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Yet another "recommend me a new car" thread
#1426466
09/05/2013 18:38
09/05/2013 18:38
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,294 Portsmouth
ali_hire
OP
Forum is my life
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OP
Forum is my life
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,294
Portsmouth
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After the wedding this summer I’ve decided to treat myself to a newer car as there’s a good chance we might actually have some disposable income again.
Trouble is, I don’t really know what I want. I have several cars I like the look of but they’re all quite different and I’m not sure which way to go.
Basic criteria;
- Has to be diesel (I do 40 miles a day just getting to and from work, then I have travelling throughout the day) - Needs to have space to transport 4 adults in relative comfort and also to be easy to get in and out of (no coupes or 2 door hatchbacks) - Needs to be relatively modern (6 years old as a maximum, I’d say) - Must be reliable and not too costly to run or maintain. - I’d like it to have a good amount of toys on it. Aircon and electric windows being an absolute minimum, Bluetooth connectivity being a big plus. - Decent performance preferable. By no means does it need to get to 60mph in 6 seconds or be as sharp as a Caterham in the corners, but the ability to comfortably overtake when necessary would be nice and I don’t want the engine to be struggling if I’m doing a long trip at motorway speeds (I’m envisaging a 2 litre turbo diesel of some sort).
Would like to spend less than £10k.
Another point I have to take into consideration is the image of the car and what it says about me. I don’t like this aspect of my job (middle-upper market estate and letting agency) but it’s a fact that we get judged on first impressions and the wrong car could impact quite seriously on our chances of winning business. If I turned up in an M3, say, I wouldn’t even get through the door. The perfect car for my market would probably be a grey Discovery or a brown Volvo (neither of which I’m considering).
A few cars I like...
Alfa 159
I’ve yet to see another four door saloon as attractive, especially in Ti trim. It ticks many of the boxes and either the diesel options should offer a good mix of cruising ability and efficiency. The spec.-cost ratio is good when compared to other 4 door saloons but my concern is the reliability (is this still a problem for Alfas?)
Honda Civic
I like these as they seem interesting to look at (especially when compared to most European hatchbacks) but they still seem fairly inconspicuous. I don’t think I’ve ever cursed a Honda driver in my life and the build quality and reliability (from what I’ve read) seem to be very good.
BMW 3 series saloon
Potentially still an issue surrounding the image of a BMW driver but I quite like them and I think in the right trim they can be boringfairly neutral. However, my budget is unlikely to get me anything other than a high miler.
VW Golf
The vehicular equivalent of porridge but well built and so flexible. I had a mk5 as a company car a while back and I couldn’t fault it. It was practical, comfortable, fast enough, solid and cheap to run. Image-wise it’d be excellent as I can’t imagine anyone getting offended by a Volkswagen, ever. I can’t help but think I could just have something a little bit more exciting. Something that puts a smile on my face when I walk up to it in the car park or when I sit in it for the drive home after a long day.
Very much open to other suggestions and/or comments on my likes and dislikes.
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Re: Yet another "recommend me a new car" thread
[Re: ali_hire]
#1426469
09/05/2013 18:48
09/05/2013 18:48
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 3,610 S. Wales. Way beyond my means
Gripped
Club member 1924
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Club member 1924
Forum is my job
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 3,610
S. Wales. Way beyond my means
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My vote goes for anything with the VAG 2.0 litre TDi (140 or 170 bhp) Should give you plenty of choice, but I'd go for an Audi A3, A4, A6 and the estates (Avant) look good too. The image is not as bad as a BMW. An altogether sexier image than a Golf - but don't get me wrong, the Golf is a great car, but having the Audi on the drive would probably make you smile more.
Honda Accord or Civic also good, 2.2CDTi is a great engine, but be warned, parts are pricey.
Used Audi will be my next car.
PS, Japanese generally more reliable (not always), but usually less sexy.
I'm not sure I could recommend an Alfa for an everyday car. Much as I love Italian cars, and it's a cliche, I think they are likely to be more unreliable than a VAG car. A few friends have come croppers on new Alfas. Happy to be proved wrong though.
Last edited by Gripped; 09/05/2013 18:56.
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Re: Yet another "recommend me a new car" thread
[Re: ali_hire]
#1426494
09/05/2013 20:55
09/05/2013 20:55
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Big_Muzzie
Unregistered
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Big_Muzzie
Unregistered
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Alfa is only car there where rear is big enough to comfortably sit 2 adults (of a proper size) but a 159 diesel isn't at all frugal. Yes I have sat in the back of the others, no it wasn't comfortable. A6 TDI, Mazda 6???
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Re: Yet another "recommend me a new car" thread
[Re: ali_hire]
#1426501
09/05/2013 21:28
09/05/2013 21:28
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 2,163 Glos
Brilly1uk
Club member 1034
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Club member 1034
Competition Level
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 2,163
Glos
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On the VW-Audi 2.0tdi theme, I test drove some 2009-10 Audi A6 2.0TDi SE's recently and thought the build quality, ride comfort, toys etc very good. I have run a A6 for 8 years and whilst it needed a few expensive jobs doing, its done almost 200k (and its a 1.8 petrol Quattro - not even a diesel). In the end though, we opted for a 2.0 TDi Golf GT, as my wife wanted a more compact car for the weekly shop etc Whilst admittedly it's not the most exciting car to look at, the Golf (Mk6)interior and build quality, mean it gives you a reassuring sense of well being every-time its driven. Its got heated sports seats, reversing camera, touch screen entertainment system etc, so it's not exactly short of toys. 170bhp versions, also have that extra zip....
