Yet another "What Car" thread

[RetroPug]

I've been looking at getting a diesel car for the daily motorway slog rather than putting many thousands of miles per year on my 58k gti6 and spending 65 pounds per week on fuel while being rattled to death early in the morning.

My criteria are:
1500 pounds (Could go a little higher for something very nice)
Good MPG
Comfortable and refined
Must have AC, other kit like leather seats would be nice but not necessary
Not totally shit
Not a 306 (I know the 306 HDi is ideal but I'd rather not have the 'boring' version of my fun car and I've only ever owned rattly old french hatches)
Under 90k, lower the better.

I've been looking at Vectras quite a lot, and also astras, octavias, leons etc.
I really rather like the look of vectras but have no idea if they are as good as they are on paper, or whether the MPG figures are a total lie etc. You seem to be able to easily get a nice one with that sort of money and loads are around. Golfs seem to be in a bad state at that price. Astras are ok but it seems like you don't get as much for your money if you buy small cars with diesels eg. 1.4 TDi Fiestas are expensive for crap ones. A 320d seems a bit out of budget and the early 320ds have a fair few problems iirc.

Share your experiences please, and suggestions etc.
Thanks!

[silverzx]

Fiat Punto Grande 1.9 Mjet Sporting 6 speed?

Returns 53MPG (real figure I've recorded) all A/B-roads, occasional stretch of motorway (less than 20%).

Comfy, 130bhp out the box, remap to 170bhp all day long, FMIC and VNT as standard, have air-con, comfortable, handle surprisingly well.

[1616six]

CDTI 150 vectra will do 50mpg with ease, check for noisy DMF, snapped springs, EGR faults & swirl flaps broken.

Had mine nearly 2yrs & it was bullet proof and I still miss it.

I've also had experience of vag diesels, they are decent too.

Be prepared for 6 pages of being told everything bar a HDI is shit though.

[Matt-Rallye]

Mk1 Ph2 Ford Focus TDCI sport. fantastic car! heated screens front and rear, heated mirrors and seats as standard, cheap parts, reliable for the money and simple to fix when they go wrong.

No thrills but more important no bills

[Toms306]

Didn't like my Vectra at all....and it wouldn't even average 50mpg with my driving! Poor ride, low quality interior, paintwork flakes and peels like a Peugeot, egr will break but can just be blanked. Heavy tax (180 a year iirc). But as you've seen, they are much cheaper to buy than smsller cars.

I wouldn't bother with a mk4 Golf 130/150 now, they're still holding too much value and will be getting tatty at this age, but much more refinement end a better ride than the vec. Tax is about 125 a year on the earlier ones. Could probably get a decent passat TDi though...

You could also probably get a 207 1.6 HDi 90 on your budget, no dpf on the 90s either. Ride isn't great though, and I felt cramped but that's a personal thing.

As Matt says, Focus is a good shout, the 1.8tdci would be well in your budget. Maybe even a mk2 2.0 HDi...

[DavidA]

While it doesn't tick all your boxes, I had a Corsa CDTi and it was doing 64mpg week in week out on my commute...

[Poodle]

Got to echo Matt and Tom tbh, you'll find theres very little else in your price range worth having. The 1.8tdci is pretty unrefined, but similarly bomb proof.

Vags are epic for comfort cruisers, but have never been convinced the premium is worth it, especially on spares. I assume you will be servicing it yourself, in which case DO NOT buy a Renault lol.

Only other options I can think of that tick your boxes and are worth having imo are toyotas.

[Tom]

Vag all the way. Can pick up gt tdis for that money these days, great motorway cars imo.

[r3k1355]

Seat Ibiza Sport (Diesel)

It's the same engine (same car being VAG) as the Fabia vRS (1.9PD) but crucially it's at least 500 quid cheaper, so easily available under 1500 notes.

Oddly the Seat's tend to have fewer miles on them, while alot of Fabia's have been to the moon and back (and still cost more)

[Eeyore]

406 2.2 coupe? or a 406 2.2 estate?

