Evening all,

Just had a fantastic job offer (which i accepted) after 6 months of unemployment! 😀 But now need a car. Got £5k to spend and would like a diesel and something capable of carrying two bikes with ease.

What can the used car experts out there recommend to me? I don’t know where to start really.

Please help!!!

Cheers, Nick.

Skoda, Ford mundane, a slightly older VW estate or a Subaru estate if you want to get there yesterday.

second the skoda thing, i’ve got a diesel fabia estate, driving down to the alps in it in a week

mondeo estate…4 bikes in back, 4 people sitting comfortably up front….

No diesel scoobies, my company motor is a diesel focus, 60mpg and does everything with ease, should take 2 bikes easy.

My ford mondeo hatchback for £4250 and a holiday somewhere. 55 plate, 58k miles, sh, tax and test, 55mpg, serviced at 55k, new front tyres, tow bar for a bike rack if you need but bikes fit in easily. In sheffield, pics available. Email in profile if interested.

I got a Skoda Fabia 1.9 tdi. Thule rack with bike carriers on the roof – can carry 4 bikes with ease. It’s also pretty nippy and, without bikes on the roof and ‘normal’ driving, will easily do 55mpg. If you really try, it can do 70mpg.

Look around for an Octavia, an estate if you can find one. I’ve had a 51 plate hatch 1.9 TDi for four years, cost me 5k. £110/a tax, just insured it with Churchill for £155, and on a long A road run I get 58-9/gallon. Cruises happily at 90 on the motorway and returns 48/gallon. Comfy to drive, what’s not to like?

Looks like the Skodas are well worth a look it would seem.

Any VAG 1.9TDI, there are 3 versions of the PD engine IIRC, 100BHP, 130BHP & 150BHP, the 100 has a red i on the TDi badge, the 130 has the Di in red & the 150 has all 3 letters in red IIRC

I have an Ibiza FR TDi (130BHP) & it gives a good 60mpg on a steady drive, 50mpg with a little bit of lead foot & 45mpg with bikes on the roof.

Merc ML270 CDi I picked up a mint 51 plate 90K on the clock for 5500. Full dealer service history, even does 30mpg.

2nd what Orangista has said. I’ve got the same car, but the older Sport version.
Plenty quick enough, will get a couple of bikes in the back, cheap to insure, economical (Orangista’s mpg number are pretty much bang on with mine).

You could even get the Cupra TDi version for £5k – 160bhp, plenty torques & still over 50mpg. 0-60 in 7.5 or thereabouts, with bigger brakes than the FR/Sport, bigger turbo, front mounted intercooler (instead of side) & suspension tweaks.

Only concern would be how much additional kit you’d want in it when you do have two bikes. It might be a bit tight.

Oh, and CONGRATS ON THE JOB!!

Top of the list:
Focus
Skoda Octavia (hatch) can carry two bikes
Passat

Skoda Octavia for it’s cavernous boot. I have a vRS hatchback and before I got my towbar and carrier I would carry 2 bikes a piece of wee wee in the boot.

Why buy a car, a people mover is the best way to shift bikes and leaves plenty room for the rest of your gear.

I use a Renault Espace.

epicyclo has a good point there. Friend of mine used his company car budget to get a four door, five seat 2 litre petrol…. Ford Galaxy. He could then get all his surfing stuff in it for a weekend away without any compromise.

Other than that, you can pick up a four year old Saab 93 estate for about that sort of money. A little smaller maybe, but still a good size and will do 50+ to the gallon on a drive.

I’m thinking of one when my 4×4 finally becomes dead.

Any VAG engined car. I have the Seat Ibiza Tdi Sport (130bhp) and there fast, economical, good quality, cheap to run/insure/tax etc…

I would however for £5k get a Seat Leon Cupra Tdi (150bhp) just a little bigger than a ibiza, so better for bikes.

Like the Golf though arent Leons abit of a reverse-Tardis?

Um… Not sure in comparison to other cars (such as focus etc…) But the one i had been in seemed big, well for a medium sized car…

I have a Golf 1.9TDi (130) SE, 02 plate. Cost me £5300 last year on 80k miles. Plenty of poke and does around 55mpg on longer journeys depending how you wanna drive it.

I probably like it way more than I should for a diesel estate…

And jimmy above proves the issue with buying vag stuff… the residuals are so high you don’t get a lot for your money.

Hence 02 golf with 80k costs more than 55 plate mondeo with 60k.

+1 Mondeo – loads of space, drives well, good mpg (45ish at motorway speeds), cheap as chips to buy if you’re going to keep it for a while, go for a ghia as the stereo is loads better

I was after a £5k Passat estate when I was shopping last year for a sh car.

Ended up picking up a 130bhp Golf tdi estate, which seemed to be overlooked in the trade, £4k bought me a nice clean one user with 40k on the clock! mine came with all the toys, a/c, cruse, 6 speed, 6x Dash CD player, etc..

I guess most people go for the Passat estate, hence the good price.

Not as big, but still got a good boot for bike lugging.

Just another alternative to look at nick.

Had a Passat 130 estate previously and got a Mundane-o 130 estate now.
Hard to choose a favourite between ’em to be honest.
Passat was a bit more fun to drive and slightly better economy but I got rid at 150k as it was starting to get expensive replacing various sensors. Also needs a pricey cam belt change and more expensive PD oil.
Mundane-o is hard not to like but a bit uninspiring. It is cheaper to look after (chain cam and normal oil).
I’ve taken both down to the Alps a couple of times in Winter and I’d say the Mundane-o was probably the better for driver comfort on the epic trecks.
Hope that helps.

does it have to be a car? a very nice low miles late t4 vw can be had for that cash and i would bet that the depreciation is way less than a car.

BUT whatever you do, don’t buy a f’kin Kia.

I got a Mondeo 130 estate, but on your budget would go for a Saab 9-3 or a merc with the 320cdi – whoooosh

Any VAG 1.9TDI, there are 3 versions of the PD engine IIRC, 100BHP, 130BHP & 150BHP, the 100 has a red i on the TDi badge, the 130 has the Di in red & the 150 has all 3 letters in red IIRC

wrong but good advise on the car..

look for a 130 TDI in the VAG range i.e.
a 130 fabia
a 130 a3
a 130 golf

this has a ASZ engine model in, that are HARD as nails. my GF has one in her golf over 105k and still going brilliantly, does 50+ mpg (real world not “on the computer BS) can fit 2 bikes in any of these guises of car with the audi a3 having a little more room, cheap to run and fix as all the parts from all those models “mostly” fit each other.

i had a 136 tdi focus and while it was ok the power was nothing like a 130 VAG engine and it did 43mpg real world where my 150 TDI does over 52mph real world..

Passat works well for me. Averages 50+ mpg (measured brim-to-brim, though the on-board computer is pretty accurate), has cruise/aircon/leather seats, a decent enough stereo, and is hugely comfortable.

It cost me £7k for an 06 plate estate 140 Tdi. Servicing is actually prety cheap, if you avoid VW main dealers. Basic service at my local (ex-VW technician) indy is about £100, cambelt/waterpump change was £200.

Cheap insurance too.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Went with a 2002 Skoda Octavia Estate 1.9 TDi 110 Elegance. 72k with 1 owner from new, FSH and cambelt done at 59k from a local dealer. Not the cheapest probably but there were surprisingly few to choose from! It was immaculate with no defects whatsoever.

It’s fantastic! This is our first diesel car and we are so impressed. Has all the power we need, loads of room and is very comfortable! Our piece of turd N reg Clio is now relegated to dog car only!!

MX5