diesel load lugger??

[5lab]

hmm..

i've got a bit more money to play with at the mo, and one of the things i'm thinking of doing is buying a newer car.. at the moment my old vulva is broken down in bath and i cba going to fix it

so.. i recon i can spend up to a grand. i want a big car. diesel isnt essential, but fuel economy is v important.. i wont even look at less than 40mpg overall. loadspace is crucial - i want something that can fit 5 mountain bikes with the wheels off, or at worst 4. thats with the seats *up*. the only other thing i'd like is cruise control. i'm not remotely fussed by performance - my current car takes 14 secs to hit 60, and i'm content with that. a few toys would be nice, in particular stuff to do with the drivers seat as i'm pretty tall (so hight adjust would be nice)

what can you reccomend? at the mo, top of my list is a 7 year old mondeo estate - you can get a tidyish facelift model for that kinda cash, and it'll do 50mpg on a run, but the downside is that you cant get cruise (could aftermarket it i spose). it appears to have the largest load area in its class.

[Tumble]

I would say expand your budget and get a 110 Defender. Loads of room in the back and takes punishment like it was built for it. (plus 3 seats in the front and three in the back)

[oshta]

Or get an old MPV

[Moby-Dick]

Xm Estate ?

[KowShak]

You could have a look at a Xantia or a 406, both come with better diesels than the Mondeo and they're proper estates.

Fiat Marea (Weekends?) come with decent diesels too, but you have to drive a Fiat.

[Moby-Dick]

didn't the Volve 9xx do a diesel ?

that would be an uber load lugger

[5lab]

I would say expand your budget and get a 110 Defender. Loads of room in the back and takes punishment like it was built for it. (plus 3 seats in the front and three in the back)

i thought about that, but surely the fuel economy would be shocking. good for the type of car, yes, but not good overall

Or get an old MPV

having given that a brief look, i could just get a ~95 galaxy for me money.. i've put it on the list but its a bit slower/thirstier than a mondeo. any clues what insurance is like?

Xm Estate ?

don't they have problems with the suspension leaking??

You could have a look at a Xantia or a 406, both come with better diesels than the Mondeo and they're proper estates.

Fiat Marea (Weekends?) come with decent diesels too, but you have to drive a Fiat.

agreed, french diesels of that era are a bit better. for my money, i can apparently just get a vectra, a passat or a 406 *just* which is direct injection (which is a much better diesel tech).. the 406 isnt quite as big as a mondeo though

how big is a weekender? i've seen '99 weekender estates go for £600 on ebay which seems like a steal, i'd thought they were smaller (escort sized) though - i'm willing however to be prooved wrong

didn't the Volve 9xx do a diesel ?

that would be an uber load lugger

volvo did do diesels in the 240 (but it was shocking), 740, 940 and 850. the 850 is smaller inside than a mondeo, and they keep their value too well - the diesel was only introduced in ~96, and they still fetch £3000

the 740 is aging, and 2 out of 3 cars that are 700 diesels on ebay have failed headgaskets. i've no idea whats going on, but its sure not filling me with confidence

the last working 740 i saw on ebay went for a whopping £650 - thats for a 88 model.. tbh i think that the extra £200 for a '98 mondeo/406/vectra etc is well worth the money.

the 940 diesel is a rare beast. same engine as the 740, and huuuuge, yes. but very rare - they accounted for something like 5% of sales, and as such never appear 2nd hand. again you're looking at an older car to squeeze under a grand - something like a 95. if i could find one, i'd definately give it a good look - i know it wouldnt be as quiet/good to drive as a mondeo, but i'd like em anyways

one of the reasons i thoguht a mondeo would be good is the cheapness of fixing - theres loooooads around. its unfortunately slow (85bhp for the diesel), but thats ok.. i guess a 406 wouldnt cost much more to fix (??) but i was a little put-off by supposed unreliability of french cars (is that still the case?)

[Cerbera]

Hope this is allowed - if not then let me know and I'll remove it !