[Jtrigga]

What about a 607 not the best looking car but they have the 2.2 HDI and you can get a fully loaded one on your budget easily.

[Piggy]

I never was a fan, but the megane 1.5dci??

Cheap to buy now and dirt cheap to run. My mate got given his by his grandad. It had done about 70k. He has done another 70k in about 3.5yrs and serviced it himself.

Been mapped all that time too. No clutch/turbo/injector issues at all.

Comfy too

[Seb_Ryan]

Alfa 156? Picked my 2.4 jtd up for 350 quid.. needed a few bits doing but still

[Ruan]

I never was a fan, but the megane 1.5dci??

Cheap to buy now and dirt cheap to run. My mate got given his by his grandad. It had done about 70k. He has done another 70k in about 3.5yrs and serviced it himself.

Been mapped all that time too. No clutch/turbo/injector issues at all.

Comfy too

Shame that all the other bits of the car will drop off around it!!!

They're built worse than PSA stuff, now that's saying something!

[THE_Liam]

406? Could easily find a clean 110 Executive for that money, 60mpg, AC, cruise, heated leather, bloody nice to drive too...

[RetroPug]

Thanks for all the comments guys. I will go through them and look at all the suggestions in more detail soon.
The reason I was thinking vectra or astra was that my friend used to have a 1.8 astra sxi and it was a pretty nice car if I'm honest.

I'll update once I've had a proper look at your suggestions, thanks again!

[Niall]

Not sure on prices because i haven't looked but Octavia TDi? I had one and it was the 1.9 PD. Rattly and noisy but i have to give it some credit, it was bullet proof, good on fuel considering its an old engine and cheap to service. The actual car was no thrills but was comfortable, drove well and was just typical VAG really. Boring as f*ck but good at cruising.
Nice thing about the Skoda as well is the interior is virtually identical to the equivalent Audi, its better spec'd for the equivalent price of an Audi and you don't get tarred with the Audi wanker brush!

[Kezzieboy]

I'd be looking at a 406, the exec model (as Liam mentioned) is pretty well specced for the money and you get the bulletproof HDi engines.

[Iceman299]

Saab 93? The 1.9diesel seems to get decent reviews. Or even a jag x-type, i was looking at some last month

[Poodle]

The x-type uses the old mondeo engine, which is a piece of crap. Saabs are lovely, but everywhere is jacking parts prices up since the company went under. The 1.9 engine is the same as what goes in the vauxhalls and fiats, quite tunable too.

[RetroPug]

The x-type uses the old mondeo engine, which is a piece of crap. Saabs are lovely, but everywhere is jacking parts prices up since the company went under. The 1.9 engine is the same as what goes in the vauxhalls and fiats, quite tunable too.

I've been looking at mondeos as well as they are pretty nice places to sit overall. I'm a bit put off by the 9999 problems my friend has been having with his petrol ST in just a couple of years though.

406 2.2 coupe? or a 406 2.2 estate?

406? Could easily find a clean 110 Executive for that money, 60mpg, AC, cruise, heated leather, bloody nice to drive too...

I'd be looking at a 406, the exec model (as Liam mentioned) is pretty well specced for the money and you get the bulletproof HDi engines.

A 406 coupe would be lovely. Do sort of fancy a change away from Peugeots but definitely worth a closer look.

What about a 607 not the best looking car but they have the 2.2 HDI and you can get a fully loaded one on your budget easily.

I'll take a look at them.

I never was a fan, but the megane 1.5dci??

Cheap to buy now and dirt cheap to run. My mate got given his by his grandad. It had done about 70k. He has done another 70k in about 3.5yrs and serviced it himself.

Been mapped all that time too. No clutch/turbo/injector issues at all.

Comfy too

Good suggestion but not sure I want to stay french. Not for any logical reason other than fancying a change really.

Alfa 156? Picked my 2.4 jtd up for 350 quid.. needed a few bits doing but still

Worth a look but Alfa ownership frightens me and I've never quite seen what other people seem to see in them a lot of the time! Some models are lovely though.

