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I love my ford focus estate 1.8tddi 2002 . Owned it for 15 years and been all over in it . great fuel consumption , reliable and has also cost very little to maintain with no major expenses in that time ..just a clutch by a mate for £150 and a new cambelt. The old girl is getting on though now in both miles and age and I'm trying to prepare for the day we have to part so wondering what's out there that's similar. I need no bells and whistles or high performance / extras just a simple reliable easy to fix vehicle with plenty of space . I'd have another of the same in a flash if i could get a very low mileage example but have wondered about a mondeo estate also .The TDDCi focus estates seem to have more problems than my earlier version and I don't like the sound of dual mass clutches either as they seem to be expensive to replace .
would also consider a people carrier or van but guess i'd be a paying a lot more for anything decent. Correct me if i'm wrong.
your ideas/suggestions and recommendations would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Bill
Keep what you've got... 😀
After tddi it all goes downhill.
For old, I'd suggest a valve but old there isn't fuel efficient...
I've got my 2nd Mk3 Mondeo estate. Both 1.8l petrol, both 2005. First was bought with 85k miles and did 40k miles in 18 months before I wrote it off on some ice. Went straight back out and bought another. 125k miles on it and having had it for a year have just reached 160k miles. Not a sniff of a problem with either. Very comfortable (did a 6.5hr dive yesterday with one brief stop and felt fine despite the fact that I have a bad back). 1.8 petrol is a great engine with reasonable fuel consumption. My 2nd one cost £750 and I hope to get at least another 50k out of it, given it just sailed through its MOT with no advisories. Buy one!
Drive what you have till it's dead.
The Avensis is surely worth a look into when the focus dies.
We have a smaller Ibiza estate, the old 1.4 engine for similar simplicity and cost reasons. It is a small car with whacking boot. Not a problem so far (we bought it 3 yrs old, had it 2.5 years/20k now), parts are laughably cheap...
Mazda 6 2.0 petrol is very good and should get a nice one in your budget. Ts2 model has decent sound system, Cruise etc.
Older VAG TDIs with a 'PD' engine are good for better economy and pretty reliable. Got a 2005 passat recently on 60k for 2 grand. Does 60mpg on a run
Try and find a mitsubushi grandis diesal- we have had one for 123k only ever had an alternator.
Good build quality VAG 2.0 diesal seven seats last row folds flat and 40 + mpg
Honda Civic estate?
Just sold my 59 plate Mazda 6 diesel sport for 3300. Absolutely brilliant car. Never missed a single beat. Had it from 3 years old for 4 1/2 years. Only thing it had done to it was servicing and disks/pads once.
Rover 75. All BMW running mechanicals. Just the rest of it that falls off/apart!!
Smaller petrol mondeos are very unloved, they're not bombproof but they're cheap enough to soak up some bills. Likewise Avensises.
(I had a tddi 1.8, it was ace- tardislike inside too. No real performance but bloody lovely usability)