1997 ford escort diesel. I have bypassed the immobilizer crap fitted a earlier type injector pump .it just goes and goes. Replace timing belt every few years and change oil every 6000kms . No dual mass flywheel although I do weld them together on other cars I have owned same as the front pulley ,did a lid Bedford tk have them ?? No . Only problem I have with my escort is the new emissions laws coming in here in Spain . Cannot use it into towns but hey I live in Campo and as I am now past it I only go shopping in it . Same problem with my XJ40 1994 jaag . But problem in UK especially is the weather and rust as all cars will rust if left outside with garage turned into a games room or granny flat . Other problem I see is lack of skilled training for mechanics ,my little jhonie is not doing dirty dirt work he's going to uni to do some fancy degree which means he can get a job in bigmac . No social standing in being a grease monkey. Trust me been there got the T shirt . Or my daughter is not going out with a grease monkey and three big hippos give you a seeing too to make sure you keep away from said daughter .right enough keyboard crap going out to carry on fixing up a Renault Mégane I had given to me for friends and family to use when they visit ,don't want them driving my escort .
My citroen xsara Picasso 1.6 diesel 230000 miles on the clock... 60 mpg.... Never let me down in the 8 years I have owned...it.... And the best bit.. It cost £100
The speedo clock on the Fiat 500 is often unreliable, replacement costing over £500. As far as I know, the manufacturer has done nothing to improve reliability since my own 2015 model, which I was glad to get rid of. The "wet belt syndrome" would seem to be the biggest and most expensive issue, which would seem to be particularly best avoided. So much unreliability in 21st Century cars which did not seem to apply with vehicles of the previous century! Perhaps too much hi-tech is the main problem, though some of the faults are basic yet expensive to rectify!! A very informative video, by a honest dealer who is willing to part with his knowledge. Very much appreciated.
C’mon, you know that’s an unrealistic statement. There were plenty of unreliable - and also bad - cars in the 20th century as well. But there is an interesting point to be made though, a lot of modern cars have fewer mechanical problems and way more problems in terms of electrics - simply because there’s far more electronic equipment in the cars to go wrong effectively. And when those get old, they’re expensive to replace. There’s also more ‘disposable’ cars, eg: any 2000s Jeep Grand Cherokee. That car was literally made to essentially self-destruct after a certain mileage so that you had to replace it with another one. And it wasn’t the only car like that. Now though, I think times are changing because car-makers have to be more environmentally conscious so they can’t just keep churning out crap cars that pollute both the roads and the environment - it’ll be interesting to see if that’s a trend that continues
Much of what you say is wrong! Any mechanical or electrical malfunction on pre -computer controlled vehicles were easily sorted out by a competent mechanic, without any complicated issues! I know, because I was there and experienced a much more enjoyable driving experience in those days too!! Why, for instance, do people pay so much for classic cars these days, other than to have more enjoyment than they can with a modern vehicle? The worst issue with cars of the distant past was corrosion - without this, most of them would be running today!!!!@@Nikelaos_Khristianos
I wouldn't buy a Fist of you paid me. ALL the Fiat hire cares I've driven have had problems and they were NEW! Caused me no end of problems on my holidays. Fiat - built by Robots and driven by Italians
Thank you so much for highlighting the ridiculously bad issues with these cars. There is no excuse for the manufacturers in the last 20 years to have been building such dodgy cars. They just don't care as the maintenance at the dealerships is such a nice big earner for them! As long as they last past the 3 years or so that the company fleets and leasing agents use them for before sending them off to auction then they're happy! It's a racket.
There is no excuse to make shoddy cars but there is a reason. The reason is to shorten the life span of the vehicle in order to whittle away the number of people owning cars. Then in order to further this goal, make owning a ev an impossible task. Probably about 2 thirds of people that own cars currently, will not by 2030-35.
@@SuperBC10 Their only motivation in building shoddy cars is to save money and make more profit, period. As for EVs, they will never be a full replacement for combustion cars. The batteries are too expensive to make and decommission when finished, and contain so many toxic elements too. Their range is too short.They require quarrying for their battery raw materials, which is incredibly polluting and expensive, and they still use tyres which again are very polluting. The electricity isn't available in a sufficient grid network and again is still polluting and would be a massive undertaking to provide. The charging times make batteries impractical too.Overall, including decommissioning, EVs are arguably worse polluting than current combustion vehicles, it's just their pollution is manly created remotely from the vehicle. Combustion power is still the answer, but it requires a cleaner fuel. If the current manufacturers focused on MPG and emissions instead of speed/performance the petrol and diesel could be made to run much cleaner whilst the new technologies were refined. The actual fuel answers for the future of virtually all transportation is HYDROGEN. Clean burning, lots of energy, easy to refill, quick to recharge and the most abundant element in the universe. EVs are a con, there's no longevity in owning one or overall ecological saving. Secondhand, dealers won't touch them! They're all but worthless very quickly!
You couldn't have said it better...a racket by racketeers, it is almost only Toyota that refuses to go that gangsta worldly way and hang on to their pride!
15 years ago I could buy a say 9yr old car top of the range Peugeot 306 in nice condition for £1000 around 70K mileage. Now prices are completely stupid asking thousands for such old cars; daylight robbery. Even 8 years ago I could get the same thing for £300 on Ebay UK. Motoring is just becoming out of reach for people on minimum wage incomes. How ordinary working class people find the jobs and wages to fund new electric cars I do not know.
Nobody is buying these new cars its all people stuck in the PCP trap and it meant people like me could get a car with 90% of its serviceable life left for 50% the price of a new one. The best cars to buy are 3-5 years old just come back to the dealer off the PCP they don't want the car sitting around and want to make space for the new stuff so there is usually a deal to be had. Best time to rock up is March or September as all the new registrations show up and they want the forecourt cleared for them. I got my 2016 Toyota Auris in 2019 at 2.5 years old with 40k miles for £9500 the 1st owner had it on PCP and ran out of miles 6 months early the car was £22000 brand new. You either need to get a 3-5 year old car or go for banganomics 15 years+. 8-12 years old is the worst age as all the things that are likely to go wrong on the car will and its a very expensive peroid for the car after that period the car is a semi reliable cheap banger you can use and abuse.
@@gravemind6536 The £300 car I got in 2016 was very good, not pretty regards paintwork condition but otherwise very solid and 52K on the clock. It was nearly 18 years of age on a 1999 plate, again top spec for the model. I still have it.
Totally agree. Its as if they don't want people to have a car anymore . When things like headlight bulbs cost £200 to replace and Cambelts £1,800 utterly ridiculous.
Seems your valid point is missed in the replies. £19k for a car? Madness, i would expect to buy a 5litre Mustang, 2.8i Capri or E46 M3 for that and not some boring box on wheels. People forget how pre lockdown (covid was bs) you could buy some great cars for sensible money. Try getting a R32/3 Skyline, or mk4 Supra for 4 or 5 grand these days for example.
The same rock solid 2.2 joint Ford/Psa unit they put in the higher end MK3 Mondeo, overall fantastic engines with plenty of poke and no dpf or timing belt to worry about either! 155 bhp and a lot more with an easily fitted decat pipe, egr blank plate, cleaned out the intake manifold. Done that on my old MK3 Mondeo and it thrived past 200k before eventually structural rust killed it off at the MOT. Don't listen to this guy about DMF's, solid flywheel conversions are readily available and cure that problem forever be it a slightly less refined driving experience.
Thank you for your time making this video. I respect your honest opinion when it comes to cars as we are not all magpies and some of us do pay attention to the details and on-costs. Car tax can be a killer too so what seems reliable can be quite bad on the old road tax. Its all swings and roundabouts with cars. If youre quite handy and resourceful then you can save some money but many people are not so its worth knowing why you dont sell certain cars.
We own a Scenic II (version Grand), with 2.0 petrol engine, production year 2007, purchased in 2016. Current kilometrage: 220,000,. I don't recognise our car at all in what Lee describes here. We (still) experience this car as well-built, reliable, comfortable and extremely practical. Except for regular maintenance, the car has rarely seen the workshop. Main issues: The push buttons for central locking do not always work on each of the door handles. Heavy rain combined with clogged drains led to temporary problems with dashboard electronics and window defogging. This week, the engine suddenly started running unevenly and an ingnition coil had to be replaced. The procedure was so simple that I could do it myself, although I have no specific knowledge and the replacement part was not expensive. Car mechanics are not fond of the Scenic II because many parts under the bonnet are not easily accessible. Changing a light bulb yourself is quite a challenge. Anyway, for us (family with two growing children & big dog on the European mainland) it is the ideal car. Yes, I would buy this car again (with lower mileage). By the way: the youngest examplars of this car are already 15 years old. That's a venerable age for a car. Can you expect such a car to be completely free of wear and tear? And although my name is French, I am not a Frenchmen. But yes, I have a preference for French cars. Previous cars owned: Toyota Yaris Verso, Peugeot 405, Citroen CX, Ford Escort mkIII. Still owning: Renault R4 and Peugeot 204, vintage cars.
*I find CAR UK on You Tube to be a VERY reliable channel, hence I subscribe to it.* Up until March of this year I lived next door to a garage, where 4 mechanics serviced and repaired cars of all makes and models (including the various cars I've owned over the years). *Everything which CAR UK says in this video is SPOT-ON and is very much in accord with what the guys at the garage were telling me.* Because of the advice these mechanics gave me, I *already knew* NOT to buy any car with a 1 litre Eco-boost engine or a 1.2 litre Puretech engine, NOT to buy a Vauxhall Mokka, etc. But not everyone has such a great source of information about used cars on their doorstep, but the good news is we DO have this channel.
