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£4-6k doesn't buy much these days

I just picked up my C270 CDI with 56K on the clock (Auto/53plate) for £5K (FSH)

OK I got a little bit of a deal on it as my brother is the dealer, but he said to me at 5K or he'll sell it out for £6K...

If you have the cash to walk onto a forecourt ... most wont let you walk away ;)
 
Dieselman said:
Possibly not going to achieve the 45+ mpg will is looking for...
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Probably not but the aggregate cost of the 6k-7k miles per year the car will be doing will be relatively cheap travelling in style.
I do not expect much in the way of depreciation which for most is the greatest part of the cost of motoring.

Mic

PS Will did muse in his Post about a V8 alternative......never likely to produce 45+mpg
 
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4 - 6 K would buy all the vehicles in my garage including the d300.
for that money you could easily pick up a s80 / v70 with the D5 engine which will do you around the 45 mpg's

if you are after less then the 2.5 10 valve V70 will set you back buttons in comparison and return you 30 is mpg.
 
I went to see an A3, A4 and Octavia today, all from the same dealer. Nice sales staff. Had a pleasant chat with the owner about the car market in general. A few generalisations, some obvious, others less so:

£4k diesel cars fly out the showroom, £6k are a lot slower to move
Second hand cars aren't any cheaper since I last bought one at this price 2 years ago (is this what sales staff call selling at a price point?)
No one wants old Saab 900 convertibles as the 9-3 ones are so cheap anyway (sorry bpsorrel)
Large engined diesel cars are hard to sell as owners fear repair costs
My 9-5 is worth peanuts, or chicken feed I should say
Not much money in second-hand cars anyway - he wouldn't want his son to follow in his foot-steps

Amusingly he recommended I stopped changing cars so often and stick with the 9-5......thanks 'dad'!

I quite liked the A4 Avant he had: 2005 2.0TDI 71k £7k
 
I feel the end may be in sight. A local dealer has two suitable cars on his forecourt:

2007 Skoda Roomster 1.4TDi 32k £5750
2006 Honda Civic 2.2CTDi 74k £5888

I've toyed with the idea of going classic, a few 190 16v have caught my eye. But on reflection I need to spend less time tinkering with my cars, not more.

The Roomster is one very ugly car, but looks like the kind of practicality I need, plus I know that engine from my A2 and it's a frugal and reliable unit.
The Civic offers really good balance of performance and economy, plus an interesting exterior and exterior design, if you like that kind of thing.

Anyway, the dealer is preparing the Civic and will call tomorrow when he know's it's ready for a test drive. Cash in the bank, I can't see myself walking away without at least one of those cars.
 
I had a diesel Civic when it first came out Will. Mine had a couple of electrical issues that were sorted by Honda, but I found the seats unsupportive for my bad back. Overall though, the car was roomy, refined, torquey with the ability to rev and very economical, with a superb load space. Hard ride like many Hondas, the rear split screen irritating, but overall a very decent package, an excellent engine and I still adore the styling. My sister has a petrol one that at 5 years old looks close to new.
 
A 2006 Civic 2.2 CTDI is now parked on the driveway :) Job done for at least 2 years I hope.

On the drive home from the dealer I averaged ~55mpg. I'll be very happy with that economy if it remains. Might even try to push 60 one day.
 
wemorgan said:
A 2006 Civic 2.2 CTDI is now parked on the driveway :) Job done for at least 2 years I hope.

On the drive home from the dealer I averaged ~55mpg. I'll be very happy with that economy if it remains. Might even try to push 60 one day.
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Excellent news. Good luck with the car.
 
wemorgan said:
A 2006 Civic 2.2 CTDI is now parked on the driveway :) Job done for at least 2 years I hope.

On the drive home from the dealer I averaged ~55mpg. I'll be very happy with that economy if it remains. Might even try to push 60 one day.
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I've had 2-both good cars. My ES could achieve 60+ mpg on a long run/mostly motorway:). Probably he biggest potential issue with the civic diesel (and the accord) is clutch slip. Find a fairly long hill, drop it into 4th gear at a speed where the engine's spinning approx. 2k revs. Boot it, and the car should pull hard. If the revs rise but the car's speed does'nt the clutch is on the way out. In the grand scheme of things, with hundreds of thousands of these cars sold, the chances of a duffer are very small. Good luck with the car !
 
wemorgan said:
A 2006 Civic 2.2 CTDI is now parked on the driveway :) Job done for at least 2 years I hope.

On the drive home from the dealer I averaged ~55mpg. I'll be very happy with that economy if it remains. Might even try to push 60 one day.
Click to expand...

Excellent stuff! Is that good enough news to organise a Civic Reception?:o:dk:
 
Thanks for the advice. The clutch felt good on the test drive.

In the end it boiled down to this 2006 Civic with 75k or a 2008 Citroen C4 with 45k. Both cars are quite similar in concept I felt, but the Civic looked the better executed. Also after a couple of years my then 100k Civic will still be worth decent money, but from what I can see on Autotrader, Citroen C4 very quickly become <£2k cars. Time will tell of course.
 
Make Model Year Spec Mileage Price
Audi A2 2002 1.4 TDI 95 £3,490
Audi A2 2004 1.4 TDI 76 £5,190
Audi A2 2004 1.4 TDI 80 £5,195
Audi A3 2005 2.0 TDI SE DSG 91 £4,995
Ford Fusion 2004 1.4 TDCI 60 £3,999
Mercedes A-class 2006 A180 CDI 71 £5,299
Skoda Octavia 2006 1.9 TDI Elegance DSG 58 £5,750
Skoda Roomster 2007 1.4 TDI 32 £5,750
VW Golf 2008 1.9 TDI Estate 92 £5,490

The Audi A3 catches my eye, decent underpinnings, a pretty powerful engine, German build quality, decent badge and a DSG gearbox for £5K
 
Servicing isn't too expensive either :)

Oil, oil filter, air filter, fuel filter, cabin filter, coolant change, transmission oil, brake fluid, air-con regas, valve clearance check for £400 inc VAT.
 
Quote from a VAG tech on DSG gearboxes- fantastic driving experience--- seamless gear changes----- BUT I WOULD NEVER HAVE ONE NOT COVERED BY MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY!
 
^ a lot of car for the money. but for me where the diesel Civic wins is the balance of performance and economy. 53mpg (combined), 0-60 mph in 8.6s. Few cars manage that from my searching.
 
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