Afternoon all,

I know these threads to appear quite a bit, but I would appreciate any input from Brisky members.

My father is going to get rid of his Passat and is looking to buy a second-hand car. His basic requirements are something mid-hatch sized, a budget of about £6000 - £7000, economical (a diesel is ideal really) and reliable. He has no issues about badge, styling or ergonomics - he's a very practical person!

The choice that sprang first to my mind would be a 2 or 3 year old Fabia 1.9TDi Estate . . . does anyone else have any other ideas? It wouldn't be doing that much mileage really, it's general reliability he's interested in, especially after all the issues he's had with his Passat.

TIA.

Octavia PD130 Hatchback?

Focus 1.6 TDCI (Relative just got one for under 9k at 1 year old)

If he's not doing many miles, is he really going to gain much by having a diesel?

If it has, how about an Almera 2.2 dCI?

Rob.

The Focus was a thought immediately after I started this thread actually, and with that engine ideal . . . not sure what their reliablity track record is like as I've not had any dealings with Fords really.

Octavia . . . will give that some thought.

Cheers Mark.

I was going to say Octavia as well ....but don't rule out a mondeo

For that money you need more criteria!

The main reason he wants a diesel is because it's green as well. The good fuel economy is also desireable.

I like the idea of a 1.6TCDi Focus though . . . enough power for him and very frugal.

After the Passat though might he find the build quality, quality of plastics and the supportiveness of the seats a bit disapponting?

What about a 1.4TDI Fabia, new.

After the Passat though might he find the build quality, quality of plastics and the supportiveness of the seats a bit disapponting?

What about a 1.4TDI Fabia, new.

He had no qualms with the fit and finish of my Fabia, and that was hardly up to Passat levels.

I think he's after a bit more grunt than the 1.4tdi can offer, especially for hauling 3 people and all their luggage on the motorway for long distances when going on hols etc.

Re the Focus 1.6 diesel , that engine is in the Citroen/Peugeot and the Mazda 3 , and the latest Mini , so there is some choice if he didn't want a Ford

issues with that engine in the Ford are ,

sticky EGR valves, injectors coming loose , intake pipe cracks , some oil leak issues , quite a noisy engine especially cold,

if he isn't doing many miles try and get one without the DPF on it , otherwise it will block and throw the MIL on

HTH

edit , had a faulty MAF sensor on one today

The main reason he wants a diesel is because it's green as well. The good fuel economy is also desireable.

I like the idea of a 1.6TCDi Focus though . . . enough power for him and very frugal.

The 1.6 TDCI engine is also the HDI engine and also used in the new Mini.

It is a 16v 110bhp engine and the other focus (1.8 TDCI 115) has been really really cheap to run and had good reliability. IIRC the 1.6 is also only band B for the road tax too.

Will let you know what it drives like when I go to collect it this weekend.

Seeing as Welshy isn't here, how about a 3-series Beemer. Estates will obviously be more desirable to buyers, but a 320d should have plenty of grunt and be reliable (most of the ones I've found on Autotrader were ex-fleet so will have a full service history, etc).....

Failing that, Focus, Astra, Megane, C4, etc, etc. Maybe a trip to a car supermarket and have a look around for ideas

Chris

After the Passat though might he find the build quality, quality of plastics and the supportiveness of the seats a bit disapponting?

What about a 1.4TDI Fabia, new.

The MK II Focus is miles and miles ahead of the Fabia and even the last generation Passat in terms of build quality.

I can't believe that people seriously slag ford off without reason these days. The engines are much quieter than the VAG ones too.

Thanks for the responses everyone. Interesting reading (my dad has been linked up to this page too so he's no doubt musing the postings too:D).

A 320d is a nice thought, but a guy at work has had some issues with his . . . lovely motor though.

The MK II Focus is miles and miles ahead of the Fabia and even the last generation Passat in terms of build quality.

I can't believe that people seriously slag ford off without reason these days. The engines are much quieter than the VAG ones too.

Sorry, but :rofl:

Have you ever been in a Passat B5.5? Its got a feeling of luxury, plastics are soft to the touch, switch gear has a nice soft coating, all the switches are solid and nicely damped, interior panel gaps are minimal, dash plastics are the best I've seen, the seats are the best in the business being comfy and supportive...

The Focus is hard scratchy plastics over big flat areas, the seats are pretty flat and unsupportive, the trip computer has a dot matrix display etc. Not saying its not well screwed together, but quality of materials is average at best, imho.

My mate has a Focus 2.0TDCI 2006 Zetec Climate, and the interior is just awful. Its been faultlessly reliable over 30k though, and no rattles.

The B6 Passat doesn't feel as nice inside in terms of quality as the B5.5.

Sorry, but :rofl:

Have you ever been in a Passat B5.5? Its got a feeling of luxury, plastics are soft to the touch, switch gear has a nice soft coating, all the switches are solid and nicely damped, interior panel gaps are minimal, dash plastics are the best I've seen, the seats are the best in the business being comfy and supportive...

The Focus is hard scratchy plastics over big flat areas, the seats are pretty flat and unsupportive, the trip computer has a dot matrix display etc. Not saying its not well screwed together, but quality of materials is average at best, imho.

My mate has a Focus 2.0TDCI 2006 Zetec Climate, and the interior is just awful. Its been faultlessly reliable over 30k though, and no rattles.

The B6 Passat doesn't feel as nice inside in terms of quality as the B5.5.