Ha ! " Not to buy a Mokka ".......The very car I was thinking of buying until my own mechanic said the same thing . The 1.6ltre turbo Diesel engine is the worst engine he had EVER come across in his whole 35yr career !!!
I once said to a mechanic friend why manufacturers have not produced a maintenance free and totally reliable car after all these years. He replied 'Excuse me, but unreliable cars have kept me employed for the last 40 years'.
@@petergerritgroen3157 Not really. GM took the helm in 1993, and were giving SAAB sub standard cars (typically Vauxhalls) to rebadge as their own. SAAB weren't happy with the quality of what they were given and would alter the cars they were sent in order to produce vehicles that satisfied their high standards. GM pen pushers were more interested in profit margins than producing quality products. If more manufacturers took the SAAB approach to engineering then there would be considerably fewer low quality cars on the road for this content creator here to comment on.
SAAB do have engine problems with their turbo petrol, not many left on the road even here in Sweden. Oil changes more often then recomended does help a lot. Most common is turbo failure but sometimes even a whole engine failure.
Ultimately it's down to SAAB themselves, GM took them over & saved them, for a while. What you said is true, but SAAB couldn't make their cars appealing enough to sell enough in the first place, & not get taken over.
@@NikesZ28 Mine was a NG900, 2L petrol turbo. I didn't once have an engine problem in the 20 years I drove it, and this was never really mentioned by any other owners in the SAAB club. The common problem with the NG900's was that the bulkhead would split due to the flex created by the movement of the steering rack. I'm not sure if this was down to SAAB or the Vauxhall Opel chassis that the model was built around. I only had the car serviced in accordance with the recommended maintenance schedule. A common problem among the 9- 3 (maybe the 9-5, I can't remember which) diesel variant was that the dual mass fly wheel needed replacement as they often failed, and the engine wasn't suited to repeated short journeys due to the build up of carbon deposits. I never owned one of those vehicles however. The NG900 bulkhead issue was remedied by welding, but a kit was produced with a reinforcing strut and I noticed at a SAAB meeting that most of the enthusiasts had this fitted.
Looking at getting rid of my Honda CRV MK3 that is 17 years old. Still good by age is catching up. Thinking of BMW 1 Series or Mercedes A Class both about 5-6 years old. Prefer petrol versions. Any thoughts on which make/model?
@jeffcalvert7209 You will notice the difference in reliability within a week with a 10 year old German car. You're probably better off with a Lexus CT200h at that age
Can't go wrong with a pre 06 yaris bulletproof I paid 800 quid one owner 40.000 miles had it 4years no problems passed every mot runs like a watch. I judge how many old ones are still running and there's stacks of 02 and 03 models still going . Definitely recommend and old yaris
Good vid, I had a mk3 mondeo 2.0tdci - same engine as x type. Fantastic car… couldn’t kill it in the 9 yrs of ownership… I did brake all 3 coil springs due to the poor roads. Nothing only normal maintenance required.
I had a 2007 tdci 2.0, ex lease, in 4 years, 1 battery, 2 alternaters, 2 x oil cooler thermostats, 1 x thermostat, pipe split, then got rid as turbo was jamming.
Had a Mondeo 2002 2.0 TDCI best car i had super reliable never let me down in 6 years had loads of history when i bought it only got rid of it as needed clutch .
@@andylane247just sold a 2002 2.5 V6 petrol after 18 years ownership...it never missed a beat. The only thing it had in that time was a few coil springs and wheel bearings (and regular oil changes)
Fantastic car. I had one as a winter run when I had an Aston. I kept the Xtype for years longer than the Aston - they’re a fantastic car - if looked after. I worked on my own, and they’re easy to maintain - just watch the sills!
It amazes me how many everyday run of the mill cars are poor. You do us a great service by bringing them to our notice, thanks. Perhaps a mirror to this would be a video showing the cars that you would recommend.
Enlightening video and advice noted. We have a 2009 Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, the concept of which is great (compact 7 seater yet spacious inside and economical), bought over 5 years/70k miles ago (now on 135k miles). I was aware of issues with auto transmissions, so bought manual gearbox 1.6HDi and it's been a wonderful and reliable car.
You are spot on with these cars pal, I had a 10reg diesel Insignia, it never drove well , after a couple of months the oil pump failed and seized the engine,I scrapped the car
Thanks for sharing your professional knowledge with us on cars to avoid purchasing. Would you consider making a few similar programmes but cars that you would recommend people purchase. Thanks, I really enjoy the way you present your channel. Good clear diction. And not too long. Many thanks
Hi Lee, love the channel, super advice every time. Do you think you could do a clip on cars that would be a good buy please. Really appreciate Car UK. 😇
Thanks for the heads up ! I’m gonna stick to my Toyotas. Though my start car was a Renault which served me well.. I part exchanged it for a Mini CooperS cabriolet chilli park.. bad mistake.. 40K miles in the Mini was disaster . I sold at a loss. My Clio Dynamic served and at 70K miles when I exchanged it, it was still good with no issues Today my Toyota Urban Cruiser D4D is serving well at 120k miles bought at 30K Yearly service at Toyota does the magic ..
People often say Toyota/Lexus = boring. My reply: if you mean boring = reliable then give me boring every day!🫠 Auris, Prius, Corolla, CT200h. All boringly😉 good!
Toyota proves something rather funny about the old adage that German cars and Japanese cars are the most reliable out there: German cars are reliable if you look after them and know how to maintain them. Toyotas very specifically are reliable no matter what you do to them 😂
Top advise all round, guy knows his stuff. As with any type of car maintenance is key. Some owners just dont look after their cars and expect them to last! I had a mk2 Renault Scenic grande, 1.6 vvt. The problem with the electronic hand brake is the cable going into the calipers seize. Easy to prevent with keeping them well greased and you wont have any issues. Lovely car to drive and I used mine to deliver parcels, put 30k on it in a year and no issues after I fixed the handbrake prob. Not worth much money now but Id have another one. Vx Meriva A 1.4 is a good little MPV regular oil changes every 5k and your chain will be ok. Z14XER engine is dull as fuck but ok if looked after for reliabilty. Car is super easy to work on and parts are cheap, they are a decent little ulez town runner. If your running a cheap car it pays to know how to maintain it and fix it yourself.
Well done and thanks for this. I think I will stick with my 1994 BMW E36 with 173k and still a daily driver, same engine, clutch and gearbox and exhaust as when bought in 1999. Fabulously reliable, runs superb and had other cars in between that have been costly and basically expensive pains in the wallet! Great advice from you who knows what he is talking about! Keep up the good work.
Avoid all Stellantis group brands if you are looking for recent and reliable gasoline with after-sales service. Former owners of a 1.2L Puretech 110hp, we only had problems with: faulty segmentation, excess oil consumption from 60000 km, 1L every 1000 km, ventilation broken, belt in the oil to replace, speakers sometimes broken. We understood that keeping this Peugeot would be a financial pit. We sold it to a professional because Peugeot, well aware of the problems with their cars, does not do trade-ins. Thanks for the video
I've got a 59 plate Insignia on 153k. Bought it in 2020 for £1k on 118k miles. I had the belt and oil pick-up seal done straight away. At 135k the dual mass flywheel went and cost me £1300 to replace but otherwise it's been great. I'll do the belt again this year but it seems I've been lucky? Super comfortable on the motorway too. You really need to keep on top of regular servicing but that's a must for most cars.
@@bobsbits8562It's the Fiat-group Alfa 2.0 JTDm engine with a different cam cover, I think. This engine features a rubber seal between oil pump and the pickup in the sump - which degrades over time and goes hard. It then starts sucking in air through the seal instead of oil from the sump at startup, and you get a low pressure warning and bearing damage over time if left. The seal itself is about a fiver to buy from a factors, but is a sump off job to do, so labour can be a killer. I have a 2011 Alfa 159 with this engine in, and it's had a pickup seal done - but that aside, it's been a reliable engine. Done the timing belt every 4 years or so, serviced it annually, and it's covered 160k reliable miles 👍
Very interesting. Thankfully I bought a Ford Focus 150TDCI with a manual gearbox. I also have a 14 year old KIA Piccanto 1 which is proving very good if a little underpowered. Your reference to the X type, which was a Mondeo with a Jaguar badge, is interesting as the diesels fitted to Mondeo did colossal mies when used as taxis. Really useful info there Thanks.
09:59 We have a 2010 Insignia SRI TD 160, owned it for about 9 years now. Can't say I recognise the faults you describe. Some years ago it had a bad year where we had a few bills, mainly around ABS and cooling system, but it's settled down to be little trouble lately. The headlamps tend to fog up due to water ingress. We had damp in the boot at one point but it was an easy fix. If you get a "Low Oil Pressure - Stop Engine" warning on an icy cold day, replacement of an oil pickup rubber seal inside the engine is required, which is a bit of a pain.
Said it before the older fords capries/Corina's with the pinto engine you could change the timing belt in 20 mins at the side of the road . These days I would not by a ford unless it has a timing chain .
I had a jaguar x type 2.2 diesel for the last 5 years, the most reliable car I've ever owned. However like you mentioned last year it just rotted all over underneath, but still looked mint on the outside. Sad to see her go, but it was to far gone 😢
Had a 2.2 diesel for 7 years... super reliable when it came to the drivetrain (just had a split in the EGR- intercooler pipe at 150 000 miles, replaced on a Saturday), just things like door locks and handles, and 1 perished ABS harness. I strongly suspect the DMF failures mentioned was mostly due to abuse... my car was on her original clutch and DMF until I upgraded to an XF at around 200 000 miles.
