[Closed] Buying a diesel with mileage - will I die?

I sold my previous car at 155k. The only major problem was needing to get the injectors replaced.

Current car is just over 100k and running fine. I stick to the service intervals (via a local specialist garage rather than main dealer) and use Shell Advance diesel at least one tank in four. I expect to get at least another 50k out of it.

Our old TDCI Mondeo '04 left us with 217,000 on the clock. Only major mechanical was injectors (as above) which had to be replaced at 170,000.

Look for an attentive owner and decent service history as opposed to pure mileage numbers.

I've got that engine (1.6 whisper diesel) in a zafira tourer and its really nice for what it is. I've averaged 70mpg on a 200mile (motorway speed) run before and the other day got 90mph average over 50 miles chugging along with the lorries - I expect an astra would be better.

I bought a 5 year old Focus with 85k miles on it. Sold it 10 years later with 175k miles, still on the original clutch, dmf and turbo. No engine parts needed replacing other than a pipe to a MAF sensor that I knocked and broke while doing something else.

End of 2019 picked up a ex fleet 2015 Passat Estate with 135k on it, its not skipped a bit and is a lovely car to drive, think it'll easily do another 100k with services and maybe a cambelt.

Thanks all, very reassuring - I had it in my head that it shouldn't be an issue, as long as it's been looked after, just wanted to check. Excited at the thought of 90mpg after driving a V50 that wouldn't make 40, even at lorry speeds! 🙂

My SMax currently has about 165k miles on it and is running like a dream. Previous car was a diesel Passat that I sold with 200k on it and was still running great. 100k wouldn't bother me at all, just depends if the inside is tatty after ferrying kids about all the time.

Last diesel I bought was a Freelander with 195,000 on the clock.

Engine was bob-on, did another 15k on it - it was the electrics that let me down.

To be honest, I'd be warier of buying a 5-year-old diesel with 50k miles! Most issues with modern diesels tend to manifest themselves as a result of short journeys i.e DPF blockages, build-up of carbon in Inlet manifolds, EGR vales etc.

I'd certainly pay close attention to service history and walk away if maintenance looks lax. You will have plenty to chose from.

Bought my 2014 V70 with 100K miles on the clock in Dec 2019 and have added another 50K miles since completely trouble-free. My wife bought her XC60 4 years ago with 100k now has 180K - only non-scheduled maintenance has been a brake caliper.

The only caveat is if you do low-mileage and lots of short hop commutes yourself you may be better looking at a petrol car. Diesel only really makes sense at 15K+ miles Per year

Not quite 100k but I bought my 15 plate Golf Estate with around 85k on the clock and honestly you'd be hard pushed to tell it done more than 20k. Interior and exterior are excellent and the engine is very quiet and very clean - no hint of diesel smoke even on a cold winter's start. Pulls well and will do 60mpg+ on the motorways.

I bought with with FSH which showed the timing belt needed doing so got that out of the way and it's just had its first service with me. MOT coming up and the garage that serviced it think there will be a couple of minor advisories around the shock absorbers which, apparently, are common on VWs but other than that it should sail through.

So long as it is tidy, has a decent service history and things like the timing belt have been done at the right interval I'd have no concerns.

To be honest, I’d be warier of buying a 5-year-old diesel with 50k miles! Most issues with modern diesels tend to manifest themselves as a result of short journeys i.e DPF blockages, build-up of carbon in Inlet manifolds, EGR vales etc.

The only caveat is if you do low-mileage and lots of short hop commutes yourself you may be better looking at a petrol car. Diesel only really makes sense at 15K+ miles Per year

Tidy, good shout - it won't be doing massive miles (currently WFH and can cycle when we're back in the office) but it WILL be doing all the longer journeys - essentially, whenever it gets used it'll always get up to temperature.

Just looking at the MOT history - did three busy years, only done 2k in the last 18 months but that seems pretty normal!

Diesel only really makes sense at 15K+ miles Per year

its not really as simple as that. We do 10k a year, the petrol and diesel options were within £500 of each other. 10k a year at 50mpg diesel is ~£1300, in 35mpg petrol its £1800, so the RoI is 1 year.

