Browsing for a cheap daily driver - The search is over! 27/05/2019
- Thread starter tee.gilding
- Start date
Yeah unfortunately I'm looking for something bigger than a Fiesta. A Focus or Golf are as small as I want to go, and only if they're an estate...
Being a dedicated BMW fan these days my daily is an E91 325i Touring. :roll:
But that doesn't fit the brief - but maybe a diesel E46 Touring would fit the bill? Or perhaps an early E91 Touring (but I don't know if they have a dpf). That's what I'd be after - even the 320td has plenty of grunt. A 330d must be something else. :lol:
But that doesn't fit the brief - but maybe a diesel E46 Touring would fit the bill? Or perhaps an early E91 Touring (but I don't know if they have a dpf). That's what I'd be after - even the 320td has plenty of grunt. A 330d must be something else. :lol:
No thanks! I'm getting rid of my old Fiat, don't want to replace it with another Fiat! I need something bigger anyhow! Best of luck with your sale though.slick said:
I'd love to stick with the brand but unfortunately they're either really ratty or sky high mileage (250k plus) at the sub £2k mark. That or their tax is so high I might as well not bother. Hence why I've been checking out other brands as options. But a 318d would be perfect if I had a few extra k to find a decent example!Mr Tidy said:
Liverpool
I know reliability was never their selling point, but the later Alfa’s are no less reliable than any other marque, and the parts are relatively cheap.
If I needed the extra space over my 147 (which I’m doing 25,000 miles a year in and averaging 50mpg on a 210 mile, 80mph motorway cruise), then I’d look out for a 156 Sportwagon, although they’re not the easiest cars to find in diesel form, and the 1.9 16v JTDm is the sweet spot, but...
2.4 JTD for £1000
If I needed the extra space over my 147 (which I’m doing 25,000 miles a year in and averaging 50mpg on a 210 mile, 80mph motorway cruise), then I’d look out for a 156 Sportwagon, although they’re not the easiest cars to find in diesel form, and the 1.9 16v JTDm is the sweet spot, but...
2.4 JTD for £1000
I owned a 156 once upon a time. It wasn't high mileage, but it was terrible for reliability! I spent more than the purchase price keeping it on the road over 5 years! So, yeah, while I love the look and feel of them, I'd struggle to convince myself to buy an Alfa again in a hurry...mmm-five said:
Thanks all for your input so far! After a bit of research over the weekend I think I've narrowed down my search based on market availability and feedback from this forum.
I had a look at pre-06 Mondeo, Focus, Golf and Passat estates to try to avoid the DPF thing. While this does bring the annual tax figure up a little bit, these cars do tend to be more affordable (at least in their purchase price!) so I think I'll aim for this era of car. But also looking in to what it available, the Ford's I saw mostly tended to be less cared for than the VW's, which leans me toward the Golf and Passats instead. And seeing as I want a decent capacity in the car, that leans me even more towards the Passat.
So, at this stage my thinking is: 2002-2005 VW Passat 1.9 TDI. They're a little more expensive on annual tax and their economy isn't as favourable as the other three, but I prefer them on an aesthetic basis so I can stomach the slightly elevated running costs.
Has anyone got any experience with these cars? Know what to look out for? Or have one for sale??
I had a look at pre-06 Mondeo, Focus, Golf and Passat estates to try to avoid the DPF thing. While this does bring the annual tax figure up a little bit, these cars do tend to be more affordable (at least in their purchase price!) so I think I'll aim for this era of car. But also looking in to what it available, the Ford's I saw mostly tended to be less cared for than the VW's, which leans me toward the Golf and Passats instead. And seeing as I want a decent capacity in the car, that leans me even more towards the Passat.
So, at this stage my thinking is: 2002-2005 VW Passat 1.9 TDI. They're a little more expensive on annual tax and their economy isn't as favourable as the other three, but I prefer them on an aesthetic basis so I can stomach the slightly elevated running costs.
Has anyone got any experience with these cars? Know what to look out for? Or have one for sale??