I brought a 61 Insignia sri CDTI brand new and used it as my taxi and apart from a power steering pump when it was about 7 years old I had no problems. I did just under 2000,000 in it and it was sound, not even the holy oil seal went wrong. Traded it in back in 2021 for the new shape Insignia and I'm happy. Have to say always have used Vauxhalls from around 2007 and I haven't got a bad word to say. I must be lucky .
I’ve got 1.5 ford mondeo eco boost, clocked 125000 miles got a new starter motor and battery this year.had it for seven years and it’s it runs pretty good for me
Great video with sound advice. This shows how important research is when buying a cheaper car. Someone could easily think “I hate French cars, I’ll buy a good British make and Buy British at the same time!” Then go out and buy a Vauxhall (a US/German car) with a French engine.
Good point. Plenty of new Nissans and even Mercs with RENAULT Engines. However I wouldn't be a happy chap if I found that out after forking out my hard earned.
You're one of the lucky few, they're a lovely car to drive, well appointed and comfortable but the oranges are like a needle in a haystack of lemons when it comes to reliability unfortunately, I hope you continue to enjoy your rare orange trouble free pal 👍👍👍
Had both mk 1 and mk 2 insignia 2.0 diesels. Superb cruisers. 1st one started an ABS issue but got written off. My mk 2 went from 20k to 100k absolutely no issues doing 300 mile commutes. 700 mile range, 60 mpg. Probs with these lists is that all cars have issues but it is a percentages game, except for the ecoboost, where it is a known for the model but as with anything all cars have a degree of pot luck
I agree. I have a 2014 Insignia EcoFlex 2.0D. I purchased it in 2018 and in the six years I’ve owned it, other than the usual servicing consumables, I’ve only had to replace a glow plug. With the fuel economy and zero fee road fund tax it’s been the cheapest to run car I’ve ever owned.
@@sputniksam forgot about the zero road tax as well. Got so much evil eye for saying that I paid nothing for those years. Have a much bigger car mid size SUV) and miss the cheaper motoring I had
My uncle owned about three Yaris between 1999 and 2022. All of them problem free and enjoyable to own. The only issue he had was not even the fault of the car. After a back and forth with the dealer, the issue with the doors locking was finally traced to a wireless weather station in the garden, that was working on the same frequency! 😂
@@EgoShredder The first Yaris I drove was the tiny one which I decided was too small. However, I was driving it as a hire car in Spain and it could be parked ANYWHERE. I still said it's not for me. But 2012 I had a test drive in a Yaris and was sold. It was a perfect replacement for my clapped-out VW Polo nine years later I went into the Toyota dealership got a staggeringly good trade-in for the 100% fault-free car and walked out with a Yaris Hybrid Excel and I love it! I admit it had a couple of problem that were only with the 12v battery which they blamed me for. However, in the end, they accepted it was a faulty battery and it's got a 10 year warranty.
Found a mint 1 owner petrol mk1 Berlingo still with low miles 45k and runs great. With it being so practical there is literally no reason to ever sell it
I have a 2008 Kia Rio 1.5CRDi, it's pre dpf, cam chain (no belt) 105k miles bought for £1500 two years ago. I've changed oil & filters, had to replace 1 x brake caliper that cost me about £40. Did have to replace brake pipes but these are a consumable effectively. I get 55-60 mpg on a run, it's super quiet for a diesel and I fully expect it to last me at least another 5 years. Make sure it's solid underneath if you look at one and you'll be good to go, cracking car if you want cheap reliability...
Was a good engine that 1.5crdi, was replaced by the 1.6 unit for emissions reasons. Only thing on the rio's is the subframes are poor on the front and corroded quickly. Rest of the car body is solid mind.
Right. My 2008 2l X-type was an absolute joy. Loved him. Smooth ride, quiet and sufficiently powerful. Had him for five years. I then bought a Mondeo estate 1.6l eco - fabulous car, underpowered on steep hills but otherwise superb. Had him for six years. Drove all over Europe in them both. Both are still running and being enjoyed by other members of the family. Both on circa 190 / 200k miles. And TBh I’m usually excellent at buying lemons, these two were not!
Very informative, especially for people wanting to buy a car for around £5K. The last thing they want is buying a car with long term reliability issues, leading to hefty repairs bills or even the need to scrap the vehicle after a few years. Ford Ecoboost 1 litre engines are a nightmare, with a wet belt system, costing possibly around £1000 plus to be replaced, recommended after around 60K to 80K mileage. I'm a Ford man, but wouldn't touch a Ford with an Ecoboost engine with a bargepole, better get a bigger sized petrol engine or a diesel. We once had a Fiat Scudo van from new, the 2 litre 120 PS diesel engine was about the only thing that didn't fall apart. Build quality was terrible, compared to the similar bodied Citroen and Peugeot vans.
I bought a ford focus ecoboost 1.0l car fourteen months ago. It has been an unmitigated disaster. In the time I've owned it, it has needed: a new catalytic converter; a new alternator; two new springs; and a new wet belt. I've now been told that it has a blown cylinder head gasket and possible cracked engine block. I've been walking around with a silly smile on my face for over a week and occasionally I laugh out loud like the joker: I think it's hysteria. I've bought used fords since 1985, 2 cortinas, 5 sierras, 2 mondeos and 2 focuses. That particular relationship is going to end. What was ford thinking putting this sack of shite on the market? It's no use trying to keep the green lobby happy if it results in half baked contraptions like this which can't have been thought out properly or tested thoroughly. This is the trouble with allowing idealism to dictate over pragmatism. I'll probably be looking for Toyotas from now on. Ford should know that the resaleable value of a car is taken in to account by vehicle buyers who want to get something back from their initial outlay. I was ignorant of the problems associated with the ecoboost engine but a lot of people will be clued up now and won't touch them with a fifty metre cattle prod. Why invest in a car if you can't offload it when you're ready to buy another. It would serve ford right if the bottom dropped out of the market for these motorised garbage cans.
Great video. Worst car I had was a mk1 focus 1.8 diesel clutch went at 30k, issues with gearbox and turbo blew at 70k after which it was scrapped. Now got a 72 plate kamiq dsg and I wish I never read the reviews on that gearbox 😂
I’ve owned many VAG cars. Perceived quality and actual quality are sadly not the same. Now that Skoda\Seat aren’t even cheap I’m out! Don’t get me wrong if someone gifted me a new Golf GTi I’m not gonna turn it down!
Dear friend, Your spot on here. I have a 2014, 1.2 ltr Peugeot 2008 which uses 1 liter of oil per month. No faults or leaks according to my great local garage. Terrible oil use that i have to top up every week. Apart from that the car has been super reliable in total. Just normal brake and suspension wear and tear i think ? which is always the yearly mot issues. Overall the car is great apart from the oil consumption i would recommend them. Stevie in Fife.
The quality of components and plastics in car engines determines their working life - this is a designed feature - any car over 10 years old will be on borrowed time - some much earlier than that - this chap has explained very well which cars to avoid , but beware the luxury end is just as fallible.
#7 Ford powershift !, the only problem with these is they DON’T get serviced ! I had a 2013 Kuga 2lt diesel it had 160k when I sold it ! I changed the oil twice, very easy to do !
Not all Italian cars are unreliable ? What about the one you were sitting in ;-) Good honest review, and tbf your comments previously led me to avoid some, When I bought my last car. Always enjoy watching your vlogs fella.
great video - i've tried to explain many of these cars esp that ford focus ecoboost and the wet belt system - most workshops just dont wanna go near it! My wife had a Vauxhall insignia 2012 2ltr cdti - to be fair it drove fantastic.. but that said we bought it with 10k miles (ex motability) and it purred all the way to 45k until someone wrote it off last xmas for us wheeee. But it was a nice car.. drove up and down the mway for us so many times... gearbox was silky smooth 6 speed. Super comfy on road and spacious with giant boot. I personally loved it. I guess we got lucky there. I did hear there was problems with the engines circa 60-70k tho. Subscribed (in warrington myself so just down the road lol)
I picked up a 2014 Insignia Country Tourer and so far I have to say it's been really good. Mine does appear to have been looked after though with every single stamp for each year being from a main dealer, cam belt and water pump replaced and even has 4 Goodyear tyres on which shows that quite a bit of money has gone towards maintaining it. I think the issue with a lot of Insignias is that because they are so cheap, they're likely bought by people who either don't know how to maintain them or simply can't afford to maintain them and run them into the ground
What an amazing video Lee. As said below, your breadth of knowledge is amazing. I will be looking for a cheapie for my daughter when she starts driving and passes her test. Well Done!!
All Shitroens belong in hell. Even in the 90s, when things were relatively simple, they were a pain in the Dordogne. I still have nightmares about mineral oil and suspension spheres.
Hi Lee great video as usual, you sent a shiver down my spine though when you mentioned the Renault Scenic as I’ve just bought my daughter a MK111 Grand Scenic 1:6 diesel 😬
Got to say, I've got a vauxhall insignia A 2.0cdti on 150k. It's been an absolute brilliant car, I've had the Mondeo and Passat and these are much better to drive. I service mine every 5k miles and with like any car, have certain weaknesses. Only thing I had to replace was the o ring in the sump to the picking up oil pump. Unfortunately I have to totally disagree with the 1.8 engine in these cars. Totally underpowered and couldn't take the skin off a rice pudding.
I was literally taking tomorrow morning off to take a look at an eco boost fiesta! Talk about timing. I'm not a mechanical bod so I would not have know this - cheers buddy.