Not sure on prices because i haven't looked but Octavia TDi? I had one and it was the 1.9 PD. Rattly and noisy but i have to give it some credit, it was bullet proof, good on fuel considering its an old engine and cheap to service. The actual car was no thrills but was comfortable, drove well and was just typical VAG really. Boring as f*ck but good at cruising.
Nice thing about the Skoda as well is the interior is virtually identical to the equivalent Audi, its better spec'd for the equivalent price of an Audi and you don't get tarred with the Audi wanker brush!

I was looking at Skoda Octavias and they seem fairly nice. Are they really that rattly and noisy though?
I don't necessarily mind it being a bit boring as I am literally after something to slog up and down the motorway.

Saab 93? The 1.9diesel seems to get decent reviews. Or even a jag x-type, i was looking at some last month

I do like Saabs but am afraid of parts prices really.

Fiat Punto Grande 1.9 Mjet Sporting 6 speed?

Returns 53MPG (real figure I've recorded) all A/B-roads, occasional stretch of motorway (less than 20%).

Comfy, 130bhp out the box, remap to 170bhp all day long, FMIC and VNT as standard, have air-con, comfortable, handle surprisingly well.

Had a look, they look nice but not my cup of tea.
Perhaps I should consider getting one anyway though if they really are that good.

CDTI 150 vectra will do 50mpg with ease, check for noisy DMF, snapped springs, EGR faults & swirl flaps broken.

Had mine nearly 2yrs & it was bullet proof and I still miss it.

I've also had experience of vag diesels, they are decent too.

Be prepared for 6 pages of being told everything bar a HDI is shit though.

Thank you for your input.
For some reason I really do quite like Vectras, I am a bit worried about faults though.

Mk1 Ph2 Ford Focus TDCI sport. fantastic car! heated screens front and rear, heated mirrors and seats as standard, cheap parts, reliable for the money and simple to fix when they go wrong.

No thrills but more important no bills

I did look at those. Not sure I want a Mk.1 (for no real logical reason ) but it could be worthwhile.

No bills is definitely an advantage!

Didn't like my Vectra at all....and it wouldn't even average 50mpg with my driving! Poor ride, low quality interior, paintwork flakes and peels like a Peugeot, egr will break but can just be blanked. Heavy tax (180 a year iirc). But as you've seen, they are much cheaper to buy than smsller cars.

I wouldn't bother with a mk4 Golf 130/150 now, they're still holding too much value and will be getting tatty at this age, but much more refinement end a better ride than the vec. Tax is about 125 a year on the earlier ones. Could probably get a decent passat TDi though...

You could also probably get a 207 1.6 HDi 90 on your budget, no dpf on the 90s either. Ride isn't great though, and I felt cramped but that's a personal thing.

As Matt says, Focus is a good shout, the 1.8tdci would be well in your budget. Maybe even a mk2 2.0 HDi...

Agreed, golfs are tatty and rubbish for the money.

Don't want a 207 at all really. I just don't like them!

I couldn't see any mk2 focuses for the money really.

I've only seen red vectras having paint problems. Is the ride really that bad? My friend's astra rode perfectly well.

While it doesn't tick all your boxes, I had a Corsa CDTi and it was doing 64mpg week in week out on my commute...

Specifically which boxes doesn't it tick?
64MPG sounds attractive.

Got to echo Matt and Tom tbh, you'll find theres very little else in your price range worth having. The 1.8tdci is pretty unrefined, but similarly bomb proof.

Vags are epic for comfort cruisers, but have never been convinced the premium is worth it, especially on spares. I assume you will be servicing it yourself, in which case DO NOT buy a Renault lol.

Only other options I can think of that tick your boxes and are worth having imo are toyotas.

I would be servicing it myself yes.

Thanks for the input.

Vag all the way. Can pick up gt tdis for that money these days, great motorway cars imo.

Can you really?
I've only been able to see horrible, tatty SE spec Golfs at that price.