Great cars - especially the 130 tdi Highline. Plenty of 04 and 05 models out there. One from VW's more reliable days.
The engine really is a peach. I had an almost identical 130 tdi in a Seat Toledo. Bought it at 120k miles and 5 years/60k miles later it was still going strong. Good performance and great economy. Absolutely great car and only reason I sold it was because it was a saloon and so a nightmare getting kids stuff in and out the boot.
A few pointers here grabbed from Passat forum for you, mostly about water ingress...
check for water damage in passenger front foot well - lift the carpet and the the black box which contains the ccm (ccm controls the electrics for the doors and tailgate)
check where the battery is doesn't have any water
and in the brake servo (this can be expensive) and also dangerous
make sure all the electrics work remote central locking and the lock button on the drivers door
also get the car diagnosed with vag com for any fault codes (before purchase)
Try and test the alarm as this can also have water damage but in most cases just needs drying out.
For estates only, the pipe for the rear wiper washer jet can come apart behind the panel on the passengers side in the boot and also inside the tailgate itself. so if the boot is wet that's probably what caused it.
The engine really is a peach. I had an almost identical 130 tdi in a Seat Toledo. Bought it at 120k miles and 5 years/60k miles later it was still going strong. Good performance and great economy. Absolutely great car and only reason I sold it was because it was a saloon and so a nightmare getting kids stuff in and out the boot.
A few pointers here grabbed from Passat forum for you, mostly about water ingress...
check for water damage in passenger front foot well - lift the carpet and the the black box which contains the ccm (ccm controls the electrics for the doors and tailgate)
check where the battery is doesn't have any water
and in the brake servo (this can be expensive) and also dangerous
make sure all the electrics work remote central locking and the lock button on the drivers door
also get the car diagnosed with vag com for any fault codes (before purchase)
Try and test the alarm as this can also have water damage but in most cases just needs drying out.
For estates only, the pipe for the rear wiper washer jet can come apart behind the panel on the passengers side in the boot and also inside the tailgate itself. so if the boot is wet that's probably what caused it.
Thanks JamieZ4C! That's some solid pointers, much appreciated! So it's mostly water ingress to keep an eye out for. I suppose buying in winter/spring is probably the best time then - more likely to exhibit signs of water ingress than in the summer when it's had time to dry out.
So since the last time I discussed this I've narrowed my search to two cars:
Both appeal to me both visually and practically, and are very similar on paper. The E46 will be marginally faster and a bit better looking especially if in Sport trim, but that's not incredibly important when it comes to my daily commute.
I'm heading away for a couple weeks from next week and will be putting my current daily up for sale when I'm back and fixed a couple little bits. Anyone got anything to say on either of the two models above?
- 2003-2005 BMW (E46) 320d touring (facelift)
2002-2005 VW Passat TDI Highline
Both appeal to me both visually and practically, and are very similar on paper. The E46 will be marginally faster and a bit better looking especially if in Sport trim, but that's not incredibly important when it comes to my daily commute.
I'm heading away for a couple weeks from next week and will be putting my current daily up for sale when I'm back and fixed a couple little bits. Anyone got anything to say on either of the two models above?
I suspected as much - but there is the whole "VW diesel" stigma to then deal with...mmm-five said:
I had a 2003 320td as my daily for a few years. The only maintenance it required were the replacement of a split turbo hose and eventually a new clutch at >150,000 miles.
Importantly, the previous owner had removed the swirl flaps (which are plastic and can break up damaging the engine). It’s a wise thing to do if running a BMW diesel of that vintage.
Mine was a compact and it was reasonably quick, efficient (except in town where a small petrol engine would have been better) and handled really nicely. I really wanted a 330d in M Sport trim but couldn’t find a good one at the time.
Importantly, the previous owner had removed the swirl flaps (which are plastic and can break up damaging the engine). It’s a wise thing to do if running a BMW diesel of that vintage.
Mine was a compact and it was reasonably quick, efficient (except in town where a small petrol engine would have been better) and handled really nicely. I really wanted a 330d in M Sport trim but couldn’t find a good one at the time.
