Diesel Car For 2 - 2.5m

[GTAm]

Hi All,

I am thinking about a diesel car. Price should be around 2m but maybe able to stretch to about 2.5m. It has to look good and feel good to drive.

Would a W201 C-class fit this price range? Has anyone used one? Or what are the alternatives?

[Devinda_Z]

hmmm Audi A6 1.9Tdi's r supposed to be quite solid n do abt 14 KMPL but go around 3~3.5mil

but an A4 is within your budget

....i'll tell u what Supra_Natural is going to reccomend to u as well a peugeot 406 -110

hmmm but since virtuallly no diesel cars came in after 2003,the cars which fall in your budget will have done a fair bit of KM's...

[GTAm]

hmmm Audi A6 1.9Tdi's r supposed to be quite solid n do abt 14 KMPL but go around 3~3.5mil

but an A4 is within your budget

....i'll tell u what Supra_Natural is going to reccomend to u as well a peugeot 406 -110

hmmm but since virtuallly no diesel cars came in after 2003,the cars which fall in your budget will have done a fair bit of KM's...

Yes I guess finding a diesel with low mileage will be near impossible.....

I was thinking of a 406 HDi.......... I know its a good drive but Aany idea if they're reliable? Also what about a Passat TDi? Any idea if about how many there are in SL?

[Devinda_Z]

Yes I guess finding a diesel with low mileage will be near impossible.....

I was thinking of a 406 HDi.......... I know its a good drive but Aany idea if they're reliable? Also what about a Passat TDi? Any idea if about how many there are in SL?

i was thinking whilst driving abt it n the Passat came to mind - was gonna ask u abt it - lol great minds...eh

there are a few around...n if my memeory serves me right there was one on the market within the last month or so...will try trace it down...it ought to be é same 1.9blokc as on é A4 ya?

i liked é 1.8T petrol - but dont know enough to comment on the Diesel - but all round i thought it stacked up quite well as a European car in these tropical rutty conditions..

...when a Land Rover of ALfa has quirks,its rather endearing ( chracter )...but a Pug i feels is jus downright annoying

off the top of me head cant think of anything else ( No Diesel Mondeo's here no?) will keep an eye out for somethin n will mail if i can get the contact for that Passat Tdi i thought i saw...

oh there's also an odd alternative - but i dont see this as smart looking car - but apparently uses the same enigne as the Alfa 147 diesels - a FIAT MAREA ?

[GTAm]

i was thinking whilst driving abt it n the Passat came to mind - was gonna ask u abt it - lol great minds...eh

there are a few around...n if my memeory serves me right there was one on the market within the last month or so...will try trace it down...it ought to be é same 1.9blokc as on é A4 ya?

i liked é 1.8T petrol - but dont know enough to comment on the Diesel - but all round i thought it stacked up quite well as a European car in these tropical rutty conditions..

...when a Land Rover of ALfa has quirks,its rather endearing ( chracter )...but a Pug i feels is jus downright annoying

off the top of me head cant think of anything else ( No Diesel Mondeo's here no?) will keep an eye out for somethin n will mail if i can get the contact for that Passat Tdi i thought i saw...

oh there's also an odd alternative - but i dont see this as smart looking car - but apparently uses the same enigne as the Alfa 147 diesels - a FIAT MAREA ?

Devinda you're right (about the great minds bit) we should meet for a beer Yes I like the 1.8T but I think the TDI should be better with lots more torque.

The problem with the Marea apart from the odd looks is I have not seen one in good shape for a long time. I guess without agents all these years things have not been easy for owners.

But I've read that the JTD is a great engine and can easily rack up 350k miles without a re-build. Whether the rest of the car will fall apart is another question

There's also the 156 2.4 JTD but that guy wants a rediculous price. 180bhp and huge torque with that Italain flavour......Can't ask for more really!!!

[Devinda_Z]

a frind of mine is running one...well not running running since he walks to work n the car sits pretty(ugly) in the garage...

the alfa guy Indika ought to know if any r on the mkt

é facelifted 156 is a car u can siink into a lounge chair n stare at the whole day! screw art galleries!

define rediculous??

[GTAm]

define rediculous??

6m. Mind you its not a facelift. The problem is that it has a import duty bill of 4m that needs settling... The guy brought here on a permit and by the time it got here the permit was not valid or something like that. The car used to be in the Ishara showroom but haven't seen it recently.

