Cheap commuter wagon

[funkyrobot]

Became a dad 9 months ago and my fiancée would like to stay at home for a few years with our daughter. As a result, purse strings are being tightened.

My daily work commute is a 50 mile round trip and I'm currently doing it in a 2.0 litre petrol Mazda. It's a good car, but it seems to drink a lot of fuel. Road tax is north of £250 and it doesn't seem to be that cheap a car to run for what it is.

I'm wondering if there is something to change it for that is more economical, cheaper to run and still reliable. I do around 15,000 miles a year, so am on the cusp of a diesel. However, I'm not sure if there is such a thing as a cheap diesel. The Mazda replacement doesn't need to be anything special. It just needs to get me to work and back cheaply for a few years until my fiancée goes back to work.

I am thinking of doing my motorbike test at some point. The proceeds of the sale of the Mazda may need to go towards that too.

Budget will be £2k or less and I'm 6ft 5 with a bad back, so the car needs to be comfortable. It'll also need space for a buggy and child-related items. Any ideas anyone? Thanks.

[funkyrobot]

Thanks.

I do like the look of a Volvo. Plenty of space too.

That Audi looks good. Years ago, I owned a Bora Tdi and even though it wasn't anything too exciting, it ran a treat and was really good on fuel. I think i need to stick to the older diesel technology if I can. How to VAG PD engines hold up?

Saab is a good shout and I never even considered that make. My neighbour has a lovely red Saab convertible and it looks really good.

[funkyrobot]

Lugy said:

Peugeot 406 HDI Estate, uber cheap to run, comfortable, loads of space and lots of change from £2k!

Good idea. A friend has a 406 saloon and they were indeed roomy.

[funkyrobot]

ZX10R NIN said:

Here are a few with great seats & decent fuel economy

MG ZT £260 tax 40.4mpg
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

Saab 9-3 £265 39.2mpg
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

£225 42.8
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

£205 42.8 only 56k
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

If it was me I'd pick the Saab.

Will take a look through that list. Thanks.

[funkyrobot]

Pistom said:

Willy Nilly said:

OP, keep the car you have, look after it then when it's worn out buy something cheaper to run. I doubt you will come out ahead swapping it now and for £2,000 you could end up buying a load of someone elses trouble

Probably the best advice here.

I have considered this and I agree that swapping my current car could end up costing me more.

However, I really do need to get my fuel bills down. With work and social travel, I'm spending about fifty quid a week on fuel. It just doesn't seem worth it for a basic 2.0 litre car. I wouldn't mind spending it if I had a v8 or something.

Also, I really could do with something a bit bigger. My fiancée and I are both tall and our daughter is getting bigger. It's getting to the point where neither of us can have our seats fully back (which is what we need in the Mazda)) with the baby seat in the back.

[funkyrobot]

Thanks for that. Motorbike is tempting, but still need to think about it to make sure I want to go down that route.

I guess the thing to do is take my time, have a good look around and size a few cars up for space etc.

I was planning on swapping the car soon for a newer Mazda 6 estate. However, I don't want to be paying finance on anything due to the work situation.

I'll take a look at the examples posted on here and have a think.

Thanks all.

[funkyrobot]

Qubit said:

Similar position to myself recently, problem is that volvos and saabs in that range have a high risk of borkage and as a result could very easily end up in a worse position financially (I did).

In that price range the thing Id be looking at would probably be a Skoda Superb 1.9 tdi 130 or anything with that engine in thats also got good seats - Octavia 1.9tdi L&S would be another good one. Or sticking with what you've got, sometimes its better the devil you know.....

Thanks. I've been looking at VAG stuff. As I said above, my Bora (at the time) was very reliable.

[funkyrobot]

ZX10R NIN said:

The 2.2 diesel Saab is a good call no DPF reliable plus if you get the 9-5 space won't be an issue

Will take a look.

[funkyrobot]

Right. My fiancée has officially stopped being paid now so I'm running the ship.

Anything good out there at the moment car wise?

Have been thinking about keeping the Mazda. However, I've noticed some rust appearing inside the boot. The alarm dicks around (just goes off at random) and my mileage is now well over 250 miles a week. It's a good car, but I need to be spending less on fuel if I can.

I suppose a smaller petrol engined car will do.

I know a different car could cost more, but I fancy a change too. It would be ideal if I could find something that I could leave in a car park and not care about.

[funkyrobot]

hornetrider said:

Passat 1.9TDI PD130.

Looking now.

[funkyrobot]

VolvoT5 said:

Have you done the numbers, 250 a week still isn't huge. Unless the Mazda is on its last legs it is nearly always better to stick with what you know... in my experience anyway. Any new car for 2k is a gamble.

However, how about a Vauxhall Signum? They are massive inside and come in various diesel engines, 1.9 TDI / 2.0/2.2 DTI. I would avoid the 3.0 diesel personally.
Saab 9-3 or 9-5... Probably get a V70 D5 in budget but it would be mega mileage.

Yes. A flat week at work is 250 miles. If I do anything else around it, it can go up to 300+. For example, parents live 25 miles away, good shopping centre is 20 odd miles away etc. It soon adds up.

This isn't something I'm going to rush into so I'll take a good look around a see what's out there. If I don't find anything decent, I'll keep the Mazda. If I do though, I'll snap it up.

The Volvo's do look good and if I'm honest, I was thinking about a D5 earlier in the year anyway. They have more room, seem comfortable and would be a nice change.