Advice Needed - good motorway car for 21 yo

[JamesD1]

Not sure if this is the right place for this, but it seems as good as any.

I am in a prediciment i need a car capable of 60 miles a day (300 a week) but im 21 with 0 NCB and i cant help but think a little eco box will be extremely uncomfortable and fatiguing on a run like this.

im a regular on insurance quotes and i monitor prices like a hawk (so im not clueless) just after some advice as to which engine / gearbox combo would be good and cars worth looking at insurance on?

[james_gt3rs]

Something like an old Mondeo, Accord etc?

[George7]

Look at stuff like the Mondeo or Rover 75. Very comfortable motorway cruisers and you'll be surprised at how much they are to insure.

[mnkiboy]

Depends on your budget, but I reckon a Mondeo would be right up your street. The mk3 can be had for peanuts, is cheap to insure and the 1.8 engine would be at home on the motorway, though not a ball of fire off it.

[JamesD1]

mondeo was a car that had slipped my mind. my parents have a 1.8 lx ive just done a quote on it and not bad at £993 fully comp (£250 excess, last time i got a quote on a mondeo was lots of pennies, only niggle with mondeo is the MPG my parents never see much over 32mpg

[Grimezy93]

A Mazda 6 Saloon? My mate just picked one up for a grand with 110k miles on it. It had 4 new tyres which probably would have cost him £250-£300 so it was a bit of a bargain. Had it for about 6 months and had no issues. Only the 1.6 petrol so a bit underpowered but he drives 25-30 miles each way to work 5 days a week and has no complaints. Could be worth checking out the diesel line-up.

Doubt they're too much to insure either, not exactly top on the list of the McDonalds Car Park crew.

[Sid's Dad]

60 miles a day? Two 30 mile runs? It's hardly crossing continents is it? Any half decent economy car with five gears should do this run comfortably and easily. The older Yaris is a civilized little car, the Fiat 500 is widely recognised as having the best seats in any small car, the Polo feels solid and well planted at speed (although I'd probably give the three-cylinder ones a miss) and the Fiat Punto feels genuinely long legged. Any of those would do the job well and you won't be any more tired in one than in an old rep box. Try and run to a 1.3 if you can, as the 1.1 versions of things like Puntos can feel a bit breathless over 70. Common sense says go for a diesel but I'm not so convinced that small diesels are pleasant places to be - tho the 500 diesel is a belter if you can afford one.

[ShampooEfficient]

Old Mercedes 190? I may be biased because Ive just acquired one, but theyre built like tanks, comfy, and cheap as chips to insure.

[JDMDrifter]

I a year younger than you OP and have a years NCB so prices are maybe similar for us?

I found the below fairly cheap to insure, bear in mind they were all the poverty spec models with the small engines:

Vauxhall Vectra
Ford Mondeo
Some 90s Volvos
Ford Focus

They all seem to be ok cars and would fit your requirements rather well.

[longblackcoat]

A cheap (to buy, run, and insure) and reasonably decent car is a Citroen ZX TD. I ran one as a car for an au pair and couldn't kill it. Servicing costs were about £150 per year, it did 45-55mpg (the higher number on the motorway), and insurance was no worse than a Fiesta. And you'll pick up a good one for £500 or so.

[andy-xr]

OK, laugh if you want, but...Rover 25 diesel. It's fairly bulletproof on the engine and while it's not super quick it'll do in excess of the speedlimit. I drove mine from Sheffield to London a few times and it handled it nicely.

[JamesD1]

im aware 60 miles a day isnt a massive journey compared to some. but a bit of backround: i am a huge petrolhead have had 7 bikes and 4 cars (so i like to chop n change) so ive had a little bit of experience with decent mpg and poor mpg aswell as comfort. i had a little prang, hit a woman driver on roundabout slammed brakes on for no reason so i now have no ncb previously owned modified Leon cupra. i have thought about an mx5 (mk1 - 2) but i wonder if that buffeting would get tiresome?

given a no money choice id like an auto beemer but i doubt that'll happen

[Grimezy93]

ShampooEfficient said:

Old Mercedes 190? I may be biased because Ive just acquired one, but theyre built like tanks, comfy, and cheap as chips to insure.

I wish you hadn't said that, although I'm not the OP I'm in a similar predicament and I was offered an old 190 with 113k on the clock for £200 last month, the 1.8 auto. Didn't really think it would be my style so gave it a miss...

[V88Dicky]

Mondeo 1.8 duratec engine

Avensis 1.8 or even 2.0 VVT-I

Accord 1.8

Primera 1.8



All of the above will average 40+ mpg and provide you with a comfy, reliable ride.

I can personally vouch for the Avensis, I had a 2.0 vvti to do about 280 motorway miles per week, and the damn thing never dropped below 43mpg. Boring but very reliable and comfortable.

[catman]

I would say Mondeo without hesitation. Not sure about 32 mpg though! I got 38 mpg on my previous cars and my current 2004 model is doing 40 mpg on a run.

Tim

[JamesD1]

the 32mpg has been an average since theyve owned, could be down to milage / use car has 140k+ miles and get used for a-road to work and school run etc and i think my mum is quite rev happy

[73mark]

Mazda 6 or mondeo comfortable solid cars

[V88Dicky]

OP, your parents, if like mine, probably rarely drive on the motorway, instead spending most of their driving in suburbia. They also may never reset their trip computer!

[longblackcoat]

JamesD1 said:

im aware 60 miles a day isnt a massive journey compared to some. but a bit of backround: i am a huge petrolhead have had 7 bikes and 4 cars (so i like to chop n change) so ive had a little bit of experience with decent mpg and poor mpg aswell as comfort. i had a little prang, hit a woman driver on roundabout slammed brakes on for no reason so i now have no ncb previously owned modified Leon cupra. i have thought about an mx5 (mk1 - 2) but i wonder if that buffeting would get tiresome?

given a no money choice id like an auto beemer but i doubt that'll happen

Given no NCB, being 21, and having a recent accident, your best bet is to go for the dullest car possible for the next couple of years. Get more miles under your belt, 2 years of NCB and at 23 or so you'll be in a much better position.

Something like an MX5 would be terrible on the motorway - one of my managers drives one and says it's useless in about every way on the M25 - but some people will put up with huge amounts of everyday discomfort for some occasional weekend fun. Personally, I wouldn't.

Edited by longblackcoat on Monday 21st October 11:33

[Spanna]

We've got a 307 estate with the 1.6 diesel engine. I'm 22 and insurance in reasonable on it, it does 50+mpg with ease and has been reliable so far. Surprisingly it's also comfortable on a long trip.