Auto or Manual??

[PD1000]

Hi, I'm thinking of buying an Alhambra or Sharan, approx 08 or 09, I want to stay with the 1.9 tdi to stay away from DPF problems ( am I correct saying this?) I run a lot of short journeys and previously had a Galaxy with no problems, so, apart from "maybe" a difference in fuel consumption, Auto or Manual?  Any views?

[Mirez]

DPF's are indeed a bit of pain if you do a lot of smaller journeys so good call there, the auto box on an 08/09 car will still be the slushy version and not the DSG - they didn't come in until the Mk3 variants.

It depends on how much you want/need an auto really? The auto isn't a bad gearbox by any stretch of the imagination but its certainly more likely to go wrong then a manual box. I wouldn't imagine fuel economy to be much worse around town, maybe on longer journeys where the extra two gears the manual has will mean the rev's are lower but auto's are generally a little worse on fuel.

[insanitybeard]

One of the reasons (other than cost!) I went for an older (55 plate) Touran over a more recent one was the fact that the newer ones have DPF's fitted- something else to give trouble!

Like Mark says, especially once they've got a few miles under their belts, the auto's are more likely to give trouble- and will likely be more costly to repair than a manual box. There have been several threads on here about auto boxes with problems (though equally there have been a few threads about manual box problems also!),  Not that it should put you off, just be aware!

[PD1000]

thanks guys, the main reason I was considering auto was that looking at the market the auto's seem cleaner and well spec'ed however I would give preference to a manual. But as ever, you need a bit of luck as well, I guess you usually do not know what kind of driving a car got previous to your ownership! By the way, what about the mk3 Galaxy 1.8 or 2.0 as a replacement for mk2 1.9 taking into consideration school runs and teenage taxi service??

[insanitybeard]

I've not personal experience but I recall a few threads on here regarding engine problems with the Ford 1.8 TDCI engine, not sure about the 2 litre. As far as engines go the old 1.9 PD engine seems to be one of the tougher longer lasting units, with a few known issues and a few that do go wrong, but name an engine that's totally without issues or failures!

[Mirez]

I was having that conversation with a mate the other day after we found a 2002 Sharan with 718K on the clock (original engine). Sure the PD engine isn't refined by modern diesel standards but if well maintained it's very reliable!

[insanitybeard]

Blimey, that's a lot of miles! I wonder if that was on the original injectors?! To be fair for a 15+ year old design the PD still feels pretty good to me and a damn sight more refined than for example the old normally aspirated Escort vans I've had the pleasure of working on! If anything, the only thing I'd say about the Galaxy is it does feel less refined if you drive it harder with the revs around 3000rpm and above, but driving it on the torque and it ain't bad even by modern standards.