fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
The 1.4 150 TSI seem quite good engines, my son thrashes his tuned 1.4 TSI to about 180/190 bhp on the track (track car now). Definitely a belt, but not a wet belt
Used car recommendations - family car up to about £10k absolute tops!!
- Thread starter Time Waster
- Start date
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Time Waster
Veteran
150bhp? I think the highest I've had was 138bhp a seat altea xl. I tried a mondeo at 167 I think once and a scoobie at 218bhp iirc or more. That went round corners on rails!
Would a lower powered engine be better for economy and running costs?
Would a lower powered engine be better for economy and running costs?
Jody
Stubborn git
The used market has been blown apart over the last 5-10 years which I think is a combination of the scrappage schemes and we buy any car/motorway etc.
You're right that a lot of manufacturers have been chasing economy figures but haven't got the technology dialled in some cases. The 1.0 isn't a bad engine TBF but I've always had my doubts whether it should be pulling a heavier chassis. They might be super economical on a test bench but real world sees a larger, lower revving engine as frugal but with better longevity.
We don't get many enquiries at work for the 1.5 petrol TSi so they must be holding up OK. I really like the car you're looking at and if I had any reservation, it would be over the DSG auto box. Great bit of kit but costly if they do go wrong. Stay on top of oil changes and I think they are fairly bullet proof.
60k is a nice mileage. Loads of life left in there yet.
You only ever hear the horror stories of what's on the market but its never put into perspective of how many units are on the road vs how many failures. The ecobangs (any 1.0 3cyl turbo ford) have got a rep but there are tonnes of them on the road. Wet belts aren't an ideal technology with more manufacturer's having headaches than just Ford alone.
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Time Waster
Veteran
Our 16 plate vivaro engine went. Garage thought turbo but a new one didn't work so it was new engine. Then patched up radiator. It seems every time it goes wrong it's a engine failure stop emergency lights. There's no warning that I could tell just engine failure and if you don't stop the van does so for you!
What I think is there is no temp gauge so you can't see it rising. Previous cars I've had that developed issues I could see the temp gauge to up higher than normal and I could stop and assess. This vivaro has a design flaw without one imho. It's information that helps.
Now I do worry about things going wrong like that to be I wonder if there's something about engines that are smaller in size than of old. I mean in the past iterations of vivaro vans would you go with a diesel at 1.5l or 2.5 litre CDTi? I think that was what they used to be. Similarly I used to think 1l was small for a fiesta sized, 1.2l being a nice and nippy at that size car. Back then lighter cars too. For escort sized 1.6l petrol or 1.8 / 2.0l diesel then Turbo diesels at that. Now 1 2, 1.4 l is sort of norm for petrol even 1.4 or 1.5 l for diesels. I mean 150bhp 1.5l octavia I doubt such a sized engine would get much more than say 115!
I could be wrong with those vague recollections and impressions of the past situation but it seems about right to me. Obviously new tech comes along with better reliability / quality but it's hard to get my head around engine size drops but power goes up.
Those are my musings on modern vs past car tech / choice.
What I think is there is no temp gauge so you can't see it rising. Previous cars I've had that developed issues I could see the temp gauge to up higher than normal and I could stop and assess. This vivaro has a design flaw without one imho. It's information that helps.
Now I do worry about things going wrong like that to be I wonder if there's something about engines that are smaller in size than of old. I mean in the past iterations of vivaro vans would you go with a diesel at 1.5l or 2.5 litre CDTi? I think that was what they used to be. Similarly I used to think 1l was small for a fiesta sized, 1.2l being a nice and nippy at that size car. Back then lighter cars too. For escort sized 1.6l petrol or 1.8 / 2.0l diesel then Turbo diesels at that. Now 1 2, 1.4 l is sort of norm for petrol even 1.4 or 1.5 l for diesels. I mean 150bhp 1.5l octavia I doubt such a sized engine would get much more than say 115!
I could be wrong with those vague recollections and impressions of the past situation but it seems about right to me. Obviously new tech comes along with better reliability / quality but it's hard to get my head around engine size drops but power goes up.
Those are my musings on modern vs past car tech / choice.
biggs682
Itching to get back on my bike's
- Location
- Northamptonshire
@Time Waster why spend 10k
Look at the Nissan note earlier versions before Renault got too involved and early Honda Jazz's
Look at the Nissan note earlier versions before Renault got too involved and early Honda Jazz's
Jameshow
Veteran
Plenty of transporters with dsg and track cars with 500hp through then so they are pretty good! They are computer controlled so the torque they deliver is limited to the clutches capacity.