Seat Ibiza Sport (Diesel)

It's the same engine (same car being VAG) as the Fabia vRS (1.9PD) but crucially it's at least 500 quid cheaper, so easily available under 1500 notes.

Oddly the Seat's tend to have fewer miles on them, while alot of Fabia's have been to the moon and back (and still cost more)

Had a look, are you sure you can get them for this sort of price??




Thanks everyone!

[silverzx]

To be honest I never intended to have a Punto Grande but it came up cheap so thought I'd have a go, definitely an improvement over my old 306 HDi.

Looks more modern, spacious feeling inside, big boot, nice styling, drives well, pleny of grunt, returns fairly good MPG, lowering springs, remaps etc all available fairly cheap.

Oil filter was fairly easy, wheel bearing was a piece of cake (come pre-pressed and just bolts on) so yeah, so far impressed with the layout of everything. Turbo's at the front to which is nice.

Downsides are high tax (190 a year), honestly can't think of another.

It seems well made, comfortable to drive for an hour to work in, anyway, enough said, go test drive one if you can, they're good value for money if you can look past the badge. The engines are also highly regarded (Ruan can confirm this).

Couple of pictures (of mine):





More pic's in Project thread found here: http://306oc.co.uk/forum/thread-21917-page-3.html

Here's a high miler with one owner from new for £1299:

---

Might buy it for my Mrs actually..

[Toms306]

Excellent use of the multiquote function!

First thing I'd say though, is you're comparing cars to ones that aren't really similar. A petrol mondeo is very different to a tdci if it was engine problems (though thats a poor example as the 2.0 TDCi in the mk3 is also terrible lol). Equally, a Vectra isn't an astra.

The ride on the Vec was that bad yes, rear end Iis bouncy as hell, and the fronts are so soft they don't rebound before you hit the next bump which just becomes a horrible crashy mess with the dash, parcel shelf and everything else jumping around and vibrating.

As for paint, red cars almost always have issues (but flat red is usually a free colour anyway lol). Mine was lightening silver and was peeling on the edges of panels and where stone chips broke the paint. Not really acceptable for a 6 year old top spec midsized salloon car imo!

---

But what I recommend is you go and test drive some cars... I got fixated on one or two cars that I hated when I actually tried, and ended up buying one I hadn't even considered lol.

[1616six]

Excellent use of the multiquote function!

First thing I'd say though, is you're comparing cars to ones that aren't really similar. A petrol mondeo is very different to a tdci if it was engine problems (though thats a poor example as the 2.0 TDCi in the mk3 is also terrible lol). Equally, a Vectra isn't an astra.

The ride on the Vec was that bad yes, rear end Iis bouncy as hell, and the fronts are so soft they don't rebound before you hit the next bump which just becomes a horrible crashy mess with the dash, parcel shelf and everything else jumping around and vibrating.

As for paint, red cars almost always have issues (but flat red is usually a free colour anyway lol). Mine was lightening silver and was peeling on the edges of panels and where stone chips broke the paint. Not really acceptable for a 6 year old top spec midsized salloon car imo!

---

But what I recommend is you go and test drive some cars... I got fixated on one or two cars that I hated when I actually tried, and ended up buying one I hadn't even considered lol.

I would like to point out Tom had an exceptionally big lemon from what was described to me, from everything you pointed out to me Tom it sounded like it had been in an accident in it's past hence the paint, wind noise you experienced etc.

Mine was a 2004 Prefacelift with over 100k on it, I put 30k on that car in less than 18 months & it never didnt start, never had an EGR fault (although I did get it remapped to 200bhp & had the EGR removed and mapped out)

The ride is very normal on them, I ran 19" VXR wheels with low profile tyres which coupled up with -45mm springs made for an even better ride and epic handling.

I'd certainly recommend driving a few cars as said, however you will do well to find some of the suggestions with the low mileage you're hoping for.

