New daily shed

[GazHyde]

16k in 9 months is proving rather costly in a 3.0, so I'm just about to start looking for a new cheap as chips daily shed.

I'm pretty fussy and have ruled out 99.9% of cars already (particularly French cars... they make nice cheese, but cars not so much!).

Looking at a 2005/6/7 VW Polo TDI. Probably the 3 cylinder 1.4, which is a cracking little engine. Plenty of experience with that engine as it's the same as in the Zed Shed bus Audi A2, cam belt was really simple change over). I haven't had a Vee Dub since an '02 Bora ST TDI, which was pretty solid.

Anyone got any experience of Vee Dubs around that age, build quality wise? Wish I could get another Cooper D like my old blue one, that was an awesome car, but prices are ridiculously strong on them.

 

[t-tony]

16k in 9 months is proving rather costly in a 3.0, so I'm just about to start looking for a new cheap as chips daily shed.

I'm pretty fussy and have ruled out 99.9% of cars already (particularly French cars... they make nice cheese, but cars not so much!).

Looking at a 2005/6/7 VW Polo TDI. Probably the 3 cylinder 1.4, which is a cracking little engine. Plenty of experience with that engine as it's the same as in the Zed Shed bus Audi A2, cam belt was really simple change over). I haven't had a Vee Dub since an '02 Bora ST TDI, which was pretty solid.

Anyone got any experience of Vee Dubs around that age, build quality wise? Wish I could get another Cooper D like my old blue one, that was an awesome car, but prices are ridiculously strong on them.

Stick with the Polo Gaz, I wouldn't wish a 10 year old Mini on anyone.

Tony.

 

[Grumps]

Had the 1.9 pd tdi Passat around that time. It was a cracking car so don't see why a well looked after polo should be any different Gaz.

 

[GazHyde]

The '07 MINI I had was the cheapest to run, most reliable car I've ever owned. Never got less than 60mpg, and other than tyres and servicing cost me £25 in parts in the 4 years I owned it. Build quality was superb, really wish I didn't get rid of it now but had too many cars. How does that happen, I always seem to end up with too many cars. Will be back to three if I don't get shot of the Z3 soon

 

[Jack Ratt]

Jill's got a 2005 Polo 1.4TDI with nearly 200k on it now. It's like a little roller skate, it keeps returning over 50 mpg and does everything it's meant to do. We'd buy another any day, but the way this ones going it'll see us out

 

[GazHyde]

Jill's got a 2005 Polo 1.4TDI with nearly 200k on it now.

There was one for sale locally with 336k on it. Quite a few others on 200k+ as well, so they certainly seem to last well.

 

[GazHyde]

So, for the almost the same price (£150 difference between them)...

2007 1.4 TDI SE 80bhp with 91k
or
2007 1.9 TDI Sport 99bhp with 128k

Both work out almost identically on insurance and MPG.

 

[hard top]

Can't you get the bus to work and back Gaz?......

 

[GazHyde]

Can't you get the bus to work and back Gaz?......

No, not to where I work. Even if I could it would likely involve at least 2 different ones, and take twice as long. Then there will be the ridiculous ticket prices. Public transport really doesn't work very well in the UK.

 

[t-tony]

The '07 MINI I had was the cheapest to run, most reliable car I've ever owned. Never got less than 60mpg, and other than tyres and servicing cost me £25 in parts in the 4 years I owned it. Build quality was superb, really wish I didn't get rid of it now but had too many cars. How does that happen, I always seem to end up with too many cars. Will be back to three if I don't get shot of the Z3 soon

How old was the Min when you had it Gaz? Certainly not 10 years old, I deal with these age Mini's and I ve never seen one even approaching anywhere near 200,000 miles and I don't think I ever will. @Stevo7682 will vouch for the VW group brands I'm sure.

Tony.

 

[GazHyde]

2007

 

[Rally]

Wife has a 55 plate 1.4 tdi polo dune with 131k she loves had it about a year only issue so far was clutch replacement other than that great little car good build quality and reasonable economy and surprisingly big inside.

