Opinions on 2nd hand diesel car options for $15-18k

[clip]

hmmm, not sure about the pugs. I had the misfortune to have a pug 308 for 3 months at the start of the year as a company car. It was near new - 2600k's, with the dsg type box. Apart from the horrendous turbo lag, it was just plain dangerous. It would take a second or so before it would actually take off if you planted it off the line and the gear changes were like driving a manual and dropping the clutch through every change. Sport mode was equally horrendous and not for the faint hearted as it hung in gear and then dropped with a correspondingly long shift time that then threw you back into the seat when it finally decided to actually engage the next gear. But it went OK, ride was good, but chassis definitely lacking once pushed. TBH, I much preferred driving the little base manual TDI Polo I had prior to this. I don’t really think Peugeot has made a decent car for about 20 years - or longer -the 504 probably last decent car they made.

[kaanage]

As far as drivers cars go, I think Peugeot stopped making really good ones with the 306 GTi6. The 205 and 306 had terrific chassis and all the models since have felt doughy and lacklustre.

If you include reliability in your measure, then maybe the 504 was the last decent one - certain the 205's and 306's needed lots of maintenance.

[jazd]

My mum and dad have had 2 near identical Pug 307 manual diesels. Both have been bulletproof, no engine troubles at all and really good fuel economy. The first one got written off in a head on with a 4WD at 60kmh and my mum and brother escaped totally unscathed.

[Mi16 Man]

My mum and dad have had 2 near identical Pug 307 manual diesels. Both have been bulletproof, no engine troubles at all and really good fuel economy. The first one got written off in a head on with a 4WD at 60kmh and my mum and brother escaped totally unscathed.

God love Peugeot's.....and, VW's!

[clip]

As far as drivers cars go, I think Peugeot stopped making really good ones with the 306 GTi6. The 205 and 306 had terrific chassis ....

yep, you've got to love the 205gti - what a car! I was in Italy a few years after they were released. One afternooon we went for a run and hit a range just out of Florence. Next thing I noticed a bike and a 205 closing in behind me. The 205 was up the clackers of the bike. They flew past us and then next corner the 205 took the bike through the corner on the outside lane. Awesome driver & probably average rider, but pretty to watch anyway! I vowed to get a 205 when I got home (ended up with 1300 beetle!).

[kaanage]

then next corner the 205 took the bike through the corner on the outside lane. Awesome driver & probably average rider,

Probably not - it's far easier to commit 90+% in a car on public roads than on a bike, especially if the corners are closely spaced so the bike can't make full use of its (likely) power to weight advantage.

Peugeot seem to have cotton wooled the response in their newer cars as the just don't give the lift off, tail out attitude any more. That said, my neighbour hired an RCZ in Europe and loved it - a diesel one of these could be pretty nice.

[gldgti]

I reckon the 405mi16 was just the ants pants for fwd chassis, talk about grip - but I prefer everything else about a vw.

[Chris259]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but i had the same idea of buying a used TDI Jetta with around the same price range. However around this price range it varies around 90000-100000kms. Should I go for post 100,000k's as its probably done the major service and most likely cheaper?
Or should i go for 60-70,000kms? I will most probably go through a dealer since i have a trade in.

[BluChris]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but i had the same idea of buying a used TDI Jetta with around the same price range. However around this price range it varies around 90000-100000kms. Should I go for post 100,000k's as its probably done the major service and most likely cheaper?
Or should i go for 60-70,000kms? I will most probably go through a dealer since i have a trade in.

Said it before and I'll say it again... have a look at the Octavia. Supply is lower so you have to be patient, but if you look on Carsales you'll see a couple on there now with lower K's in that price range. Was also one on recently (Victorian) that was a 2008 Octavia Ambiente Combi TDI DSG with 50,000k, front and rear parking sensors for 18k from a dealer. Given the mechanicals are VW, the body roomier and build quality better what more could you ask? Of course there are also ones with higher K's in the same price range, but I'd either ignore them or bargain very hard.

[Lucas_R]

In response to my original post - we ended up purchasing a new Mazda 3 two weeks ago. After a wasted weekend of hunting around both Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney (private and car yard sales) we couldnt find a Polo, Golf or Jetta that we liked. Im very fussy with my cars, and none of the cars we looked at appeared to be in good condition / or had services missing / or were filthy etc etc - and the Mrs wasnt a fan of the exhaust smell of the diesels and the "tractor" engine sound.

Thanks to the Skoda guys for their input, but im not a fan of the shape of the Skoda's so they were not on my shopping list. As for the Peugeot's, i will never buy a french car.

So we spotted an add in the local paper for the newly updated Mazda 3 for $21,900 driveaway and couldnt resist having a look. Its not the prettiest car around with its "smiley face" but i couldnt deny its value for money. Standard equipment includes:

Safety:
6 airbags (including curtain airbags)
Traction control
EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution)
ABS

Engine/Drivetrain:
2.0 litre petrol (108kw / 182nm)
6 speed manual gearbox

Body:
15 inch mag wheels
Colour coded door handles / mirrors / bumpers etc

Inside:
Ipod / MP3 player AUX input
Cruise Control
CD Player
Air Conditioning

Anyway, we ended up negotiating a driveaway price of $21,700 and got window tinting and floor mats included in that price. So for $3k or so more than what we originally wanted to spend, we got a brand new car with 3yr warranty.

And before you talk about diesel economy, on its first ever tank of petrol, the little Mazda got 700km from its 55litre tank and it still said 35km to empty on the dashboard. And that was a combination of city and freeway driving. So as the engine loosens up over the next few months it should get even get better.

Best of all, the Mrs loves her new car so that should put me in the good books for a while. It cruises along nicely on the freeway, and is nippy around town.

Here we are collecting it.



---------- Post added at 10:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:41 AM ----------

Other cars we test drove were:

Ford Fiesta diesel. Cheap and nasty car. Gutless and feels like a toy.
Ford Focus (brand new shape). The only one in our price range was the entry level 1.6 litre which didnt have enough power. Nice car otherwise though. Good standard equipment and nicely put together.
VW Polo. Well we tried to drive one but there were none in stock. I waited nearly 5 months for my Golf R and wasnt going to wait again for a Polo.
Toyota Corolla. Boring
Mazda 3. LIked it so we bought it. And they had one in stock so we picked it up later that week.

[BluChris]

Glad to see you got to an outcome you are happy with, and the 3 is a very good car that ticks lots of boxes. That said, looks are very much an individual preference. I'd take my Skoda over a 3 for looks any day, though I get why some people find the look *homely*

[nightphotographer]

Sorry to come in a little late but re the Golf MKV GT TDI 125KW - I thought it was common rail, so how can it suffer from PD injector failure? Am I missing something? Are Australian GT TDI's PD? I owned this engine in my 2007 Seat Leon FR TDI and it was definitely common rail haha.

[kaanage]

The Golf MKV GT TDI 125KW is PD engine with the piezo-electric actuated injectors - it is absolutely the one affected by the injector/loom failure issue.
All TDI GT's have this engine (plus the DPF).

Sometimes, the other VAG brands get new tech earlier than VW/Audi, it seems.

[jazd]

The Mk6 GTD has the 125kW common rail engine.

[anthony]

Congratulations on getting the Mazda 3,its a great little car,excellent value,no doubt about that at all...