Sorry but A guy looking at a 1.4 Golf/Superb in a Phaeton

Hehe, I wish.

I looked at the possibility of a BIG used car. But the insurance would quickly bite me as well as maintenance and fuel. It would be good if I could get a nice BIG car, for significantly less money so that it could compensate for future costs... But I had a look around and couldn't find one that would be, say, around 12 grands and that would match on safety features, refinement & comfort and with a low mileage (ideally not more than 20K).

That said, I may not have looked hard enough

I'm not saying it will be a slug, it's just the work it has to do imo leads to a 50k engine thats well down on its original bhp figure.

Hehe, I wish.

I looked at the possibility of a BIG used car. But the insurance would quickly bite me as well as maintenance and fuel. It would be good if I could get a nice BIG car, for significantly less money so that it could compensate for future costs... But I had a look around and couldn't find one that would be, say, around 12 grands and that would match on safety features, refinement & comfort and with a low mileage (ideally not more than 20K).

That said, I may not have looked hard enough

See James if you fancy a 53 A8 4.0 D for 12k

Or 20k will buy you a Phaeton 3.0 D on a 56/07 plate.

Phaetons are so cheap now it's ridiculous. Look how cheap an ex-demo 3.2 V6 petrol one is, not the most ecnomical car on the road but it's an awful lot of car with a lot of value for money.

but what are they like to drive - I imagine them to be a bit barge like. and some of the interior wood trim is hideous !!

See James if you fancy a 53 A8 4.0 D for 12k

Or 20k will buy you a Phaeton 3.0 D on a 56/07 plate.

Hehe, I just had a look at the specs on these... And indeed they are B.I.G. and refined, but they are beyond scale in terms of running costs

Wow.. insurance group 16-20... Gulping diesel in at 30mpg AT BEST! Not to mention the price of servicing, VED (250+g/km... Actually it's shocking, I wouldn't be happy driving that) and maintenance of these out of warranty vehicles. Maybe not, or the prices will have to go quite a notch further down.

I'll stick to a brand new Superb then (or golf) or maybe something more reasonable.

I am also considering a 1.4 along with the Greenline 1.9TDi mainly on the grounds of cost and running expenses.

a 1.4 might have to work a bit harder if you drive it hard but modern engines are made to cope with this. As has been said the turbo will give a reasonable amount of shove low down the rev range.

If you have a petrol car that does 45mpg, the diesel will have to do 52mpg to justify the extra cost of diesel (90p to 106p in my local garage).

On paper the 1.4 is quite a bit quicker than the 1.9TDi

Sorry but A guy looking at a 1.4 Golf/Superb in a Phaeton

Agreed a strange comparison to offer, but the Phaeton is the best car on the road today.

If you haven't driven one, it's well worth giving it a go just for the experience...a gorgeous vehicle and superior to the 7 series BMW and for myself is a better place to spend time than an S class.

But i'm off track. :P

but what are they like to drive - I imagine them to be a bit barge like. and some of the interior wood trim is hideous !!

You're welcome to come for a spin in mine. Not barge like at all when you put it into Sport and change the air suspension from full on waft to tight handling.

As an experience in wood (the right one) and leather it really beats the others on the market.

Hehe, I just had a look at the specs on these... And indeed they are B.I.G. and refined, but they are beyond scale in terms of running costs

Wow.. insurance group 16-20... Gulping diesel in at 30mpg AT BEST! Not to mention the price of servicing, VED (250+g/km... Actually it's shocking, I wouldn't be happy driving that) and maintenance of these out of warranty vehicles. Maybe not, or the prices will have to go quite a notch further down.

I'll stick to a brand new Superb then (or golf) or maybe something more reasonable.

40+ MPG on a run without a problem. I used to get an average of 48 - 49 with the old Superb so the difference was a lot better than I'd feared.

At least someone saw what I was getting at. Just pointing out what you could get for the price of a new 1.4 golf or superb and £12k for a diesel phaeton is mental, especially when you consider you can get extended warranties on these things.

