[Jim]

BB - i dont know about any SCIENCE behind my opinion but i'm sure there is a reliability index somewhere that will back me up. also you are wrong about the economy.
my opinion is based on what i have heard from vag specialists, vag tuners, 2 vag forums i post on and info i found when we were looking at buying a 2.0 tdi pd140 A6

[butters]

The 2.0 VAG engine is now the do all version which has replaced the older 1.9 and the 2.5 - they just bolt different parts (injectors\turbos and the like) on depending on the bhp they want to achieve which is similar to what they did with the older engines but over a far greater bhp range.

Like Jim no SCIENCE to back it up but I haven't heard anything good about them on the two T5 forums I frequent regularly.

[Baron]

Garran likes his Skoda estate thing

[Drew]

Mondeo Estate is huge! You could get lost in there. I had an Octavia Estate which I loved until the gearbox broke. I've now got a Pug 306 Estate. It feels like driving a van in comparison, but it's economical. I'd recommend the Skoda except that they're meant to have dodgy gearboxes. Apparently it's something to do with there being so much torque, and the clutch not being strong enough to cope (I have no idea BTW, this is what I've gleaned from a few garages). That said it had done 110k, but the Sheffield taxis do a quarter of a million!

[butters]

I suspect that is down to one of two things - the dual mass flywheel or more likely in your case the fact that VAG put the off side drive shaft into the gear box without any grease\lubricant. Water gets in, causes corrosion and gradually eats away the splines on the drive shaft which goes bang somewhere down the line usually taking the gear box with it. Certainly a problem on the earlier T5's - 2004-2006? - and I can't imagine that that was the only model they did it on.

[andy_e]

butters! my turbo still doesn't work! shall i put some gaffer tape over the suspected hole in it? or can you recommend somewhere leedsy that can fix it cheap?

[butters]

butters! my turbo still doesn't work! shall i put some gaffer tape over the suspected hole in it? or can you recommend somewhere leedsy that can fix it cheap?

You mean that you have a hole in a hose going to\from the turbo? Take it to a decent back street garage in Leeds (someone on here can probably recommend one) and get it replaced - gaffer tape will be unlikely to last very long.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

At risk of banging on about it...

Honda Accord 5th
Audi A4 37th
Ford Mondeo 49th
VW Passat 50th
Peugeot 407 87th

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/most-reliable-cars

[Bubba]

Hmm, that's not that much use as it doesn't specify which version is being rated - "3 to 10 years old" can cover three potentially extremely different incarnations of the same model car.

Also, the majority of figures are within 5% of each other - what does that percentage actually represent?

[grumpycrumpy]

Get yourself a big American van   ..... Mine cost £3,500 with only 39,000 on the clock , and already LPG converted ..... It's as cheap to run as my Peugeot 406 diesel estate , plus you can get loads more stuff into the back of it ..... The seats are all removable , so getting more space is but a five minute job ...... It's the most comfortable thing I've ever driven ...... The back seats turn into a bed at the push of a button so if you're out driving and the opportunity to  arises , you're quids in ..... 

[GCW]

Sounds like you'll be sorted for evening sessions at Cuvier.

[grumpycrumpy]

Sounds like you'll be sorted for evening sessions at Cuvier.

Not me GCW , I'm a clean living bloke ( plus I haven't got two brass farthings to rub together ) ...... But I'm going to be pimping the beast out next year , so if anyone on here wants to avail themselves of the flesh pit that is Cuvier they're more than welcome to hire it to do their  in ...... As long they don't stain the immaculate leather upholstery  .......

[lagerstarfish]

The back seats turn into a bed at the push of a button so if you're out driving and the opportunity to  arises , you're in ..... 

... and you have enough seats for you and the Mrs and 5 kids, should the  lead to it's natural conclusion.

[SA Chris]

Hmm, that's not that much use as it doesn't specify which version is being rated - "3 to 10 years old" can cover three potentially extremely different incarnations of the same model car.

