What next car - advice please

[Lunartick]

I've currently got a Kia diesel. The turbo has gone. Had the car a while now, first 18 months all good, last year I seem to be getting a big bill every few months, spent a few hundred on mot/service October last year, now turbo gone. I've decided I need to look for something else, but the market is all a bit upside down at present. I just know if I get the turbo sorted, there'll be something else next couple of months, time to cut losses.

Looking at the idea of another cheaper car for now, on the premise that the car market might sort itself in the next year maybe. Budget approx £2k for now. Or do I bite the bullet and get a new(er) car now, but it'd be finance or loan.

Needs for car would be 5 door, min hatch size, so ceed/astra size min. Do 10-15k pa, might be top of that given back to office coming back in. Not sure I want anything that is risky/knowingly going to need expensive bills, so decent history, mot etc and known for reliability. Not wanting hundred of £ pa for tax and have to pay to park at work based on emissions, so another consideration. Outside city centre, so clean air stuff not an issue, at least yet.

Think from an older car perspective, I'd like something diesel/auto. Seem to see Mercedes of an era get mentioned here regular and also MG/Rover, in the price bracket. Or if anyone else has any suggestions or advice please? Have had a look through a couple of recent threads, but not sure they relate to what I am looking for and not sure my question would be seen, if commented on those threads.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Scrump]

A £2k car is likely to be in a similar age/mechanical condition as your current car.

[ZX10R NIN]

If your budget is only 2k I'd say better the devil you know & have the turbo rebuilt.

[Canon_Fodder]

My heart bleeds for you OP, I'm afraid your situation is utterly desperate.

[Mr Tidy]

I hate to say it but at that budget you might just be buying someone elses' problem!

If a repair isn't silly money I'd be tempted to get your car fixed.

[samoht]

Lunartick said:

Think from an older car perspective, I'd like something diesel/auto. Seem to see Mercedes of an era get mentioned here regular and also MG/Rover, in the price bracket. Or if anyone else has any suggestions or advice please?

Well, for Mercs I think you'd be looking at W203 facelift C-Class, 2004-06... on average these would be far more likely to cost you money than something like a Kia, they're nice cars to drive, cheap to buy, but not that cheap to run unless you get very lucky.

The general problem with looking for a reliable diesel is that reliable cars are made in Japan, but they don't buy diesels in Japan, so Japanese diesel cars generally have borrowed European engines and/or aren't as well developed as their petrols.

There aren't many diesel automatics for £2k tbh, and many that there are, are Fords with the Powershift box which are cheap either because the gearbox is already broken, or because any punter assumes it's about to break.

Only possible I can think of is a Passat, probably an older one with the 1.9 TDI engine, like this
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201171...

it's an old car so things will go wrong, but if you want a change from the Kia, they have a decent rep for robustness.

[imck]

Has the Turbo gone gone?

My 2008 Ceed 1.6D Turbo started whistling about 120K but still drove OK.
Diesel Specialist said to leave until further symptoms. Still OK at 215K. Sold to a Colleague 4-5 Years ago.