I never worry about mileage when buying a car, I remember something I was once asked

"Would you rather buy a car that has done low mileage, sat on a driveway with everything rubber on it perishing, been to the shops each week & MOT'd once a year, or a car that has done high mileage, used daily, regularly serviced with a full history, anything that needed changing..changed"

Hence I have a car that is 4.5yrs old with 103k on it, full main dealer history with the maintenance schedule perfectly documented...

I'd always go with history & condition over mileage!

[THE_Liam]

I don't agree with you on much but I'll definitely agree on that point - the 2 cars I've had with huge, detailed service histories have been the Merc and the Audi, both have been faultless and the Audi was on 151k when I sold it, the Merc is on 133k, and both over 20 years old.

[Toms306]

Excellent use of the multiquote function!

First thing I'd say though, is you're comparing cars to ones that aren't really similar. A petrol mondeo is very different to a tdci if it was engine problems (though thats a poor example as the 2.0 TDCi in the mk3 is also terrible lol). Equally, a Vectra isn't an astra.

The ride on the Vec was that bad yes, rear end Iis bouncy as hell, and the fronts are so soft they don't rebound before you hit the next bump which just becomes a horrible crashy mess with the dash, parcel shelf and everything else jumping around and vibrating.

As for paint, red cars almost always have issues (but flat red is usually a free colour anyway lol). Mine was lightening silver and was peeling on the edges of panels and where stone chips broke the paint. Not really acceptable for a 6 year old top spec midsized salloon car imo!

---

But what I recommend is you go and test drive some cars... I got fixated on one or two cars that I hated when I actually tried, and ended up buying one I hadn't even considered lol.

I would like to point out Tom had an exceptionally big lemon from what was described to me, from everything you pointed out to me Tom it sounded like it had been in an accident in it's past hence the paint, wind noise you experienced etc.

Mine was a 2004 Prefacelift with over 100k on it, I put 30k on that car in less than 18 months & it never didnt start, never had an EGR fault (although I did get it remapped to 200bhp & had the EGR removed and mapped out)

The ride is very normal on them, I ran 19" VXR wheels with low profile tyres which coupled up with -45mm springs made for an even better ride and epic handling.

I'd certainly recommend driving a few cars as said, however you will do well to find some of the suggestions with the low mileage you're hoping for.

I never worry about mileage when buying a car, I remember something I was once asked

"Would you rather buy a car that has done low mileage, sat on a driveway with everything rubber on it perishing, been to the shops each week & MOT'd once a year, or a car that has done high mileage, used daily, regularly serviced with a full history, anything that needed changing..changed"

Hence I have a car that is 4.5yrs old with 103k on it, full main dealer history with the maintenance schedule perfectly documented...

I'd always go with history & condition over mileage!

Oh I'd forgotten the wind noise....that was the only thing that beat the dash vibrations. Tbf, the dash issue and the wind noise were partly to do with the car being on its 3rd windscreen. The chassis was updated for the facelift which flexed so much it'd crack screens pretty quickly...brilliant idea lol. But a lot of the wind seemed to be coming from the back somewhere, never did find out where though.

It wasn't in an accident, I was only the 3rd owner, full history and a clear HPI. They just aren't put together well, or not after the facelift at least, and everything inside is very noticeably cheap and shit, feels a bit like a 306 interior! You also lose a lot of standard spec on the facelift for cost cutting reasons. Though if you go for the Design spec, you do get a 6CD changer with DAB and an auto dimming drivers wing mirror....about the only parts of the Vec I liked!


Jordan, I'm sure you had a new EGR under warranty?

Also, forgot to mention the springs snapping...you had one snap as well iirc lol?

When mine snapped the spring it was dangerous though, due to the daft little coils top and bottom when they do snap a front spring it takes out the tyre as well...fortunately I was only doing 30, dread to think what might've happened if I'd been doing 60+.


On another note, the mileage thing is interesting. When I started buying diesels they were all well over 100k because that's as far as the budget would stretch. I've had mega mileage cars as well, some with history, some without, both Golfs and the Vectra full history, and look how well that went.

