is 1Litre big enough for Octavia?

[FiremanT]

Hi,
I know little to nothing about cars and even have less interest in them, so I always struggle at car replacement time. ( I traded my XJ8 in for a Kia Sorento, some years ago, which proves it).

4 weeks ago a lorry smashed into my 2014 car, which we had from exactly one year old. We have today received notification that it is a total loss, together with a settlement figure. On the basis that we were happy with rthe Octavia, I am minded to buy anther one year-ish model el. I have seen ne which seems a reasonable price (for a main dealer) but it is only 1 Litre petrol, as opposed to my old 1.6 Deisel.

Is that a big enough engine for a car of that size?

On the other hand, I have been offered a 5 year old Mercedes C class, which I MAY be able to get for the "we buy any car" type price. I am a little nervous about a 5 year old car.

Any thoughts on either?

Thanks

 

[Mottie]

Both have the same HP (110) but the diesel has more torque if you need it. Personally, the way things are going, I would be very reluctant to buy a diesel again - we're going to have to get rid of our Euro 5 diesel next year when Khans ULEZ expands to our borough. Euro 6? Okay at the moment but who knows when they will be attacked?

5 year old Merc should be fine as long as it’s not got zillions of miles on the clock and has been regularly maintained.

 

[ETAF]

i would not buy diesel again - had quite a few in past , short journeys are not good in them ....
and today i notice the price at then moment is 20-25p more expensive

I have a 1.4 Audi (average around 46mpg) petrol and its as good if not better than my 2007 2L saab (now long gone) diesel and my current 2L Citreon C4 2012 diesel (average 40mpg - but we can get over 50mpg If i keep to around 65mph on dual / motorways , which we have been doing for the last year now ...

 

[RandomGrinch]

I have a Citroen C3 - 1.2l 3 cyl 120PS turbo.
It can pootle around most of the time sipping petrol, but when you need the oomph, the turbo really does surprise.
Being a 3 cylinder (and a Citroen), I do notice the harshness of the engine through the driving controls - as a passenger it is unnoticeable and refined!

Arrange a test drive and have a go!

 

[sxturbo]

Steer clear of diesel, they are getting increasingly costly to run and repairs are verging on the rediculous these days.

The 1 litre is too small for a car such as the Octavia, by the time it's loaded up (I'm not sure if you cart family and holiday luggage about etc) , it will then struggle, it's probably ok for pottering around town though.

They seem to be putting these engines in ever bigger cars, but mostly so they can meet there co2 commitments rather than based on how well they work. They do work, but it does stress the engine more than being in a Polo or up! And when an engine is stressed it will have a higher chance of failing.

Imo the 1.4tsi would be a much better suit to a car the size of an Octavia.

Be careful of these small engines making big (ish) power. The PSA 1.2 petrol and and the ford 1.0 petrol are awful for reliability, a lot of which is caused by the wet belt design and the excessively large service intervals on really small sump pans capacities

As it happens the 1.0 TSI isnt particularly bad for reliability, and is the more reliable of the small capacity 3 cylinder engines.

Regarding 5 year old cars, providing they have been well maintained and the mileage isn't astronomical there isn't a reason why it should make you nervous.

 

[securespark]

I would buy another Diesel (Euro 6) but I'm not worried about ULEZ.

I do think about how the RFL will go up in the future though.

 

[robinbanks]

I am a little nervous about a 5 year old car.

The one that got smashed up was 8 years old though? Were you nervous about that too?

 

[robinbanks]

I do think about how the RFL will go up in the future though.

RFL on my cars costs less than a full tank of diesel; I've stopped seeing it as anything worth factoring

 

[FiremanT]

RFL on my cars costs less than a full tank of diesel; I've stopped seeing it as anything worth factoring

The issue, I think, is the near future - they will use RFL as one of a series of means of driving us to EV. Once that mission is completed, the RFL will then be loaded onto EV

The RFL on my dead 1.6 TDi Ocytavia was ZERO. I don't recall even knowing that when I bought it, but I have to say that I quite enjoyed renewing the "tax" every year.. Sadly, I cannpt see that happening again

 

[FiremanT]

The one that got smashed up was 8 years old though? Were you nervous about that too?