 

[Stevo7682]

Mini's are rubbish (sorry to anyone on here who has one but they are) Brake pipes rot , exhaust fall off them , front suspension arms go on them and requires the subframe down to fit ( labour intensive) need i go on .
Oh and Gaz you said you dont like french motors the mini is powered by the 'prince' engine which is a Peugeot unit so in a nutshell beyond the modern retro look i dont really like them.
Vag group on the other hand I have a lot of time for my skoda superb hit 257k the other day still runs mint personally if it was between the 88 bhp 1.4 or the 99 bhp 1.9 I'd buy the 1.9 its a 500k slugger with proven reliability way better than the 2.0 pd which prone oil pump gear failure the newer cr engines can have injector faults as can the 1.4
Try to get either one without a dpf problematic on earlier cars kinda grafted on cr engines designed to have it .
Chipped 1.9 will give you about 130 bhp which will be punchy enough.
Also in day to day driving you wont have to push the 1.9 as hard even though its a heavier unit.
My superb goes from here in Scotland to Great Yarmouth a couple of times a year fully laden sometimes with top box as well still does 55 mpg only 2 things to go wrong with engine in 257k is alternator failed at about 175k £130 to replace and last year the week after came back from Yarmouth in july developed a misfire at about 242k turned out to be the injector loom ( runs inside the rocker box wires harden up causing bad connection only genuine replacement available £57 when i bought it .
Apart from that been mint no water usage still low oil consumption all in all cant complain so i'd choose the 1.9 .
Oh did i mention before the skoda i had a 1999 seat alhambra bought 1st june 2005 with 115001 miles sold 1st june 2012 323498 miles apart from alternator failed no engine problems.

 

[GazHyde]

My MINI indeed had the 1.6 PSA diesel unit (incredibly agricultural) which I knew about before buying it. BMW at the time rated it enough to fit it, so was OK with me. My hatred of French cars is unquenchable though, drove enough of them and had enough of them fall apart on me over the years!

Great info on the VAG stuff which I'll read again tomorrow whilst browsing Autotrader!

 

[Stevo7682]

I got to say i am vag 1.9 biased.
What i was going to add was i seem to remember a top gear where Clarkson had a fabia 1.4 tdi and the other 2 had small petrol cars when they got to a garage Jeremy 's fabia had used more fuel and if i remember rightly he said he'd have been better with the 1.9 as you were constantly havingto push the 1.4 to get it to go and he said it was a bit breathless on the motorway

 

[Althulas]

My wife has been running a VW Polo 5R 1.2 cylinder petrol jobbie. Couldn't pull a skin off a rice pudding but once it's there on the motorway your going with the flow. Travelled from south a Banbury to Fort William on tankful with some to spare and cheap enough to run for the daily commute and has been reliable in the six years she has had it.

 

[t-tony]

The PSA engine is a piece of s*** which ever car it is put into. I would never try to tell you about computers Gary, but trust me I do know a bit about cars.

Tony.

 

[Stevo7682]

Have to agree with you there Tony
Know squat about pc's cars on the other hand been doing that since left school 30yr ago

 

[5harp3y]

Stick with the Polo Gaz, I wouldn't wish a 10 year old Mini on anyone.

Tony.

Just bought a 55 plate mini for the wife, its a stunning little thing that drives wonderfully! it might not make it to a million miles but for the money i cant find anything that is as nicely specced / good looking

@GazHyde if you are looking at a small diesel get a Toyota Yaris ... bulletproof and cheap as chips. The D4D is a great little engine and nothing goes wrong with them, mate of mine swears by them.

1.4tdi VW stuff is fine but you might as well get a 1.9 pd130 in a mk4 golf for the money, more room, more spec, more power, epic economy and lots and lots of them about.

Only problem with any of the diesel stuff is they are usually lower specification cars and have millennium falcon mileage.

 

[t-tony]

Good luck with your Mini mate you may have found a good one but it won't change my opinion, and that's all it is my opinion.

Tony.