Hey, how soon are you needing it and are you interested in a Xantia Estate ? P reg, 128000 mls, Air con, 4x elec windows. 1.9 TDSX, New clutch cable, new accelerator cable, tow-bar, ABS with replaced ABS sensor, two newish front tyres, suspension spheres replaced and re-gassed 12 months ago, serviced every 6000 miles since I've had it. (Just over a year). Have service history up to 90,000 miles (approx I think) Cam belt and clutch and exhaust done not long before I bought it.

Interested ??

Cerbera

[Moby-Dick]

Its sneaky , but it could be a bargain , but as long as the motoring mods dont mind I'll let it ride for a bit ( just dont pimp it elsewhere )

[Cerbera]

No problem !! Cheers

[Howard]

Xm Estate ?

Truth. Those things are HUGE and extremely comfortable. You'll fit 10 mountain bikes in there, nevermind 5

[5lab]

i'll swing you a pm mate

[Konan555]

Ack - the naughty m word

Mondy's aint huge in side.

For reference, my sierra comfortably fits 2 or 3 unwheeled mountain bikes in the back without going above the height of the seat backs. Using Load straps or a dog cage to hold them I can get 4 in easy and 5 in if I stack them neat.

That's 3 bikes on the rood (built in rails) 3 in the boot and 4 passengers without feeling too bogged down (selve level sus aswell).

If you want easy 5 you're looking at granada/omega size. 40mpg at cruise should be doable from diesel varients of cars that size (I do just sub 40 from a 125bhp 2L petrol unit).

If you can live with the front - the scorpio load space is mahoosive, or slightly older there's the grandad. Although I've heard the 2.5TD (111bhp) described as 'somewhat agricultural'

[Fox]

Oooh, a thread about my sort of car

First things first, the Mondeo Estate.

A Mk2 Mondeo Estate is pretty damn huge. For its class, it offers pretty much unrivalled load space. It'll also be the best to drive - the handling is the best, the steering is nice and precise and its the closest thing you'll get to fun to drive in this class. The interior is well designed, well thought out and is one of the first Fords were Ford sorted themselves out. They are also very reliable cars, there isn't many problem areas and those which do exist are cheap to fix. Huge amount of trim levels offering a range of equipment to suit everyone.

Ghia X is the best spec, in the 1.8TD you'll get leather seats, full electric adjustment for your drivers seat, a CD changer, aircon, heated seats, heated front screen, full electric everything. You will unfortunately miss the cruise control and the trip computer as both of these require an ECU to operate, something the 1.8TD doesn't really have.

BUT. This is a big BUT. The diesel engine, the 1.8TD, is rubbish. It's noisy, its unrefined, and it's not that fast. It is economical but thats about all it is. I'm a diesel fan, and a Mondeo fan, and had to settle for the petrol version. Depending on the sort of driving you are doing, the petrol version might actually suit you. If you spend your life on the Motorway you can get over 40mpg from the 2.0 16v Zetec engine - and that doesnt mean driving like a granny either, 75mph indicated will give you 40-45mpg depending on loading. Forget it if you spend lots of time around town, I'm getting 27mpg around town out of my lighter hatchback.

Other options? Well, the best diesel engines for this money are without a doubt Peugeot Citroens 1.9 XUTD engine. Very reliable, pretty refined, etc. 406 Estate and Xantia Estate are the best place to find this engine. A £1k 406 Estate is likely to be ropey, you'd probably get a better Xantia Estate but you MUST read up on Xantias and learn how to find a good one. A good Xantia is a very reliable car, a bad Xantia is a money pit. An XM is just a money pit full stop, it's arguable whether there is a good one left

You will NOT get a direct injection 406 for this money, sorry. It will be a 1.9TD, same engine as in the Xantia. 2.1TD's exist but are a pain becuase the block is bigger, only just fits in the bay, and makes fixing stuff a nuisance.

