So many decisions to make!!

[WhiteHartMart]

Hi

I love this buying a new car event, but I've never had so many choices/decisions to make :D

2.0 TDI (143bhp or maybe 120 bhp if it arrives here), 120bhp/160bhp Petrol????

Manual or Multitronic?

S-Line or SE?


Then I've got a massive extras list to wade through.

To be honest I only really need some kind of Bluetooth phone function as an extra.

I guess for the other decisions I just need to get out and test drive them - I mean coming from a 270bhp Focus will the 120bhp versions feel underpowered??

Would like to hear any comments from anyone who can comment on how living with multitronic and/or the lower powered version feels.

Cheers :D

[browellm]

Hi
I mean coming from a 270bhp Focus will the 120bhp versions feel underpowered??


Are you kidding?

[WhiteHartMart]

Ooops bad wording on my part :Blush2: - of course losing out by 150bhp in a bigger/heavier car will hurt - I just wondered how people felt the 120bhp version performed?

Tbh - you very rarely get the chance to use the power the Focus has anyway - and when you do getting grip in the lower gears is a problem.

The A4 engines appear quite torquey and therefore I would have though most feel quite brisk - is that the case??

[browellm]

Yep, I was only messing :)

Most people's experiences of the 140bhp diesel and 160bhp petrol have been exceptionally positive so far.

I suspect that the 120bhp may not be offered in SE guise as well, if so, then it's best avoided just for the list of equipment you would miss out on.

What will your annual mileage be? In pure economic terms the diesel is hard to justify unless you are doing 25/30k miles per annum.

As you mentioned, make sure you get the phone prep low option, it's great.

[WhiteHartMart]

Cheers for the info - last year I covered 23,000 miles so I guess its pretty borderline - I guess if I do any less miles the extra cost of purchase is not compensated by the saving in fuel.

I've been looking into leasing this car or paying via a PCP agreement - think the Diesels are very little extra via this method due to the better residuals??

[browellm]

The Whole Life Costs calcs are now getting quite complicated, and as you say, leasing costs have some of this stuff pre-built in.

Also depends on howw long you intend to keep the vehicle as the diesel will potentially have higher servicing costs. Some industry opinions - Honest John for instance, are now saying that expensive servicing (dual mass flywheel replacements etc.) are pricing dieses out for all but very high milers.

At 23k miles per anum I would say you're pretty much in a netral position, so go for the tech you prefer. The 2.0tdi is super quiet, certainly the quietest I've had - far more so than an '04 530d I owned.

I think both engines are pretty much in free supply, so make sure you get a good test drive out of the dealer!

[WhiteHartMart]

Thanks for the info mate.

Hoping to test drive a diesel this week - looking forward to seeing how much quieter it is than my previous diesels.

Now if only I had a crystal ball and could predict how many miles I'm likely to do over the next 3 years or so - that would make my decision so much easier!! :D