he said looks nice, not a fan of the French cars.

I think he likes the Mondeo in either Titanium X spec or ST. He also does like the Volvo S60. Can I ask some more information on the C Class? What to look out for, any problem areas, parts, servicing etc?

There are no real problem areas check the rear arches as the stones being flicked up from the rear tyres but caught early it's a non issue & can be sorted for around £200-300 on the one above it doesn't look likes it an issue.

Apart from that check everything works, bushes can wear but these are an easy fix as I said I've had no issues with owning/sourcing this engine in CLK/C Class/E Class, the 3.2 in the E Class is just a six cylinder version of the 270.

[anonymous-user]

My Dad has chosen a few, he has asked for opinions:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-MONDEO-2-2-TDCI-TI...f:0

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[curlie467]

The volvo if any, 100% never the Vauxhall, ever ever ever, never, don't do it.

How many miles is he doing or going to be doing?

[anonymous-user]

About 25k a year. He’s got to drive to a few different sites up and down the county. As they have big factories all over the place.

[curlie467]

What would be the real world difference between the diesels and a petrol?
Bork factor is high for me in a diesel sadly.

[anonymous-user]

curlie467 said:

What would be the real world difference between the diesels and a petrol?
Bork factor is high for me in a diesel sadly.

I couldn’t tell you tbh. I’ve got a Lexus I250 which gets 32mpg around town and 40 mpg on a motorway.

I understand what you mean, but would really have to look at the difference between them.

[ZX10R NIN]

You must be driving like a saint to get 40mpg out of a Lexus IS250 if your dad drives like you he will easily see low to mid 50's from the 270 I linked you to earlier, the best I've seen out of an IS250 is a real world 33mpg (obd was showing 36mpg) on a run back from Newcastle.

At 25k a year the fuel difference will be more than enough to justify a diesel also these diesels will not have DMF's etc so are actually very reliable as they using simpler tech.