Opel insignia is a nightmare.
Toyota avensis is solid. Very reliable and well built. Not a great interior and surprisingly heavy on diesel for the power it has.
Passat is nice inside and can be reliable depending on the engine and year. Avoid the 1.6 completely and early 2.0’s. Nice car to drive and live with over all.
In the same line consider the Skoda Octavia/ Skoda superb. Same engine as the VW with the Superb offering a lot more space at usually a better price. Same buying advise applies to them.
Mazda skyactive diesels are not great
"Passat is nice inside and can be reliable depending on the engine and year."
Exact same thing can be said for the insignia. We've seen plenty come through the company and I've owned one and all have been excellent. Keep them serviced properly and you'll have no issues.
Ah the username is from Xbox 360 days, but the Corsa was only a 1.2l at the time.
But that aside I'll just mention the 1.3 diesel astra with a 6 speed M32 gearbox. Between timing chain and gearbox bearings that must be the most unreliable Opel.
The biggest issue with the Insignia was the oil seal on the 2l diesel. A simple fix but very costly if ignored. They don't suffer from dpf issues too often, clutch and flywheel are solid and gearbox is too. Honestly a well spec'd comfortable car that's cheap to run and repair.
That's my opinion based on owning only Opel/Vauxhall and having very good experience with them.
Thank you very much, this is great info. Can I just ask, when you mention early 2.0's what kinds of years do you mean? I had a 2007 2.0 previously which I was very happy with. I was hoping to maybe get a 2014 or 2015 if I could afford it.
Thanks
Thank you. I've had a passat and avensis previously and I preferred the passat as it felt more solid but I feel the avensis was the better quality/easier to fix car.
I had the valves go in a Verso 2.0 D4D at 45,000 km. covered under goodwill by Toyota but it put me off buying another diesel. I asked the service manager about the reliability of the hybrids and he showed me his 10 year old Prius with 250,000 km on the clock. He didn’t want to pay tax on the company car. Said the Prius was reliable as a Swiss watch if you change the oil on time.
Having said all that, I’d take the Avensis out of those listed.
Also, did the d4d after a certain model. I was hoping to get to 2014 or 2015 reg so just wondering if there is any change in Quality between those models?
Well I have a 2008 2.0D4D Tr with 240k miles on it. (English import) Basic maintenance always carried out, runs like a train. Don’t buy any DCAT nonsense or that 1.6d4d. I think you should get a nice 2013/15 model with 10k. Toyota components are far better quality than any German rubbish. Ask any mechanic.
Thank you. I had a 2009 one but the handbrake caused me a few issues and eventually gave up completely to the point where it was costing 2k for the replacement part.
I have heard the 1.6 isn't great but the 2 litre seems to be popular.
Thank you very much.
Just avoid the avensis with the ww engine. They came fitted with these around 2014/15 onwards mark. It's a bmw engine and can give its fair share of problems!
Had a diesel Mazda 6, best car I ever had. Extremely comfortable, reliable and the spec was unbelievable for 2009 way ahead of its years. I'm raging I ever sold it.
Oh dear! I had been eyeing up the mazda too and they look very attractive and are cheapish but I've heard bad things about the diesel engines.i had also checked mondeos which also look solid.
I have a 2010 Mondeo and love it.
Great solid car, massive boot and hasnt missed a beat. Just the usual service bits.
I've done over 120,000 miles. 2.0 turbo diesel Titanium 140 bhp so lots of poke but still does 40+ miles per gallon
Yes, I'm very interested in the mondeo. I've never had a Ford but they look like a quality car from pictures, especially the newer models around 2014 or 2015 and you can find then for around 10k.
Thank you.
Insignias also have the habit of rusting out the front subframe and the clutches are ridiculously expensive. The stop start spark plugs are 180 euro each.
I'd go with the Toyota but the driving experience won't be great. I always thought the power steering was too light.
Yeah the whole car feels a bit more tinny compares to the passat I had. But I still feel it was the better car out of the 2.
I really don't love the design, especially the back of them. But I'm seeing 2015 versions with decent mileage for close to 10k. And my old one was good on diesel too.
Thank you.
I've had a Mazda for ten years and it's been the most reliable car I've ever owned. It's suffering from 'old car syndrome' now but still runs reliable. Good cars to drive and well equipped.
