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New Car suggestions

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New Car suggestions

Postby 9fingers » 07 Nov 2016, 15:35

I'm looking for suggestions for a totally practical new/nearly new car around the 2l mark

Having had a few niggly problems made 10x more awkward due to a transverse engine located half inside the car due to trendy snub nosed raked back windscreen designs.
Example: This year the engine had to come out £600 just to fit £25 of new glowplugs :twisted:

Ideally something with a sensible long bonnet, an inline engine fully accessible from under the bonnet and as a result, easy to work on. Oh yes from a mainstream maker to get spares and consumables with ease

Any suggestions chaps

tia

Bob
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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby TrimTheKing » 07 Nov 2016, 16:55

I have a VW Passat 2010. Love it. Reliable, 1.9 Highline, long bonnet, big boot, generally lovely car.

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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby 9fingers » 07 Nov 2016, 17:09

TrimTheKing wrote:I have a VW Passat 2010. Love it. Reliable, 1.9 Highline, long bonnet, big boot, generally lovely car.

Cheers
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Which way round is the engine Mark? or maybe you have not opened that lol
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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby TrimTheKing » 07 Nov 2016, 17:09

9fingers wrote:
TrimTheKing wrote:I have a VW Passat 2010. Love it. Reliable, 1.9 Highline, long bonnet, big boot, generally lovely car.

Cheers
Mark


Which way round is the engine Mark? or maybe you have not opened that lol


Which way round…? :eusa-think:

Will a photo help?

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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby 9fingers » 07 Nov 2016, 17:16

I suppose so but if you are opening the bonnet to take a photo you should see which way round the engine is?

Thanks for your help

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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby tracerman » 07 Nov 2016, 17:18

Wot Bob is trying to say is he prefers engines to be North South , not East West .
Simple
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PS I'm still mourning the demise of rear wheel drive , so my perfect car is North-South , 3.5 litre , engine with a cat-walk round it , cheap spares , and a Haynes Manual available . Opposite Lock ? loved it .
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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby Stargazer » 07 Nov 2016, 17:19

Beware older Passats, (pre 2005) they have an inline engine but drive the front wheels, problem is that you have to dismantle the entire front of the car to work on the cam belt, water/steering pump and tensioner.
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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby TrimTheKing » 07 Nov 2016, 17:19

9fingers wrote:I suppose so but if you are opening the bonnet to take a photo you should see which way round the engine is?

Thanks for your help

Bob


That assumes one knows the front from the back...

Image

Image

Image

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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby 9fingers » 07 Nov 2016, 17:31

Thanks Mark,

That is a transverse engine. Easy clue is the alternator in the front, so the crankshaft runs from side to side.

In googling pictures for the Passat I came across Audi A4 which seems to be inline. I'll have to drop into the dealership and upset them by asking about ease of DIY servicing :text-lol:

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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby stephen.wood125 » 07 Nov 2016, 18:23

:text-lol: Bob!

Yes, though I have seen a lot of the VAG cars with Longitudinal engines that need the whole front off for belts etc. I know the A5 definitely does.

Not sure about Volvo but I was impressed by the mechanism they use to take headlights out for bulb swaps in general their build looked pretty good and although the new screen/sides are more raked the estate still has reasonable amount of room.

Can't remember if its transverse mounting though.

I've a BMW mid life crisis mobile (428i convertible)it's a 2l twin screw turbo with 254 donkey power and it's great fun but would fail on several of your practicality metrics! (I still have a load of building materials I have to take to the tip!)
EDIT: I think the Volvo is transverse mounted. Sorry
:text-lol:

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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby RogerS » 07 Nov 2016, 18:27

Bob started to wonder if DIY was all it was cracked up to be :lol:

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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby RogerS » 07 Nov 2016, 18:37

Seriously though, Bob, what exactly do you want to DIY? I'm guessing that when you say 'new' you mean 'new to you'? The thing is that after 2004/5 most cars started going doolally with unnecessary electric/electronic gubbins.

Take the Discovery, for example. On the diesel engines there is an exhaust (IIRC) gate that will open after a certain period of time/under certain conditions. On my elderly Disco 2, it is a mechanical device and when push comes to shove, it strains a bit against the crud that has built-up and with a sigh of relief opens. On the Disco 3 they replaced it with a wimpish electric gizmo that strains and gives up and tells you that you need to book it into the garage.
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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby 9fingers » 07 Nov 2016, 18:46

Currently I have the software to talk to my car not only to read codes etc but to monitor loads of parameters as I drive etc.
I like - no Demand! - to understand my car, diagnose faults and take a view as to who does the repairs.

The last straw was when my take mechanic and I had to take the engine out simply to change glow plugs. To me this is body designers having too much say over the practicality of doing running repairs to the vehicle.

As time goes on, I might choose to have my man do more of the horrid jobs but I just cannot contemplate not being able to look at the car and understand it and diagnose it.

