Car options.
Turbo Mini Forums

I have recently accepted a new job therefore the defender has to go for something smarter and more comfortable. Looking at the car list available I have decided against a company car and instead opted for a car allowance. Budget will be 4k-5k and economy needs to be 45mpg for a diesel to break even for business mileage. I reckon I will be doing about 15k miles a year so need something comfortable.

I have been considering the following diesel cars, and could really do with an estate too but not essential.

2004 era Bmw 320 diesel.
2004-2007 Honda Accord estate.
Audi of some description again 2005 era.

My favorite is the Honda, but there seems to be some reliability issues/big bills associated with clutches and timing chains on the diesel, which I may run into given the mileage I'll be racking up.

What is the reliability like of the BMW's, and horror stories with audi engines/gearboxes?

Part of me thinks given this era that issues are going to be encountered regardless, but as long as the bills are not horrendous that's life.

Any other thoughts on suitable cars?

Thanks

James.

Honda great engine, crap suspension in short ok if its not speed bump land

From what i know, there are likely to be potential issues with any of them. I'd personally look at the vag group or the beemer

Audi wise, go for the 1.9 PD TDI, very reliable in 130bhp form. Avoid the later 2.0 TDI as they suffer expensive injector problems.
The 320d are quite reliable as far as I know.

I'd look into E90 320/520 tourers in that budget

If going for a bm, look for the 3.0l the engine seems to have much less faults, and get the front suspension checked over

I run a supercharger and I don't care the TB is on the wrong side.
VEMS + 12 PSI + Liquid Intercooler = Small Bore FUN!

Check the ts and cs for your car allowance. Most want you to have a car no older than 5 years.

My 53 plate a4 tdi 130 is upto 194k of absolute reliability and returns 50+ mpg on a run.

Have you checked your company car policy? A lot of firms have restrictions on how old the car can be. So i would check that first. Secondly is that 4-5k before or after tax as it will be taxable every month, and then you have to pay for ur own fuel, insurance, maintenance etc which will eat into that car allowance. What company cars are on the list? I have a brand new mercedes c class as my company car and it costs me £100 a month in tax. I do 30k miles a year and to lease/buy the same car, tax, insure and maintain eould cost me a hell of a lot more than £100 a month.

The turbo build has finally started

Exactly, 4to5k will buy you bugger all anyway. And that is surely an amount per year, not a one off payment?

So really about £400 a month to buy, tax, insure and maintain a car. I'd be off to a few dealers to see how far that might stretch depending on what deposit you might have.

I ran my own car for a number of years and it basically cost me money. I now have Tit X Mondeo that cost's me a bit of tax, but I never have to buy anything for it.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

www.twin-turbo.co.uk

Not for a mix of driving. But then I ran a 520d and the mix of motorway and town driving only saw 45. My 3.0d merc does 41.5. These are true mpg figures and not the computer's as its all calculated by a fuel card.

The 2.0d engine have some horror stories for reliability and not pub talk people I know including a 2 year old car 23k and a new timing chain need on the bloke who sits behind me at work. Having run bms for about 10 years and owning e46 3.0l petrol, e46 3.0d, e39 2.5, e60 2.0d, and the wifes e90 2.5, and z4 2.5 they aren't as good as their reputation for quality. It's just the people how own them normally don't grumble as much about fixing them.

Got to admit getting a car allowance and driving big miles doesn't make you rich, but you get to choose what you drive. There is no cheap way of doing it...

I run a supercharger and I don't care the TB is on the wrong side.
VEMS + 12 PSI + Liquid Intercooler = Small Bore FUN!

A little update. Looking into the details to break even on fuel I need to average 65mpg in a diesel, 60mpg in a petrol. I thought the mileage allowance was a little more. I was going to use the money from the sale of the defender to buy the car, then treat the car allowance as a maintenance budget. But as I will get no where near that economy on my budget I will just take whatever cars are offered. As a graduate position, the car options will be something like a fiesta or clio. But as a free set of wheels I won't worry.

The money from the defender sale can go to fund the 16v engine instead, so can really crack on with that now.

Edited by minimole23 on 23rd Jan, 2014.

What have u graduated in? If you don't mind me asking? And what cars are on the list?

The turbo build has finally started

I'd go for.something like a vw golf 1.9tdi or I bet for your budget if your allowed a little older car you.could.buy a vw bora not sure what year they was made for

Liam, I graduated in Building Surveying.

Car wise I've yet to see the list but have been told its something like a fiesta at my level. Shouldn't be too bad if it has the 90hp 1.6 engine.

I'll just have to continue driving the mini to events, despite having just been offered a trailer.

As long as I don't crash or blow it up, I should be able to drive it home!

I avoided the company car route at the time as we had to keep the car for 4 years, even if you got promotion. I didn't intend to stay a junior surveyor long and when i got my first promotion, the car allowance automatically went up to the senior level.

Well done James.

I am a quantity surveyor and joined my company in June 2012 as an assistant/graduate qs. I had to go through a probation period and then got given the car list after 3 months. Soon after that i got a promotion up to qs. So i would make a decisions just yet. They may bump u up from graduate. Who are you working for?

The turbo build has finally started

Head down now for your APC?

Head down for the APC indeed Rob. A tough 3 years ahead.

Its hard work alright but it is the one thing that will open doors for you throughout your professional life, never mind the the automatic promotions!