2.5 v6 xtype owner here, honestly its those reasons mentioned i avoid the diesels, the petrols also just sound way better, AWD is also nice with that rear wheel bias of torque
Just watched you on 6/8/24 and enjoy watching you most days I am the owner of 59 plate X type 2.2 diesel estate bought new when i retired beuatiful in black with silver wheels and roof rails and coming up to 14 years old and has 40607 miles and i will own up to it having had a replacement diesel pump and injectors at 25000 miles and i have had the auto/gearbox oil pumped through at 20000 miles when the diesel pump was sorted the garage said it could do with a replacement turbo , but i did the drilling through the exhaust manifold and use Mr Muscle at various times about 9 month intervals but i must say every time i go to the garage i am told its a credit to see such a nice car and it flies through it MOT . JIM R
I had a 2.2d X Type, got it from a used car dealer and within a week it was back for them to fix things. Long story short, they agreed the car was a complete lemon and offered me either a full refund or by way of making good on their embarrassment 'extra' over and above the refund to buy another car from their stock. They were great to deal with (as it happens, I took the refund and did eventually buy another car from them as I was impressed with their eagerness to fix things), and with the discount negotiated on the screen price buying the second car, it would have worked out about the same as if I'd taken the increased 'credit' - that car was hassle free and I'd buy from them again. Good customer service eases the fears of ownership.
This guy is like an old mate of mine, every car was cr@p, but never seemed to stop him buying them. Every car, any car, needs to be driven with mechanical sympathy, allowed to warm up, not thrashed, and serviced regularly. Simple.
That may have been true in the past but the excessive use of plastic 'critical' parts on engines is not good,supposedly to 'save weight' but I think most of us know now that it's part of inbuilt obsolescence IOW manufacturers think that 10 yrs use is all you should expect for the money you pay,that's why they make it expensive or in some cases impossible to repair at a reasonable cost.
I bought a 2014 insignia as a distress purchase. 184k - lots of history. First thing I did was drop the gearbox oil - it was black like engine oil. Any car needs maintenance - but people will not spend on maintenance. They blame the car instead.
People seem to get finance on expensive cars and then can't afford to look after them. My friend is a MoT tester and he regularly sees ratty Audi S, BMW M cars that never get serviced. He sees 3 year old cars come in for the first MoT that have never once been serviced. Modern engines absolutely must have regular oil changes with the correct oil and probably done more often than the manufacturer recommends. You could get away with it on a 90s engine but not modern ones.
Agree with the scenic comments. Had a 55 plate 1.5 dci 7 seater. Seriously underpowered and bottom end went at 95k with full service history. Do not buy get a petrol version. Surprisingly no electrical problems.
Totally agree with you with all of them. The 1.0L eco boom engine is smaller than a A4 piece of paper....no joke! Think Clarkson mentioned it & showed/proved it was true.
My dad had a brand new mk 1 scenic 52 plate 1.4 fidgie lovely car no problem I bought a 55 plate grand scenic 3 years old evrything went wrong with it dashboard went key went windows went wrong the final straw was the variable timing went wrong 700 quid to fix got rid traded it in after that .got a Citroen xara Picasso 1.6 desire after that ran that five years without a problem great car .
A lot of Petrol Jaguars suffer with fuel pump problems and fuel leaks. We had a Ford Bmax Powershift. Once they sorted the auto clutch issue it wasn't a bad car. Now I stick to Toyotas
Had a fully loaded scenic back in 2004 leather seats, full glass sunroof, hands free unlocking, electric handbrake. Very useful and comfortable for the 4 years I had it but its very telling that virtually none left on the road.
Take a look at what's on his forecourt for an answer to your question. He's not going to buy crap if he knows he could end up footing the bill for repairs under warranty.
@@kevinbray9550 I know that Kevin ,l follow Lee and he sells quality cars , What I meant was it would be great for him to list some good cars in his opinion that would be worth buying for those of us who live nowhere near his pitch
I have a 1.4t Astra 2016 serviced regularly has not had a single issue, has not needed any work done for its MOT, one issue is I suspect the turbo kicking in when the engine is cold. I always try to keep below 2500rpm until temp is up to above half.
@@Stevo675the automatic robotised Gbox (like on the Ferrari 360) was the big problem for the Quatroporte. The later QP's got a ZF automatic gbox which is better. You can recognise them by the larger traditional gearshifter knob.
The worst cars I have had were MPVs: Ford Focus C 1.6 petrol and Vauxhall Zafira 2.0D; they were useful and great to drive until the engines fell apart around 100k miles. Best experiences in 50+ years of driving have been with a Vauxhall Cavalier, Volvo 240 estate, Honda Acty (fantastic little van), among various Volkswagens. I'm now 71 and am happy with my 18 year old Honda Jazz 1.4 manual petrol, especially as everything works - including the factory fitted sun roof and electric wing mirrors!
Great video it's unbelievable that huge companies like Ford and vauxhall can produce such unreliable cars.I was warned about the 1.0 Ford engine about 5 years ago.
Excellent video, very helpful! Have enjoyed a Twingo 2 for 5 years. Wonderful little car, but spare parts are getting rare and some OEM-numbers are not even recognised anymore.
Got a 2010 2 litre diesel insignia with 213000 miles on it. It runs and drives perfectly. Never had any major issues with it. i use it all the time for work driving from yorkshire to aberdeen scotkand.
had a C4 Grand Picasso 57 plate 1.6 VTR Manual diesel ...was absolutely brilliant, now have a Grand Picasso 14 plate, again 1.6 Manual diesel, spot on.
I started buying older cars....no sensors ....no beeping or binging when you get in.... no dash lights to worry about...
just turn the key and go.
Whoever thought smart would be great for cars was deluded !
Gimme dumb anytime!
Golf 4, you cannot go wrong 😀
Key!? What's that? Start stop button ? 😆 crazy times
1997 ford escort diesel. I have bypassed the immobilizer crap fitted a earlier type injector pump .it just goes and goes. Replace timing belt every few years and change oil every 6000kms . No dual mass flywheel although I do weld them together on other cars I have owned same as the front pulley ,did a lid Bedford tk have them ?? No . Only problem I have with my escort is the new emissions laws coming in here in Spain . Cannot use it into towns but hey I live in Campo and as I am now past it I only go shopping in it . Same problem with my XJ40 1994 jaag . But problem in UK especially is the weather and rust as all cars will rust if left outside with garage turned into a games room or granny flat . Other problem I see is lack of skilled training for mechanics ,my little jhonie is not doing dirty dirt work he's going to uni to do some fancy degree which means he can get a job in bigmac . No social standing in being a grease monkey. Trust me been there got the T shirt . Or my daughter is not going out with a grease monkey and three big hippos give you a seeing too to make sure you keep away from said daughter .right enough keyboard crap going out to carry on fixing up a Renault Mégane I had given to me for friends and family to use when they visit ,don't want them driving my escort .
Yep yep, yep and yep . . And spend £43 on a bottle of Steel Seel as preventative when you get it. I promise.
My citroen xsara Picasso 1.6 diesel 230000 miles on the clock... 60 mpg.... Never let me down in the 8 years I have owned...it.... And the best bit.. It cost £100
I had a Peugeot 406 2.0HDI. 400,000 miles and still drove like new.
£100, that's expensive mate, they saw you coming
@@davidyoung9561on OK
you bought it at 220000?
@@user-pf5xq3lq8i 8 years ago it had a lot less miles on it... A bargain at that time £100.... Really good car /van
The speedo clock on the Fiat 500 is often unreliable, replacement costing over £500. As far as I know, the manufacturer has done nothing to improve reliability since my own 2015 model, which I was glad to get rid of. The "wet belt syndrome" would seem to be the biggest and most expensive issue, which would seem to be particularly best avoided. So much unreliability in 21st Century cars which did not seem to apply with vehicles of the previous century! Perhaps too much hi-tech is the main problem, though some of the faults are basic yet expensive to rectify!! A very informative video, by a honest dealer who is willing to part with his knowledge. Very much appreciated.
C’mon, you know that’s an unrealistic statement. There were plenty of unreliable - and also bad - cars in the 20th century as well. But there is an interesting point to be made though, a lot of modern cars have fewer mechanical problems and way more problems in terms of electrics - simply because there’s far more electronic equipment in the cars to go wrong effectively. And when those get old, they’re expensive to replace.
There’s also more ‘disposable’ cars, eg: any 2000s Jeep Grand Cherokee. That car was literally made to essentially self-destruct after a certain mileage so that you had to replace it with another one. And it wasn’t the only car like that. Now though, I think times are changing because car-makers have to be more environmentally conscious so they can’t just keep churning out crap cars that pollute both the roads and the environment - it’ll be interesting to see if that’s a trend that continues
Much of what you say is wrong! Any mechanical or electrical malfunction on pre -computer controlled vehicles were easily sorted out by a competent mechanic, without any complicated issues! I know, because I was there and experienced a much more enjoyable driving experience in those days too!! Why, for instance, do people pay so much for classic cars these days, other than to have more enjoyment than they can with a modern vehicle? The worst issue with cars of the distant past was corrosion - without this, most of them would be running today!!!!@@Nikelaos_Khristianos
I wouldn't buy a Fist of you paid me. ALL the Fiat hire cares I've driven have had problems and they were NEW! Caused me no end of problems on my holidays.
Fiat - built by Robots and driven by Italians
@@terrytt5067FIAT found.in.a.tip😂
Thank you so much for highlighting the ridiculously bad issues with these cars. There is no excuse for the manufacturers in the last 20 years to have been building such dodgy cars. They just don't care as the maintenance at the dealerships is such a nice big earner for them! As long as they last past the 3 years or so that the company fleets and leasing agents use them for before sending them off to auction then they're happy! It's a racket.
It appears that they actually are designed to have a short working life.
There is no excuse to make shoddy cars but there is a reason. The reason is to shorten the life span of the vehicle in order to whittle away the number of people owning cars. Then in order to further this goal, make owning a ev an impossible task. Probably about 2 thirds of people that own cars currently, will not by 2030-35.