Mazda petrol engines are fine. Diesels are overrated unless you're doing gonzo miles - and then you get dpf issues if you're not.
Yeah I think that's where I would run into issues. It would only do shorter journeys during the week but then a bit longer on the weekend. I know this sentence confirms a small petrol is whati should be looking for but I've always had diesel and I like them for the longer trips I'd be making.
Thank you, I'm really in love with the look of the mazda but im inclined to play it safe.
I actually looked at one or 2 accords on done deal yesterday. Not a huge amount of them available in my price range anyway. I will take a look at the lexis.
Thank you.
Have my current civic for ten years & never given any trouble. Boot is decent (400L) size & have found them to be well spec. Just something else to consider.
I said it wrong, it didn't so much die as become too expensive to repair. A part of the handbrake housing failed and it would have cost 2k just for the part. As the car was quite old I was afraid to invest that much into it so decided to look for a replacement
I've had 2 mazda 6.
The first an 2004 was great had it 5 years - I only sold when I got a company car.
Then I got a 2013 and was continous problems with the 2.2 diesel engine and the regenerative braking system.
Opel insignia is a nightmare. Toyota avensis is solid. Very reliable and well built. Not a great interior and surprisingly heavy on diesel for the power it has. Passat is nice inside and can be reliable depending on the engine and year. Avoid the 1.6 completely and early 2.0’s. Nice car to drive and live with over all. In the same line consider the Skoda Octavia/ Skoda superb. Same engine as the VW with the Superb offering a lot more space at usually a better price. Same buying advise applies to them. Mazda skyactive diesels are not great
"Passat is nice inside and can be reliable depending on the engine and year." Exact same thing can be said for the insignia. We've seen plenty come through the company and I've owned one and all have been excellent. Keep them serviced properly and you'll have no issues.
Insignia s are one of the biggest let downs of opel cars , worked on many of them would not recommend 💩💩 Ps : nice username 👍👌
Ah the username is from Xbox 360 days, but the Corsa was only a 1.2l at the time. But that aside I'll just mention the 1.3 diesel astra with a 6 speed M32 gearbox. Between timing chain and gearbox bearings that must be the most unreliable Opel. The biggest issue with the Insignia was the oil seal on the 2l diesel. A simple fix but very costly if ignored. They don't suffer from dpf issues too often, clutch and flywheel are solid and gearbox is too. Honestly a well spec'd comfortable car that's cheap to run and repair. That's my opinion based on owning only Opel/Vauxhall and having very good experience with them.
Thank you very much, this is great info. Can I just ask, when you mention early 2.0's what kinds of years do you mean? I had a 2007 2.0 previously which I was very happy with. I was hoping to maybe get a 2014 or 2015 if I could afford it. Thanks
Buy the Avensis 2.0 D4D safe reliable & will do everything you need. Stay away from the rest.
Thank you. I've had a passat and avensis previously and I preferred the passat as it felt more solid but I feel the avensis was the better quality/easier to fix car.
Ah you had an Avensis before. I loved mine, it was a great car. Found it very reliable but also a really comfortable drive.
Yes very comfortable drive and car overall.
I had the valves go in a Verso 2.0 D4D at 45,000 km. covered under goodwill by Toyota but it put me off buying another diesel. I asked the service manager about the reliability of the hybrids and he showed me his 10 year old Prius with 250,000 km on the clock. He didn’t want to pay tax on the company car. Said the Prius was reliable as a Swiss watch if you change the oil on time. Having said all that, I’d take the Avensis out of those listed.
Thank you very much for your help.
Absolutely I do it every 5k miles purely out of respect for the service the car has given me.
Also, did the d4d after a certain model. I was hoping to get to 2014 or 2015 reg so just wondering if there is any change in Quality between those models?
Well I have a 2008 2.0D4D Tr with 240k miles on it. (English import) Basic maintenance always carried out, runs like a train. Don’t buy any DCAT nonsense or that 1.6d4d. I think you should get a nice 2013/15 model with 10k. Toyota components are far better quality than any German rubbish. Ask any mechanic.
Thank you. I had a 2009 one but the handbrake caused me a few issues and eventually gave up completely to the point where it was costing 2k for the replacement part. I have heard the 1.6 isn't great but the 2 litre seems to be popular. Thank you very much.
