Best diesel for commuting/day to day driving?

[Chriscooke]

Seeing as my job role may be changing soon I could possibly be looking at a diesel to replace my A4 daily drive. As much as I like my a4 the 1.8t petrol is a little thirsty for the kind of miles I'll most likely end up doing averaging less then 30mpg.

I like the idea of something in the VAG range using the 1.9tdi engine as all the cars I've driven with this engine have been nice to drive, nippy and super economical which is ideal plus they tend to have a nice ride and quallity feel to them.

Cars I've looked at so far include

Audi B6 a4 avant 1.9tdi
Audi a6 Avant 1.9tdi quattro
Golf gt tdi 1.9tdi
2005 Leon 1.9tdi with cupra r aero

Ideally i'd like something that looks quite classy but can fit a couple dogs in/transport all my crap hence the avant options.

Budget would be a max of 3.5k really so not a huge amount to play with as I'm supposed to be saving for a house deposit..

[Brookie]

I love my A4 sport! It's the 1.9tdi B6 shape. Excellent on fuel, really quiet and comfortable and still slightly entertaining on a decent back road. It'd have to be a high miler for £3.5k but that doesn't seem to bother these engines.

[Evilchap]

Skodas also fit the bill, or a 1 series hatch is sneaking into budget now :-)

[Scottie]

at that money focus estates offer good value and are good to drive

[Mark]

I would have trouble looking past BMs to be honest

[Chriscooke]

Don't want a ford bmw's are a good option but the ones in the price range are terribly dated IMO.

[Mark]

Don't want a ford

Scared you might like it

[MEL]

The vag stable is soooooooooooooooooooooooo


















oooooooooo boring to drive though

[Rubix_Cube]

I love my 1.9TDi B5 A4 Avant....one of the best dailies I've ever had!

[Mark]

Yer my mate had a Golf GTDi and he said he bored the shit out of him.

Was a nice car just dull as fook

[Mark]

Just get a 530d and be done with it

[munkul]

Just get a 530d and be done with it

What this man said. Get an e60 sport, they're great. Only thing is, you will both love and hate an auto box (unless you get an lci model). Only complaint from me is the steering feels a bit numb, but the car as a whole is pretty chuckable.

Sent from my personal telephone, like a boss.

[zeppelin101]

Every time someone buys a VAG diesel, god kills a petrol head.

True story.

[Scottie]

Problem with BM's for that price is they tend to be old or high miles, which although not always a problem in general reduces reliability and chances of increased costs.

Therefore for a daily I find you can take a slightly less focused drivers car view and buy something more reliable for the money and less obvious than a BM.

[MEL]

Yer my mate had a Golf GTDi and he said he bored the shit out of him.

Was a nice car just dull as fook

Exactly.

Even at those prices the vag stable available will be pushing on in miles and invariably will need some work.

My 55 plate gt tdi has needed the cambelt replacing/new front spring as 1 snapped, new radiator as the weld went on an end tank, couple of new bushes and the bonnet release cable snapped. Not exactly the last word in reliability. The sun visors have also decided to fall off in the last week with the plastic retainer behind the roof lining broken so even though it's a relatively easy fix it will be a ballache.

Oh, it needs new front discs as well.

[Evilchap]

You can have a drive of mine next week if you like Chris, once it's all mended See if that sort of thing appeals?

[Chriscooke]

Thanks Ben. A car like yours would be ideal but its out of budget unfortunately. Believe it or not guys I like the comfort and ride from the vag cars. If its not great around the bends then that's even better as it'll be yet more economical than the alternatives.

[Evilchap]

Oli was talking of trading upwards for a daily that can tow... perhaps the Golf of doom will be a cunning purchase once its few issues are mended

[Mark]

Problem with BM's for that price is they tend to be old or high miles, which although not always a problem in general reduces reliability and chances of increased costs.

Therefore for a daily I find you can take a slightly less focused drivers car view and buy something more reliable for the money and less obvious than a BM.

There is no such thing as a reliable modern diesel

Ok from new but once they all have 80k on them then things start going wrong

Injectors
Turbos
Fuel pumps
EGR valves
DMFs
etc etc

And for similar mileages my BM was far more reliable than my Mondeo

[sxbaz]

ive got a bora 130 and i would agree that it is pretty boring but thats what i want from a daily, the fact its boring means i can trundle down the motorway to work and when i get to the bit of country road im not tempted to give it a bootful therefore it remains economical.
Its by no means a bad handling car but if it was more agile id drive it with a heavier foot and there would be no point having it in the 1st place. plus you can get a cheeky remap on the 130pd lump up to 180bhp and 300lbft torque if you do want a little extra