@@SuperBC10 Their only motivation in building shoddy cars is to save money and make more profit, period. As for EVs, they will never be a full replacement for combustion cars. The batteries are too expensive to make and decommission when finished, and contain so many toxic elements too. Their range is too short.They require quarrying for their battery raw materials, which is incredibly polluting and expensive, and they still use tyres which again are very polluting. The electricity isn't available in a sufficient grid network and again is still polluting and would be a massive undertaking to provide. The charging times make batteries impractical too.Overall, including decommissioning, EVs are arguably worse polluting than current combustion vehicles, it's just their pollution is manly created remotely from the vehicle.
Combustion power is still the answer, but it requires a cleaner fuel. If the current manufacturers focused on MPG and emissions instead of speed/performance the petrol and diesel could be made to run much cleaner whilst the new technologies were refined. The actual fuel answers for the future of virtually all transportation is HYDROGEN. Clean burning, lots of energy, easy to refill, quick to recharge and the most abundant element in the universe.
EVs are a con, there's no longevity in owning one or overall ecological saving. Secondhand, dealers won't touch them! They're all but worthless very quickly!
You couldn't have said it better...a racket by racketeers, it is almost only Toyota that refuses to go that gangsta worldly way and hang on to their pride!
@@SuperBC10 Yes, I'm sure the car manufacturers want to discourage people from buying cars. Business is such a drag, who needs all that work.
15 years ago I could buy a say 9yr old car top of the range Peugeot 306 in nice condition for £1000 around 70K mileage. Now prices are completely stupid asking thousands for such old cars; daylight robbery. Even 8 years ago I could get the same thing for £300 on Ebay UK. Motoring is just becoming out of reach for people on minimum wage incomes. How ordinary working class people find the jobs and wages to fund new electric cars I do not know.
Nobody is buying these new cars its all people stuck in the PCP trap and it meant people like me could get a car with 90% of its serviceable life left for 50% the price of a new one. The best cars to buy are 3-5 years old just come back to the dealer off the PCP they don't want the car sitting around and want to make space for the new stuff so there is usually a deal to be had. Best time to rock up is March or September as all the new registrations show up and they want the forecourt cleared for them. I got my 2016 Toyota Auris in 2019 at 2.5 years old with 40k miles for £9500 the 1st owner had it on PCP and ran out of miles 6 months early the car was £22000 brand new. You either need to get a 3-5 year old car or go for banganomics 15 years+. 8-12 years old is the worst age as all the things that are likely to go wrong on the car will and its a very expensive peroid for the car after that period the car is a semi reliable cheap banger you can use and abuse.
@@gravemind6536 The £300 car I got in 2016 was very good, not pretty regards paintwork condition but otherwise very solid and 52K on the clock. It was nearly 18 years of age on a 1999 plate, again top spec for the model. I still have it.
Totally agree. Its as if they don't want people to have a car anymore . When things like headlight bulbs cost £200 to replace and Cambelts £1,800 utterly ridiculous.
Used to love getting gems for a 'bag of sand' as they say in the trade..the idea is to reduce congestion
Seems your valid point is missed in the replies. £19k for a car? Madness, i would expect to buy a 5litre Mustang, 2.8i Capri or E46 M3 for that and not some boring box on wheels. People forget how pre lockdown (covid was bs) you could buy some great cars for sensible money. Try getting a R32/3 Skyline, or mk4 Supra for 4 or 5 grand these days for example.
I drive a jaguar x type 2.2d . Driving it for six years now still enjoy Driving it.
Yep 👍 it’s subjective of course but lots of so called rot boxes are now Classics
Also have a Jaguar x type 2.2 best car I've ever had solid as a rock
The same rock solid 2.2 joint Ford/Psa unit they put in the higher end MK3 Mondeo, overall fantastic engines with plenty of poke and no dpf or timing belt to worry about either! 155 bhp and a lot more with an easily fitted decat pipe, egr blank plate, cleaned out the intake manifold. Done that on my old MK3 Mondeo and it thrived past 200k before eventually structural rust killed it off at the MOT. Don't listen to this guy about DMF's, solid flywheel conversions are readily available and cure that problem forever be it a slightly less refined driving experience.
X type were decent cars but many are poorly maintained.
Thank you for your time making this video. I respect your honest opinion when it comes to cars as we are not all magpies and some of us do pay attention to the details and on-costs. Car tax can be a killer too so what seems reliable can be quite bad on the old road tax. Its all swings and roundabouts with cars. If youre quite handy and resourceful then you can save some money but many people are not so its worth knowing why you dont sell certain cars.
your knowledge is great and thanks for the great tips a very honest car dealer
It really is! Would love to see the same video but on cars you definitely SHOULD buy for sure!
being a car trader myself he is 100 percent right what he is saying.. stay clear
So what does working people buy when they cant afford the dealers who want 12 k for 10 year.old car with 100k on clock .?
@@bobsbits8562 buy private and do serious thorough used car research, following tips from people like this channel
The fact that new Renault are great for a number of years then disintegrate is so true top advice here
@@bobsbits8562agreed
@@bobsbits8562learn proper English first!😢
We own a Scenic II (version Grand), with 2.0 petrol engine, production year 2007, purchased in 2016. Current kilometrage: 220,000,. I don't recognise our car at all in what Lee describes here. We (still) experience this car as well-built, reliable, comfortable and extremely practical. Except for regular maintenance, the car has rarely seen the workshop. Main issues: The push buttons for central locking do not always work on each of the door handles. Heavy rain combined with clogged drains led to temporary problems with dashboard electronics and window defogging. This week, the engine suddenly started running unevenly and an ingnition coil had to be replaced. The procedure was so simple that I could do it myself, although I have no specific knowledge and the replacement part was not expensive. Car mechanics are not fond of the Scenic II because many parts under the bonnet are not easily accessible. Changing a light bulb yourself is quite a challenge. Anyway, for us (family with two growing children & big dog on the European mainland) it is the ideal car. Yes, I would buy this car again (with lower mileage). By the way: the youngest examplars of this car are already 15 years old. That's a venerable age for a car. Can you expect such a car to be completely free of wear and tear? And although my name is French, I am not a Frenchmen. But yes, I have a preference for French cars. Previous cars owned: Toyota Yaris Verso, Peugeot 405, Citroen CX, Ford Escort mkIII. Still owning: Renault R4 and Peugeot 204, vintage cars.
*I find CAR UK on You Tube to be a VERY reliable channel, hence I subscribe to it.* Up until March of this year I lived next door to a garage, where 4 mechanics serviced and repaired cars of all makes and models (including the various cars I've owned over the years). *Everything which CAR UK says in this video is SPOT-ON and is very much in accord with what the guys at the garage were telling me.*
Because of the advice these mechanics gave me, I *already knew* NOT to buy any car with a 1 litre Eco-boost engine or a 1.2 litre Puretech engine, NOT to buy a Vauxhall Mokka, etc. But not everyone has such a great source of information about used cars on their doorstep, but the good news is we DO have this channel.
Many thanks for watching 👊
Ha ! " Not to buy a Mokka ".......The very car I was thinking of buying until my own mechanic said the same thing . The 1.6ltre turbo Diesel engine is the worst engine he had EVER come across in his whole 35yr career !!!
@@scabbycatcat4202I had one , and loved it . Fair enough I did write it off. But a mokka is a good car
I had a 1.4T Mokka as a hire car. The car was nice enough but that engine was scarily underpowered.
I once said to a mechanic friend why manufacturers have not produced a maintenance free and totally reliable car after all these years. He replied 'Excuse me, but unreliable cars have kept me employed for the last 40 years'.
Plus a car like that will never exist
Drove a SAAB 900 for 20 years and it never failed. Too bad they're no longer in business. Thanks GM......
Saab make a mess of it.
@@petergerritgroen3157 Not really. GM took the helm in 1993, and were giving SAAB sub standard cars (typically Vauxhalls) to rebadge as their own. SAAB weren't happy with the quality of what they were given and would alter the cars they were sent in order to produce vehicles that satisfied their high standards. GM pen pushers were more interested in profit margins than producing quality products. If more manufacturers took the SAAB approach to engineering then there would be considerably fewer low quality cars on the road for this content creator here to comment on.
SAAB do have engine problems with their turbo petrol, not many left on the road even here in Sweden. Oil changes more often then recomended does help a lot. Most common is turbo failure but sometimes even a whole engine failure.
Ultimately it's down to SAAB themselves, GM took them over & saved them, for a while. What you said is true, but SAAB couldn't make their cars appealing enough to sell enough in the first place, & not get taken over.
@@NikesZ28 Mine was a NG900, 2L petrol turbo. I didn't once have an engine problem in the 20 years I drove it, and this was never really mentioned by any other owners in the SAAB club. The common problem with the NG900's was that the bulkhead would split due to the flex created by the movement of the steering rack. I'm not sure if this was down to SAAB or the Vauxhall Opel chassis that the model was built around. I only had the car serviced in accordance with the recommended maintenance schedule. A common problem among the 9- 3 (maybe the 9-5, I can't remember which) diesel variant was that the dual mass fly wheel needed replacement as they often failed, and the engine wasn't suited to repeated short journeys due to the build up of carbon deposits. I never owned one of those vehicles however. The NG900 bulkhead issue was remedied by welding, but a kit was produced with a reinforcing strut and I noticed at a SAAB meeting that most of the enthusiasts had this fitted.
He says all this sitting in a Maserati!!!! All joking aside, really enjoy the videos and you absolutely speak sense with all these vehicles. Cheers
I will have that Maserati,will I get a 3 year warranty no quibble.."Bumper to Bumper' as they say in the States?.......
