a commuting what car

[RealSquirrels]

apparently it's normal to say: sorry for posting a what car...

so... looking to commute from the centre of edinburgh to the centre of glasgow-ish. currently have no car (shame on me). trip is about 50 miles each way. a motorway commute with city centre driving at each end. train is expensive and a train (all in £420 ish a month). car might be cheaper.

was wondering about a fiat 500 for this commute. 40ish mpg in the real world hopefully should make car compete with train price wise. any other options? reasonably new because of relatively high mileage. budget... £200 a month, 10k ish?

i really have no clue about this so would appreciate the input.

[kiethton]

Motorbike?

If not I'd look at any general (small-ish) eurobox.

I'd go for a fiesta over a fiat 500, although that's just personal preference. Why not look at a small capacity diesel/hybrid?

Prius/Polo Bluemotion etc.


ETA. Have you allowed for parking if you drove? - often not that cheap!

[LuS1fer]

My Fiesta Mk 6 ST is quite noisy, being low-geared. For 50 miles a day, I'd look at driving something with a bit of quiet/refinement with a good stereo. Try before you buy.
Bigger cars tend to be more refined.

[lewisf182]

My commute has just gone from 8 miles to 60 miles. Sadly I bought a new car just before christmas which I really can't afford to sell as I'd lose a packet. But if I could change, I'd be looking at a 50kish mileage Ibiza Cupra tdi, Fabia VRS or Polo 1.9tdi sport. Yes they are a few generations old, but still around 2006ish+ so modern enough. Will return 50mpg all day long, possibly more. Can be had for around £4k, so the mileage you add won't really affect value too much, whereas a £10k car such as fiat 500 or fiesta will depreciation like a stone especially adding commuting mileage to it.

That's just my take anyways.

[RealSquirrels]

The Crack Fox said:

Have you got free parking when you arrive? What is traffic like during rush hour? It's not very PH to admit this but I think I'd be taking the train for this kind of journey.

train is a walk to the station, a train, a tube, a walk so adds up to maybe 30 minutes more than the time in traffic, according to google using it's 'current conditions' thing, which i normally find pretty accurate.

parking is available for free/not much at the other end

motorbike is definitely a no-no, my cat wouldn't like it.

bigger cars... I am sure they are better but they are more expensive! I'd like to stick relatively new just to keep the costs more predictable.

[Crusoe]

Got a Honda Jazz courtesy car just now, did 68mpg on my 20 mile trip to work. Easy to drive, enough toys to keep you busy and light and airy inside. Not very fast or that great to throw around but if I needed a cheap commuter or family car it would probably make a great choice.

[Willy Nilly]

Crusoe said:

Got a Honda Jazz courtesy car just now, did 68mpg on my 20 mile trip to work. Easy to drive, enough toys to keep you busy and light and airy inside. Not very fast or that great to throw around but if I needed a cheap commuter or family car it would probably make a great choice.

Hybrid?

My 2011 Jazz has averaged about 50mpg since I had it in feb according to the dash.

I really like it. It's nippy enough and drives nicely not to mention very practical with its wide opening doors and clever seats. I'm pretty sure I can own mine (3 years old, bought with 6400 miles for £9,000) for less than a lease, but you might have other pressures on your finances.

Commuting in Glasgow is probably far too cold for motorbikes.

[conkerman]

Drop a couple of grand on a Polo/Ibiza 1.9 TDi (100HP PD engine).

Dirt cheap to run (60mpg when thrashed) and comfier than it should be.

[big_boz]

100 miles a day in a eurobox.....not for me thanks

Volvo S40 1.9D cheap to buy and maintain, very relaible, and very comfortable

[wemorgan]

Almost any mid-sized diesel car will do the job well.
Contrary to what you said, I'd not spend too much (ie. not so new) on the car, as the high mileage will rapidly depreciate it anyway.

[Dan_1981]

I use a Saab 9-3 08 plate - 1.9tdi

Returns 54 mpg.

As comfy as being in bed.

[Willy Nilly]

big_boz said:

100 miles a day in a eurobox.....not for me thanks

Volvo S40 1.9D cheap to buy and maintain, very relaible, and very comfortable

It might only be a bit over an hour each way, they don't make you sit on a spike in small cars now, you know.

[big_boz]

Willy Nilly said:

big_boz said:

100 miles a day in a eurobox.....not for me thanks

Volvo S40 1.9D cheap to buy and maintain, very relaible, and very comfortable

It might only be a bit over an hour each way, they don't make you sit on a spike in small cars now, you know.

I am aware of this, i put 10k on an Aygo in 8 months in '08. I have nothing against small cars, but in terms of the OP's requirements why go small when you dont have to?

[RealSquirrels]

I prefer small cars, why lug around a load of useless metal you don't need when a smaller car will be lighter and more nimble, etc.

[Crusoe]

Willy Nilly said:

Hybrid?

My 2011 Jazz has averaged about 50mpg since I had it in feb according to the dash.

I really like it. It's nippy enough and drives nicely not to mention very practical with its wide opening doors and clever seats. I'm pretty sure I can own mine (3 years old, bought with 6400 miles for £9,000) for less than a lease, but you might have other pressures on your finances.

Commuting in Glasgow is probably far too cold for motorbikes.

Just a light right foot so I don't have to give it back with more fuel in it plus a nice B road commute without much traffic. Huge inside and nice flat floor with the seats down. Wife might be looking for a small van soon for her business so think I might get one of these instead and a decent boot liner.

[kiethton]

RealSquirrels said:

I prefer small cars, why lug around a load of useless metal you don't need when a smaller car will be lighter and more nimble, etc.

The converse point is comfort, LWB cars will ride better.

How about keeping some comfort in a half-way house (1 series on tiny wheels (non-rf)) or get a Mini, they feel a lot better put together but still have the wheelbase issues...

[FredClogs]

You could do that commute on a diamond encrusted water bed and it would drive you mad after 3 weeks
I worked in Edinburgh for a couple of years and worked with loads of people with similar commutes and commutes across the bridge, got to be one of the worst in the country, I'd seriously consider a push bike at either end of the train ride or even moving

[RealSquirrels]

Is that true? It doesn't look that bad on paper. 1 series is a good call and i like minis but partner has ruled them out for some reason...

[Willy Nilly]

If you get independence we will be rescinding all our advice.

[FastNReliable]

FredClogs said:

You could do that commute on a diamond encrusted water bed and it would drive you mad after 3 weeks
I worked in Edinburgh for a couple of years and worked with loads of people with similar commutes and commutes across the bridge, got to be one of the worst in the country, I'd seriously consider a push bike at either end of the train ride or even moving

+1 It's an awful commute and then there are the frequent accidents, breakdowns, roadworks etc. At least with the train you'll have a reliable journey time.