Most reliable run around for £700

[JDR33]

So my mk4 golf decided to cough up problems last week (broke down twice on limp mode) can't source the problem myself, i dont have the time, im looking after my daughter whilst my partner (a key worker) is at work.

The garage local to me has shut up until god knows when so im buggered down to 1 choice... find a reliable car for £700 which Yes, I know is not going to give me a variety of options, but if it's enough to keep me in work, happy days.

Just looking for a reliable engine and good fuel economy on the motorway.

[sparks_190e]

Mk1 Focus. Non rusty examples are out there.

[p4cks]

Mk1 or mk2 Focus, as suggested.

Reliable and cheap to run.

[bearman68]

Yaris. Nothing if not relaible.

1.4 td as economica as anything on the road.

[jimPH]

Autotrader set Max £ to grand, sort by mileage. Find one you like.

[JDR33]

sparks_190e said:

Mk1 Focus. Non rusty examples are out there.

I've heard the zetec engines were pretty reliable. Any major differences between the 1.6 to 1.8 and 2.0?

[colin_p]

What is wrong with the Golf?

What engine does it have?


Focus

1.4 & 1.6 are Yamaha engines
1.8 and 2.0 are Ford engines

All petrols are good, avoid the diesels though. Rust is the biggest issue on them by far.

[matt21]

Passat B5.5 TDI

[AJB88]

What engine is in the Golf and whats the symptons?

[JDR33]

AJB88 said:

What engine is in the Golf and whats the symptons?

It's the mk4 PD150 ARL. I drove to work last Thursday, got on to the motorway, had lost complete power where it dragged down to 20-30mph so I pulled over.

Because i have hot start problems (engine cranks over then stalls) I had to let it cool for 20 minutes. Started her up, a bit juddery and stalled on me once I set off. Started up again and took a bit of time for the power to resume normal. Took it steady driving back home but generally had no problems.

Borrowed the misses car for the day, came home, started the golf and was perfectly fine. Drove it up my road with no issues, turned around and put a bit more acceleration down to see if there was much boost. Quickly went back in to limp mode and had a horrible thumping noise from the engine so i shut it off immediately. Noticed some steam coming off the new fuel filter which I thought was odd

Saturday I started it up briefly and ran like normal with no thumping/ knocking noise.

Both hot start issues/ limp mode and steaming fuel filter doesn't make any sense to me... normally I'd get it checked out but as mentioned the garage is closed and I'm not mechanically minded when it comes to problem solving.

Sorry for the essay.

[JDR33]

colin_p said:

What is wrong with the Golf?

What engine does it have?


Focus

1.4 & 1.6 are Yamaha engines
1.8 and 2.0 are Ford engines

All petrols are good, avoid the diesels though. Rust is the biggest issue on them by far.

Problems are as above in my reply. Think I might try the lower litre models if it's more economical for me. I know rust is a big issue on most Ford's. As long as I can get a decent one with plenty of mot I'll be happy I'm not fussed about cosmetics.

[AJB88]

JDR33 said:

It's the mk4 PD150 ARL. I drove to work last Thursday, got on to the motorway, had lost complete power where it dragged down to 20-30mph so I pulled over.

Because i have hot start problems (engine cranks over then stalls) I had to let it cool for 20 minutes. Started her up, a bit juddery and stalled on me once I set off. Started up again and took a bit of time for the power to resume normal. Took it steady driving back home but generally had no problems.

Borrowed the misses car for the day, came home, started the golf and was perfectly fine. Drove it up my road with no issues, turned around and put a bit more acceleration down to see if there was much boost. Quickly went back in to limp mode and had a horrible thumping noise from the engine so i shut it off immediately. Noticed some steam coming off the new fuel filter which I thought was odd

Saturday I started it up briefly and ran like normal with no thumping/ knocking noise.

Both hot start issues/ limp mode and steaming fuel filter doesn't make any sense to me... normally I'd get it checked out but as mentioned the garage is closed and I'm not mechanically minded when it comes to problem solving.