Time Waster
Veteran
I looked at the jazz, a few of them. I think one was about 4 or 5 k in a local cheaper car sales place near us. A bit small for us.
We're not looking for a big load lugger but we do need a boot capable of taking a good set of 3 suitcases and other stuff of needed as well as fitting 3 growing kids in the back for taxi duties. From what I've seen the jazz is 38% less cargo space than say the Ford focus. In order too get my head around cars I tend to compare with a typical family car that's quite common like the Ford focus. That's the size we think is what we need if not a little bit bigger.
The Honda accord we've looked at. I saw one that looked decent. After 2017 ved went up for cars, currently cars valued less than £40k £180, above 40k it is £190. The civic was down as £190. Would a 2018 civic really cost over £40k when new? Skoda octavia after 2017 is £180, the one I looked at was £35. Considering I hate paying ved for some reason that possibly linked to my dislike of paying much for car parking LOL!
We're not looking for a big load lugger but we do need a boot capable of taking a good set of 3 suitcases and other stuff of needed as well as fitting 3 growing kids in the back for taxi duties. From what I've seen the jazz is 38% less cargo space than say the Ford focus. In order too get my head around cars I tend to compare with a typical family car that's quite common like the Ford focus. That's the size we think is what we need if not a little bit bigger.
The Honda accord we've looked at. I saw one that looked decent. After 2017 ved went up for cars, currently cars valued less than £40k £180, above 40k it is £190. The civic was down as £190. Would a 2018 civic really cost over £40k when new? Skoda octavia after 2017 is £180, the one I looked at was £35. Considering I hate paying ved for some reason that possibly linked to my dislike of paying much for car parking LOL!
Jameshow
Veteran
I have a Octy 2.0 TDI and it's a lovely car tbh.
Big enough for motorway journeys yet small enough for town driving. Better than the ford focus we had a while back.
But not barge like, like a Volvo estate or possibly superb....
Time Waster
Veteran
Reading reviews it seems that VW Passat is possibly the best in class but Octavia is best for bargain and space.
What I do not understand is how the Ford competition always seem to have the same review mark after mark. They always seem to say they are best in class handling and other similar comments with each new model. you could use the previous model review to write the next, because that is what I think reviewers do!! I can not believe that the focus is always like this.
BTW the same is true with Vauxhall astra reviews too. They seem to me to basically say near to best in class drive but just behind the ford. They simply compare it to ford.
My conclusion is that I do not trust magazine and online reviews. I just think that some are biased or lazy or something is not right there.
PS I think the autocar has 5 stars for ford focus, octavia and IIRC passat. Often using best in class tag for them all. That is why I think user experience is better. However I should qualify this by the fact that outdoor peoples tend to favour lad space over other factors it appears to me. That is why Octavia always appears to be top or close to the top in recs.
What I do not understand is how the Ford competition always seem to have the same review mark after mark. They always seem to say they are best in class handling and other similar comments with each new model. you could use the previous model review to write the next, because that is what I think reviewers do!! I can not believe that the focus is always like this.
BTW the same is true with Vauxhall astra reviews too. They seem to me to basically say near to best in class drive but just behind the ford. They simply compare it to ford.
My conclusion is that I do not trust magazine and online reviews. I just think that some are biased or lazy or something is not right there.
PS I think the autocar has 5 stars for ford focus, octavia and IIRC passat. Often using best in class tag for them all. That is why I think user experience is better. However I should qualify this by the fact that outdoor peoples tend to favour lad space over other factors it appears to me. That is why Octavia always appears to be top or close to the top in recs.
rualexander
Legendary Member
Octavia boot was too shallow for me when I was looking, couldn't get bikes in back upright with only front wheel off.
Time Waster
Veteran
The VW scene tax.
I had a SEAT Altea XL. It was basically a slightly tweaked golf plus in that it was slightly longer. You would see more of them and I don't think I ever saw a golf plus.
Jameshow
Veteran
Ford styling is awful to my eyes ..
Dashes are a mess and the focus is smaller inside than the mk2
Much prefer Skoda Octavia interior and engines...
OldShep
Veteran
- Location
- South West Scotland
I can’t fault the 1.4 tsi in my Octy My first petrol after 30+ years of diesel. plenty of torque similar to a diesel, 50-55 mpg knocking around home. A long journey, 200+ mls Mway, last summer it returned 62mpg. Pulls my caravan nae bother returning 30mph around 4 less than my last diesel.
