Buying a v50

[Loskie]

I am lucky to average 45mpg with my 2.0d and thats very little town driving mainly open rural roads. Much worse than my old 1999 110bhp Octavia which easily did mid 50's and was probably driven harder.

[SiRS2000]

Originally Posted by aidanthomson

I also have a D5. Couldn't find many 2.0D around the age I was looking for. I'm getting close to 50mpg as well. Way better than the 407 it replaced which had the 2.0D engine. There are bargains on D5s out there so purchase costs aren't much different.

Originally Posted by Loskie

I am lucky to average 45mpg with my 2.0d and thats very little town driving mainly open rural roads. Much worse than my old 1999 110bhp Octavia which easily did mid 50's and was probably driven harder.

As I have already mentioned not much in the MPG betwean the 2.0D and D5, on paper its is the 2..0D that has the upper hand but as you can see hear their really is nothing in it. I will also add that on our recent run up to Blackpool (Me the wife and two small children) a 500 mile round trip with a roof box and a full boot I still managed 45 mpg after sitting at 70 on the motorway.

[t5_monkey]

a remapped D5 will be fairly fruity to drive too - and sound great.

[kajdean]

I would save a bit longer for the d5, but the petrol costs to work are crippling me, like a third of my wage, so what i will do is get the 2.0d, cause i can get that in the next few weeks, and save for the d5 r design as that is what i really want, plus the savings on petrol and insurance the 2.0d will get me will make me save alot quicker Thanks again for all your advise lads

[WARBO]

DO NOT GET A 2005-2006 MODEL YEAR . they are really really trouble prone and will eat your wallet! 2007 on are much better cars. as others have said
check it does not have a diesel particle filter system (the 8th number in the chassis is a 5. 3 or 4 is ok) as servicing costs are huge and can not be avoided (main dealer equipment req). check the wheel bearings for noise before buying, its a complete hub and £300.00 a piece!
throttle unit butterflys bad for sticking, brake control units fail (antiskid service warning on dash) and £800.00 thankyou. door "a" pillar wiring connectors leak in water causing locking/window/mirror faults and if its the drivers side, the ambient temp sensor in the mirror goes haywire ( linked to climate and engine temp systems and causes all sorts of aircon and engine temp issues. check balljoints (whole arm req if worn) rear camber arm bushes.
good luck!

[kebab10]

Originally Posted by WARBO

DO NOT GET A 2005-2006 MODEL YEAR . they are really really trouble prone and will eat your wallet! 2007 on are much better cars. as others have said
check it does not have a diesel particle filter system (the 8th number in the chassis is a 5. 3 or 4 is ok) as servicing costs are huge and can not be avoided (main dealer equipment req). check the wheel bearings for noise before buying, its a complete hub and £300.00 a piece!
throttle unit butterflys bad for sticking, brake control units fail (antiskid service warning on dash) and £800.00 thankyou. door "a" pillar wiring connectors leak in water causing locking/window/mirror faults and if its the drivers side, the ambient temp sensor in the mirror goes haywire ( linked to climate and engine temp systems and causes all sorts of aircon and engine temp issues. check balljoints (whole arm req if worn) rear camber arm bushes.
good luck!

I like many on here have a 2005 model V50. Purposely set out to get an 05 or 06 model without the dreaded DPF fitted. Also wanted leather so that narrowed my search. Havent spent a great deal on it so far. Bearings at the moment ok, throttle unit butterfly got stuck but a good clean and its ok. The outside temp sensor wiring come through the PASSENGER door and not the drivers. Gives a false reading at times but mpg isnt affected a great deal so no problem there. Does affect the air con so then switch to manual control and its okay. May get the door card off to see if I can see where the fault is on the temp sensor as tracked it to the door now. as for the other "scare stories" listed in the quote; none as yet. Can happen to ANY car at ANY time. V50 are a good car, there are good and bad same as dealers.
Good luck in your search.

[blacklab]

I too have a 2005 V50 2.0d without DPF. Had it for just over 2 years and the one problem I had was with the CD changer/Deck error, all sorted.
It really is a nice car and like Kebab10 says, problems can occur on any car so just go for it!

[kajdean]

Originally Posted by WARBO

DO NOT GET A 2005-2006 MODEL YEAR . they are really really trouble prone and will eat your wallet! 2007 on are much better cars. as others have said
check it does not have a diesel particle filter system (the 8th number in the chassis is a 5. 3 or 4 is ok) as servicing costs are huge and can not be avoided (main dealer equipment req). check the wheel bearings for noise before buying, its a complete hub and £300.00 a piece!
throttle unit butterflys bad for sticking, brake control units fail (antiskid service warning on dash) and £800.00 thankyou. door "a" pillar wiring connectors leak in water causing locking/window/mirror faults and if its the drivers side, the ambient temp sensor in the mirror goes haywire ( linked to climate and engine temp systems and causes all sorts of aircon and engine temp issues. check balljoints (whole arm req if worn) rear camber arm bushes.
good luck!

Are all these problems with all v50's or just 2005/6 year models?

[kebab10]

For my twopenneth, try this. Read reviews on Autotrader, Honest John, any other source you can find and not forgetting this forum. May take a day or two to trawl through but you will find that in the main, the V50 isnt that bad a car.
When people have a problem they post a question. They generally get an answer so that they dont have to go to the stealers and get ripped off.
What you dont find however are people who dont have a problem, and then posting a "all fine here" message.

Doesnt matter what year you go for,there are always some cars better in one year and not the next. Dont know why, it just is. Ask this and post a question to find out. Which year V50 do you own and do you consider it a good buy?

I have a 2005 V50 2.0D and consider it a good buy. It is more than roomy for what I need and its comfortable, quick and cheap to run.
Seems to me you are a little scared of some of the stories you have heard.

Go on, get one; you wont be disappointed.

[stevebrassett]

I have a 2007-model V50 (bought new), with just over 50K miles. The only problem I have had in almost 5 years was with the front parking sensor, which was a dealer-fit extra. I intend to keep it for a good few more years.