[MrWhosane]

I'm just wondering, is the following car worth it as a run around. I only intend to have it for a year, and have heard great things about the 1.9 TDI engine. A lot of them last till 300,000, and a lot of these cars are still on the roads in Europe.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...77ng?logcode=p

I've got a very cheap quote on this and I'm 17, so I'm considering it. Like I said, it'd be for a year or two till I can get something better. They're great on fuel as well!

[Stryder402]

gonna be hard to sell mate, 189k on the clock after ur done with it easily 200+k,

see if u could lower it to 500 then not bad, youll most likely get 200 back when u sell it, also its 1997 reg, really really old, expensive parts too, i say stay away unless youre always gonna be on the motorway, this model also comes in 1.6 petrol better for city driving, which im sure would be cheaper than 1.9 diesel anyway

[M4LLY]

I'd be rather dubious about the high miles. My old Pug 206 had 161k on the clock when i bought it and by the time the engine died (8-9 months later) i'd taken it up to just shy of 185k which for a 1.1 is to the moon and back. To conclude, avoid high mileage cars

[Nuffles]

I'd say go for it, especially if you're good at doing mechanical things and could replace most of the parts (if anything needed doing) yourself. It appears to have a decent service history, and it is a very good engine. Really practical car too. I certainly wouldn't rush into it, but I wouldn't be put off by the mileage. Two of my cars have been similar/higher mileage than that and nothing catastrophic happened to the engines in the 10k or so miles I put on both of them.

[ConnorB]

My mum had one of these from brand new and it died at 196K.

[FXX]

While the 1.9 TDI is considered one of the most reliable engines, it isn't bulletproof. My friend had a Mk4 Golf TDI (130, which I believe is considered the best of the bunch, but the one you linked is only 90hp which doesn't sound like a hell of a lot...) which he bought at 152k miles. At 155k the engine hydrolocked due to an injector which stuck on and now he's back to his old Fiesta.

[initiation]

Yes it is highmileage but on the otherhand many of the VAG 1.9 TDI's continue to trundle away way past 250k with a bit of tlc. 50mpg+ as well, the 90hp isn't really an issue in the saloon unless you are towing or carrying around lead in the boot. Knock down the price a lil bit (as expected) and if you have a good insurance quote then go for it. Planning on getting a 2000ish vintage 1.9TDI A4 estate as my 'sensible car' in the near future. If goes FUBAR then you have lost a few hundred at most, break for parts and scrap the rest.

[JC.]

(Original post by M4LLY)
I'd be rather dubious about the high miles. My old Pug 206 had 161k on the clock when i bought it and by the time the engine died (8-9 months later) i'd taken it up to just shy of 185k which for a 1.1 is to the moon and back. To conclude, avoid high mileage cars

I had a Jag that had done over 320k on the original engine clutch gearbox and back axle when I scrapped it.
Mechanically it was fine, it was the body that was knackered.

If a car is looked after propperly then there's no reason why it cannot cover galactic mileages.

[Jaayson]

I've seen you post about several high mileage cars now. Your going to get the same advice. Cars with that sort of mileage, need to have a FULL service history. Why do you want a P reg audi? that won't be cheap on maintenance and generally costs of running the car. Set a budget for your car + your insurance, not separate budgets. This way you can balance it. Insurance is lower for newer cars as well. Also going from group 12 to groups of 4 and below will bring it down. For me on a £5000 1.4 Civic costs £1650 in a high risk area. In a lower risk (0.5 miles up the road) area its £1050. For a 1.8 it would be £2200 and £1600 for the two area. Thats on the road parking as well. Also, if you know one, take a mechanic with you. They know where to look for rust on older cars and can spot faults a lot easier. To be honest though id just look at Citroen C2 if your budget can reach to £1500-2000 for a car, then insurance will be around £700-£1500 depending on circumstances.

[MrWhosane]

(Original post by Jaayson)
I've seen you post about several high mileage cars now. Your going to get the same advice. Cars with that sort of mileage, need to have a FULL service history. Why do you want a P reg audi? that won't be cheap on maintenance and generally costs of running the car. Set a budget for your car + your insurance, not separate budgets. This way you can balance it. Insurance is lower for newer cars as well. Also going from group 12 to groups of 4 and below will bring it down. For me on a £5000 1.4 Civic costs £1650 in a high risk area. In a lower risk (0.5 miles up the road) area its £1050. For a 1.8 it would be £2200 and £1600 for the two area. Thats on the road parking as well. Also, if you know one, take a mechanic with you. They know where to look for rust on older cars and can spot faults a lot easier. To be honest though id just look at Citroen C2 if your budget can reach to £1500-2000 for a car, then insurance will be around £700-£1500 depending on circumstances.

For me, these cars and Avensis/Accord from late 90s are coming up cheaper than smaller cars, which is why I ask about these cars which seem to be known for reliability.

[Jaayson]

(Original post by MrWhosane)
For me, these cars and Avensis/Accord from late 90s are coming up cheaper than smaller cars, which is why I ask about these cars which seem to be known for reliability.