But when I was looking this time I wasn't too fussed by mileage, I found 2 Focii to look at, identical spec and engine. One an 09 plate with 107k FFSH, and one an 08 plate with 47k FFSH, £500 between them....massive difference in the amount of wear and the obvious use between them though! Besides the odd car park ding that's been touched up, mine still looks new, sitting inside I genuinely feel like the first owner! The 09 plate on the other hand, had a lot of wear to the steering wheel and knob, seat bolster had gone saggy, the boot was well used, inside it generally looked 'tired' I guess. And the outside was worse, scratches and scuffs all over, tonnes of stone chips, rear bumper scuffed to hell where stuffs been put in and out and kerbing on every wheel. And when I asked about of the service history, turned out it was full, but that that didn't mean much, see below...

I chose the lower mileage one, unsurprisingly.

If you do for a high mileage car, if its been leased, full history doesn't mean a lot. The lease companies decide whether or not parts can be changed. For example, at 75k the DPF and Eolys should be changed on the Focus...a lot of lease companies refuse this, and get rid of the cars shortly after...as had happened with the other one I was looking at!

[Niall]

Not sure on prices because i haven't looked but Octavia TDi? I had one and it was the 1.9 PD. Rattly and noisy but i have to give it some credit, it was bullet proof, good on fuel considering its an old engine and cheap to service. The actual car was no thrills but was comfortable, drove well and was just typical VAG really. Boring as f*ck but good at cruising.
Nice thing about the Skoda as well is the interior is virtually identical to the equivalent Audi, its better spec'd for the equivalent price of an Audi and you don't get tarred with the Audi wanker brush!

I was looking at Skoda Octavias and they seem fairly nice. Are they really that rattly and noisy though?
I don't necessarily mind it being a bit boring as I am literally after something to slog up and down the motorway.

No if I'm honest I'm being picky. They are substantially quieter than a 306 on the motorway. I think the only reason why i think its noisy is because i went from that to the Kia which i have to say, is stupidly quiet at motorway speeds considering its a cheap car!

[RetroPug]

No if I'm honest I'm being picky. They are substantially quieter than a 306 on the motorway. I think the only reason why i think its noisy is because i went from that to the Kia which i have to say, is stupidly quiet at motorway speeds considering its a cheap car!

Ok thanks. I did drive one of the new diesel skoda octavias and frankly I thought it was pretty bloody brilliant.
The older ones do look like a decent car for the money and I've heard that they are pretty bullet proof.

Excellent use of the multiquote function!

First thing I'd say though, is you're comparing cars to ones that aren't really similar. A petrol mondeo is very different to a tdci if it was engine problems (though thats a poor example as the 2.0 TDCi in the mk3 is also terrible lol). Equally, a Vectra isn't an astra.

The ride on the Vec was that bad yes, rear end Iis bouncy as hell, and the fronts are so soft they don't rebound before you hit the next bump which just becomes a horrible crashy mess with the dash, parcel shelf and everything else jumping around and vibrating.

As for paint, red cars almost always have issues (but flat red is usually a free colour anyway lol). Mine was lightening silver and was peeling on the edges of panels and where stone chips broke the paint. Not really acceptable for a 6 year old top spec midsized salloon car imo!

---

But what I recommend is you go and test drive some cars... I got fixated on one or two cars that I hated when I actually tried, and ended up buying one I hadn't even considered lol.

There's a multi-quote function?! Bloody hell I've been right clicking and opening each quote in new tabs and copying and pasting!

My friend's mondeo had broken springs, buggered wheel bearings, rear bumper falling half off and several other annoyances which I can't remember. It is still lovely though. None of them were engine related.

I would like to test drive some, at the moment I'm waiting until the end of November as that is when my insurance ends, so I'm going to look into having multicar insurance etc. with another year of no claims. Thanks for your comments, it does sound like you got a bit of a lemon!

I remember my friend's astra being a pretty pleasant place to sit, although at the time I did have a 1.1L 8v 106 so maybe that was why.

