Hey all,
similar to Shakey, Im looking at a VW Bora. I know I want a 1.9 Tdi, ideally 115 or 130bhp and the PD engine (famously reliable...) and an SE or Highline. They tend to keep their price pretty rigidly so an 03-05 with around 100k on the clock is anything from £3k-£4k. Im looking around 130k, 02-03 and not modified for around £2k-£2.5k.
Is there anything particular to look out for? Other reviews often say that suspension, tracking and bushings are prone to wear and easy mis-alignment if knocked. Also engine mounts (like Golfs and the Passat) but otherwise any particular engine parts that regularly wear out past 100k? Parts seem plentiful on Ebay if you know what you're looking for...
Im going to be using it mainly for commuting up and down B roads so Im thinking a diesel should be more economical than my current 1.6 16v petrol. Nothings definate yet but Ive looked around at similar engined cars for similar prices and of a similar size (small family car with boot) and I cant seem to find anything else that seems as attractive to me at the moment. What would anyone suggest over a Bora?
Anyone got any experience of the cars and how they drive/handle, etc?
Doug
Seat Tolledo would be cheaper but comparable and from the VAG Group.
Suspension set up is very weird. Heavily damped but softly sprung. Steering is also a bit weird, very vague on initial turn in.
S3 lower strut brace helps a lot and they're only £20.
The Bora is a very nice place to be in. Centre arm rest gets in the way of the handbrake.
Cheers mk1fan. Ive heard they are comfy to drive. I need to drive a few to get an idea of setup too.
The massively over sized front anti roll bar means all models are understeery. A larger rear anti roll bar improves things. A quality set of aftermarket matched springs and dampers - like Koni - really improve the ride quality. Even though it's firmer.
The boot is massive but the opening isn't that wide. The hole through to the cabin when the seats are down is smaller still.
You can still get a lot in them though. I've got three plus bikes plus kit in mine. Could still see out of hte back too.
Loved mine to pieces, remapped to 170, 168k on clock and still sweet as a nut! Boot opening bit small, but very comfy to drive. Would het another any day of the week! Watch for the dual mass flywheel though. Very torquey engine when mapped the pd engine. Oil change every 10k to keep the old girl sweet, was doing 35k a year though.
I have a 04, 115 bhp and it's been mine since it was 12 months old and it's now done 57k. Mine is one of the first 115's, i think before mine they were 110 and 90. In winter I average about 52 mpg and get 56mpg in summer over a tank of fuel. Driving like a grandad, I've had an 76 mpg journey average out of it.
Driving is good, there is NO turbo lag. Just press and go. No point in trying to rev it out, just drive the torque curve instead. No problem in the corners either, the boot sticking out over the back stops the back wheel coming up and I don't have any understeer issues. I've just gone away from the OE Mitchelin tyres and have put Uniroyal Rainsport 2's on it which are cheaper and grip better so far.
Relaibility? VW brakes are made from dry custard and seem to be designed to require replacement every 10000 miles. Go aftermarket with Delphi. I had to swap a front wheel bearing last year, but see the previous paragraph for the reason.
The armrest does get in the way of the handbrake, but you soon learn to use two fingers to operate it and it definately a bonus to have it.
One thing that really does annoy is the headlights are shockingly bad. Really really bad. So bad you have to be on an unlit road before you realise that they are actually switched on. Main beam is fine though.
Ask away if you need any more info.
I've had one for three years now, nice relaxing car to drive. I've had some issues, but they're specific to petrol models so I won't bother going into them as you're considering the diesel. Main complaint is that the boot opening is small as others have said, you can only comfortably get one bike in and you have to feed it in through the small opening.. two or three bikes are possible if you take both wheels off them, but i find it a pain to get even a second bike in through the boot. Interestingly the Skoda Octavia, otherwise the same car, has a hatchback which is much more suited to bike duties. Having said all that you can get a bike rack, I have one I'm just a bit lazy to use it much.
We had a couple of Bora 130 autos at work, the fuel economy was shocking compared to the manual and the boxes were made out of cheese. Both failed before 30k.
Its definately going to be a manual for the type of journeys Ill be doing. At the moment I have a Megane Coupe 1.6 16v petrol with a hatch opening and to get my bike in I have to take off the bars, both wheels and both pedals. If I could just take the wheels off Id be a happy man! If I look at keeping it Ill get a tow bar for a bike rack that way.
Shadthebad, interestingly one of the first thing you notice of the modified cars for sale is HID or Angel Eye conversions on the lights.
There lots of things like handbrake that I need to research, like do the seats in the rear go flat with the boot or are they raised (mine currently just fold down making it more impractical to put anything long in the boot) Can you access the bulbs easily for example or is it difficult to get your hand in there? Is the clutch generally high on these cars as well? I drove a Polo with the same breed of PD engine when my GF looked into them and I was impressed but the clutch was very high and the accelerator very heavy. I have a feeling it was some bad adjustment on the clutch but that could be the way VW make them as I havent driven one yet.
The rear seats fold forward and if you lift the base of the rear seat first, then it goes completly flat. The size of the space is impressive. My bike goes in easily with just the front wheel removed.
My lady has the polo with the 1.9 100bhp TDI engine and it's not the same engine as the bora. The polo had a bit of turbo lag, but it pulls a bit stronger at the top end.
Bulbs are a little bit of a faff to change. Some people recommend removing the front bumper, but I just find it easier to move the battery out of the way!
Both the cars use an electronic throttle pedal, but the polo does need more of a shove now you mention it. Clutches are normal on both.