God knows how? What are you classing as cheap? The only thing I'd worry about is main mechanics of the car, at that age, as well as mileage. Remember a 1990 car should 22 services completed on it. Also in terms of resale, you'll probably be better off scrapping it.

[Nuffles]

(Original post by Jaayson)
I've seen you post about several high mileage cars now. Your going to get the same advice. Cars with that sort of mileage, need to have a FULL service history. Why do you want a P reg audi? that won't be cheap on maintenance and generally costs of running the car. Set a budget for your car + your insurance, not separate budgets. This way you can balance it. Insurance is lower for newer cars as well. Also going from group 12 to groups of 4 and below will bring it down. For me on a £5000 1.4 Civic costs £1650 in a high risk area. In a lower risk (0.5 miles up the road) area its £1050. For a 1.8 it would be £2200 and £1600 for the two area. Thats on the road parking as well. Also, if you know one, take a mechanic with you. They know where to look for rust on older cars and can spot faults a lot easier. To be honest though id just look at Citroen C2 if your budget can reach to £1500-2000 for a car, then insurance will be around £700-£1500 depending on circumstances.

Larger, older cars are actually often cheaper. As I said up the page, there's nowt wrong with high mileage cars if you know what you're looking for and you can often pick up decent bargains. My old Land Rover was a group 12 or 13 and it was under a grand for me to insure fully comp. Insurance groups aren't everything. Larger cars are definitely more practical too, personally I'd certainly prefer an old Audi to a french shoebox like a C2.

[M4LLY]

(Original post by Nuffles)
Larger, older cars are actually often cheaper. As I said up the page, there's nowt wrong with high mileage cars if you know what you're looking for and you can often pick up decent bargains. My old Land Rover was a group 12 or 13 and it was under a grand for me to insure fully comp. Insurance groups aren't everything. Larger cars are definitely more practical too, personally I'd certainly prefer an old Audi to a french shoebox like a C2.

Trouble with the Land Rover is that all of the insurance savings go on keeping the thing fueled.

Also, avoid high mileage Peugeot 206 1.1's, not had a good experiance with mine.

[Nuffles]

(Original post by M4LLY)
Trouble with the Land Rover is that all of the insurance savings go on keeping the thing fueled.

Also, avoid high mileage Peugeot 206 1.1's, not had a good experiance with mine.

Which is why I sold mine It was an amazing car though, 12 seats and a full length roof rack meant I could fit pretty much anything or anyone in it or on it. I avoid Peugeot 206s full stop to be honest.

[initiation]

(Original post by M4LLY)
Trouble with the Land Rover is that all of the insurance savings go on keeping the thing fueled.

Yes but 1. The 1.9TDI in question will do 50mpg+ no probs, probably equal to or more than the citroen you suggested especially at speed/when loaded up
2. It is infinitely more practical to have a normal 4 door saloon than a tiny 2 door hatchback.

[M4LLY]

(Original post by initiation)
Yes but 1. The 1.9TDI in question will do 50mpg+ no probs, probably equal to or more than the citroen you suggested especially at speed/when loaded up
2. It is infinitely more practical to have a normal 4 door saloon than a tiny 2 door hatchback.

Erm, i wasn't referring to the Audi in that post, i was referring to the Land Rover, you'd struggle to get 30 mpg from one of those. Please read and interperet posts carefully before commenting, thank you

[M4LLY]

(Original post by Nuffles)
Which is why I sold mine It was an amazing car though, 12 seats and a full length roof rack meant I could fit pretty much anything or anyone in it or on it. I avoid Peugeot 206s full stop to be honest.

Especially if they have 161k on the clock, if they have that many miles then they need to be re-built like every week. I could go on until the end of time about the things that went wrong with my 206

[JC.]

Not quite sure why the usual "experts" get their panties in a twist over anything that clears 100k miles.
Engines are built to last these days. Sure, if you're running an A series or a B series engine then 100k = bottom end rebuild time but these days engines are good for 200k plus.

I don't see what the fuss is all about.

If you want something reliable from the 90's then look at something like a Honda Concerto. It's essentially a Rover 216 with a honda engine.

[Nuffles]

(Original post by JC.)
Not quite sure why the usual "experts" get their panties in a twist over anything that clears 100k miles.
Engines are built to last these days. Sure, if you're running an A series or a B series engine then 100k = bottom end rebuild time but these days engines are good for 200k plus.

I don't see what the fuss is all about.

If you want something reliable from the 90's then look at something like a Honda Concerto. It's essentially a Rover 216 with a honda engine.

I saw a Concerto the other day and was intrigued. Looked interesting. Honda went through a phase in the 90's of buying rights to European models, I believe they did a version of the mk1 Discovery too.

My Mog clocked over 200k while it was in my hands, on it's original A-series. Granted, it was probably on it's last legs by that point but it started on the key every day and was a great runner.

[QwertyG]

Nice postcode