[Devinda_Z]

6m. Mind you its not a facelift. The problem is that it has a import duty bill of 4m that needs settling... The guy brought here on a permit and by the time it got here the permit was not valid or something like that. The car used to be in the Ishara showroom but haven't seen it recently.

your joking!!! thats just stupid! add a couple mil more n your in the range of a used Pug 407 with é 1.9 diesel which is a VERY comfy car n nippy for Diesel too

but if this was the silver-teal mix colour one...??

why is it only 2ppl who r on this thread?? oh n é car u saw was é new Holden Commadore Calais

[milindu]

why is it only 2ppl who r on this thread?? oh n é car u saw was é new Holden Commadore Calais

There is no such thing as an Economical Diesel Car in Sri lanka (within that budget range). So GTAm has to either coughup a lil (lot) more or bite the bullet and settle for a Jap.

The Passat diesels are costly to run....especially after 70-80k which most would have done. We have some Premio and Corolla diesels which are still going strong despite reaching 300k on the meters. But now I feel the Toyota VVTis offer a better mix of comfort and economy.

[Devinda_Z]

But now I feel the Toyota VVTis offer a better mix of comfort and economy.

hmmmm but even than woulndt a VVTi engined toyota in é semi luxury/luxury segment that GTAm is looking for be more than his current budget???

[GTAm]

There is no such thing as an Economical Diesel Car in Sri lanka (within that budget range). So GTAm has to either coughup a lil (lot) more or bite the bullet and settle for a Jap.

The Passat diesels are costly to run....especially after 70-80k which most would have done. We have some Premio and Corolla diesels which are still going strong despite reaching 300k on the meters. But now I feel the Toyota VVTis offer a better mix of comfort and economy.

Milindu as much as I appreciate your advice, do you really think I would ever buy a Premio or Corolla after being on a diet of BMWs and now an Alfa? I will never drive one of those boring boxes ever! I could never justify spending that kind of money on a car that looks and feels so ordinary.

Mind you the Toyota diesels need rebuilding every 100,000km as you said and it costs 100k. Well my Merc 500 SEC engine rebuild costed that amount give or take a 10k. So I don't really think there's big difference in spare part prices to be worried about.

A Supra yes a Mk 1 MR2 maybe....but not any of the other white goods that Toyota makes!

A car to me has to be somethig special. It should look good and feel good from its exterior to the feel of the steering wheel. It should handle and corner really well and I must feel good driving it. If it is only mere transportation we seek there's no need for this website. We'll all be driving white Corollas. There is absolutely nothing special about them. And that's because Toyota is this giant corp whose one aim is to make billions of $$$ They have zero passion in them. The only reason they go racing is coz they want to look sporty and raise their profile. Unlike Soichiro Honda who had petrol in his veins and did it for the coz he loved motorsport. He had passion. Toyota has a calculator. Anyday I'd take a Honda over a Toyota. But when I can have an Alfa for LESS money..............you see where I'm coming from? So please note while I am fully aware that Toyota makes the most reliable cars in the world TOYOTA is not even in my ink to get on my list.

[Devinda_Z]

i get where your comming from GTAm and i cant help but agree....

as far as making "drivers cars" - they dont just fail in the current context - they just DONT make them AT ALL

BUT toyota isnt ALL that bad....if u can get your hands on "THE ELEGANT SOLUTION" by Matthew E. May its worth a skim through - in no way does it say Toyota make a car that makes u smile like an ALfa would - but it gives a world of insight as to why they're not as bad as "all money"' & shoulnt be written off as a lot who makes "goods"

its undeniable that they're sorta doing something close but é big picture is different....

...for the world of motoring to survive and evolve you need the likes of Toyota as well as Alfa...

anyway i dont think anyone is gonna see u sitting behind é wheel of a jap,so lets jus keep @ trying to find a decent Euro car!

...but a 406 110 Hdi is begining to look quite decent right abt now dont ya say...?

[milindu]

Milindu as much as I appreciate your advice, do you really think I would ever buy a Premio or Corolla after being on a diet of BMWs and now an Alfa? I will never drive one of those boring boxes ever! I could never justify spending that kind of money on a car that looks and feels so ordinary.

Mind you the Toyota diesels need rebuilding every 100,000km as you said and it costs 100k. Well my Merc 500 SEC engine rebuild costed that amount give or take a 10k. So I don't really think there's big difference in spare part prices to be worried about.

A Supra yes a Mk 1 MR2 maybe....but not any of the other white goods that Toyota makes!

