What to buy: Euro diesel edition

What to buy: Euro diesel edition

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Adunaphel

Adunaphel

Angrily shouting at Klauwds
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Since my family will once again grow next june, I need something bigger than my W201. And since my current client pits me against a daily 100km commute one-way, I'm looking for a Diesel something. My current shortlist:

#1: E39 BMW 525d. 163hp, only 6.7l/100km and lots of Freude am Diesel.
#2: Opel Omega BF 2.5DTi. Same engine as the BMW, detuned to 150hp, HUEG.
#3: Audi A6 C5 2.5TDi. Silky smooth V6 diesel brute with 150 hp and lots of Vorsprung Durch Diesel.
#4: Skoda Superb 1.9 TDi 130ps. Slightly boring, but lots of space in the back.
#5: Renault Vel Satis 3.0DCi. The odd one out, love or hate looks, french comfort.

So, WWYB, and am I missing out any good ones? (Volvos are out, since the D5 ones are outside my budget and the Audi sourced I5 is a generation older than the engines in the 5 cars above, and it shows)

EDIT:
Forgot about my budget: the absolute maximum I'm willing to spend is 7000 Euros.
 
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to repost my irc-statement:
- the 2.5 v6 vag is good ad power but sucks in fuel consumption and durability
- 1.9tdi 130hp is "ok"
- renault.. its french.
- omega... uhm.. no thanks.
 
Are you talking saloons or estates? With two children, a saloon would be too small for my taste.

Not considering reliability, it comes down to personal taste between your options, and for that I'd take the BMW. Taking reliability into account, Audi or BMW. But the Vel Satis would be the coolest choice, because it's rare and it looks brilliant (but it would have more bodyroll than your 190 on the Ring last year). And I know nothing about prices right now...
The Omega... no. RWD, huuuuuge boot, but the rear seats are only usable for people without legs.
 
I don't really care about saloons or estates, on the one hand an estate gives my slightly more flexibility, but on the other hand it gets slightly worse fuel consumption, so I'm quite ambivalent.
 
superb estate! or octavia estate!

big room for kids'n'accessories
 
I would say the Vel Satis - I love Renaults and that car is very nice. And it would be extremely good to go against the grain whilst still getting a decent car.

However, I cannot get away from how comfortable my dad's old C5 A6 [1.9TDi] was. That interior (the seats etc) was absolutely brilliant. I may even go as far as saying its better than a Bentley Arnage's as you sort of sit 'on' that car (still very comfortable), wheras you sit 'in' the Audi.

As for the Saloon/Estates thing - the boot in the A6 (boot including one rear seat) was big enough for our family of 3 (one being a teenager) going on a tour of europe with a tent. And as I know from the Kangoo - all that height isn't actually useful for anything other than headroom, which there is plenty of in the Audi.

The BMW is just boring businessman, and my grandad has an Omega. He bought it off an airport taxi company. Its solid, but yeah... And I think the [old] Superb just looks too much like an Ocatvia, and stil like a VW.

Thats my 2p.
 
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I can only comment on two of these cars:

The 2.5 A6 is quite good, but imho not worth the extra money over the 1.9 Tdi 130hp. My parents have the last edition C5 Avant (December 2003) 130hp one, it is quite fast for the HP count (will go 225km/h (speedo) in a straight line, 240km/h downhills, 5-Gear-Manual). My friends dad had the 2.5 and it was only faster from ~160km/h on (nooo, we didn't drag them on an empty Autobahn at night...) but uses ~1l/100km more and was more in taxes. Quality-wise are they very good, the only thing bad about ours is that the "softtouch" interior slowly disintegrates, it is some sort of rubbery coat on the plastic and this detaches at the doorhandles. And the electronics can be wonky, especially earlier models, speaking of brake pedal switch (google it). We have some rattling in the sunroof too, but noone knows where it's coming from and not worth 1500? for changing it..

The Omega is a perfect cruiser, my friend had the 2l petrol one and it was BLOODY comfortable. He always said how the 2.5 Diesel is the perfect engine for that car as it is from BMW and sounds like a turbine (his words :D) and goes like sting while being unproblematic. The problems he had on his were only the sensor for the crankshaft or camshaft (can't remember) being constantly broken. He had no rust problems on his or other nagging. And it was stable, he completely anhilated a Corsa with it, only the foglight on his were broken, the Corsa was a writeoff ;).

Renault I can only tell you to stay the fuck away from like Herpes, everyone I know has nothing but problems with them: Our Twingo was an electronics grave, my friends parent's Lagunas (2) both got returned to the dealer after sueing Renault due to electronic problems, a friends Clio is breaking down more often than my Ibiza, a friend's Mother's Kangoo is going through his second Gearbox and Engine in 40.000km.

AVOID!

My vote is on the Skoda. It is bigger than an A6 and should have more options. But still have quite reliable parts (quite....)
 
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Citroen C6. The Omega was part of Opel's downfall, in fact, it was so bad that they never bothered with upmarket cars again.
 
Audi A6 2.5! Clearly good engine! I can only tell you good things about it! ;)



(btw the Omega has the same engine as the BMW)
 
Go for the BMW, it's the best overall package by far, and the engine is great also. E39's are fantastic cars, pretty reliable and fun to drive!
 
Dr_Grip said:
Citroen C6. The Omega was part of Opel's downfall, in fact, it was so bad that they never bothered with upmarket cars again.
Click to expand...


Actually, it was the 2nd/3rd Gen Vectra which did that job, Omega is quite a good suited car, and actually, someone who drives a RWD Opel should be thankfull that the Omega existed, instead of moaning about it.

It gives you a part collection that makes someone who owns a Kadett like you haing wet dreams.

Wanna blame Opel? Blame GM!
 
Easy. BMW 525d it is. That V6 TDI in the Audi is a great engine and normally I?d always take an Audi ... but it is that bit more thirsty without delivering more performance (and you see a lot of them these days smoking badly because they burn oil). The Renault is out of the question ... the whole Range has big reliability issues. I?ve not heard anything from the VelSatis ... but I?d be buggered if that was the one Renault that doesn?t fall apart. Every Omega I?ve ever heard about has gone badly wrong at some point too ... they?ve all had rust isses and a lot isses with the engine or electronics ...
On Paper the Skoda would be the smartest choice ... but if up against a E39 as a matter of personal taste, I?d never pick the Skoda. The BMW ticks all the boxes. Economy, performance, space, quality and appeal.
 
C3Vette said:
Not true.
Click to expand...
If I adjust the driver seat to my seating position (and the Omega is the only car I know in which I don't have to push the seat all the way back), the person behind me has 2 cm of legroom left.
 
D-Fence said:
He always said how the 2.5 Diesel is the perfect engine for that car as it is from BMW and sounds like a turbine (his words :D) and goes like sting while being unproblematic.
Click to expand...

Just not true. The mentioned and object of interest engine "2.5 DTi" is not a BMW engine. That was the old 2.5 TD in the Omega and its equivalent 525tds (E34/E39). And that engine was neither a unproblematic one nor a very powerful one, no matter in what chassis it was mounted. Afaik the Opel version had less hp what made it more durable, but not that much.

edit says:
Hmkay, did not know about the 525d engine been placed in the Omega B. In that case, you might be somehow right.
 
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