I've had a diesel Xantia, and now have a petrol Mondeo. Both cars had their merits but I prefer the Mondeo by far. Bit of an unfair comparison though, the Mondeo is another 5 years newer, but its a Mk2.

Oh, another thing to bear in mind is how heavy the stuff you'll be carrying is. If you think you might need it, Mondeo's in Ghia X specification will have self levelling suspension, and of course, all Xantia's will have it.

[5lab]

thanks for all the help. i have considered a scorpio, but honestly i cant stand the looks of that thing.. ewww.. its enough for me not to buy the car. i could get an old-shape one for cheap, but the diesel manuals are pretty rare

i'm aware that the diesel mondeo is pretty sh*t, but according to the aa car reports - http://www.theaa.com/allaboutcars/ca...&makeName=Ford - they realistically got about 30 out of a 2l and 50 out of a derv. i drive with a fairly light foot, so maybe i can beat those figures, but still the derv looks like teh better option

i would think that a mondeo has more room in the rear than a sierra cos of no drivetrain gubbins? i'm happy to sling the bikes in over the seat hight, i'd probably get a dogcage for when i need to. while higher spec levels are indeed nice, i'd probably be happy with an LX - the ghia/ghia x cars seem to fetch a fair premium over them, even now. i can always transplant toys later..

as for number of bikes, i'd like to be able to carry 4, and some stuff, simultaneosly. 5 isnt so important, but its nice to have the option. i've had 3 in the back of a golf hatch (split rear seats) with 3 people, and most estates are a fair whack larger.. i'm not fussed by self levelling suspension - http://www.5lab.co.uk/pics/surffrance/pages/006b.htm

[Konan555]

i'm aware that the diesel mondeo is pretty sh*t, but according to the aa car reports - http://www.theaa.com/allaboutcars/ca...&makeName=Ford - they realistically got about 30 out of a 2l and 50 out of a derv. i drive with a fairly light foot, so maybe i can beat those figures, but still the derv looks like teh better option

The old mondeo petrol economey was never that good.

50 from the derv in a mondeo sized car is still pretty reasonable I'd say. Driving like a nun a TDi octavia estate sees 60.

The mondy use the same Diesel unit as the sierra did? Not even a crossflow head if it is. Still, it's not like that early 2.3 Pugeout engine, 0-60 in 17 seconds or something.

i would think that a mondeo has more room in the rear than a sierra cos of no drivetrain gubbins? i'm happy to sling the bikes in over the seat hight, i'd probably get a dogcage for when i need to. while higher spec levels are indeed nice, i'd probably be happy with an LX - the ghia/ghia x cars seem to fetch a fair premium over them, even now. i can always transplant toys later..

Just mentioned mine as a reference really. I can pack 3 biks in easy and still carry spares/tools/bags in the space left around them without having to go above the seat line. I say that because i ALWAYS tie down the contents of the boot, it's crazy not to.

Yes, you'll probably find the mondeo boot is deeper because there's not the drive gear under there. You may even find it's a higher capacity boot. But then, the escort estate's got pretty much the same capacity boot as the sierra for that reason (whilst the granada dwarfs both). However The sierra boots a more useable size, it's wider with less interfearance and when you do fold the seats you get a perfectly flat load floor. I just find it's great for chucking stuff in the back without having to faff about.

Didn't do the usual and recomend it as you said you wanted a newer car and a diesel.

Even I would consider a pug or VW of that age if I was looking diesel, fords just didn't cut it for me untill the TDCi turned up. I'm quite happy with my petrol unit returning 40mpg from constant 90mph journeys (Germany, obviously) anyway.

Of course there is my other one that's more in the 25mpg region (sub 20 on a clear road). About the same as a 2L Ghia X auto mondeo estate then

i'm not fussed by self levelling suspension

Wouldn't need it with bike weights anyway - and you obviously like looking at the sky

I'd be tempted into a late 405, although that'd be in the knowledge I'd be putting some new parts on it suspension/steering wise. Excellent cars in good condition but the drive deteriorates quicker than most cars in that class.