A car to me has to be somethig special. It should look good and feel good from its exterior to the feel of the steering wheel. It should handle and corner really well and I must feel good driving it. If it is only mere transportation we seek there's no need for this website. We'll all be driving white Corollas. There is absolutely nothing special about them. And that's because Toyota is this giant corp whose one aim is to make billions of $$$ They have zero passion in them. The only reason they go racing is coz they want to look sporty and raise their profile. Unlike Soichiro Honda who had petrol in his veins and did it for the coz he loved motorsport. He had passion. Toyota has a calculator. Anyday I'd take a Honda over a Toyota. But when I can have an Alfa for LESS money..............you see where I'm coming from? So please note while I am fully aware that Toyota makes the most reliable cars in the world TOYOTA is not even in my ink to get on my list.

I thought you needed an econo ride within budget to get your work done.

[fuzzo]

A Supra yes a Mk 1 MR2 maybe....but not any of the other white goods that Toyota makes!

too bad, you missed a NA supra that went for 2.5 and there is also a yellow mr2 (supercharged) wtih 800k

[GTAm]

I thought you needed an econo ride within budget to get your work done.

Er look at the topic. I did say it should look good and feel good to drive mate. And I can't think of any Toyota bar the Supra and the 2000 GT that actually look good.

[GTAm]

i get where your comming from GTAm and i cant help but agree....

as far as making "drivers cars" - they dont just fail in the current context - they just DONT make them AT ALL

BUT toyota isnt ALL that bad....if u can get your hands on "THE ELEGANT SOLUTION" by Matthew E. May its worth a skim through - in no way does it say Toyota make a car that makes u smile like an ALfa would - but it gives a world of insight as to why they're not as bad as "all money"' & shoulnt be written off as a lot who makes "goods"

its undeniable that they're sorta doing something close but é big picture is different....

...for the world of motoring to survive and evolve you need the likes of Toyota as well as Alfa...

anyway i dont think anyone is gonna see u sitting behind é wheel of a jap,so lets jus keep @ trying to find a decent Euro car!

...but a 406 110 Hdi is begining to look quite decent right abt now dont ya say...?

Yeah the 406 is a definite contender.

There are actually some Jap cars I like. Before my 156 and the Pug 206 D. I had a '97 Mazda Familia 1.7 TDI. I liked that car a lot. Punished it for 3 years. It had massive turbo lag and was nose heavy so did not handle that well. But it still had its charm and character.

From a standstill it was painfully slow until the Turbo kicked in after a good couple of seconds. And then it was fun. As it wasn't so powerful I was able to drive it at its limit a lot. Yet it would always return 11km per L in Colombo.

And it was so utterly reliable. Only a set of brake pads and two small rubber bushes in its 3 years of hard labour with me. Not even the clutch gave way. I went to all corners of SL in it. Even fitted a turbo timer on it

It was white and I never got down to fitting alloys but I liked that car so much. But the air intake for the intercooler was very funky

Then long before that I had a Mazda Interplay. One of my favourites from what I have owned. It was very quick. A lot quicker than a friends Interplay so we guessed it was chipped by the previous owner. Gave me quite a bit of trouble though. A Hiace ran into its arse when I braked hard one night and that's when I fell out of love with it and bought my 1st BM.

I've driven quite a few Toyotas most recently an Allion but I can't see anything remotely elegant, let alone a solution. Sorry.

Oh but the worst car I've ever driven is not a Toyota but the Nissan Bluebird Diesel auto

[Devinda_Z]

too bad, you missed a NA supra that went for 2.5 and there is also a yellow mr2 (supercharged) wtih 800k

that MR2 has changed hands waaaay too much in the last 3 years

but he's é stunning bit - 1st owner is none other than , Mr supercar cricketr - ARAVINDA DE SILVA

1986 Brand new imprt - according to the cam cover colour

Cusco front n rear sway bars and TRD ignition leads etc

but b weary of a colling system malfunction as a result of the midship layout and the radiator fans and hoses being upp front n runnig around the car....

throttle was heavy é last i fidled with it,but moved well enough

Er look at the topic. I did say it should look good and feel good to drive mate. And I can't think of any Toyota bar the Supra and the 2000 GT that actually look good.

hmmm é mid 1990's CELICA GT4 (esp é WRC car) looked funky

[Supra_Natural]

GTAm, very sorry I couldn't reply to this earlier mate.... was out of office for the last couple of days...... anyway, since we've conclusively established that you are NOT going to be driving a Jap Diesel (I have to say, i admire you're conviction, i really do ), we can look at the other options.....

when you take all you've said into account, I'd reccomend as No 1 choice..... A 406 Hdi!! (what else? ) they have tremendously strong engines that can easily take six-figure mileages, they handle as well as any other 406, and they're very economical..... (i'm sure you know of the "quirks" )

keep in mind that you should be looking for a HDI 110... thats 110bhp..... the 90bhp version is too underpowered for a car of the 406's weight..... if you can find yourself a low mile, well maintained car, you have your answer right there..... only problem is finding one, as they re rare..... will keep eyes open....

the W201 C class diesels (if memory serves correctly, the C200 and C220) are very well built cars, BUT they are VERY slow (the 200 is, havent tried the 220), if that is not too much of an issue, they are otherwise good allrounders. and i suppose you could also look at a W124 300D...... but i'm assuming you've already considered that.....