If I hand over my car to someone and cannot discuss the issues or understand what they have done and why and if the bill is good value.

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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby DaveL » 07 Nov 2016, 18:50

I have one of the last Volvo V50's. It's like the Passat, big boot, longish bonnet, but transverse engine. I love the way the head lights can be slid out sideways to change the lamps, no tools required. The Drive version has a 1600 (1546) stop start diesel that means no road fund charge, just had the reminder I need to tell them it's going to be on the road for another year.
Its the fifth Volvo I have driven, the others were all company cars, I bought this one when I retired. The dealer prices for doing anything are very high but lots of independent business charge more affordable prices.
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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby RogerS » 07 Nov 2016, 19:54

9fingers wrote:.....
If I hand over my car to someone and cannot discuss the issues or understand what they have done and why and if the bill is good value.

Bob


But why bother ? It's a serious question. If you buy car X and the manufacturer has built-it such that you need to do X in order to Y, understanding it won't save you any ££££.

All cars have 'difficulties' for want of a better word. Even going back to something fairly basic like a Morris Minor. If you wanted to change the clutch, I think (IIRC) you had to take the engine out.

Far better IMO is to choose a car that regularly features in the top spot for reliability.
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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby Pinch » 07 Nov 2016, 20:01

The BMW 5 Series Estate or Audi A4 Estate would be a very cool choice. I know the Beemer is rear wheel drive, but not sure about the Audi - there's always the Quattro :eusa-drool: . They're both practical and stunning motors.

Image

Image

My father has just written off his Beemer, or we think it's a write-off - awaiting confirmation. He's now in two minds of going for another Beemer or maybe a Merc, but I feel the Beemer is favourite.

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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby Pinch » 07 Nov 2016, 20:10

How about a cute little convertible.

You certainly won't get much hassle with this little beauty. :lol:

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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby 9fingers » 07 Nov 2016, 20:23

DaveL wrote:I have one of the last Volvo V50's. It's like the Passat, big boot, longish bonnet, but transverse engine. I love the way the head lights can be slid out sideways to change the lamps, no tools required. The Drive version has a 1600 (1546) stop start diesel that means no road fund charge, just had the reminder I need to tell them it's going to be on the road for another year.
Its the fifth Volvo I have driven, the others were all company cars, I bought this one when I retired. The dealer prices for doing anything are very high but lots of independent business charge more affordable prices.


Dave, The Volvo has some merit in as much as I think it has the ford engine that I'm familiar with and maybe my software will talk to it.
How much room is there down the back of the engine without removing the scuttle? I'm not totally fixated on an inline engine if I can readily get all round the engine for access.

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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby DaveL » 07 Nov 2016, 20:56

Its dark now Bob, I take a picture or two in the morning, if its not chucking it down. :D
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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby 9fingers » 07 Nov 2016, 21:12

DaveL wrote:Its dark now Bob, I take a picture or two in the morning, if its not chucking it down. :D

Much obliged Dave. No panic. This will be a gradual process. Lol
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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby Malc2098 » 07 Nov 2016, 21:42

Jaguar X Type Estate 2.2D - 1 careful owner, FSH, 148,000m, serviced every year. 45 to 55 MPG. Been brilliant.

Many parts interchangeable with Mondeo and Mazda 6.
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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby Malc2098 » 07 Nov 2016, 22:00

Malc2098 wrote:Jaguar X Type Estate 2.2D - 1 careful owner, FSH, 148,000m, serviced every year. 45 to 55 MPG. Been brilliant.

Many parts interchangeable with Mondeo and Mazda 6.


I lied about the 'brilliant'!! In running terms it has been brilliant. It's the silly little stuff like the tailgate glass switch, the h/l lowering switch, the dash lights dimmer switch and the old favourite, leaking from the scuttle into the n/s passenger footwell, but I've done that one!

And The consumption is just that - we live 1 mile from the A361 North Devon Link Road and S/D No 1 lives in Aberdeen, 1 mile from the A90, 450 something miles away. Mway and fast dual carriageway all the way. At 70mph, 55 is the return consumption. Mixed driving brings it down to 45.
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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby RogerS » 07 Nov 2016, 23:40

Malc2098 wrote:Jaguar X Type Estate 2.2D - 1 careful owner, FSH, 148,000m, serviced every year. 45 to 55 MPG. Been brilliant.

Many parts interchangeable with Mondeo and Mazda 6.


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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby RogerS » 07 Nov 2016, 23:49

Pinch wrote:How about a cute little convertible.

You certainly won't get much hassle with this little beauty. :lol:

Image


Since Brexit, you can't get the same calibre ammunition :lol:
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Re: New Car suggestions

Postby kirkpoore1 » 08 Nov 2016, 00:05

Bah, humbug! What you need, Bob, is something that commands respect and gets the job done. Sure, it's got a 3L diesel instead of just a 2L, but it should get about 35 mpg (assuming imperial gallons):
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I'm pretty sure you can still park it in front of your house. :)

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