VW Bora Any Good ?

Quigs Snr

Decided I no longer require my Petrol Guzzling 200BHP monster Volvo.

Have been offered a decent VW Bora, v nice to drive and all that, but are they any good ? Is the 1.4 a little underpowered for a car that size, would fuel consumption be any good ? Currently the Volvo is about 20mpg urban only. I take it the Bora would be a lot better........ Any observations on those cars at all ? I have to say I don't like them, but I do have a nice little classic convertible at my disposal so I am not too fussed about pose value !

Nukem

The only thing i have ever heard about the 1.4 Bora is gutless and gutless.
But a 1.6 at least.

DoctorEdgeWild

We had a Bora in our garage the other day, the blandest drive Ive ever had. Granted, I was only taking it as far as the back car park but it really felt dead. That was a 1.4 so 1.6 would be better. Very bland car in general though. Good quality as usual from VW but I personally would rather walk. I know some people need that type of car but be careful for me, I like to be excited just getting into a car.

yop

Doc - What sort of diesel would you recommend then, 2nd hand since you work in a garage you would have come across a few.

Bora = boring !!!

Nuttzz

Isnt a Bora more or less the same as a Skoda Octivia?

DoctorEdgeWild

Two of the Diesels that we never see coming back are the c180 Merc and the s80 Volvo. Mercs arent for everyone but you can pick up 97 - 00 models for the same price as 02 - 04 Bora, Laguna etc. You get alot more car for your buck.

All in all, the Bora is not a bad car by any standards, just boring. Once again, my vote is for Alfa Romeo. I have very little personal experience with them (they all seem to get serviced in main dealers) but the 156 is still a sweet car - 2.4 Turbo Diesel is sweet but drains the money direct from your pocket into the hands of insurers and petrol stations. 156 looks are getting a little put of date but if you could pick up one with the factory fitted understated bodykit, you couldnt go too far wrong.

Also, Skoda Octavia is a great car. I drive one regularly.

Quigs Snr

I had a 156, great to drive. But, expensive to repair, and man when things go wrong they tend to go wrong big style. A great car, badly built if you ask me.

Bora, is boring, I understand that. I have had a string of sports cars up till now, so its a bit of a comedown. My priorities have shifted somewhat of late though and I need small and cheap to run for a few months, the bora, seems to fit that criteria as well as have a good resale. Personally I hate the thing. It is dull, but that will be a nice change for me, my current 200BHP animal is a chore to drive at times. If I want real excitement I get into my 30 year old 2 seater convertible and try to corner without flipping it on its roof, with its big loud engine, brakes that require you to book an appointment to stop, and a low ride that would best be described as primative, I've got all the motoring excitement I need for now !

yop

Ya I heard the Merc and Volvo diesels are good motors, what about the beamers?? 320D and that ?

Interceptor

So I gather you have a noisy dangerous two seater and need cheap daily transport...

Unless you are getting the Bora VERY cheap I would look elsewhere. It is reliable and no doubt cheap to run but the ride quality is thrashy (think Hyundai Lantra) and the 1.4 wouldn't pull the wax out of your ears. The cockpit quality is good, the switchgear typical of VW and the blue-lit dash is very pretty but as a package it is let down by cramped space for the driver compared to Focus/Megane/Leon etc. Annual depreciation on a model with full service history will be quite low and these will always find a ready market in the private-sale arena.

I had one for a few weeks and I found it to be less than frugal on long journeys as it had to be driven hard in order to make progress (what mileage do you plan doing in it?) And I had trouble getting stuff into the boot but would expect that with Alfa 156/A3/S40 too due to the loads I was carrying - ie. the Bora is no substitute for a hatchback.

When someone asks me about a car I always take cues from what they say about it and you say is that the car itself is 'decent' but that you 'personally hate it' - I think you are setting yourself up for pain and suffering.

If your mileage is going to be less than 20k p.a stay away from diesel and consider Seat Leon, Fiat Stilo, Volvo S40 (good trade on the S60?) and Ford Focus. In my opinion these have 'enhanced' handling over the rest of the midsize saloon class and represent good value.

In summary - not the Bora...

'c

DoctorEdgeWild

I dont know much about the BeeEm diesels other than my brother is obsessed with them >outta my intrest range cos of Insurance costs.

Interceptor)) I totally forgot about the Leon - Forget everything I ever said - The Leon is sweet. Totally under appreciated car too. 20v Turbo - what more could you ask for. Good call! :cool:

puntosporting

Vw have people brain washed into thinking they are super reliable,they are not!
The 1.4 bora is a lazy lump,gearbox's are a weakpoint in all new 1.4/1.6 vw's!
Do a search on google or other for reliability surveys on mk4 golfs and boras it aint as pretty as you imagine...

unkel

Quigs Snr wrote:

I need small and cheap to run for a few months

False economy! The transaction costs of changing your car are likely to be far higher than the saving on the running costs over a period of months. Either keep your car or change it but keep the cheaper-to-run car for at least a couple of years

Nuttzz wrote:

Isnt a Bora more or less the same as a Skoda Octivia?

It is, only €5 GRAND more expensive new for similar model, so the Octavia is a bargain. If you're thinking of getting the Bora, get the Octavia instead, especially since you're not too anal about the badge

The boot is as big as the one in my 7-series btw. Let us know your progress!

The economy out of your Volvo is bad, I get the same for my 3.5l V8 in Dublin traffic only, with lots of short journeys (4 times a day between work and home, which is about 4 miles)