diesel astra

cuterob

my bro in-law is clueless when it comes to cars and i'm not much better so i'd thought i'd ask this here.. he is looking at a 02 1.7 diesel astra with 128k miles on the clock.. i presume he just wants to know if it's worth looking at or are the miles too high.. i know **** all about opels.. i only ever have driven vw's.. not broken dont fix etc.. i'm boring.. he travels about 80 miles a day as he commutes to work

he's also looking at a peugeot 307 van.. 2.0 litre diesel with 95k miles on it

is there much point worrying about the miles as they are both big enough diesel engines?

Max Power1

id think anything under 160k for the astra would be good.

20k per year (fairly low for a diesel) * 8 years = 160k miles

I'd be more concerned about the condition of the car, service history etc

cuterob

does anyone know what the tax would be on a 307 van? it hardly is in the lowest category of goods vehicles? weight wise

glic83

should be around 270 for the year

cuterob

thanks,
getting hounded with text messages, in-laws:rolleyes: what are the 1.4 petrol bora's like? 99' model, would anyone know? good on fuel?

PaulKK

1.4 bora to be avoided, TDI a better bet. Sounds like he is commuting 400 miles a week, definitely get a diesel.

T83

cuterob wrote: »

what are the 1.4 petrol bora's like? 99' model, would anyone know? good on fuel?

Craptastic gear boxes and not the most economical, 1.6 was better (100bhp if I remember right) but also had a craptastic gear box. Open to correction from actual owners whose gearboxes are perfect, but I did a lot of research a few years back when I picked up my Golf (now dead )

shamwari

That Astra will have an Isuzu built engine which is ok. I think they are a good motor, but there are a couple of things to watch out for though.

Firstly timing belt: it has to be done when due and from memory its due @ 72K, but I'd get it done no later than 60k. The camshaft and oil pump sprocket bolts must be checked and torqued up as there are instances of these coming loose, throwing off the belt, and doing a few valves in the process. It's not nice and is expensive to repair.

The injection pump on these does have a weakness in that it has its own ECU on top of the pump, and the circuit board in it is prone to dry joints. It causes misfires and no running symptoms. It usually generates a Pxxx OBD fault code associated with a fuel pressure regulator. This is actually an easy fix for someone who is handy. The pump ECU circuit board can be removed and repaired with careful use of a soldering iron. A diesel specialist will usually charge the sun, moon, and stars to fix this....

The only other issues with this motor in that the occasional EGR valve and MAF problem occur. If changing the MAF, get a proper bosch one and not a cheapie sold by some factors or found on EBay. These are sh!te and are to be avoided like the plague.

Other than this, these are a good motor, and personally I like them. They are quick enough and give excellent MPG. Expect around 50mpg on a spin and mid 40's around town. IMHO only the Focus diesel is better value for similar money and reliability.

Do the usual checks though and test drive it properly from cold. Make sure there is no smoke when idling (either hot or cold) and very little smoke under accleration.

cuterob

yea i was thinking that alright.. small enough engine on a big frame.. thats about as far as my knowledge of cars goes with figuring out things like that lol

03' 307 2.0diesel van with 95k on the clock for a couple of hundred under 3 grand sounds like a good enough bet do yea think? doe until next year

shamwari

cuterob wrote: »

yea i was thinking that alright.. small enough engine on a big frame.. thats about as far as my knowledge of cars goes with figuring out things like that lol

03' 307 2.0diesel van with 95k on the clock for a couple of hundred under 3 grand sounds like a good enough bet do yea think? doe until next year

Personally (and this is my view which others will undoubtedly disagree with) I would avoid the Pug. Those Hdi engines can give trouble, particularly the high pressure injection pump. That would be horrifically expensive to put right. The Astra in comparrison is a less complicated beast than the Pug.

cuterob

thanks for the replies people.. i'm just gonna tell him to get a berlingo or something.. there's enough of them around.. they cant be too bad!!

cuterob

or a renault kangoo 1.5 diesel.. any good?