You have less than £2.5k to spend on a comfortable and 45mpg

[HannsG]

Car.... What would you buy?

It must be reliable, cheap to maintain and run. And best of all comfortable for short and long distances.

Thanks

[ChocolateFrog]

V70 D5, with change.

[Jaybmw]

E46 320d or you may even float into an e90/60

[matthias73]

I'd buy an e39 520d for a grand a keep the rest for fixing niggles.

It won't break down but may require work cone MOT.

For reference, I bought a £675 520i four years ago. I used it over 3 years and racked up 40k, taking it to 200k miles. In the time I owned it I spent 1400 on it including a comprehensive service, thermostat, brakes and fuel pump.

I crashed it into a lake and drove it around green lanes hunting for a Christmas tree. Had it not suffered such abuse it may have survived longer but I scrapped it a few months ago due to it being battered and requiring a lot of suspension work as a result of our good times together.

Delightful things.

Edited by matthias73 on Friday 3rd November 02:22

[ReaperCushions]

I'd be heading right to the 1-5 Smoker Barge thread for inspiration.

[Riley Blue]

ReaperCushions said:

I'd be heading right to the 1-5 Smoker Barge thread for inspiration.

Few will manage 45mpg.

[SWoll]

Honda Accord 2.2CDTI Manual

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

All of the other suggestions above either won't do 45MPG or are far more likely to throw up significant repair/maintenance bills at the age and mileage you'll get for £2.5k.

Boring I know, but fits the bill.

[SidewaysSi]

Panda 100HP

[tadaska]

If you fix cars yourself then BMW E90 320D is a nice car and can be picked up for 2.5k

[SWoll]

SidewaysSi said:

Panda 100HP

Comfortable and reliable aren't 2 words I'd associate?

tadaska said:

If you fix cars yourself then BMW E90 320D is a nice car and can be picked up for 2.5k

That's a fairly significant caveat, and doesn't suggest reliability or cheap maintenance costs?

Edited by SWoll on Friday 3rd November 07:54

[helix402]

330d.

[Harji]

I'm exactly in the same situation, I now have a 90 mile round trip commute and in the mornings I'm currently too sluggish to consider the motorcycle (though I got up earlier and used it in my previous job). When I did a similar commute for three years a while ago I used a Subaru 2.5 Legacy (not the most economical ) and then purchased 07 320d.

The BMW was perfect, as the motorway was near me , and place of work just off a motorway, a real MPG (using a phone app) was in the high fifties. I didn't have any issues with it, and I piled on 29K + in one year!

This time, I won't be spending what I did, I will be using the bike occasionally at some point, so looking at the same price bracket. I have noticed there are differences in mpg between the E46 and E90, but I haven't researched what you may encounter on high milers E90.

[Douglas Quaid]

Volvo S60 d5. That’s a no brainer!

[rat840771]

This - brilliant car ( i have one )

You won't get a V70 for 2.5k unless it has galactic mileage

Douglas Quaid said:

Volvo S60 d5. That’s a no brainer!

[HumanDoing]

Focus TDCI 1.8 might be worth a look? Reliable, no frills, good MPG and as much poke as you'd need for everyday driving. A relative has one with 150,000 on the clock and it's still going strong.

[axgizmo]

Bit late to the party but I love my 2007 Honda Accord 2.2 CDTI
My average is 49mpg (mostly motorway)

[CarAbuser]

I had the same criteria last year. Really wanted a Volvo for the old man image but couldn't find an S60 or S80 D5 that was free of issues and had actually been looked after. Went to view a few which looked promising but all ended up being sheds.

Gave up on the Volvo dream and started looking at the E46 320d and within 20 minutes of browsing AT I had 3 cars on the shortlist. First one was a 1-owner gem. Full folder of history and even the original invoice. Also in immaculate condition so did the deal.

Seem to get a lot more for the money with a 320d.

[ZX10R NIN]

Simple I buy this (I will easily haggle the £95 off of the price) I've had one & know mid forties is easily achievable on a run so I have a relaxed comfortable & IMO stylish car to roll about in.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...