Specially for a well-known Autoblog figure, we are looking for a thick diesel with a manual gearbox!
Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Autoblog advice of April 15. Today we are going to find a car for a very special Autoblog celebrity. It’s about none other than our home tipster Rachid! Rachid regularly scours Marktplaats in search of the most beautiful, thickest or most obscure used cars.
But now the time has come for him to buy one himself and then it is always a bit different than for an article on Autoblog (that’s why we also bought an Alfa Romeo 159). Rachid drives a lot of kilometers and there is a little one on the way. He would prefer a very thick diesel with a manual gearbox. Of course he had already looked, but he wondered if we still knew anything.
You can read the well-known table with wishes for a thick diesel with manual gearbox below:
Current/Past Cars: | 330i E46–’05 |
Buy / lease: | Buy |
Budget: | 14995 |
Annual mileage: | 40 to 50K |
Fuel Preference: | Diesel (Min. Euro 5) |
Reason to purchase another car: | I am (unfortunately) going to be a father… |
Family composition: | Wife, rabbit and me |
Preferred Brands / Models: | ‘Boring’, but solid German cars, Volvos, everything with at least five and/or six cylinders! |
No-go brands / models: | Citroen, Dacia, Daewoo, Fiat, Ford, Lada, Lincoln, Suzuki, Peugeot, Rover, Saab Iveco, Renault, Porsche, MG, Subaru, Alfa Romeo, VW-Golf, Daihatsu, |
BMW 525d (F10)
€11,800 (Germany, private)
2011
175,000 km
What is the BMW 525d anyway?
Actually it could be two things. Models from 2010 and 2011 have a 3.0 six-in-line under the hood with one turbo, later models from 2011 onwards have a 2.0 four-cylinder biturbo. It is a D-segment sedan that is surprisingly resistant to the test of time. The styling is a highlight in the history of BMW, the interior is above average well done. In this case we found the holy grail: a six-cylinder with manual gearbox. That means that you can easily tune them: 100 hp and 200 Nm is no problem at all. The optional eight-speed automatic transmission is a ZF 8HP45 especially for the 525d and is already at the limit of what it can handle. 530ds had a manual gearbox as standard, but are almost impossible to find.
How does the BMW 525d drive?
Well, like a really big car. The BMW 5 Series F10 drives like a limousine and you can take that both positively and negatively. Emotionally, it is closer to a 7 Series than a 3 Series (which is also the case in a technical sense). The steering is numb and distant and the standard chassis is very relaxed. But that means it’s a wonderful travel car. That again. Just make sure you find one with the sports or comfort seats.
Cost BMW 525d:
Consumption: 1 in 14.06
Fuel costs: €489
Weight: 1,680 kg
Motor vehicle tax: €176
Insurance: €85
Costs per month: € 750
Maintenance Forecast:
Go for one like this simple possible setup. So a six-in-line with automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive. Biturbos, xDrive, difficult many options: it can all break and it will. In this case too, it feels more like a 7 Series and not a 3 Series. In terms of maintenance, you will lose a lot with these kilometers anyway. You will get two or three turns a year. But keep aside 1,000 euros per service and at least three per year. This applies to all cars in this overview.
Depreciation forecast:
If you opt for the manual gearbox (as nice, not better) then your depreciation will immediately go to zero. No one who wants a travel car with a manual gearbox in the trade. Yes, there will undoubtedly be a ‘save-the-manual’ Facebook group, but they are zipping around in their Golf Variant 1.6 TDI with manual gearbox and will continue to do so. Also given the mileage and the fact that it’s a sedan means you won’t get much use out of it after a few years. Nevertheless, you always get a few thousand euros for a big BMW, even with many kilometers.
Audi A5 Sportback 3.0 TDI quattro (8T)
€ 12,999 (Germany, private person)
2011
185,000 km
What is an Audi A5 anyway?
It once started as a coupe based on the Audi A4. Then came a Cabriolet and then an Audi A5 Sportback. Now it is very taste-related, but Audi has really delivered a handsome model with the A5 Sportback (while a 4 Series Gran Coupé is more of a 3 Series hatchback). It means you get all A5 grades. So a sleek exterior and a high-quality interior. Just don’t get too hung up on the space.
How does the Audi A5 Sportback drive?
With this engine, like a beast! The manual gearbox of the A5 is much nicer than the manual gearbox of the above BMW. The engine is considerably more powerful as standard, while the car is smaller. It is also nice that this 3.0 TDI has quattro as standard. It’s a capable cruiser that pretty much engages you in driving. Of the cars in this overview, it is the finest Autobahnstormer. Long stretches at high speed are his specialty. This is ‘very sporty’ for an Audi, but a great combination for frequent drivers. The only drawback: it is not really very economical. And watch out with S-Lines with large rims, they are not very comfortable.
Cost Audi A5 Sportback
Consumption: 1 to 12.79
Fuel costs: €538
Weight: 1,635 kg
Motor vehicle tax: € 163
Insurance: € 100 per month
Costs per month: € 801
Maintenance Forecast:
This is a complicated German thick diesel with a manual gearbox and complicated German maintenance goes with it. The build quality of this generation of Audis is very high in itself. You have to keep it up, otherwise it will quickly become very expensive. At higher kilometers you should think about a new turbo or injectors. As with the BMW, costs can be quite high. If you drive 50,000 a year, the maintenance costs are never ‘done’ either. This is a never-ending story, of course.