Lol
yes my take on this as well sat in a masser ,,,,,,,,,,,,
It's a Renault with Maserati seats 😉
@@trevorclarey3336 why would you fit masser seats in a renault
I would love a video, "6 cars that are great to buy"
Good luck
Looking at getting rid of my Honda CRV MK3 that is 17 years old. Still good by age is catching up. Thinking of BMW 1 Series or Mercedes A Class both about 5-6 years old. Prefer petrol versions. Any thoughts on which make/model?
the small motors of the mercedes a series are not durable
@jeffcalvert7209 You will notice the difference in reliability within a week with a 10 year old German car. You're probably better off with a Lexus CT200h at that age
Have you considered making one?
Can't go wrong with a pre 06 yaris bulletproof I paid 800 quid one owner 40.000 miles had it 4years no problems passed every mot runs like a watch. I judge how many old ones are still running and there's stacks of 02 and 03 models still going . Definitely recommend and old yaris
Yes they were excellent, sadly the later shape suffered with corrosion issues.
Good vid, I had a mk3 mondeo 2.0tdci - same engine as x type. Fantastic car… couldn’t kill it in the 9 yrs of ownership… I did brake all 3 coil springs due to the poor roads. Nothing only normal maintenance required.
I had a 2007 tdci 2.0, ex lease, in 4 years, 1 battery, 2 alternaters, 2 x oil cooler thermostats, 1 x thermostat, pipe split, then got rid as turbo was jamming.
Had a Mondeo 2002 2.0 TDCI best car i had super reliable never let me down in 6 years had loads of history when i bought it only got rid of it as needed clutch .
Good car. I had a 1.8 petrol 05 Mondeo. 207,000 miles when I got rid.
@@andylane247just sold a 2002 2.5 V6 petrol after 18 years ownership...it never missed a beat. The only thing it had in that time was a few coil springs and wheel bearings (and regular oil changes)
My one suffered Injection problems.
I had a petrol X type, bloody fantastic car ! no rusty sills as I looked after it !
Great to hear and as mentioned the petrol models I rate.
me also no rust, an awd 2.5 6cylinder, beautiful looking car, miss it!
Fantastic car. I had one as a winter run when I had an Aston. I kept the Xtype for years longer than the Aston - they’re a fantastic car - if looked after. I worked on my own, and they’re easy to maintain - just watch the sills!
Just scrapped my 2.2d after 7 years due to corrosion, one clutch set of disks and pads in that time, was brilliant
Still got mine, not a single spec of rust anywhere. Super smooth, only ever replaced brake pads and discs in the 5 years I've had it
It amazes me how many everyday run of the mill cars are poor. You do us a great service by bringing them to our notice, thanks. Perhaps a mirror to this would be a video showing the cars that you would recommend.
Honda's are some of the best used cars out there. But, they need a service history.
Cars i recommend: Toyota Auris, Prius, Corolla. Lexus ct200h. The hybrids are damn good. Bomb proof reliable and economical. Just not sexy.
@@jfv65 Had a Corolla, brilliant car.
Enlightening video and advice noted. We have a 2009 Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, the concept of which is great (compact 7 seater yet spacious inside and economical), bought over 5 years/70k miles ago (now on 135k miles). I was aware of issues with auto transmissions, so bought manual gearbox 1.6HDi and it's been a wonderful and reliable car.
You are spot on with these cars pal, I had a 10reg diesel Insignia, it never drove well , after a couple of months the oil pump failed and seized the engine,I scrapped the car
Yes they are prone to oil pump fails
Thanks for sharing your professional knowledge with us on cars to avoid purchasing.
Would you consider making a few similar programmes but cars that you would recommend people purchase.
Thanks, I really enjoy the way you present your channel. Good clear diction. And not too long.
Many thanks
Hi Lee, love the channel, super advice every time. Do you think you could do a clip on cars that would be a good buy please. Really appreciate Car UK. 😇
Thanks for the heads up ! I’m gonna stick to my Toyotas. Though my start car was a Renault which served me well.. I part exchanged it for a Mini CooperS cabriolet chilli park.. bad mistake.. 40K miles in the Mini was disaster . I sold at a loss. My Clio Dynamic served and at 70K miles when I exchanged it, it was still good with no issues
Today my Toyota Urban Cruiser D4D is serving well at 120k miles bought at 30K
Yearly service at Toyota does the magic ..
People often say Toyota/Lexus = boring. My reply: if you mean boring = reliable then give me boring every day!🫠
Auris, Prius, Corolla, CT200h. All boringly😉 good!
Toyota proves something rather funny about the old adage that German cars and Japanese cars are the most reliable out there:
German cars are reliable if you look after them and know how to maintain them. Toyotas very specifically are reliable no matter what you do to them 😂
Top advise all round, guy knows his stuff. As with any type of car maintenance is key. Some owners just dont look after their cars and expect them to last! I had a mk2 Renault Scenic grande, 1.6 vvt. The problem with the electronic hand brake is the cable going into the calipers seize. Easy to prevent with keeping them well greased and you wont have any issues. Lovely car to drive and I used mine to deliver parcels, put 30k on it in a year and no issues after I fixed the handbrake prob. Not worth much money now but Id have another one. Vx Meriva A 1.4 is a good little MPV regular oil changes every 5k and your chain will be ok. Z14XER engine is dull as fuck but ok if looked after for reliabilty. Car is super easy to work on and parts are cheap, they are a decent little ulez town runner. If your running a cheap car it pays to know how to maintain it and fix it yourself.
You are so spot on. We should be allowed to choose what we want .
Driven Honda and Daihatsu/Piaggio for forty years, and only been stranded twice. Very cheap used purchases and absolutely minimal running costs.
Well done and thanks for this.
I think I will stick with my 1994 BMW E36 with 173k and still a daily driver, same engine, clutch and gearbox and exhaust as when bought in 1999. Fabulously reliable, runs superb and had other cars in between that have been costly and basically expensive pains in the wallet! Great advice from you who knows what he is talking about! Keep up the good work.
You are the guru of cheap motoring.
Avoid all Stellantis group brands if you are looking for recent and reliable gasoline with after-sales service. Former owners of a 1.2L Puretech 110hp, we only had problems with: faulty segmentation, excess oil consumption from 60000 km, 1L every 1000 km, ventilation broken, belt in the oil to replace, speakers sometimes broken. We understood that keeping this Peugeot would be a financial pit. We sold it to a professional because Peugeot, well aware of the problems with their cars, does not do trade-ins.
Thanks for the video
Ouch !!! Would'nt dream of it !!! Lol
I've got a 59 plate Insignia on 153k. Bought it in 2020 for £1k on 118k miles. I had the belt and oil pick-up seal done straight away. At 135k the dual mass flywheel went and cost me £1300 to replace but otherwise it's been great. I'll do the belt again this year but it seems I've been lucky? Super comfortable on the motorway too. You really need to keep on top of regular servicing but that's a must for most cars.
What engine is it and why was the pick up seal done ?
@@bobsbits8562It's the Fiat-group Alfa 2.0 JTDm engine with a different cam cover, I think.
This engine features a rubber seal between oil pump and the pickup in the sump - which degrades over time and goes hard. It then starts sucking in air through the seal instead of oil from the sump at startup, and you get a low pressure warning and bearing damage over time if left. The seal itself is about a fiver to buy from a factors, but is a sump off job to do, so labour can be a killer.
I have a 2011 Alfa 159 with this engine in, and it's had a pickup seal done - but that aside, it's been a reliable engine. Done the timing belt every 4 years or so, serviced it annually, and it's covered 160k reliable miles 👍
Very generous video , all the cars you mentioned I wouldn't touch with a barge pole .
Very interesting. Thankfully I bought a Ford Focus 150TDCI with a manual gearbox. I also have a 14 year old KIA Piccanto 1 which is proving very good if a little underpowered. Your reference to the X type, which was a Mondeo with a Jaguar badge, is interesting as the diesels fitted to Mondeo did colossal mies when used as taxis. Really useful info there Thanks.
Great video
Next one to do is the best cars to buy
Agree.
He has already done that ,check back catalogue.
@bigfist255 Can you link me the video
ua-cam.com/video/hVc5FmsrwbE/v-deo.htmlsi=28mMncwdIehLhc64@@tomdude75
@@bigfist255 post the link mate, or what's the name of the video
09:59 We have a 2010 Insignia SRI TD 160, owned it for about 9 years now. Can't say I recognise the faults you describe. Some years ago it had a bad year where we had a few bills, mainly around ABS and cooling system, but it's settled down to be little trouble lately. The headlamps tend to fog up due to water ingress. We had damp in the boot at one point but it was an easy fix. If you get a "Low Oil Pressure - Stop Engine" warning on an icy cold day, replacement of an oil pickup rubber seal inside the engine is required, which is a bit of a pain.
I have a C Max 63 model, 1 litre eco boost, great car, had from new! Had a clutch master cylinder fail recently, no other issues, at all
That £1400 (Ford price) cambelt change bill makes them a disposable car. I'm happy I have one of the old diesels with an external belt.
You can get them done now for about £800 by specialists but still double what most other belts cost to replace. Thanks for watching 👍
Said it before the older fords capries/Corina's with the pinto engine you could change the timing belt in 20 mins at the side of the road . These days I would not by a ford unless it has a timing chain .