And how about a 190D? even better built than the C-Class.....

and if you don't mind me asking, are you getting rid of the 156?

Keep us updated....

Cheers

Edited February 9, 2007 by Supra_Natural

[GTAm]

GTAm, very sorry I couldn't reply to this earlier mate.... was out of office for the last couple of days...... anyway, since we've conclusively established that you are NOT going to be driving a Jap Diesel (I have to say, i admire you're conviction, i really do ), we can look at the other options.....

when you take all you've said into account, I'd reccomend as No 1 choice..... A 406 Hdi!! (what else? ) they have tremendously strong engines that can easily take six-figure mileages, they handle as well as any other 406, and they're very economical..... (i'm sure you know of the "quirks" )

keep in mind that you should be looking for a HDI 110... thats 110bhp..... the 90bhp version is too underpowered for a car of the 406's weight..... if you can find yourself a low mile, well maintained car, you have your answer right there..... only problem is finding one, as they re rare..... will keep eyes open....

the W201 C class diesels (if memory serves correctly, the C200 and C220) are very well built cars, BUT they are VERY slow (the 200 is, havent tried the 220), if that is not too much of an issue, they are otherwise good allrounders. and i suppose you could also look at a W124 300D...... but i'm assuming you've already considered that.....

And how about a 190D? even better built than the C-Class.....

and if you don't mind me asking, are you getting rid of the 156?

Keep us updated....

Cheers

Hey SN thanks. Yes I think the 406 HDI 110 would be the best choice. Only prob is they're at around 3m a piece.

So like Milindu pointed out, sometimes the premium you pay over a petrol is not worth it in the end.

Yeah I've given up the idea of a C-Class coz it's bound to be under powered and it's an old tech diesel. W124 s are even more expensive and really not nice to drive. 190 is too old and cramped. 406 is the best bet.

I will not sell the 156. I'd probably die of depression if I did. Might sell the SEC though. Nice car but simply not me.

[Supra_Natural]

Hey SN thanks. Yes I think the 406 HDI 110 would be the best choice. Only prob is they're at around 3m a piece.

So like Milindu pointed out, sometimes the premium you pay over a petrol is not worth it in the end.

Yeah I've given up the idea of a C-Class coz it's bound to be under powered and it's an old tech diesel. W124 s are even more expensive and really not nice to drive. 190 is too old and cramped. 406 is the best bet.

I will not sell the 156. I'd probably die of depression if I did. Might sell the SEC though. Nice car but simply not me.

3 Mill???? I did not know that.... considering that you can get a Perfect late 2.0 petrol with all the toys for an absolute top of 2.2, that doesnt sound very sensible...... shame, 'cos its a great car. I guess the only other option if you're not going be driving a jap would have to be an old 3 series diesel...... i dunno much about them, trust you know them far better..... besides, they are very rare and somewhat troublesome innit?

[GTAm]

3 Mill???? I did not know that.... considering that you can get a Perfect late 2.0 petrol with all the toys for an absolute top of 2.2, that doesnt sound very sensible...... shame, 'cos its a great car. I guess the only other option if you're not going be driving a jap would have to be an old 3 series diesel...... i dunno much about them, trust you know them far better..... besides, they are very rare and somewhat troublesome innit?

E36 Diesels are very unreliable and they're old school TDI s. So that's out. Only other option is a Passat as I don't like extra hard ride on Audis.

Looks like staying with Petrol is the sensible option though.

[Supra_Natural]

E36 Diesels are very unreliable and they're old school TDI s. So that's out. Only other option is a Passat as I don't like extra hard ride on Audis.

Looks like staying with Petrol is the sensible option though.

I Suppose... but keep one eye out for a 406 Hdi....

[Devinda_Z]

given the cost u'll ultimately spend on an engine rebult,fuel savings cancel itself out!

@least wit a petrol u'll get a nice smooth enigine to work wit