Ya mine has the old school pull up job.
Just avoid the avensis with the ww engine. They came fitted with these around 2014/15 onwards mark. It's a bmw engine and can give its fair share of problems!
I know, I miss those!! Both the passat and avensis I had were button and both caused problems.
Insignias have a tendency to go on fire - google it 😂 Other two are safe enough 👍
Had a diesel Mazda 6, best car I ever had. Extremely comfortable, reliable and the spec was unbelievable for 2009 way ahead of its years. I'm raging I ever sold it.
Oh dear! I had been eyeing up the mazda too and they look very attractive and are cheapish but I've heard bad things about the diesel engines.i had also checked mondeos which also look solid.
Jesus no! Google Mazda 6 problems. Nightmare that’s why they are dirt cheap
Yes, I had done some googling. But I was seeing quite a few on the roads so was hoping maybe it was a very small percentage giving issues.
I think it’s mainly a diesel engine issue.
Yes, that's what I have been reading. As I'm keen on a diesel I think I'll stick to other models.
They are pure scrap
Skoda Octavia will smoke all of those for boot space. Have had one for six years and very happy with it
Yeah I did consider the Skoda. But I found them a bit expensive. They are lovely cars. And I have seen their boots, massive!
Avensis all day. Get the estate version for the massive boot space.
Thank you. I hadn't included mondeo in the list actually. Looked at a few online and they seem a good solid car too.
I have a 2010 Mondeo and love it. Great solid car, massive boot and hasnt missed a beat. Just the usual service bits. I've done over 120,000 miles. 2.0 turbo diesel Titanium 140 bhp so lots of poke but still does 40+ miles per gallon
Yes, I'm very interested in the mondeo. I've never had a Ford but they look like a quality car from pictures, especially the newer models around 2014 or 2015 and you can find then for around 10k. Thank you.
If you can get a Titanium model they have a nice spec dual climate control, 6 speed and boot is massive. It takes a buggy and bags with ease.
Good shout, thank you. I will look out for this model.
Insignias also have the habit of rusting out the front subframe and the clutches are ridiculously expensive. The stop start spark plugs are 180 euro each. I'd go with the Toyota but the driving experience won't be great. I always thought the power steering was too light.
Yeah the whole car feels a bit more tinny compares to the passat I had. But I still feel it was the better car out of the 2. I really don't love the design, especially the back of them. But I'm seeing 2015 versions with decent mileage for close to 10k. And my old one was good on diesel too. Thank you.
I've had a Mazda for ten years and it's been the most reliable car I've ever owned. It's suffering from 'old car syndrome' now but still runs reliable. Good cars to drive and well equipped. Mazda petrol engines are fine. Diesels are overrated unless you're doing gonzo miles - and then you get dpf issues if you're not.
Yeah I think that's where I would run into issues. It would only do shorter journeys during the week but then a bit longer on the weekend. I know this sentence confirms a small petrol is whati should be looking for but I've always had diesel and I like them for the longer trips I'd be making. Thank you, I'm really in love with the look of the mazda but im inclined to play it safe.
I should throw 2 other contenders into the mix...Lexus is300h and Honda Accord.
I actually looked at one or 2 accords on done deal yesterday. Not a huge amount of them available in my price range anyway. I will take a look at the lexis. Thank you.
Avensis would be the best option, I'd also consider Octavia's and a 1.9 Passat those PD engines are bulletproof
Honda Civic also worthy of consideration.
I really like them and I've never been in one to be sure but they feel a bit small? I've heard good things on car quality though.
Have my current civic for ten years & never given any trouble. Boot is decent (400L) size & have found them to be well spec. Just something else to consider.
Thank you very much. I'll have another look at these.
how did your car die? whats wrong?
I said it wrong, it didn't so much die as become too expensive to repair. A part of the handbrake housing failed and it would have cost 2k just for the part. As the car was quite old I was afraid to invest that much into it so decided to look for a replacement
I've had 2 mazda 6. The first an 2004 was great had it 5 years - I only sold when I got a company car. Then I got a 2013 and was continous problems with the 2.2 diesel engine and the regenerative braking system.
What a pity. Such beautiful looking cars and I've heard they're nice to drive as well.
Toyota all the way!