Better still with the Kent engine and a chain
lol try volvo v70r 1800 quid inc vvt,s waterpump etc
@@carnutme4437Kent engines are pushrod
Great informative video! Thanks for the heads up on "what not to have" motors. Great advice too. 👌🙏
I had a jaguar x type 2.2 diesel for the last 5 years, the most reliable car I've ever owned. However like you mentioned last year it just rotted all over underneath, but still looked mint on the outside. Sad to see her go, but it was to far gone 😢
We had the same engine in a transit, good engines. However, in the mondeos we had, they were shite 🤣
Had a 2.2 diesel for 7 years... super reliable when it came to the drivetrain (just had a split in the EGR- intercooler pipe at 150 000 miles, replaced on a Saturday), just things like door locks and handles, and 1 perished ABS harness. I strongly suspect the DMF failures mentioned was mostly due to abuse... my car was on her original clutch and DMF until I upgraded to an XF at around 200 000 miles.
I brought a 61 Insignia sri CDTI brand new and used it as my taxi and apart from a power steering pump when it was about 7 years old I had no problems. I did just under 2000,000 in it and it was sound, not even the holy oil seal went wrong. Traded it in back in 2021 for the new shape Insignia and I'm happy.
Have to say always have used Vauxhalls from around 2007 and I haven't got a bad word to say. I must be lucky .
Your list is spot on, especially the fords ecoboost. I refer to them as “ecoturds”
Peugeot Puretech, similar
Eco-boom!
I’ve got 1.5 ford mondeo eco boost, clocked 125000 miles got a new starter motor and battery this year.had it for seven years and it’s it runs pretty good for me
It's only the 1 litre Ecoboost. The other Ecoboosts are outstanding
such as in the ST.
Super advice Lee! Keep up the excellent updates
Great video with sound advice. This shows how important research is when buying a cheaper car.
Someone could easily think “I hate French cars, I’ll buy a good British make and Buy British at the same time!” Then go out and buy a Vauxhall (a US/German car) with a French engine.
Good point.
Plenty of new Nissans and even Mercs with RENAULT Engines.
However I wouldn't be a happy chap if I found that out after forking out my hard earned.
I've had a 2.0 insignia for 7 years done 84000 miles I tow my caravan with it it's been superb
You're one of the lucky few, they're a lovely car to drive, well appointed and comfortable but the oranges are like a needle in a haystack of lemons when it comes to reliability unfortunately, I hope you continue to enjoy your rare orange trouble free pal 👍👍👍
Had both mk 1 and mk 2 insignia 2.0 diesels. Superb cruisers.
1st one started an ABS issue but got written off. My mk 2 went from 20k to 100k absolutely no issues doing 300 mile commutes. 700 mile range, 60 mpg.
Probs with these lists is that all cars have issues but it is a percentages game, except for the ecoboost, where it is a known for the model but as with anything all cars have a degree of pot luck
I agree. I have a 2014 Insignia EcoFlex 2.0D. I purchased it in 2018 and in the six years I’ve owned it, other than the usual servicing consumables, I’ve only had to replace a glow plug. With the fuel economy and zero fee road fund tax it’s been the cheapest to run car I’ve ever owned.
@@sputniksam forgot about the zero road tax as well. Got so much evil eye for saying that I paid nothing for those years. Have a much bigger car mid size SUV) and miss the cheaper motoring I had
Great helpful advice. Hats off to you for your honesty Lee.
Thanks.
(Love the look of them x types too 😢
Agree. A couple of times I've thought about buying an X-type just because they look so good.
Yes they look a good buy but I have been under so many and they are just rotter's
Glad never had any of these😅. Got Yaris 1.0 120k zero problems 17 yr old petrol berlingo 110k zero faults. Both maintained by me for many years.
My uncle owned about three Yaris between 1999 and 2022. All of them problem free and enjoyable to own. The only issue he had was not even the fault of the car. After a back and forth with the dealer, the issue with the doors locking was finally traced to a wireless weather station in the garden, that was working on the same frequency! 😂
@@EgoShredder The first Yaris I drove was the tiny one which I decided was too small. However, I was driving it as a hire car in Spain and it could be parked ANYWHERE. I still said it's not for me. But 2012 I had a test drive in a Yaris and was sold. It was a perfect replacement for my clapped-out VW Polo nine years later I went into the Toyota dealership got a staggeringly good trade-in for the 100% fault-free car and walked out with a Yaris Hybrid Excel and I love it! I admit it had a couple of problem that were only with the 12v battery which they blamed me for. However, in the end, they accepted it was a faulty battery and it's got a 10 year warranty.
Found a mint 1 owner petrol mk1 Berlingo still with low miles 45k and runs great. With it being so practical there is literally no reason to ever sell it
I have a 2008 Kia Rio 1.5CRDi, it's pre dpf, cam chain (no belt) 105k miles bought for £1500 two years ago. I've changed oil & filters, had to replace 1 x brake caliper that cost me about £40. Did have to replace brake pipes but these are a consumable effectively. I get 55-60 mpg on a run, it's super quiet for a diesel and I fully expect it to last me at least another 5 years. Make sure it's solid underneath if you look at one and you'll be good to go, cracking car if you want cheap reliability...
Was a good engine that 1.5crdi, was replaced by the 1.6 unit for emissions reasons. Only thing on the rio's is the subframes are poor on the front and corroded quickly. Rest of the car body is solid mind.
Right. My 2008 2l X-type was an absolute joy. Loved him. Smooth ride, quiet and sufficiently powerful. Had him for five years. I then bought a Mondeo estate 1.6l eco - fabulous car, underpowered on steep hills but otherwise superb. Had him for six years. Drove all over Europe in them both. Both are still running and being enjoyed by other members of the family. Both on circa 190 / 200k miles. And TBh I’m usually excellent at buying lemons, these two were not!
Very informative, especially for people wanting to buy a car for around £5K. The last thing they want is buying a car with long term reliability issues, leading to hefty repairs bills or even the need to scrap the vehicle after a few years. Ford Ecoboost 1 litre engines are a nightmare, with a wet belt system, costing possibly around £1000 plus to be replaced, recommended after around 60K to 80K mileage. I'm a Ford man, but wouldn't touch a Ford with an Ecoboost engine with a bargepole, better get a bigger sized petrol engine or a diesel. We once had a Fiat Scudo van from new, the 2 litre 120 PS diesel engine was about the only thing that didn't fall apart. Build quality was terrible, compared to the similar bodied Citroen and Peugeot vans.
I bought a ford focus ecoboost 1.0l car fourteen months ago. It has been an unmitigated disaster. In the time I've owned it, it has needed: a new catalytic converter; a new alternator; two new springs; and a new wet belt. I've now been told that it has a blown cylinder head gasket and possible cracked engine block. I've been walking around with a silly smile on my face for over a week and occasionally I laugh out loud like the joker: I think it's hysteria. I've bought used fords since 1985, 2 cortinas, 5 sierras, 2 mondeos and 2 focuses. That particular relationship is going to end. What was ford thinking putting this sack of shite on the market? It's no use trying to keep the green lobby happy if it results in half baked contraptions like this which can't have been thought out properly or tested thoroughly. This is the trouble with allowing idealism to dictate over pragmatism. I'll probably be looking for Toyotas from now on. Ford should know that the resaleable value of a car is taken in to account by vehicle buyers who want to get something back from their initial outlay. I was ignorant of the problems associated with the ecoboost engine but a lot of people will be clued up now and won't touch them with a fifty metre cattle prod. Why invest in a car if you can't offload it when you're ready to buy another. It would serve ford right if the bottom dropped out of the market for these motorised garbage cans.
Great video. Worst car I had was a mk1 focus 1.8 diesel clutch went at 30k, issues with gearbox and turbo blew at 70k after which it was scrapped. Now got a 72 plate kamiq dsg and I wish I never read the reviews on that gearbox 😂
Nutter
We had a great experience with our Renault Scenic Mk2 for over 15 years. Swapped it for the last model.
Skoda/VW for me. 2014 Octavia diesel, DSG. Still strong at 106k. No major issues yet.
2005 Fabia diesel I run is still running almost as new and sails through MOTs. It's like an eternal car - still on original exhaust too.
Yep, same here. Got a 2016 vw tiguan, 199k still with original clutch and engine wise only ever needed a glow plug 😂
I’ve owned many VAG cars. Perceived quality and actual quality are sadly not the same. Now that Skoda\Seat aren’t even cheap I’m out! Don’t get me wrong if someone gifted me a new Golf GTi I’m not gonna turn it down!
Dear friend,
Your spot on here. I have a 2014, 1.2 ltr Peugeot 2008 which uses 1 liter of oil per month. No faults or leaks according to my great local garage. Terrible oil use that i have to top up every week. Apart from that the car has been super reliable in total. Just normal brake and suspension wear and tear i think ? which is always the yearly mot issues.
Overall the car is great apart from the oil consumption i would recommend them.
Stevie in Fife.
The quality of components and plastics in car engines determines their working life - this is a designed feature - any car over 10 years old will be on borrowed time - some much earlier than that - this chap has explained very well which cars to avoid , but beware the luxury end is just as fallible.
More so, the amount of ‘clever’ mod cons built into BMW Audi etc make them an utter liability outside warranty
I enjoyed that "heads up" on do's and dont's . Great stuff.
#7 Ford powershift !, the only problem with these is they DON’T get serviced !
I had a 2013 Kuga 2lt diesel it had 160k when I sold it !
I changed the oil twice, very easy to do !
Great video, thanks. I will be looking for a car for my 17yr old later this year. Can you do a video on what is worth buying as a first car.
Great suggestion!
+1 on what you’d rate as a good first time buyer car for 17 year old.
I own a Jaguar X-Type 3.0 Sovereign and my only complaint is the MPG. Mine does (at best) 24.6
Not all Italian cars are unreliable ? What about the one you were sitting in ;-)
Good honest review, and tbf your comments previously led me to avoid some, When I bought my last car. Always enjoy watching your vlogs fella.
great video - i've tried to explain many of these cars esp that ford focus ecoboost and the wet belt system - most workshops just dont wanna go near it!
