Any experience of a good modern diesel?

[willrobdon]

Hi all, i'm looking at replacing my daily driver for work, I do about 80 miles a day and therefore it has to be a diesel.

Ideally i'd like an estate as it'd be handy to move kit about etc.

I'm looking at spending around 4.5k to 5.5k. So far i've been looking at Audi A4/A6 1.9 or 2.5 diesels, do you own one? Are they any good??

Any other suggestions are welcome as i can't think of that many cars that fill my criteria.

Thanks all.

[Dins]

I've driven quite a few BMW diesels and they are some of the best around. Depends on how "old" you go, as technology has improved dramatically over time.

[willrobdon]

I was thinking 2001 or newer depends what i can get for the cash as it's not a massive budget.

[R33_GTS-t]

I've driven a Bora 1.9 TDi 130 and a new A3 2.0TDi. The engines are good but the pedal feel, steering and gearbox are all a complete twat to use.

The Mondeo 2.2 TDCi 155s are a better drive for that price range. They superchip to 185bhp and are completely anonymous. Slightly worse mpg than the VAG 1.9 130s but a much better drive and still much better mpg than a GTR. You'll also get a newer car with lower miles for that price.

BMWs are reputed to be excellent but you'll struggle to find a modern(ish) one in that price field.

[hodgie]

I use a Ford Mondeo 2ltr TDI for work and am sat in it for approx 10 - 11 hours aday, very comfortable and the engines are sound.

[Darbo]

end of the day
skoda vw audi = same

what ever is cheepest
we service a skoda taxi with 350k plus and its still going ok

pugeot diesel is a good plugger
even the fords not to bad
modern stuff can cost a fortune to fix if anything goes wrong though
but not always

[Bubble]

I bought a 54 plate Mondeo TDCi 130 Ghia with 99K on it for £3500

Driven carefully it shows 55mpg on the trip on the daily commute when my Skyline is not on the road.

They are very comfortable cars and good valur fr the money. I was looking at the A4TDi but for the same money, they have all been to the moon and back and a lot older too.

[Marky_GTSt]

My experience with the newer mondeo deisels has been quite a positive one, They seem fairly good, I also have experience working on Audi, Especially the A4, One noteable one had 170,000 miles on it and was completely nackered, Gearbox was rough and eventually lost drive but before that it needed a full set of wishbones (Really not cheap) and various other bits like CV joints and a clutch.

Given the choice I would say the Mondeo was superior to the Audi.

For £3.5k I got myself a nice corsa 1.3TD which does crazy MPG, Performs quite well is cheap on bits and easy to fix... also has AC, CD, and PAS. If you can get away with less space then they are worth a look at.

Might be worth a look at some of the Japanese Deisels too, See if anything they do takes your fancy.

[MIKEGTR]

I had a 2001 320D BMW, far from the quickest diesel out there but no slouch, really nice and comfortable car. Currently got a 2008 Golf TDI that is supurb, great to drive very well specced up.

Value for money has to go to seat diesels though imo,

[Hugo]

I drove a chipped Beemer 535d for a few months and was really impressed with the torque (670Nm).
It accelerates effortless and in complete silence. It's like an electric motor.

Only disadvantage: Because it does everything so easily your new highway cruise speed will become at least 100 mp/h if you don't keep your eyes on the speedo

[DaleHarrison]

I can't fault my MK4 Golf GT TDi.

Great work horse, 550-600 miles out of a tank, £120 a year to tax.

Failing that, I had a Polo TDi before, 420-450 miles out a tank, £50 a year to tax. I'm happy with VW diesel engines for ever now!

[Richf]

The VAG 170hp diesels arent as nice as the 130hp one imo , we have the skoda Octy 2 VRS and i find the motor peaky , great for a thrash but annoying when you arent in the mood but they are fairly recent and pretty expensive

My '01 E320 CDI is peaches and cream in comparison chipped it will touch 60 in 7 seconds and go onto 145mph + but wont do the same kind of mpg as the 1.9 VAG engines , nor will any of the bigger BMW's or more modern Mercs , in fact the latest engines arent that great on fuel at all but i doubt you will get a decent one in your budget

What about the 1.9 tdi Octavia??? Same engine as the Audi and many of the same parts for a fraction of the cost

[DaleHarrison]

I've not driven any of the MK5 Golf diesels, I was only referring to the MK4, I know Cem had the 140bhp MK5 Golf and raved about it, and if I were in a position to upgrade I'd also probably got for the 140 model instead of the 170 in a MK5

[R33_GTS-t]

Originally Posted by Bubble

I bought a 54 plate Mondeo TDCi 130 Ghia with 99K on it for £3500

Even cheaper than that now. Take a look on Autotrader. As low as £2k for 80,000 mile example.

[turboslippers]

For that price the Mondeo's are the best value and the 150PS engine is excellent. I'm not just saying that as I work on the Puma Diesel but it's relatively frugal, has loads of mid range punch and chassis is excellent...well specced mondeo's also haemorrage cash which is why they are an excellent buy s/h compared to VAG products. That said the VAG 1.9 engines are very good as well
Puma 2.2's can be a bit clattery from cold but then the VAG ones aren't much better. BMW make the best engines IMO but at that budget I don't think you'll get the newer 2.0 or 3.0 ones (I might be wrong)