PileOfRust

My dads looking for a replacement for his e46 318i (nice car but boring), we've looked around on the net and it seems that if you want low tax, decent poke and good running costs then it has to be a diesel,

the options are: Mondeo st-tdci, 04 bmw 530d (lower tax than a 535d and still quick), 04/05 Alfa 156 1.9 JTD but we're not sure what alfa's are like..
ive seen alot of you mention the bmw 530d's and 535d's being really good and go like fuck when remapped so maybe thats the best one?

what other cars are out there with tax thats no higher than £200 a year, 40mpg+, good to look at/drive and costs no more than 6 grand?

cheeRS

johnandhissaffy

iTrader: (1)

i know this aint a sporty car but my brother has a clio that he pays 30 quid a year tax and is really good on diesel and is a nippy little car round town

or a scoda vrs diesel they are good

adam151082

if it were me id only be looking at VW's and Audi's

bookwyse

You wont get a 535d for that sort of money but a decent 530d is certainly an option.

A decent E60 530d with a remap can be close to the 270bhp mark and will pull well. I have a 535D with a remap and it is very very good at getting to licence losing speeds before you know it!!!



Or any VW, Audi or Skoda diesel should be able to put a smile on the face.

PileOfRust

ive seen a video of a remapped 535d vs a e46 m3 in a drag race up an airport strip and the 535d kills it lol rocket ship

what vw's and audis do you mean then? the diesel audi a4's and the vw bora's?

PileOfRust

nobody rate the mondeos then?

adam151082

i wouldnt, you'd loose a fortune and there not that nice inside, to be honest Fords suck if its not a sporty model IMO

bookwyse

Diesel A4,, VW Bora or Passat.

A6 2.5 V6 TDI, I had one before and it was quick.

Skoda, fabia or Octavia diesels are both quick.

A remapped 530D will surprise lots of people though.

S1-Tiz

iTrader: (1)

I wouldnt stray from the VAG group. Very very good diesel engines!

PileOfRust

he does like the bm's

skoda's look good!

bookwyse

Whereabouts are you. I am in Sittingbourne and can meet and take him out in mine to see what he thinks of the E60/1s if he wants to.

Jeff

PileOfRust

theres a 2008 skoda octavia vrs diesel 170 on autotrader, but its done 100,000 miles.. for a car thats 3 years old, that seems rather high...

SteveB

iTrader: (3)

I had the same dilema a few months ago with my dad (he's 71 today)....

We ended up with a 2005 Saab 93 TiD 150 bhp 1.9 16v (basically a Vectra but imo a bit more classy). He loves it, 6 speed box and all the toys. 72k on clock full Saab history £5000


Steve

phil_rs

iTrader: (3)

Don't get a Mondy or any VAG with the 2.5TDi V6 lump (they are not as good as the later 4 pot PD engines)! For your budget I would be looking at

Passat 1.9/2.0 TDi
Audi A4/A6 1.9/2.0/2.7/3.0 TDi
BMW 3/5 series
Honda Accord 2.2 i-CTDi

PileOfRust

same money as the skoda's, but for the skoda's you seem to get more car for the money

phil_rs

iTrader: (3)

I personally wouldn't be put off by mileage either, I used to sell ex fleet cars with anything from 70-300k on them and some of the higher mileage stuff had been looked after better and drove just as well if not better as the lower stuff. A full service history is a must though

Derby_Gav

If he likes his e46 why doesn't go for 330d? Surely they can be had for 6k and even as standard it won't be as boring as a 318i, with a remap it would be a real fun can!

Gavin.

pani_k

iTrader: (1)

I've been looking at E60 530d's myself and you will struggle to get a good one for anything less than about £10k. E39 model yes but no way an E60.

Also, the earlier pre facelift models had a less powerful engine with 218bhp I think the facelifts produced 231bhp.

PileOfRust

we looked at the honda's and they look like fairly decent cars,
audi a4/a6 2.5 tdi's are in too high of a tax band for his liking

i think its gonna be between a a4 2.0tdi, skoda vrs tdi or bmw 530d

PileOfRust

myself im not put off by mileage, but he is i couldnt give a shit lol aslong as the cars looked after,thats all that matters to me

PileOfRust

they can be had 6k, he was originally gonna have a 320d but they have the swirl flap issues

the 330d is in a high tax band which again, doesnt bother me personally but it bothers him... which is why he bought a bloody 318i lovely car but fkin slow

phil_rs

iTrader: (3)

That's the biggest problem with older guys, they remember when a car was scrap at 50k!

PileOfRust

hes only 42 and turns into an old woman when it comes to buying cars.. "whats the mileage?, what year is it? whats the tax? whats the mpg? whats the reliability like? is it a manual? is it leather interior?"

winds me up lol if you want a good drive, then it'll either be a big diesel or a turbo'd petrol, if you want eco then get one of those bloody 3cyl diesel vw fox's lol

Brendan

iTrader: (1)

BMW 330d are great cars (my daily drive) they have quite a lot of poke to start with can be remapped to give stunning performance (up to about 500nM of torque) and this is gearbox killing! do not expect instant throttle response, but do expect a good all round drive (apart from in the snow), this car looks after you - and has saved my arse on the motorway when idiots do silly things, especially with out looking in their mirrors! The only problem I have had in over 70,000 miles so far is one of the diesel pumps letting go! - service it with a good synthetic oil and you are fine. - The tyres are not cheap (about £800 at costco for all 4 on 18" rims).

mk1turboestate

iTrader: (2)

i have an e60 520d, not the fastest but goes well has all the nice bits and costs £150 for 12 months tax, a mate had his remapped an made over 200 bhp and weigh less than a new mondeo so im told

PileOfRust

anybody know what the merc diesels are like? http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...s/60?logcode=p like this one?

collierm

I bought a 2001 E39 530D a month ago. Paid £4700 for it with 75K miles. It is by far the best diesel I have owned. Its smooth to drive, comfortable, gives me over 40mpg as it does 70 miles a day. Decent boot size, and I'm lucky in that mine has Sat-Nav, Freeview, DVD, CD-Changer etc and a sunroof which was a big selling point for me, I love 'em



Also had a Mondeo ST TDCi in the past. Also a very good car and the interior is a nice enough place to be. Find one with Satnav and the Bluetooth option, and personal choice, I preferred the facelift model. Not quite as good as the Beemer, but still a very good car.



I have never owned an Audi, but drove a hire car once to Gatwick from Teesside. 1.9 TDi A4. When I got out, my back was killing me and I was in a bad mood. Never really wanted one since.