UKC

Thinking of getting a bigger car to fit in the wee one and dogs.
Currently have a fabia, which is cheap and quite reliable.

Thinking of getting a bigger car and have narrowed it down to two estate the Superb and Octavia.
Thinking the 2 L TDI engine is one to go for, seems to feature throughout the VW group range so must be decent.

Any opinions on these cars and the engine choice? any common faults? For the amount of cash I have looking around 150k miles on the clock.

In reply to goldmember:

Both cars will do the job you need. The Superb will be more thirsty due to its size but has a massive cabin and boot and would be my choice given your circumstances. The kit on the car will also probably be better but I suspect that they are more expensive to buy initially.

In both cases just be vigilant and check the usual stuff. If they have been well looked after with a FSH (main dealer preferable) then they should represent a sound choice appropriate to your needs.

You might want to consider a Mondeo as an alternative as they offer good space, specs and reliability with cheaper running costs. Or a slightly more expensive Subaru Impreza/Legacy(non thrashed turbo versions) for that something a little different.

In reply to goldmember:

We recently looked at Octavias and Superbs and whilst both absolutely fantastic but, we ended up looking more at Golf Estates and Passat Estates as they score very highly with whatcar and we ended up with a Passat which is outstanding.

Loads of boot space (Octavia has a slightly bigger boot I think but the VW seems bigger), nearly 65 mpg on a 2.0 diesel, start stop which means £30 PA tax and generally loads of extras. (bluetooth, electric windows, rain and headlight sensors etc)

A bit bland on the outside but to us it is just a car on the outside and we wanted interior comfort and space which it has. Really recommend them, excellent cars all round. Even the S model has loads of kit but we have the SE which has a few more gadgets. As a guide, ours is a 2011 model with 67k on the clock and we bought it for £6500 from Cargiant in London.

Hope this helps, Den

http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/volkswagen/passat-estate/summary/26248-6

In reply to goldmember:

I have 54 plate Octavia 140K 1.9L ambiente, yours for £395 ono

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:




We have the superquick, firmly suspended petrol-guzzling Legacy 3.0 Spec B. Farmers bow and country gents nod their approval as we "thrash" past. It is an awesome country vehicle owing to the very narrow width for a big car. Car tax is £500 a year though and mpg about 25, 30 on a run. Ouch.

In reply to BnB:


I should have said (non-thrashed non-turbo versions ) not the turbo'd ones as they can be a tad, ahem, thirsty.

Ta

R

In reply to goldmember:

Part of your soul dies when you buy a estate car

In reply to Reggie Perrin:

think u need a premier post for that

In reply to goldmember:

If you're thinking of going for a car with the 2.0L Pump Duse (PD) Tdi engine (fitted between 2004-2008), I'd suggest you do some research re. oil pump 6mm hex drive failure. This affects engines with chain driven pump and balancer shaft assemblies in all applications - VW, Skoda, Audi and SEAT. PD engine chain drive oil pump failure can occur at any mileage over 60-70K and a FSH is no guarantee. Not all engines are affected though; it's very much a lottery. If the pump hex drive fails, it'll happen gradually and the engine will run with gradually reducing oil pressure until eventually the drive fails totally. By the time this happens, it's too late and you have a scrap engine. There's loads of stuff about it on VAG forums. VAG will not pick up the bill for a replacement engine even though it's a known engine design fault.

Later engines had a modified gear driven pump, thus avoiding any problems, so the later you go with a PD engine the better they get. But whether you'd then be better off buying a later common-rail injection (CR) engined car will come down to your budget.

A mechanic at a VW-Audi specialist once told me that you can easily see if a PD engine has a chain driven or geared pump by doing a simple dipstick test. The dipstick on a chain driven pump has a slight resistance at the very end of dipstick insertion whereas a gear driven pump does not. I could easily tell the differences by comparing two different engines in the workshop, but I suspect that in isolation it'd be impossible to tell.

Injector failure is an issue with the PD engine too, but at least VAG did a FOC recall and swopped these for modified units. A VIN number check at a Skoda dealer will indicate whether this has been done or not.

The far more reliable 2.0L CR TDi engine was released in 2008, although different VAG models got it at slightly different times - so it'd be worth checking with regards to an Octavia or Superb if buying a 2008/9 model. These engines are supposedly more refined than the earlier PD engines, but IMHO it's unacceptably noisy when fitted in the latest model Octavia. I can't comment whether this is also true for the Superb.

HTH

Dave

In reply to Denni:

Does your one have a proper handbrake or the electronic push button option?

That was enough to put me off getting a Passat estate. My dad had problems with the electronic handbrake on his 55 plate Passat.

In reply to goldmember:

I had my previous 53 plate Octavia Estate 1.9tdi 90 Ambiente from new and kept it for 9 years 96K miles. Got it serviced regularly at the main dealers whilst it was under warranty, and then by our local garage. Never had a scrap of bother with it - though it was starting to sound a bit like a tractor. Sold it privately over 3 years ago for about £ 1800 which was better than the trade in value.

I replaced it with a brand new Octy 1.4 tsi Estate as I don't do a big mileage, and reckoned that it would last me for between 10 and 15 years. No problems to report in over 3 years and 20k miles. Much quicker, quieter and more comfortable than my old Octy.

In reply to nathan79:

I had problems with electronic handbrake in one rental. As well as electronic ignition..
Imo it must be possible to start a car by pushing it off the hill if battery is flat!

In reply to the power:


Fixed that for you.

Note that with hopefully the government will start heavily taxing diesel fuel due to its particulate emissions and health effects on humans. So I'd seriously reconsider buying a diesel...

In reply to nathan79:

Hi Nathan,
Push button/electric handbrake.
I know if it buggers up you can't move the car but having scoured the net and had one before on our Peugeot 5008, doesn't seem to be a massive problem.......

In reply to David Barlow:

My understanding of Euro 6 emissions rated diesels should (without any cheating that is) produce the same max particulates as a Petrol, less CO2 and what looks to me like a negligible amount more NOX than max permitted on petrol. Why would diesel need taxed more?

Fair enough older ones are not as good but incentivising people to get rid of them earlier by increasing tax or just demonising older diesels just brings forward manufacture or more cars which has its own environmental implications?

In reply to BnB:

Another Spec B wagon here. How on earth do you get anywhere near 30 MPG out if it? I average about 22 I prefer to think of smiles per gallon. On the up side mine is an 05, so I *only* pay £280 road tax...

In reply to iksander:


The only journey it ever does is the 800 mile round trip to Skye. We can't afford to use it for anything else. Besides, my back can't take the "sporty" suspension any more. It is an awesome vehicle however and a great load-lugger. And something of a cult car I understand.