Best Diesel For under £1000?

[fantomcat]

Hi Im looking for the best diesel car for under £1000 I currently drive a petrol and its fine- no big problems... I've looked at the Mondeo Diesel Version from about 1997- The MK2 the stats on this only show up 89bhp and Ive been told there not that fast at all, can any one suggest the best car I could buy in this situation?

[waynne]

Hi and welcome to TorqueCars. For remaps you really need (IIRC) a car made after 2001. Do have a look at the Pug 406 2.2 HDI it is a real monster of a car - and is going for silly money considering what you get.

[turbonutter69]

Welcome buddy. The Td mondeo isn't a bad choice of car. I had one a while ago. It may not be the fastest, but I did read somewhere that they can easily be tuned for nothing by adjusting a few screws to make a little better and if you do get one make sure it's an endura engine with the intercooler.

[HDi fun]

My 2.2 HDi remapped to around 190bhp with mad amounts of torque (over 320lbft).

You can't remap the Mondeo you mention in your post - it's a mechanically controlled IDI diesel. This is very old technology now and should be dismissed if you have a liking for performance.

Whether you'll get a decent 406 2.2 for £1000 is debatable. Personally I think you need to spend a bit more. The engines are incredibly complicated and the do need fairly prescriptive servicing. You MUST use the correct engine oil in order to avoid poisoning the particle filter.

I only mention this in case you're not fully aware of the vast differences between old and new technology diesel engines. Rotary/inline pump controlled injection has gone completely.

[StickaV8init]

Agree with above fella. Had a TD MK2 Mondeo as a company car years back. It was a bit of a nail, the A/C really sapped the power and it cannot be tuned. The only mod you can really get is by a company called VanAArken who will optimise the fuel pump to make it smoother & quieter.

Its got to be the PSA HDi lump for me. Try a 306 HDi, will go and handle very well.

[Dan2587]

Rover 220 SDi would be the quickest for that price 105 or 115bhp they are and can buy a tunning box with enough tunnig you can get 150bhp this is with a few mods eg hybrid turbo may be costly but still in your budget if you can get one under 600 quid.

[petescustompipes]

306td is the best i can think of. you can pick them up for tupince over here, best thing about them is all you need is a 10mm spanner and some balls to keep turning the screw on the pump. she defo pull you up the hill alrite bt be prepared to carry diesel to her by the tanker load. a real good plus about them is when your fed up with her you can blow her for the crack, itl take a min r two cuz they take alot o abuse bt she wil pop and you can buy another one probably still within your grand budget.

[Dan2587]

I am pretty sure they fetch more then the rover does but still both good cars.

[HDi fun]

This is old technology diesel you're discussing. Rotary pumps and mechanical fuel metering and injection has gone.

The HDi engines will deliver far more power and torque than the earlier XUDT derivatives. The 2.2 is exceptionally tunable with it's 16 valve setup and variable geometry turbocharger.

I wouldn't touch a tuning box with any car, personally.

[waynne]

Playing Devils advocate here, surely a non remappable car with a good tuning box is better than a standard car?

[petescustompipes]

a 2.2 is as you say a very powerful car bt no way can you get 1 for under a grand and do some mad but very inexpencive mods to it. as for the rovers being cheaper, well i wouldnt be seen dead in one.. simple!!! The old dturbo engine is easily upd in horsepower by a novice mechanic where as the hdi's have to be taken to a specialest to be re-mapped and costs money, and as we say in ROI "the moneys better in my back pocket than his".

[HDi fun]

That's a reasonable stance. But don't buy the cheapies (or anything offered by dieselbob). This applies to petrol cars as well.

Toyota D4-D engines cannot be mapped (yet). Someone will crack the CRC codes one day.

[petescustompipes]

diesel bob?

[HDi fun]

Google diesel bob and revel in the inane witterings of a man who languishes in the days of rotary pumps and mechanical injection.

His thoughts on engine oil are a joke.

As is everything else he bangs on about. Opinionated and clueless at the same time!!

[Dan2587]

The SDi rover can be remapped instead of a tunning box as its got an electrical fuel pump but the SD version is mechanical check out www.mg-rover.org i had the SD but i heard the SDi is alot better.

[RobBentley]

You'd be able to find a high-mileage Passat 1.9 TDi for < £1k and they go on forever.

[HDi fun]

The TDi 110 is not massively tuneable. 150bhp is about it really.