My wife had a Vauxhall insignia 2012 2ltr cdti - to be fair it drove fantastic.. but that said we bought it with 10k miles (ex motability) and it purred all the way to 45k until someone wrote it off last xmas for us wheeee. But it was a nice car.. drove up and down the mway for us so many times... gearbox was silky smooth 6 speed. Super comfy on road and spacious with giant boot. I personally loved it. I guess we got lucky there. I did hear there was problems with the engines circa 60-70k tho.
Subscribed (in warrington myself so just down the road lol)
Agreed, the Vauxhall / Peugeot engines mentioned are to be avoided 👍
I picked up a 2014 Insignia Country Tourer and so far I have to say it's been really good. Mine does appear to have been looked after though with every single stamp for each year being from a main dealer, cam belt and water pump replaced and even has 4 Goodyear tyres on which shows that quite a bit of money has gone towards maintaining it. I think the issue with a lot of Insignias is that because they are so cheap, they're likely bought by people who either don't know how to maintain them or simply can't afford to maintain them and run them into the ground
What an amazing video Lee. As said below, your breadth of knowledge is amazing. I will be looking for a cheapie for my daughter when she starts driving and passes her test. Well Done!!
Good honest advice
In my opinion the C4 Picasso deserves a special place in car Hell
🤣👍👍
Especially later ones with the 1.2 Pure Tec engine 😅
All Shitroens belong in hell. Even in the 90s, when things were relatively simple, they were a pain in the Dordogne. I still have nightmares about mineral oil and suspension spheres.
Spk for self😂
@@matthewgodwin3050 Loved them old Citroen BX's and Xantias 🤣🤣
I clocked up 243,000 miles in an x type 07 plate. Models from 2005 on had good rust proofing.
Hi Lee great video as usual, you sent a shiver down my spine though when you mentioned the Renault Scenic as I’ve just bought my daughter a MK111 Grand Scenic 1:6 diesel 😬
Mk3 scenics aren’t a bad car
Got to say, I've got a vauxhall insignia A 2.0cdti on 150k. It's been an absolute brilliant car, I've had the Mondeo and Passat and these are much better to drive. I service mine every 5k miles and with like any car, have certain weaknesses. Only thing I had to replace was the o ring in the sump to the picking up oil pump. Unfortunately I have to totally disagree with the 1.8 engine in these cars. Totally underpowered and couldn't take the skin off a rice pudding.
I was literally taking tomorrow morning off to take a look at an eco boost fiesta! Talk about timing. I'm not a mechanical bod so I would not have know this - cheers buddy.
2.5 v6 xtype owner here, honestly its those reasons mentioned i avoid the diesels, the petrols also just sound way better, AWD is also nice with that rear wheel bias of torque
Like the petrol models as mentioned
@@carukchannel yeah, nice to drive and chain driven, if i recall correctly the s type also had both the 2.5 and 3.0 v6 engines in some models
Brilliant video. Learnt so much!
Just watched you on 6/8/24 and enjoy watching you most days I am the owner of 59 plate X type 2.2 diesel estate bought new when i retired beuatiful in black with silver wheels and roof rails and coming up to 14 years old and has 40607 miles and i will own up to it having had a replacement diesel pump and injectors at 25000 miles and i have had the auto/gearbox oil pumped through at 20000 miles when the diesel pump was sorted the garage said it could do with a replacement turbo , but i did the drilling through the exhaust manifold and use Mr Muscle at various times about 9 month intervals but i must say every time i go to the garage i am told its a credit to see such a nice car and it flies through it MOT . JIM R
I had a 2.2d X Type, got it from a used car dealer and within a week it was back for them to fix things. Long story short, they agreed the car was a complete lemon and offered me either a full refund or by way of making good on their embarrassment 'extra' over and above the refund to buy another car from their stock. They were great to deal with (as it happens, I took the refund and did eventually buy another car from them as I was impressed with their eagerness to fix things), and with the discount negotiated on the screen price buying the second car, it would have worked out about the same as if I'd taken the increased 'credit' - that car was hassle free and I'd buy from them again. Good customer service eases the fears of ownership.
Let's have a conversation about owning a Dacia Sandero vs an Audi A3, I reckon the difference is 6 family holidays.
Agree with all you say though confused by mixed messages ie the Maserati you're in.
I’m surprised you never mention yellow 500s to😂 thanks for the content Lee👍
There is a place in hell for that car 😁👍
@@carukchannel bet you have it in the back garden at home awaiting parts.
This guy is like an old mate of mine, every car was cr@p, but never seemed to stop him buying them. Every car, any car, needs to be driven with mechanical sympathy, allowed to warm up, not thrashed, and serviced regularly. Simple.
That may have been true in the past but the excessive use of plastic 'critical' parts on engines is not good,supposedly to 'save weight' but I think most of us know now that it's part of inbuilt obsolescence IOW manufacturers think that 10 yrs use is all you should expect for the money you pay,that's why they make it expensive or in some cases impossible to repair at a reasonable cost.
I bought a 2014 insignia as a distress purchase. 184k - lots of history. First thing I did was drop the gearbox oil - it was black like engine oil.
Any car needs maintenance - but people will not spend on maintenance. They blame the car instead.
Very true, I have come across some with 300k in 2.0 diesel but lots of maintenance needed and change belts even before the recommended interval
People seem to get finance on expensive cars and then can't afford to look after them. My friend is a MoT tester and he regularly sees ratty Audi S, BMW M cars that never get serviced. He sees 3 year old cars come in for the first MoT that have never once been serviced.
Modern engines absolutely must have regular oil changes with the correct oil and probably done more often than the manufacturer recommends. You could get away with it on a 90s engine but not modern ones.
Agree with the scenic comments. Had a 55 plate 1.5 dci 7 seater. Seriously underpowered and bottom end went at 95k with full service history. Do not buy get a petrol version. Surprisingly no electrical problems.
Totally agree with you with all of them. The 1.0L eco boom engine is smaller than a A4 piece of paper....no joke! Think Clarkson mentioned it & showed/proved it was true.
Well it would be...as is any other 1.0 engine..cubic capacity of 999cc will be about A4.....
It's a full days work doing a timing belt if all goes well and nothing breaks or is seized.
My dad had a brand new mk 1 scenic 52 plate 1.4 fidgie lovely car no problem I bought a 55 plate grand scenic 3 years old evrything went wrong with it dashboard went key went windows went wrong the final straw was the variable timing went wrong 700 quid to fix got rid traded it in after that .got a Citroen xara Picasso 1.6 desire after that ran that five years without a problem great car .
Very good video, thanks for sharing your experience about these lemons
A lot of Petrol Jaguars suffer with fuel pump problems and fuel leaks.
We had a Ford Bmax Powershift. Once they sorted the auto clutch issue
it wasn't a bad car. Now I stick to Toyotas
I enjoyed that, and agree with you , especially on the XJ drags😮
*X-type. Although the XJ's are not great either:
V8's with expensive cam timing problems...
Had a fully loaded scenic back in 2004 leather seats, full glass sunroof, hands free unlocking, electric handbrake. Very useful and comfortable for the 4 years I had it but its very telling that virtually none left on the road.
Great honest info 👍
Great knowledge and thanks for sharing it .
Lee , Give us your best buys mate.
Take a look at what's on his forecourt for an answer to your question. He's not going to buy crap if he knows he could end up footing the bill for repairs under warranty.
@@kevinbray9550 I know that Kevin ,l follow Lee and he sells quality cars , What I meant was it would be great for him to list some good cars in his opinion that would be worth buying for those of us who live nowhere near his pitch
You are right about the 1.2 c1 engine it's not smoking but it use oill about 1 litre a month
Great video good too know this information thank you for sharing
I have a 1.4t Astra 2016 serviced regularly has not had a single issue, has not needed any work done for its MOT, one issue is I suspect the turbo kicking in when the engine is cold. I always try to keep below 2500rpm until temp is up to above half.
Really interesting, thanks Lee. How about doing a review on your Maserati.
Yes - I haven't heard good things said about the reliability of Maserati engines either- would be interested in your opinion on them
@@Stevo675the automatic robotised Gbox (like on the Ferrari 360) was the big problem for the Quatroporte. The later QP's got a ZF automatic gbox which is better. You can recognise them by the larger traditional gearshifter knob.
The worst cars I have had were MPVs: Ford Focus C 1.6 petrol and Vauxhall Zafira 2.0D; they were useful and great to drive until the engines fell apart around 100k miles. Best experiences in 50+ years of driving have been with a Vauxhall Cavalier, Volvo 240 estate, Honda Acty (fantastic little van), among various Volkswagens. I'm now 71 and am happy with my 18 year old Honda Jazz 1.4 manual petrol, especially as everything works - including the factory fitted sun roof and electric wing mirrors!
Great video it's unbelievable that huge companies like Ford and vauxhall can produce such unreliable cars.I was warned about the 1.0 Ford engine about 5 years ago.
Excellent video, very helpful! Have enjoyed a Twingo 2 for 5 years. Wonderful little car, but spare parts are getting rare and some OEM-numbers are not even recognised anymore.
Another great video. Thanks Lee
Got a 2010 2 litre diesel insignia with 213000 miles on it. It runs and drives perfectly. Never had any major issues with it. i use it all the time for work driving from yorkshire to aberdeen scotkand.
Great video as always
had a C4 Grand Picasso 57 plate 1.6 VTR Manual diesel ...was absolutely brilliant, now have a Grand Picasso 14 plate, again 1.6 Manual diesel, spot on.