Fiat Coupe 20VT Alfa Romeo Spider BMW X3
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Re: Yet another "recommend me a new car" thread
[Re: ali_hire]
#1426504
09/05/2013 21:39
09/05/2013 21:39
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 8,961 west bromwich
coupedummy
Je suis un Coupé
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Je suis un Coupé
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 8,961
west bromwich
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I had a hire Passat 2.0 tdi which for the 3 month was a fantastic car. It was a black estate, full leathers,dsg gearbox, 17 inch alloys and really enjoying driving it. Felt solid commanding and should be achievable easily for under the 10k mark. Bags and bags of room and very comfortable. similar too this. Looked much better in the flesh.
Last edited by coupedummy; 09/05/2013 21:40.
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Re: Yet another "recommend me a new car" thread
[Re: ali_hire]
#1426511
09/05/2013 22:08
09/05/2013 22:08
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Big_Muzzie
Unregistered
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Big_Muzzie
Unregistered
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Passat sportline? Yeah not a bad motor. Golfs are a tad common imho, i also think they are getting a little common place although the latest itteration is the best looking golf since the 1990 big bumper stuff.
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Re: Yet another "recommend me a new car" thread
[Re: ali_hire]
#1426583
10/05/2013 14:15
10/05/2013 14:15
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 8,449 Lightwater, Surrey
DaveG
Club Treasurer Member 311
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Club Treasurer Member 311
Je suis un Coupé
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 8,449
Lightwater, Surrey
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Years ago (I mean in the late 70's and early 80') cars in the US were strangled with anti-smog features such as compressors injecting air back into the exhaust, and when such cars were impotted to the UK (I'm thinking of the Fiat 124 Spider) all this gubbins was removed, since we didn't have such strict requirements.
So I wonder if the DPF's were removed, would it matter? Would the car fail an MOT?
1996 Portofino 20vt & 2000 Pearl White Plus 2008 Ferrari F430 & 2017 Fiat 124 Spider
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Re: Yet another "recommend me a new car" thread
[Re: ali_hire]
#1426588
10/05/2013 15:06
10/05/2013 15:06
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,294 Portsmouth
ali_hire
OP
Forum is my life
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OP
Forum is my life
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,294
Portsmouth
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The Exeo is nice, I’d prefer a saloon but I see that there are quite a few examples within budget. My mum has a Lexus IS and it impresses me in a very Golfish way (mundane, but well built and inconspicuous). Equipment levels are very good. The Phaeton is a hell of a lot of car for the money. Aren’t these about £70-80k new? Although it’s quite an alluring proposition, my worry is that I’ll still be paying to run and maintain an £80k car. Caution on new diesels: if you're not doing sufficient high speed cruising so they can clear the particulate filter, you're looking at hundreds of quid to change it in a year... I was completely unaware of this. The 40 mile daily round trip I do is all motorway apart from the first and last mile. The rest of my daily travelling is a mixture of town/village driving and the B roads in between them. Is this likely to be sufficient to avoid clogging this filter?
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Re: Yet another "recommend me a new car" thread
[Re: ali_hire]
#1426592
10/05/2013 15:43
10/05/2013 15:43
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TimR
Unregistered
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TimR
Unregistered
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The 40 mile daily round trip I do is all motorway apart from the first and last mile. The rest of my daily travelling is a mixture of town/village driving and the B roads in between them.
Is this likely to be sufficient to avoid clogging this filter? That should be fine. My Dad's Meriva diesel recommends that the car is sometimes driven at in excess of 2k revs for 15 minutes to clear the DPF. I don't think your choice of the Alfa is too bad. From what I've seen BMWs, Audis, etc are just as (un)reliable as Alfas and BMWs appear to be prone to occasional turbo failure. I keep looking at the 2 litre JTDM 159 TIs.
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Re: Yet another "recommend me a new car" thread
[Re: ali_hire]
#1426594
10/05/2013 16:06
10/05/2013 16:06
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,572 Northampton England
Sedicivalvole
Club member 2092
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Club member 2092
Forum is my life
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,572
Northampton England
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I would say the Alfa of all of them.
I don't believe that the 159 suffers from any major problems.
Vinci Grey LE Alfa 147 GTA 3.2 V6 BMW E92 M3 4.0 V8 Fiat Tipo Sedicivalvole 2.0 16v ABS
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Re: Yet another "recommend me a new car" thread
[Re: ali_hire]
#1426616
10/05/2013 19:42
10/05/2013 19:42
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Big_Muzzie
Unregistered
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Big_Muzzie
Unregistered
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Phaeton runs passat parts, and Bentley also use passat parts ;-) Parts shouldn't be expensive, it's a good runner for the money!
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