I really don't know what you are on Tom, but the old passat isn't that great inside, the soft coating comes off the hard plastics under it on the door handles, the seats are too hard and are uncomfortable after a couple of hours for me and the dash plastics are nothing special.

The MK I focus isn't that far off the 5.5 passat and the MK II is IMHO miles ahead, with the exception being the cr*p armrest.

The Zetec is pretty much a base trim model and if you look at the ghia or titanium they are even better inside.

I looked extensively into buying both of these nearly new and can't say the passat was anything special.

That plus the passat will have much poorer fuel economy due to the fact that is is a big car.

I don't think much of the B6 passat, I will agree it rattles too much inside and just sounds cheap. I really do think the whole of VAG have some serious catching up to do.

EDIT: Not saying the focus is the only car to consider, but I really don't think the passat is all you make it out to be and is also a much bigger car than the others. That plus the passat has mechanical issues that are well documented such as the steering pinch bolts and a much higher tax band.

The B5.5 Passat doesn't suffer the suspension issues of the earlier model.

My Passat has done 126k miles and the interior is immaculate, certainly no peeling of plastics.

Having owned a Ghia Mk1 Focus, I agree it was not bad inside, very nice infact, but still some big panel gaps. In terms of quality I can't really think of anything I prefer to the B5.5 Passat. Mine is an SE, don't know if that means the materials are different to the other models...

As for the Mk2, fair play, the Zetec isn't the best spec, but I was seriously underwhelmed. The plastics are simply nasty imho, the rev counter and speedo are notchy in their movement from zero and when returning to zero, the mirror switch is laughable!

The new Golf is a disappointment, the A3 also. The Octavia is the best of the VAG bunch. In the small hatch sector, only the 1 series really impresses in terms of materials and fit of the interior.

For seats, maybe mine are soft as they have been sat in for so long... but me and my parents did 1500 miles in one week in it, and not a single complaint from anyone. I've very fussy when it comes to seats, and for a non-sports model, the Passats are the best I've sat in.

Its very subjective though I suppose, one mans treasure etc...

EDIT to add - the Passats drag co-efficient of 0.27 over 0.33 of the Focus more than outweighs its 105kg weight disadvantage too! :P

Anyway, sorry for the hijack Rob!! What about a Bora? For that money I'd be looking at Passats and Mondeos myself...

Yes back on topic.

Mondeo is another possibility . . . I am a little concerned about mkiv golf platform cars (Golf, Bora, Octy 1 etc.) because of the apparent heater matrix design flaws, which my father's passat has had (and is going to cost a fair bit to repair).

Are foci really that bad inside? Can't be worse than a Fabia . . . :eek:

Yes back on topic.

Mondeo is another possibility . . . I am a little concerned about mkiv golf platform cars (Golf, Bora, Octy 1 etc.) because of the apparent heater matrix design flaws, which my father's passat has had (and is going to cost a fair bit to repair).

Are foci really that bad inside? Can't be worse than a Fabia . . . :eek:

I prefer the Mk1 Focus to the Mk2 for interior... but to be fair I'm not comparing like specs.

Curious to have a poke around a Ghia or Titanium now. :P

. The engines are much quieter than the VAG ones too.

sorry can't agree with you there , the 1.6TDCI is a rattly piece of cr@p compared with the 1.9PD , and the 1.6 is suppose to be the latest technology , you can your latest technology thanks

I know Fords are supposed to 'have advanced'.

Any older Fords I drove were always built 'to a price'.

Am so distrustful of them from many friends / work colleagues experiences - yet there are so many on the roads.

Just my own opinion - but I would not have one thrown at me.

Hyundai, Kia, Suzuki (after years of being also-rans, using old technology) seem to be leading the field in so many ways regarding affordable reliable and very driveable cars.

I know Fords are supposed to 'have advanced'.

Any older Fords I drove were always built 'to a price'.

.

they still are built down to a price , which is why Ford are in deep sh!te , if they had just spent a little bit more , then their cars/vans(especially) would be reliable and have a good reputation

they still are built down to a price , which is why Ford are in deep sh!te , if they had just spent a little bit more , then their cars/vans(especially) would be reliable and have a good reputation

That was how I saw / see it

sorry can't agree with you there , the 1.6TDCI is a rattly piece of cr@p compared with the 1.9PD , and the 1.6 is suppose to be the latest technology , you can your latest technology thanks

The ones I have driven in PSA cars are not noisy and bearing in mind BMW are using if for the mini I can't see it being particularly noisy. I mean 110bhp from a 1.6 is a good power output too. I actually found them a lot quieter on the motorway than the 1.9 PD105 and TDI110 i have driven.

they still are built down to a price , which is why Ford are in deep sh!te , if they had just spent a little bit more , then their cars/vans(especially) would be reliable and have a good reputation

MK I Focus, 100k miles & 1 problem sorted under warrenty. Mates new fiesta no problems so far.

2 MK II octavia both under 30k miles and under 2 years old, so many problems both major and minor.

The fords are much cheaper to service too, not to mention the price on accessories.

Yeah ford are the piles of cr*p?

All cars are built to a price, in the VAG group there are different price points for different brands but they are all built to a price.

On topic:

Also consider :

- Volvo V40

- VW Touran, bit higher seating position but not a bad car at all having had one on hire for a week.

- Mazda 3/5

He might also consider the Accord 2.2 CDTi. Good engine and the trim levels tend to be pretty good. Only problem is they do hold their value quite well but worth a look

Chris