I would like to point out Tom had an exceptionally big lemon from what was described to me, from everything you pointed out to me Tom it sounded like it had been in an accident in it's past hence the paint, wind noise you experienced etc.

Mine was a 2004 Prefacelift with over 100k on it, I put 30k on that car in less than 18 months & it never didnt start, never had an EGR fault (although I did get it remapped to 200bhp & had the EGR removed and mapped out)

The ride is very normal on them, I ran 19" VXR wheels with low profile tyres which coupled up with -45mm springs made for an even better ride and epic handling.

I'd certainly recommend driving a few cars as said, however you will do well to find some of the suggestions with the low mileage you're hoping for.

I never worry about mileage when buying a car, I remember something I was once asked

"Would you rather buy a car that has done low mileage, sat on a driveway with everything rubber on it perishing, been to the shops each week & MOT'd once a year, or a car that has done high mileage, used daily, regularly serviced with a full history, anything that needed changing..changed"

Hence I have a car that is 4.5yrs old with 103k on it, full main dealer history with the maintenance schedule perfectly documented...

I'd always go with history & condition over mileage!

I would rather have a pre facelift.

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

As for mileage, I agree that having low miles doesn't redeem a poor service history, but looking at vectras I can easily get 80k miles with FSH for the money which if they will transport me comfortably while not costing much sounds like a pretty cracking deal to me!

I don't agree with you on much but I'll definitely agree on that point - the 2 cars I've had with huge, detailed service histories have been the Merc and the Audi, both have been faultless and the Audi was on 151k when I sold it, the Merc is on 133k, and both over 20 years old.

As above really, I definitely do agree, but lowish miles but not so low that is alarming plus FSH is within budget for some of the cars I've been looking at which is nice.

To be honest I never intended to have a Punto Grande but it came up cheap so thought I'd have a go, definitely an improvement over my old 306 HDi.

Looks more modern, spacious feeling inside, big boot, nice styling, drives well, pleny of grunt, returns fairly good MPG, lowering springs, remaps etc all available fairly cheap.

Oil filter was fairly easy, wheel bearing was a piece of cake (come pre-pressed and just bolts on) so yeah, so far impressed with the layout of everything. Turbo's at the front to which is nice.

Downsides are high tax (190 a year), honestly can't think of another.

It seems well made, comfortable to drive for an hour to work in, anyway, enough said, go test drive one if you can, they're good value for money if you can look past the badge. The engines are also highly regarded (Ruan can confirm this).

Couple of pictures (of mine)

Thank you.

I'm not a badge snob, it's just that there are some cars I look at and think "yeah I like that" or "it's nice but not really for me". Puntos have always been the latter for me.
However, they do actually sound like a pretty good deal!
I like the colour of yours!


Thanks everyone.

[Niall]

No if I'm honest I'm being picky. They are substantially quieter than a 306 on the motorway. I think the only reason why i think its noisy is because i went from that to the Kia which i have to say, is stupidly quiet at motorway speeds considering its a cheap car!

Ok thanks. I did drive one of the new diesel skoda octavias and frankly I thought it was pretty bloody brilliant.
The older ones do look like a decent car for the money and I've heard that they are pretty bullet proof.

Yeah my one was a 2009 Mk2 but its still basically the same car as the MK1

[Seb_Ryan]

The thing with the alfa is, is that its such a lovely place to be, the seats are like memory foam tbh, its a very small steering wheel aswell which makes it feel very sporty? If you know what I mean. Mine is on 182k and ive just replaced the turbo, which was original, ive got full service history, and its never had any major work done, minus the usual wear and tear items. Even on the 2.4 10v I have thry map upto 190bhp easily and still return 50+ mpg on a run, my average is about 46 and im heavy footed lol

Normal servicable items are cheap as its the same aa the vauxhall 1.9 8v engine with an extra cylinder, a full service kit, timing belt and tensioners, and water pump cost me 130 odd quid.

Oh and the sound is amazing even with a standard exhaust (only backbox and cat as standard) and air filter.