Also, the majority of figures are within 5% of each other - what does that percentage actually represent?

Indeed, plus it has a Prius, a Jazz and a Yaris in the Top Ten, none of which I would touch with a borrowed extra long bargepole.

[nik at work]

I've got a Peugeot 307 diesel estate which I really like. It's quite narrow so fits through our (very narrow) drive gates and it drives okay (in a boaty kind of way). It is also mahoosive (for it's size), it feels pretty small for an estate but can fit in way more stuff than our previous A4 estate. But I'm happy with a big box that will do eighty all day long in reasonable comfort and is frugal. The engine is good. However it does have (electrical) foibles so I wouldn't recommend it, it suits me but...

Peugeot seem to have a poor reputation but every one I've owned has been brilliant, if a bit rough around the edges.

P.S. Won't Sloper be along soon to recommend an Alfa

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

I agree that table is a bit misleading, if you look at the link theres several other surveys on the same page. I recently saw one that put Dahatsui at the top, although I think that was mainly about dealer service. The general point I'm getting at is that German/VAG cars have a rather exaggerated reputation for reliability and French cars have a completely justified reputation for un-reliability.

Evidence for the prosecution...CLMs Citroen diesel van on which the timing belt jumped a sprocket  3months out of warranty costing him lots....someone I work with had a new style SEAT Leon TDI on which the oil pump stopped working and it killed it's engine 2 weeks out of warranty and SEAT won't pay up...3 older Leon's in our family with a variety of electrical and leaking faults down to poor design...whilst my Accord did have a cracked manifold, except Honda recognised it as a manufacture fault and had extended the warranty to 90k miles, replaced and fitted for free. So I'm not saying there are perfect however....

(you watch it will break down tomorrow )

[grumpycrumpy]

Peugeot seem to have a poor reputation but every one I've owned has been brilliant, if a bit rough around the edges.

  ..... Both the Peugeot estates I've owned have been brilliant ..... Remarkably reliable and very very spacious .....

The back seats turn into a bed at the push of a button so if you're out driving and the opportunity to  arises , you're in ..... 

... and you have enough seats for you and the Mrs and 5 kids, should the  lead to it's natural conclusion.

And you have a perfect place for a rest after you've done all that  ...... It's like a garden shed on wheels  ...... 

[cofe]

At risk of banging on about it...
Honda Accord 5th

Accords look great word. But I dismissed them long ago due to our budget.

I am slightly reticent to buy another diesel now too. Looking at reliable petrols.

[slackline]

I know little about cars, but after writing one off last year had to get a new one and ended up with a Nissan Primera, huge boot, lots of space in front and back, no problems so far. 

[SA Chris]

Peugeot seem to have a poor reputation but every one I've owned has been brilliant, if a bit rough around the edges.

We must have got a dog then.

1 x ECU Death
2 x random diesel leaks
1 x random water leak (well more of a gush)
1 x bottom drive pulley fail
1 x drive belt fail
1 x Alternator fail
1 x Engine Mount fail

Plus usual 3rd phase maintenance issues and electrical foibles.

[Jim]

also worth considering is the volvo v50

[john horscroft]

...and in how many of those pissy-anny little cars can you get two mountain bikes in the back without even taking the wheels off?  I rest my case.  As for the perceived unreliability of Fiats, I put that one down to sheer prejudice.  I've had a Punto, a Coupe (oh, I loved that car), and the Doblo.  They've all been spot on......and cheap 

[Jim]

I've owned 2 rovers and neither of them broke down, doesn't mean they weren't shit or unreliable.

[slackline]

I've owned 2 rovers and neither of them broke down, doesn't mean they weren't shit or unreliable.

If neither broke down then does that not make them quite reliable, as unreliable == breaking down?

[john horscroft]

I've owned 2 rovers and neither of them broke down, doesn't mean they weren't shit or unreliable.

Love the logic Jim 

While we're on the subject of cars, what do you make of Sale's new coach, geddit