Sorry for the essay.

Same engine as my Leon.

Any dash board lights? you could get something like OBD Eleven (VW code reader) to see if there is any error codes.

[JDR33]

AJB88 said:

Same engine as my Leon.

Any dash board lights? you could get something like OBD Eleven (VW code reader) to see if there is any error codes.

No lights at all on the dash even on limp mode. Which code reader would you recommend? I do have one already but not one that connects to my phone via BT.

[Desiderata]

If there's no EML then it's not in limp mode, sounds more like the fuel is being restricted somehow. You've stated there's a new fuel filter, was there a problem before or was this part of a service?
if you do need to replace it cheaply, any low mileage granny wagon is your best bet, Honda Jazz, Nissan Micra, Toyota Yaris etc.

Edited by Desiderata on Monday 30th March 22:50

[AJB88]

Try the one you have see what it says, for VW group stuff VCDS (needs a Windows machine) or OBD Eleven (Android)

[JDR33]

Desiderata said:

If there's no EML then it's not in limp mode, sounds more like the fuel is being restricted somehow. You've stated there's a new fuel filter, was there a problem before or was this part of a service?
if you do need to replace it cheaply, any low mileage granny wagon is your best bet, Honda Jazz, Nissan Micra, Toyota Yaris etc.

Edited by Desiderata on Monday 30th March 22:50

Prior the service I had no issues at all except the hot start up problem. The garage suggested it may of been the timing slightly off as I had a new cam belt, injector seals new cams/ lifters fitted in 2019. So I thought I'd throw in a full service with the timing check.

Once it was all done I started having a fuel leak from the filter which I rectified it being the O ring slightly misaligned on the check valve "T". That stopped but the sort of limp mode issue came to light and like i say the filter gets steamy and very hot if you touch it.
Could it be the filter that's dodgy/ faulty? I never thought that would be the case.

[JDR33]

AJB88 said:

Try the one you have see what it says, for VW group stuff VCDS (needs a Windows machine) or OBD Eleven (Android)

It never shown any codes it was all clear but I'll try the android OBD just in case (that's if I can get one delivered atm)

[classicfred]

Few threads about vw fuel filters and thermostatic 'T' and 'O'rings here if any help.

I'm not a mechanic but is it sucking air into the system somewhere ?

https://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=187114

https://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=66225

https://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=435031

Maybe try posting on the engines section of this forum - help may be available there.

Edited by classicfred on Tuesday 31st March 05:38

[JDR33]

classicfred said:

Few threads about vw fuel filters and thermostatic 'T' and 'O'rings here if any help.

I'm not a mechanic but is it sucking air into the system somewhere ?

https://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=187114

https://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=66225

https://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=435031

Maybe try posting on the engines section of this forum - help may be available there.

Edited by classicfred on Tuesday 31st March 05:38

Thank you for those links it's muchly appreciated. It could well be I have an air leak in the system causing it to starve at the injectors when more is applied to the throttle. Makes a lot of sense the engine dying when I jumped on the motorway last week.

Reading up on the threads I don't know wether to change the fuel filter for one without the "T" like you see on a mk5 golf or try a bit of thick grease over the O rings because they do have some play in the slot. May pay to change the two rings completely if that's the case even though they look okay.

[wiliferus]

colin_p said:

Focus

1.4 & 1.6 are Yamaha engines
1.8 and 2.0 are Ford engines

All petrols are good, avoid the diesels though. Rust is the biggest issue on them by far.

Go 1.6 or 2.0.

The 1.6 is frugal and bombproof.
The 2.0 is ok, 130bhp allegedly but it doesn’t feel like it, not overly keen to rev, 35mpg but very reliable.
The 1.8 although reliable, you get the performance of the 1.6 with the economy of the 2.0.

Overall, you won’t go too far wrong with a Mk1 Focus. If you’re not fussy get a poverty spec one that’s been looked after and you’ll pay buttons for it.