We’re looking at a replacement car for the other half to do 20000 a year for the next 3 years, then probably drop back to a one car family.

Obviously budget is the deciding factor but is there a sweet spot for buying a used diesel? Dont want to end up with something on the steep bit of a bath tub curve.

My experience for what it’s worth:

Bought an ex-demo 1.9TDI 4×4 Octavia estate in 2006 with a few hundred miles on clock. Didn’t plan to get one so near the top of the depreciation curve but not many 4×4 versions were available S/H at the time. Have since put +20K per annum on it (currently sitting at 181K miles) and apart from a new clutch and flywheel (just over £1K at about 160K miles) have only had to replace brakes pads/discs and a couple of springs. Oh, and a few front panels, headlight units, etc, after hitting deer – but can’t blame that on the car…

Not sure what the sweet spot would be for buying one. I wouldn’t pay what folk seem to be asking for similar examples to mine, but that said I am optimistic I will get well over 200K miles out of it… When I do weigh it in think I’ll get an Octavia Scout with about 30K miles on it if I can find one for a decent price, but there’s no science behind that mileage, just gut feel.

Older 1.9TDI?

Why a Focus and not a Mondeo?

For doing that kind of mileage, a Mondeo is a much comfier car.

I had a 2004 2.0d 130bhp Mondeo. All the toys 40k miles £4k. Sold it 3 years later 100k miles for £2.5k.

Cheap to run, as chain cambelt, cheap tyres. etc etc.

Much better car than the Focus IMO and I have had both

i find 60-120k can be an expensive time. If you buy it past that it’s either already knackered and dirt cheap, or been looked after, all the expensive bits that wear out replaced and slightly less cheap.

For the Skoda 1.9 tdi just after the first cambelt and water pump change I would say. These are only 105 bhp but that makes the clutch last a bit longer. Skoda will do more miles than the ford and its not common rail so a bit more reliable at higher miles.

Forgot about the cambelts…

I have a 57 plate 1.9TDI Octavia.

Hit 80k just before the end of the year, I’ve been having problems with ABS sensor lights. Had the rear bearings replaced (probably due to lack of grease than anything else) and the front bushings replaced. ABS fault is ‘well known’. Would fail an MOT though I believe.

Probably need to do the front bearings this year sometime and it’s also due timing belt/oil pump this year… 🙁

Otherwise it’s been no problem for the other 3 years I’ve had it.

FunkyDunc is right, except that a Mondeo is the size of a truck which can be annoying. But they’re cheaper for equivalent cars.

I had a ’52 plate, mk 1.5 Focus with 120000 miles when I sold it, and the worst engine, the 1.8TDDI. Brilliant wee car, but it was pretty clapped out, quite a bit of rust and it didn’t generally give the impression it was ever going to get through an MOT without a bill again, and it had clutch, turbo and dmf hanging over it. So I’d want to buy newer and lower miles if I could. The 2.0 TDCI in the Focus is a match made in heaven though in some ways newer Foci are worse, they use the space less well and the ergonomics can be weird. More modern but generally feels less well nailed together.

( I got my ’55 mondeo on 90000, that’s probably still higher than is ideal but I got 20000 odd miles out of it with barely a rattle. Then an expensive year with the turbo and injectors but it’s still sound. I think realistically to get a 30000 mile younger car I’d have spent about a grand more so it’d still be pretty equal on cost)

Octavia, I dunno, maybe a better car. I get irate about the boot on the estate though.

The thoughts against the mondeo is one of physical size as well as higher tax and lower efficiency. Not looking for the driving I n exciting, we’re looking for cheap.

I never found mine big at all.

I doubt the tax is anymore if very slightly. Think mine was £225.

What’s lower efficiency about it? Mine did 50mpg at 75ish. Around town about 40-45mpg

Premium tyres were about £70 a corner

mrs tts just traded he 1.9tdi octavi bought new in 08 sold in october with 120k on it.. reckon whoever bought it will get a bargain.. she put diesel in, petrol once.. crashed her way around manchesters carparks broke the cd player by trying to put 3 cds in at the same time.. we put new front pads in it put maybe 8-10 tyres on it in its lifetime it never failed an mot.. she snapped a suspension spring..that was it trouble free motoring.. she sold because she felt that the windows might not go up and down properly forever…..women..well one specific woman.

FunkyDunc – Member

I never found mine big at all.

Do you think it might be a Fiesta with a Mondeo badge? There’s really no denying that it’s a big car, I mean, it’s physically too big to fit in the parking spaces at my local Tesco. Whether or not the size is a problem is a different question of course, I occasionally find it annoying but totally worth it.

We’re looking at cars in the £30 a year tax bracket. Something like the 1.6l diesel. Mondeo is a lot of car to pull with a relatively small engine.