Anyway, back on track, haven't driven one - in my type of driving I would be fearful of being able to gain speed on certain hills round scotland / lakes like at glenshee which i do quite often. My old 2.5v6 was superb up there, the 1.9tdi not quite as good (can't accelerate quickly enough to safely overtake in available space).

As a cruiser I don't think it would be too bad, and surely quieter when idling than the 1.9tdi. Do they not have db readings for each of the engines anywhere?

As a cruiser I don't think it would be too bad, and surely quieter when idling than the 1.9tdi. Do they not have db readings for each of the engines anywhere?

I think the following link will provide most of the info that you need. It provides a wealth of information on all vehicles including an assessment of the noise (admitedly measured from outside a moving car but it's still a good measure) and because it is a government source it will not be influenced by manufacturers claims.

When you have selected and 'seached' for your vehicle go into 'more info' and it's like an Aladdins cave!

VCAcarfueldata.org.uk - Database Search

Great stuff Gazza!

have you tried the 1.8T

i guess my other point of view is that i am buying a car to live with and enjoy. I am not looking at resale,

No I've not driven a petrol one yet, but we are talking 1.4 rather than 1.8, 1.8 is hit and miss, try a VX one and you'll be looking at your watch most of the time, 1.6 diesel Pugs eat turbo's in the 407 which shows it's not good enough for that size car.

@ James, you mention a guess of 41mpg, going on that I'd guess 27mpg urban from the 1.4's

@ James, you mention a guess of 41mpg, going on that I'd guess 27mpg urban from the 1.4's

41mpg is combined.

The official (unrealistic) figure for urban is 31.4 (cf. VCAcarfueldata.org.uk - Search Results - Further Information), so I'd guess you're pretty spot on for the average driver in city driving conditions.

No I've not driven a petrol one yet, but we are talking 1.4 rather than 1.8, 1.8 is hit and miss, try a VX one and you'll be looking at your watch most of the time, 1.6 diesel Pugs eat turbo's in the 407 which shows it's not good enough for that size car.

@ James, you mention a guess of 41mpg, going on that I'd guess 27mpg urban from the 1.4's

but the point is these are TURBO petrol cars. you will certainly not be looking at your watch !!

but the point is these are TURBO petrol cars. you will certainly not be looking at your watch !!

I know that, I'm not saying a 1.4 will be slow, the two things I am wary of are how long a small unit will last in a big shell, and how much it will be worth if anything come time to px.

I know that, I'm not saying a 1.4 will be slow, the two things I am wary of are how long a small unit will last in a big shell, and how much it will be worth if anything come time to px.

As they said in (cough) "Too fast, Too furious", there's no substitute for cubes. The bigger the engine, the less stress there is on it. I chose the 170CR as it's easier on the engine for those with a heavy right foot.

Px wise.

1) It's a Skoda. Let's face it, they're not that desirable 2nd hand except to people like us who own and like them. However, depreciation is the same for pretty much all cars (we're back to that Phaeton discussion again, aren't we)

2) If oil prices keep on rising, as they're predicted to do, then a 1.4 is a good looking proposition. People are now seriously looking at smaller engines for economy, whereas before engine size was only an insurance issue.

2 conflicting views, but I think both are valid.

I agree, in theory.

Yet, as you stated, I'm dead against getting a non-common rail diesel. I'm currently driving the fabia greenline and I'm really hating the gut shaking experience. my wife also has a TDI powered car (touran to be exact) and even though they managed to confine more the engine, it's not nice.

So I'd rather "lose" more, but enjoy it more.

TDIs a bit throbby but I would never describe them as gut shaking. I don't like the greenline or Eco-Motive cars as much as the standard cars as they are overgeared for town use in my opinion. Are you sure you are not n too high a gear ie fourth found town as that would probably be the cause for your guts being shook! I find the 1.4 TDI a sweet little engine. I'm interested in the 1.4 too but agree that it may be a bit frenetic in such a big car:) Why not wait for an Octavia with the new 1.6 Common Rail TDI?

The public are still too snobby to consider Skoda.

Erm, thats why i went for a Poverty Spec Mk2 Octavia then? ahahaha.

Not sure about the 2.0 Petrol and 2.2DTI in the omega, but once rolling the 2.6 V6 even with a auto gearbox flys!