Depreciation Forecast:
In principle, the same applies to the Audi A5 as to the BMW. Ultimately, it will always be worth a few thousand euros, but the market for diesels with astronomical mileage is not very large anymore. But yes, if you have it in front of the door for 15 grand, you have not already paid the main prize.
Volvo V60 D5 R-Design
€ 11,220 (Germany, specialist)
2011
180,000 km
What is a Volvo V60 actually:
A very luxurious and tight Ford Mondeo. Jaguar couldn’t sell the X-Type ‘because it’s a Mondeo with a different coach’, but nobody has a problem with this Volvo V60. They have done a lot of work at Volvo to make it a handsome car. The exterior design is still very nice, in terms of the front it still takes some getting used to after 12 years.
How does a Volvo V60 drive
Very sporty for a Volvo! But not in a general sense. Like the Audi, the V60 is a very nice highway car. But… To be honest, a Ford Mondeo actually drives better, because it is sportier without sacrificing comfort. The Mondeo is also much more spacious. But yes, you don’t have that with a five-cylinder and this Volvo does. The D5 engine is a gem compared to a four-cylinder: lots of power and torque, excellent delivery and very favorable consumption. In this six-cylinder violence, however, it falls short in terms of power. All in all a nice thick diesel with manual gearbox, because it shifts well.
Cost Volvo V60
Consumption: 1 to 14.97
Fuel costs: € 451
Weight 1,514 kg
Motor vehicle tax: €150
Insurance: €75
Costs per month: € 676
Maintenance forecast
Many kilometers, beautiful technology: that will cost a lot of money. Compared to the Germans, it’s not too bad, but it certainly won’t be cheap. What you do have to take into account – oddly enough – is rust. A V60 can sometimes rot quite a bit, just like its Ford and Mazda brothers from this time. So what you save in terms of maintenance you can spend on this. Prevention pays off later if you drive 50,000 km per year through wind and weather.
Depreciation forecast
It is slightly more positive than with the Germans. There is a huge clan of Volvo enthusiasts in the Netherlands. Even with high mileages, Volvos are still popular. That’s because old Volvos easily drove half a million kilometers without problems and many Volvo owners do the maintenance well. In addition, they are highway eaters pur sang and then a few tons is no problem. The lower costs of keeping it running also make the V60 ‘less uninteresting’.
YOLO:Jaguar XF Sportbrake V6 S Sport (X250)
€13,990 (Germany, specialist)
2013
150,000 km
What exactly is a Jaguar XF?
A huge E-segment car from Jaguar. It was one of the first new style Jaguars at the time, along with the XK. Partly because of this, the Jaguar XF is absolutely not outdated. On the contrary. They are still beautiful cars to see. Sportbrake in particular is a picture. Disadvantage: it is not a thick diesel with a manual gearbox, because you can only get it with an automatic transmission. That is immediately a very nice one.
How does a Jaguar XF drive
Formidable. Secretly better than a BMW 5 Series, but you can’t say that. The steering offers a little more feeling and the dampers are (much) better. This makes you more involved in the driving without being intrusive or uncomfortable. The engine, a biturbo six-cylinder, is a hangman. That 250 km/h gets it on his slippers. A real beech!
Cost Jaguar XF
Consumption: 1 in 12.18
Fuel costs: €565
Weight: 1,880 kg
Motor vehicle tax: € 202 per month
Insurance: €100 per month
Costs per month: € 867
Maintenance forecast
Ah, this is where things go wrong, you might think. That’s better than expected. Compared to a German classmate, it is not significantly better or worse. However, there are potentially high costs if you are going to drive it a lot. Upside: Many XFs seem to be fairly coddled. They are really enthusiast cars. Downside: there aren’t that many Jaguar dealers and specialists. So hopefully you live near one.
Depreciation forecast
We have to be honest about this: that is exciting. A large Jaguar diesel is not a common commodity. You can already see that, because you buy a younger car with fewer kilometers for more or less the same money. These cars you have to drive up and drive to almost zero.
Autoblog verdict thick diesel with automatic transmission
That’s a tricky one! There is something to be said for every car. If we add up all the points, the BMW 525d seems to come out best. You get the most bang for your buck and it’s one heck of a car.
However, the costs are not far apart. A bit of bad luck or luck with a maintenance invoice has more impact than the fixed costs. The step to the Yolo is not even that big and then you will be driving one for the next four years Yay. An automatic transmission fits that BMW much better. So if you want the coolest thick diesel with a manual gearbox, the Audi is the best all-round package.
Do you also want advice about your next car? Then fill in this form, providing us with all relevant information. Who knows, we might find your next dream car!
This article Thick diesel with manual gearbox (15K): Autoblog Advice appeared first on Autoblog.nl.
#Thick #diesel #manual #gearbox #15K #Autoblog #Advice