Well as no-one's mentioned it, the Mondeo Mk3 is a pretty good motorway muncher and you'd probably get one of the early 130bhp TDCI's for that money....

Chris

Nice motors, especially in silver

I second Rover 75 CDTi

Rover 45 very comfy on motorways too

Older Accord for reliability and that discreet exec look

I have just been driving my fathers Rover 75, its an awful car, was from day one. I would go for the Passat too.

What's so awful about the 75? :confused:

They are comfy, go ok, are fairly agile, easy to get in to small spaces..... What more do you want?

Nice motors, especially in silver

:rofl:

Apparently gold is harder to come by

Chris

What's so awful about the 75? :confused:

They are comfy, go ok, are fairly agile, easy to get in to small spaces..... What more do you want?

I found it underpowered, cramped, claustraphobic, very heavy brakes, tacky inside and it also handled like a super tanker. It only has 45K on the clock. Just my humble opinion.

Thanks for the inputs chaps

Only problem with the passats is, sorry but it's just a butt ugly car, I don't know why but when I see it I convulse. Other than that a valid choice.

Old octy tdi maybe an option, we'll see what the trader finds in a week or so

Fair play. I borrowed one, a 1.8 IIRC.

Went OK, but had no traction control

Could turn fairly quickly;

Good in small spaces:

Would even oversteer

Reliability was a bit suspect though; in a day i shredded 2 front tyres, blew a power steering pump, knackered a CV joint and the handbrake wasn'[t too happy either

Im sorry but if you think the Passatt is "Butt Ugly" then where do you rate the Octy? The Octy does look inferior to the Passatt - the Passatt exudes quality this is something the Octy does not.

It is all pref of course + the other issue is who cares what it looks like on the outside? You are inside so best inside is probably the most important factor to consider.

What about a 728i P - W reg these are round the £2.5-4k mark?

Also what about an A8 2.8?

Tav, that wasn't you, it was the car.

At least it sounds lots like the reliability record of the 800 minicab I once went to a job interview in (3 PAS, 2 auto boxes, various other bits in 3 months on road), and the Princess that one of my dad's bosses had (back when they were new cars).

Welshy, the exterior styling of cars is not a measure of quality. What matters is proportion and detailing, and IMO the Octy betters the Passat on both.

Interior the styling still matters. One of the main reasons I bought my Octy and not a Citroen C5 was that, when sat in the C5, I couldn't see any of the bonnet, so couldn't "aim" the car properly.

What can I say the passat just does not work for me...I really don't know why.

I'm not a designer, I work in straight lines and logic...thus the octy works as it was cheap and angled

It is a nice car; really, as you say once inside...

/edit estates are fine btw, so just the saloon's

I didnt say that it was however the impression it gives to the average punter is this car it top of the VW range it has understated looks but none the less it looks very smart. The Octy on the other hand is appealing to a different market - a more budget oriantated sector.

So saying the old octy beats the old Passatt on quality + looks is unusual. Remember the TDI130SE would have been £22k however the Octy would have been £16-17k yes there is maybe more profit margin on the Passat (maybe not though) however higher quality parts are used and the interior is a nicer place. When I have been in the Octy the dash does appear to be quite basic in comparison to the Passatt.

C5 is a terrible looking car - neartly as bad as the 607 plain dull bland. Whereas the C2/C3/C4 & C6 are all good looking the C5 is such a let down.

Ignoring personal pref for resale purposes a buyer should purchase the most desirable colour and make & model within their budget. Personal choice is of little significance when it comes down to a motorway mile muncher all thats important is comfort reliability frugality space (well do you really need a car as big as these mentioned?).

I'm not a designer, I work in straight lines and logic...thus the octy works as it was cheap and angled

/edit estates are fine btw, so just the saloon's

So do you love the new Chrysler 300C? Diesel model is ridiculously cheap for such a big and great looking car. Shame you are looking for a cheapish car.

Passats say "pretentious" to me - people who think they've bought a "quality" car ...

Got to say that I think a Mondeo would probably suit you best - loads of choice of models / trim / age etc as well so you can get whatever suits My old one was pretty bullet proof mechanically and was the typical slightly high mileage rep car with mainly motorway miles.

You want a biggish car for a mile eater, cos they're always quieter and better riding than small ones.

I don't do a big annual milage, but do do maybe 8 or 10 4-hour non-stop trips, and sometimes as much as 8 hours with only, ah, comfort and food stops every year. In my ZX that was tolerable, but in my Xantia I could do the 8 hour trip, grab a shower, and head out for the evening afterwards, feeling about as fresh as when I got up.

How about the Dodge Caliber?

not many people know this.... the 2.0CRD is the VW TDI 140 engine

15k is is a lot for a good engine shrowded in a ****e body :(

The build on that think just feels cheap, but i gues sonly time will tell.

Wonder if I can get a caterham with a 1.4 diesel block

If you find one let me know! I've been after one of these for ages!

I think the B5 Passat is stunning to look at:

If you find one let me know! I've been after one of these for ages!

Westfield used to do one

It was the usual body but with the diesel lump from the Ford P100 pickup in it so it is doable

Saab : 9-3 SE TiD Coupe ?

Someone, somewhere, probably thinks the Fabia's a nice looking car...

Don't be daft, no-one could think that!

Note: I own one.

Whether a car looks nice is opinion and you're never going to change someone's opinion on what looks nice.

Someone, somewhere, probably thinks the Fabia's a nice looking car...