Is a Arosa Tdi a False Economy?

[kingkongkirk]

Had one of these car's before, and they are great. Now looking possibly for another, but have noticed that prices are a bit wayward.

Anything from 5k for low mileage ones at dealers, to the low 2's for 65-80k mileage one's.
The equivalent Arosa or lupo 1.4 auto's with low mileage are around 2.5-3k.

Did some maths using official figures MPG figures as a guide, threw in TAX, Insurance as well, and for 10k mileage per year, 8k town and 2k Extra Urban,
the 1.4 auto would only cost an £700 a year to run. BUT considering the difference in price, one is looking at around 30k difference in payback considering the original price difference.

My heart want's a TDI, but Brain says it might not be worth it.

Anyone Driven all three models? Lupo TDi , Arosa TDi and the 1.4 Auto?

 

[lunalupi]

The Arosa TDi will be cheaper than a Lupo version, and being a diesel the engine will go on and on and on so you can look at higher mileage ones, especially if you don't do huge amounts of miles each year.

Tax is £35 a year (barstewards - mine is £115 for a 1.0!) and economy you can see 60mpg or more with careful driving. You could also look at a remap for economy rather than power to get a few more MPGs.

I would have thought the TDi would also have more oomph than the 1.4 petrol, it has LOADS of torque for a small engine which means it pulls really well.

 

[cardaft]

Ah good topic!

Ok, ive got an Arosa TDi and a 1.0 Arosa.

Ive worked it out a few times, if my TDI is still cheaper to run that my 1.0 (TDI is my everyday car) and it is.

Tax is £35 against £115 for the petrol, as Luna said, my insurance is only £60 more for the diesel, so thats more than paid by the lower tax.

Fuel is a biggy, which is the main thing now, is it still worth buying a diesel. So my 1.0 does an average of 40 MPG in town and about 45mpg with mixed town and motorway. Now i dont honestly believe you will get as good economy as the 1.0 from a 1.4 auto, they are the least economical arosa - i dare say you could get more from a sport.

Although it seems you do mostly town driving, which is where the auto box would come in, but auto boxes zap economy and performance.

Ok, dont bother with the Lupo TDI, (and yes i have driven a TDi lupo, it was no different to mine, except it rolled more and was much slower, but i put that down to a bad example!) your obviously after the most you can for your money, and you wont find that with a lupo, you pay for the VW badge (personally id perfer to pay more for a seat badge!) the cars are exactly the same with very similar specs, infact the arosas has a little more apart from front fogs, which are easily added if you wish.

So then, TDi vs auto, well i can only answer the TDI part. I love mine, this weekend going to to the edition 38 show (about 450 mile trip) i averaged 63MPG at good motorways speeds! Around town i get about 50MPG, although i never just stay in the town so my economy averages out at around 56-58ish - Im by no means a slow driver!

The 1.4 auto is a 60bhp 8v and obviously you know how the TDI perfroms having had one before, but it more than keeps up with most things on the motorway, the pull in 5th gear at motorway speeds is of that of a far bigger car!

I worked out, that if my 1.0 is doing its 45MPG (best i usually get) then my TDi would have to do about 53MPG. I never get as little as 53MPG, so it means im still quids in with my diesel.

There is a really cheap TDi arosa on autotrader right now, 2002 with about 65K for £2500, i think thats a bargin tbh, prrviding its a good one!!!

Once youve been driving a turbo diesel for a while, its so difficult to go back to a petrol.

We have a couple of auto cars, much bigger than an arosa (citroen XM and VW caravelle) but here is my opinion of the auto cars. They are relaxing to drive, so easy in traffic as you just press and go, although they rev too high before changing gear, which ruins economy. Im driving along thinking right we could be in the next gear now, meanwhile its doing 4000rpm! So personally i prefer to do the gears myself!

Id like to try an automatic arosa, but i doubt i ever will. Maybe green goddess can help you out with her economy figures and what she thinks of hers.

It will make the perfect town car, but at the cost of economy.

And yes, the TDi may cost a little more to buy, but dont forget, they are highly in demand so they sell very well and keep their prices. Although i wouldnt be paying 5K for one now, given that they are all atleast 4 years only now.

Hope that helps! Anymore info, let me know

 

[kingkongkirk]

Its all about the pence per mile.....

If not now, it soon will be regarding everything, the way the economy is heading...

Thanks for the replies, maybe it might be worth paying a few hundred extra, for decent condition version, but having a car last longer, I picked up on one of your threads somewhere, that You haven't come across a Tdi Pedal Box failing as well, which might bode well.
Seen that Blue one for sale on Autotrader...2.5k, but is so so far away, went to look at another blue that was for sale for a similar figure, about a month back, but there were too many niggly things wrong with it, so i passed up (think it might have had accident damage at the back).
A yellow one went on ebay for 3.1k which had been also on autotrader for 4k.(asked them when or if the cambelt change had been done, he couldn't anser me , even though he was in full possesion of the service history, but i thought that would have been written in the service book)
There is another silver buy it now on ebay for 4.5k with 34,000 miles on the clock which seems a quite a bit excessive (well i think it is), because once you get into those prices, your competing with much more modern car's like Modus Dci's , Panda Mulitjet's (not saying they are better vehicles).
Arosa Tdi's are alot more fun to drive, and i could stick it into 5th at thirty and the torque would still allow it to glide along (hence help with the mpg).
Also have access to a Toledo Dsg Sport, hence it got my tdi lust ringing again, (can't recommend that car enough).

So all we need to find is a 1 Owner TDI IN ANY COLOUR, WITH fsh, 30k miles, driven by an elderly lady, for 2.5k...... it would probably be the most popular car on autotrader, that week...... LOL.

Thanks for your replies and will keep you updated....

 

[lunalupi]

Really, don't worry about getting one with low milage - you will pay a premium for it, but the VAG diesels will just run and run and run so a higher milage one will still have years left.

 

[cardaft]

Yes, ive never heard of a TDis pedal box going. Its because the TDi has a hydraulic clutch, so its nice and light, others have a cable clutch and it can become heavy and snap the pedal box.

Prices are all over the place for these little diesels, i supose if someone wants one enough they will pay highly for it! Although there are bargins to be had.

As Nic says, high milage doesnt matter, i know of one which has done near 200K and its remapped too! Although lower the better obviously.

Mine had only done 26K when i bought it, almost exactly two years ago, its now done 56K. One owner doesnt matter either, you need to go on condition and service history more than anything. Mine had two previous, the dealer and a private buyer who i got it from.

The Modus diesel is a cracking little car, we had the lowest powered dci for a loan car, it was so economical! Although its a bit of a family car for me.

So you can find then, you just need to keep looking!

 

[AwesomeAl]

I previously owned a Lupo TDI. I can honestly say behind my bora its the Second best car I've ever owned! Loved it to peices from day one!

It was tuned up to 117bhp, 184lb/ft of Torque and I still managed 585miles from a full Tank (around 30 litres)

In relation to what Cardaft has said, The Arosa TDI's do go for less money and are just as good a car, but there are a fair few less of them than the Lupo TDI's.

Good Luck in your search for a car