The problem is that having little knowledge of cars, I worry about the history. My last few cars have been about one year old, affording me a little manufacturers warranty "peace of mind". Had my car not been hit, and i wished to change, I would have sold it to a garage or a "we buy any car" type outfit. I know the rear wiper motor needed replacing and the heater needed attention. I had just spent about a £1K on an a new battery and fitting , a service and a "half radiator" as there was a mystery coolant leak.. The Sat Nav was useless, the infotainement system "froze" in cold weather and the light asssist had failed. Apart from the heater everything else was manageable, and I could live with them, and would have kept it another couple of years - but I certainly would not sell it to an individual without pointing out the issues.

I have read that 5 year old (plus) Mercedes seem to be unreliable and that maintenance and parts are more expensive? I had a n XJ6 then an XJ8 (which were both thirsty) and the Jag garage (Marshalls) was charging £100 + VAT per hour well over 10 years ago. But both were very reliable and had few issues.
That said, if I can buy the Merc ( C-CLASS 2.2 C220 BlueTEC (09/14 - 05/18) for the right price, I may go for it - in the absence of specific warnings.
The mileage is about 68K

 

[robinbanks]

the RFL will then be loaded onto EV

Oh, that's already happening in April 25. I don't know what is happening with no/low tax fossil cars but it would be a kick for an EV driver to have to jump to paying 165 a year while his neighbour with a diesel C3 carries on paying 30 quid

 

[robinbanks]

Would a 5 year old car (with history/of that mileage) be suitably qualified for a decent aftermarket warranty, to give you the peace of mind?

I've always just bought my cars cheap and taken the risk on paying for fixes - an ex lease 1.5 year old Volvo with 72k on the clock (serviced every 10 weeks or something) at £5k was the best one, but the last 2 have been knocking on for 200k miles ex company cars at around £3k that spend most of their lives on a motorway and getting regular attention.

One of the worst was an 18,000 mile Ford Fiesta, 10 years old, typical "one careful old lady owner" - a claim backed up by there having been 2 clutch replacements in the service history. It was only £200 but when it developed some mildly catastrophic issue I binned it

 

[ETAF]

that's already happening in April 25.

I also understood thats below 40K value , above 40K its £310 per year for 5 years
BUT who knows after election, could be worse or scrapped.......

Electric cars to pay road tax from 2025

EVs have been exempt from vehicle excise duty up to now, but will be charged the standard rate from 2025

www.topgear.com

not that difficult to get above 40K, as i was looking with my uncle pre covid...

and its list price , so even 2nd hand still based on original list price

I have had company cars since 1979 - 2006 , and always regularly serviced , but not necessarily high mileage , after the TAX system changed

we have had a couple of mobility cars in the past - our current C4 was a mobility , usually they are looked after , otherwise the owner pays a lot at the end of the lease (at least thats the case with my brother, general condition, extra mileage charged , and serviced regularly and at correct intervals)

One of the worst was an 18,000 mile Ford Fiesta, 10 years old, typical "one careful old lady owner"

same for my son, we got a great deal, on a corsa , i lady owner , service history from a dealer - nothing but trouble , expensive trouble. the rac cover did pay for a new ECU ......... just .... But then other issues and finally after about 18mths head gaskit , ending up scrapping it

 

[norseman]

Oh, that's already happening in April 25. I don't know what is happening with no/low tax fossil cars but it would be a kick for an EV driver to have to jump to paying 165 a year while his neighbour with a diesel C3 carries on paying 30 quid

The way I read it is that although VED loading on EV's isn't due until April '25 it will not only be applied to brand new EV's but also those produced from 2017.

 

[ETAF]

it will not only be applied to brand new EV's but also those produced from 2017.

yep, and before 2017 - £20 a year , which will change and go up
i cant believe i'm still only paying £30 for the audi ,