Last car we took up to 170,000 miles (this one is on 50,000) - so over its lifetime the diesel saves us £6k in fuel. Even if the more complex engine (both would be turbos with particulate filters and DMF) has some issue, we'll still be easily quids in.

@5Lab yes it's very much down to the individual user- and what their driving pattern is like. In my experience, it's short hop driving that's likely to cause most issues where the engine never gets up to temp DPF cycles continuously being interrupted, etc.

One other thing to bear in mind the fuel economy gap has closed petrol vs. diesel in the past few years. Most modern petrol engines will do 40mpg without much fuss.

But going back to OP's question, absolutely nothing to be scared of a 5yr old diesel with 100k once it has been well maintained and not ragged

Agree with everything above. Fewer miles would be bad. And I too bought a 100k golf diesel.
Only hint I’d give is I’ve just got it booked in with a local independent garage who has talked me through what needs doing to get it spic and span for another 100k, and what doesn’t. It’s giving me the warm fuzzies and not costing too much. We’re doing the cam belt for one, and an air con service.

One other thing to bear in mind the fuel economy gap has closed petrol vs. diesel in the past few years. Most modern petrol engines will do 40mpg without much fuss.

Similarly most efficient diesels will do 60mpg now.

Only hint I’d give is I’ve just got it booked in with a local independent garage who has talked me through what needs doing to get it spic and span for another 100k, and what doesn’t. It’s giving me the warm fuzzies and not costing too much. We’re doing the cam belt for one, and an air con service.

That's a good idea (ta!) and raises an interesting question - I rang about a couple of these today, one said the cam chain hadn't been replaced and doesn't need to be except in exceptional circumstances, the other one had had the cam chain recently replaced and he said it HAD to be done regularly. Both 2016 Astra Ecoflexes 1.6 diesels - anyone know...?

Type B16 CDTI engines fitted to the Astra K do not have a chain replacement interval.

Brillo, cheers! 🙂 Is that the same for the previous model, do you know? A couple of the 2016 cars I looked at weren't the K, I don't think, although the numbers for the motor look very similar - would they meet Euro 6...?

I bought a Mk4 Golf with 190k miles on its PD engine - it pulls like a train.

....but it clogs up the turbo vane actuator unless it's hammered or had a can of Mr Muscle oven cleaner squirted up it.

We have a 2017 iirc Astra diesel estate pool car at work and its had dpf issues but is only used on short local stuff.

Typically a chain is meant to last the lifetime of the engine, however guides and tensioners do fail, as do the chains themselves in some instances. Chains arent regarded as a servicable item like a rubber belt it

I bought an 01 Passat 1.9tdi with 94K on. Sold it 7 years later with 235K on it. Same exhaust, battery, clutch, engine, injectors, turbo etc. Only things it needed were front calipers & electrics for a rear door lock.
I don't think they make them like that anymore.

I think the Astra also had an ecoflex 2.0 diesel that had similar power and was way cheaper to buy. When I was shopping for my zafira about 80% were them, so it might be that the one you're looking at was mislabeled.

Be aware of when the tax changed too, a newer one i looked at was 140 a year, mine is only 20.

And another example, 2 Audi's in a row, first one went to 250k miles before the seats wore through, the engine was the only thing left, second died at 160k miles after me thinking it was invincible and not servicing it, threw a belt inside the engine and wrecked it.

They go for ever if serviced properly, a life of clean oil and filters is more important than miles, wear on the rest of the car would be my worry with 100k miles on.

One other thing to bear in mind the fuel economy gap has closed petrol vs. diesel in the past few years. Most modern petrol engines will do 40mpg without much fuss.

My 14 year old C-max 1.6 petrol (NA) would do 42 driven sensibly on the motorway.

But then my "new" 15 year old Berlingo will do 50 on the same trip. And newer cars will do even better, although not by huge amounts.

The only segment that seems to have changed massively is "sporty" cars. The 2.5L super-hatch of yesteryear doing 17mpg is now a 1.6 turbo doing 40mpg unless you put your foot down.

That and a bit of longitudinal bias*, people compare what they've had, of course you'll see a massive improvement if you drove a hot hatch in your 20's and now have a diesel Vectra in your 30's. It's a lot harder to draw comparisons between the same cars over the decades.

*probably not the right term, but it fits.