Most reliable second hand 1.4/1.6 diesel on the market?

boogaloo

Registered User
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Hi all,

Hoping to upgrade my car next year, and want to buy a small diesel. Have between 8k - 10k to spend (in total, so VRT must be included in that), and ideally I'd like 03/04. Will be my first time buying a diesel, and I have a couple of questions:

1. Newer diesel cars (less than 5 years old) - do they still need to be serviced as carefully, or has the timing between services improved with the newer models?

2. Considering a toyota corolla, Ford Focus, Peugeot 307 or maybe a ford fiesta. Where can I find stats on these?

3. If I go to the UK to buy, is VRT on diesel's much more than on petrol? I would like a few extras (air con being the main), hence the buying from UK.

What else do I need to be aware of/look out for in a diesel?

thanks in advance
 
I would say that if you are looking for reliability then try to go Japanese - either Toyota, Mazda, Nissan. Although they tend to hold their value better.

As for the others you list, a lot of the recent Fords get good reviews and are a lot better for reliability than they used to be. And the parts/servicing will probably be slightly cheaper. Plus the prices will be lower to buy. Perhaps more selection to pick from as well.

As for the VRT, not sure if they make any distinction between diesel and petrol. I thought it was just a percentage of the market value. Check the ros.ie website to get a rough guide for any car you might be interested in.
 
thanks RMCF, will look on the revenue site for VRT price once I have narrowed down my search.

I currently drive a Ford, so am not totally against them.

What other small diesels should I consider?
 
Its an impossible question to answer really........individuals are very partial and partisan to their own 'badges' and reliability is on a unit vehicle basis rather than make or model.

Prices of second-hand diesel cars would be between 1 - 2K (sterling) more than petrol equivalent. You can check and compare reliability of different makes here:- http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/index.htm
 
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