I'm still pissing around trying to decide what I want ...

For under 15k can you buy a diesel that is quicker than a standard Classic ?

 

You probably can, although I don't know which one. There are places that remap Diesels (e.g. Jabbasport) - I think they can get 230bhp out of a VAG 1.9 Diesel without too much difficulty, with lots of torque too - so probably a mapped Golf TDI would do it?

 

I sold my GT TDI about 4 weeks ago and trying to get 200+ outta it was hard enough never mind 230. You'd need to be going for a A4 2.5Derv and remap that to even consider getting close those type of figures. The 150bhp gt tdi with a remap doesn't even make 200bhp

 

It would be a few years old, but you could get a BMW 330D and, if necessary, chip it for that. One of the later 3.0 litre models with a Superchip, for example, will give you 245 bhp with 496 Nm of torque, which should offset the car's extra weight over a classic scooby.

Whether or not it'll feel as fast as the scooby is another question entirely. Can't say I regret doing the swap myself, though...

 

BMW 330D is nigh on as quick out of the box, bit of a remap later and it will monster most cars on the road whilst remaining very economical. 15k should buy you an absolute corker

 

One of these

Auto Trader UK - VAUXHALL ASTRA 1.9 16V CDTi 888 200PS 3dr

 

Some price though, id sooner buy a 22b with that price.

 

When i had my first '06 2.5 WRX demonstrator i can remember pulling alongside an ex work colleagues standard 330d. We both nailed it from 30mph and there was absolutely nothing in it, side by side all the way. He was convinced i was not giving it full beans. He now has a brand new 335d CI M Sport (re-mapped etc) and i was in our first '08 STI impreza, i will admit to being relieved that i was turning right and not going straight on as he was!

I am running a standard BMW 120d Sport at the moment in standard tune and it feels WRX quick after say 40-50mph, the torque of these new common rail oil burners is amazing. Not to mention £150 RFL (yes, after next aprils tax axe falls) and nearly 50mpg!

 

Why would anyone want a fast densil? With the costs of fuel etc, the savings over a year are zero. Unless you do starship miles?

 

The rough guide for making a diesel variant earn it's extra premium (on list price and the price of diesel) when you buy it new is 46k miles over 3 years. Also little things like £440 RFL and short sevice intervals on STI's and their ilk are starting to make people think (my mothers Audi A3 170 DSG goes 20k miles per oil change). It's horses for courses really, some people trade their diesels in as they want out of the narrow power band and back to the flexibility of a petrol (not to mention the sound).

 

most classics were tested at less than 5.5 seconds 0-60mph when they first came out so probably NO diesel cars would be as quick as that to 60mph. When on the move though, the extra torque of something like an E92 BMW 330d would maybe keep up with a standard Impreza in midrange.

A colleague of mine has a Golf GT Sport Tdi 170bhp which is one of the quickest diesel hatches around and although punchy, would no way keep up with a classic.

People may argue that a remapped diesel would be quicker, but remember Imprezas can be tuned easily too.

 

I had an Astra SRI TDI 150 with a ' green tunning box' fitted. It was very quick and would return over 40mpg.

Was it as quick as a 210bhp classic? In an overtaking manover, then yes probably. Through the gears, no, but quite close. It was running near 200bhp with lots of torque.

 

The 330D - and, I'm sure, some of the other more recent big diesels too - has a properly good engine, with no 'for a diesel' qualification necessary. It's smooth, refined, has a very wide power band and even makes a nice noise (albeit only from inside the car, but that's where I'm sitting anyway!).

I bought mine for the driving experience, where it suits me very well. The fact that it does over 500 miles between fuel stops is a bonus.

 

The newer ones can be 170 out the box

 

My 04 plate Leon Cupra 150 made near 170bhp when it had about 4k on the clock... most of these engines only get better as they get older

 

Off the mark it's very difficult to get a Diesel to match a Petrol car. For the usual TDi PD units, kind of forget it unless you want to talk to Stingray_RT (I think) on TDIclub.

YouTube - 12sec VW Lupo 1.9L TDI
YouTube - lupo 4x4 1,9 TDI profituning presentation

For a project, I think a 2000+ Audi A4 4x4 Sport might be a good start, the 2.5 TDI V6. For more laughs, stick the latest 3.0TDI engine in the cabriolet or Avante version for an utter sleeper. If you just want to go fast, you can get a later model A4 4x4 3.0 TDI Sport starting around £13K.

J.

 

I met a 530d yesterday, one of those 3 litre twin turbo models. My car is a std classic with a freeflow exhaust. All I can say is that technology has moved on It was much quicker than my machine. They are around 300bhp out of the box, and this one may well have been tweaked a little.

I am pretty sure that those models are out of your price range, but all the larger capacity BMW diesels for the last 5 years have been really quite quick. They don't feel fast mind. Well not in my opinion anyway, too much feel has been engineered out of the car.

 

It looks like you live on Jersey, or an even smaller island. Surely you'd have more fun in something small, light and chuckable? I can understand you wanting a Classic, but if you're after fuel economy then you'll be much better off with a small petrol because where you live you'll be at your destination before a diesel has had time to warm up.

For your budget I reckon a Fiat 500 Abarth would be perfect, assuming you don't need to lug enormous loads. Forget power and think 'fun'.

 

I have a 530d with a dpt tuning box fitted.
@255 bhp with @ 570 torque.

It is not as quick off the line as my previous car, a modded STI @340 bhp.

Once on the move however, the 530 is fairly swift and would not be far behind my old STI.