car options on 7k max budget

Gents - advise please.

Currently looking for a new motor, budget as above, to replace my battered Pug 405.

Took a 51 reg SAAB 93 2.2TDI SE out for a brief test drive today which was a nice motor

Given the SAAB as an example is there anything else you recon i should consider?

Passat and Audi A4 are on my mind but seem pricey and higher mileage for the same price as the SAAB (looks like i'll be lookin g at ex-fleet given the budget) and the SAAB seems better equipped as well...and perhaps more versatile given its a hatchback with a huge boot...

TDi is a given due to mileage i do and rear wheel drive not the preferred option given i live in the hills so snow does happen, other than that please let me know your thoughts...

Suggestions to just buy a bike and invest the rest on the latest Wadia GTi with 'go faster' DAC and speakers will not be appreciated, well not by the future Mrs Chris.....

 

Golf GT TDI PD130

 

Skoda Octavia, not as glamourous as the Saab, but it'll have fewer miles on it, be much newer, and won't break down!

 

You could get a top of the range '02 Octavia diesel (the Laurin and Klement one) for just over £5k:
http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/WW...category=CARS&channel=CARS&id=200601220544265
And it'll easily do 50mpg...

 

chris I just bought a 1.9tdi Octavia last week.

For exactly the same budget as you (8k) I got a 1 year old demonstrator with 5,900 on the clock and 2 years warranty remaining.

I'd reccomend calling round a few Skoda dealerships. The reason I got the car for 8k instead of a more normal 10-11k is that they have just released a slightly different octavia.. this meant the old demonstrator was sold for 2-3k under the normal price.

Its a great car, and is effectively a VW Bora.

Cheers
Chris

 

Or a VW Golf, or an A3 or a Seat Leon....

 

Cheers Guys - just what i wanted - a list of 'sleepers' or stuff that i'd perhaps not thought about.

A3 / Golf possibly a touch too small for my taste - as dictated by shifting furniture seemingly each time we visit an 'antiques' place....

Octavia i will take a look at - though its booted so same concerns as above

Cheers

 

Octavia boot is huge. I reckon you could fit at least four corpses in there.

 

Get an estate version. That's what I have. Can get 20 huge bags of logs in easily and have room for kindling and a bit of coal

 

Aye, the Octavia estate's boot is only very marginally smaller than the biggest Volvo... And considerably cheaper...

 

Alfa 164 V6, put the remaining £5000 towards a holiday or more music

 

or more sensibly in the bank to fix it when it inevitably breaks.

for a 3k big car go for a lexus ls 400 every time.

 

This is true if you buy a duff one but the same can be said for any second hand car which is a 'lemon'.

Alfa 164: Fairly easy to work on and there is plenty of information on the old internet about them. The early cars could be suspect but after 1994 things improved a great deal and the last ones (1997) make an exceptional buy.

Buy a decent one and it should not be expensive to run and once you hear the V6 scream, it will never cease to put a smile on your face.

It is not the fastest or quickest car ever made but it is great fun to drive, big boot (plus ski rack) and four people can travel in comfort.

 

Mr Birkett! Cadaver carrying capability is not a spec i've seen listed onthe Skoda home page - must follow up on that one.

Lord and Leonard - will take a closer look at the Skoda

Julian - had not htought about the IS......

Decca - Alfa, had crossed my mind but that reliability thing wont leave my mind - does not help that a mate recently had some sort of plastic tensioning device on his timing belt break on his - apprently the garage said it was quite common, Alfa say theres no fault.........

Thanks again guys

 

Well done Chris, good choice. Thats a nice car.

 

Fair enough, it is the perception which makes them so cheap. Any independent Alfa dealer can fix almost any fault but I do understand your concerns. The Alfa main dealers are awful.

.....but if you ever get the chance to drive one, I think you just might buy it

 

It's the actual unreliability, certainly leagues behind the Skoda, if there is any truth in www.reliabilityindex.co.uk

 

The octavia is the eminently sensible choice.

Your budget will also get a mundano TDCI estate or hatch, which by all accounts will be a sharper drive.

Could go for a 406 HDI estate? The HDI is to my ears much more pleasant than either the VAG TDI or Ford TDCI engines (not to say it's on a par with petrol... it isn't, but it's much better than the other diesels I've experienced). The 406 should be reasonably priced now that the 407 is in the market, and you're familiar with the brand. It's also one of the bigger estates out there.

And now for a slightly overlooked choice.... Vauxhall Signum. You'd get a 2003 2.2 DTi for your budget. It has to be the most vast hatch out there (the new vectra estate shares the floorpan), and has suffered the usual fate of the executive vauxhall, which is huge depreciation making them a second hand bargain with reasonable miles on them.

 

I'd prefer one to a Bora too.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions guys - but theres a change of plan afoot - very early days yet but thoughts are 'er indoors 206 will do for 'load luggin' - so the goalposts may be moving to something more fun than a larger TDI, though eminently less practical.....cos i cant stop looking at 2 seaters and SWMBO seems to like the idea......
Truth be known though, i was in a mates Alfa 156 veloce last night - 1.6 petrol version, same mate who had the cam belt issue with is last one but he still loves em and i've got to say the velour trim was rather nice, as was the dash / switchgear...so common sense may yet prevail...........2.4JTD Veloce anyone....