Reliable diesel estate sub £5k - Page 1 - Car Buying

Jarre

Original Poster

11 posts

89 months

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[news]

Friday 31st May 2019

Hi guys,

So I'm looking for a reliable diesel estate that'll be used as a daily for the 28 mile round work commute along with runs to the tip/airport etc. Something that is, or can be made to be, around 170bhp or so would be good. Car won't be use for towing.

I've previously owned a A4 Avant 1.9TDi PD130. It was brilliant, and I'd have one again if it wasn't so difficult to find a good one.

So is there any other obvious alternatives? I'd quite like to avoid DPF issues but to find one in half decent nick of that age doesn't seem easy either, so I may have to accept that. My work commute can be all motorway/dual carriageway which will help keep it clear.

I've looked at Volvo V50s and they seem quite good value for what they are.

Budget is £5k but I'd rather spend £3-£4k.

Cheers!

CoreyDog

886 posts

119 months

[report]

[news]

Friday 31st May 2019

I have a V50 2.0D.

Can see 180bhp with a quick remap. Superbly comfortable, plenty of space, drives fairly well for a big lump, interior is a nice place to be, well specced (I have the SE Lux).

Reliability has been fairly good over the years I've had it. DPF got clogged at 105,000 but Volvo say need replacing at 70,000 anyway so got longer than I thought. Central locking mechanism on drivers door failed. Coolant tank cracked at 116,000... Lower wishbone needed changing... Spring snapped... But for a 11 year old car with 126,000 on, it does very well indeed.

Just make sure it's been well serviced and if you go for the auto (Powershift) it's absolutely essential that has been looked after with correct oil changes. If that fails, car is scrap.

RazerSauber

2,892 posts

89 months

[report]

[news]

Friday 31st May 2019

Mondeo perhaps? But don't know their BHP/tuning potential.

E60, 525D/530D should be in budget too but I'm not sure on reliability for those. They seem to be pretty sturdy though. 520's will be available and come with ~175bhp but may have timing chain issues.

Jarre

Original Poster

11 posts

89 months

[report]

[news]

Friday 31st May 2019

CoreyDog said:

I have a V50 2.0D.

Can see 180bhp with a quick remap. Superbly comfortable, plenty of space, drives fairly well for a big lump, interior is a nice place to be, well specced (I have the SE Lux).

Reliability has been fairly good over the years I've had it. DPF got clogged at 105,000 but Volvo say need replacing at 70,000 anyway so got longer than I thought. Central locking mechanism on drivers door failed. Coolant tank cracked at 116,000... Lower wishbone needed changing... Spring snapped... But for a 11 year old car with 126,000 on, it does very well indeed.

Just make sure it's been well serviced and if you go for the auto (Powershift) it's absolutely essential that has been looked after with correct oil changes. If that fails, car is scrap.

I’d probably go manual for that reason alone, I want to reduce the chances of big unexpected repair costs!

How much did the DPF replacement cost? I think they can be around £1k on other cars. The other stuff you can take on the chin and won’t cost too much.

They’re quite tempting I must say!

CoreyDog

886 posts

119 months

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[news]

Friday 31st May 2019

Jarre said:

I’d probably go manual for that reason alone, I want to reduce the chances of big unexpected repair costs!

How much did the DPF replacement cost? I think they can be around £1k on other cars. The other stuff you can take on the chin and won’t cost too much.

They’re quite tempting I must say!

Mine ended up being £650 but I needed DPF and a new DPF sensor aswell. That was at a Volvo Indie Specialist.

Cambelt intervals are 120,000 or 10 years. That was £435 at same Specialist.

If you look after them, they will just keep going. Mine still drives extremely well given the mileage. I looked recently at changing it for something newer but really struggled to find anything as nice to replace it with.

Couple weeks back drove from Loch Ness to Nottingham none-stop apart from for diesel and got out the other end with no aches or pains and still feeling fairly fresh.

SE Lux if want the toys, R Design if want something alittle more sporty to look at.

ZX10R NIN

30,528 posts

154 months

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Friday 31st May 2019

defblade

8,048 posts

242 months

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Friday 31st May 2019

ZX10R NIN said:

Subaru Legacy

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

Much as I love my Leggy GT, I'd have to say don't even think of buying a Subaru diesel. Turns out a boxer configuration diesel gives the crank a fatally hard time.

Oh - and as for manuals giving less repair bills than autos - check out the price of a new dual-mass flywheel....

loskie

7,080 posts

149 months

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Saturday 1st June 2019

would a Honda CRV count? I bought a 2007 74500m one last year for £4.4k.
No DPF or ad blu (its cdti)
Flexible rear seats are great for luggage in what is an already spacious boot.
You wont set the world alight but it does seem dependable. After 20000m in rural SW Scotland mine has averaged 41.5 mpg