Miles vs age

[matt21]

I know there are a lot of factors but all things being equal, what is the right balance in age vs mileage. I'm looking to replace my aging Passat with a comfy estate car for £5k.

Options are:

2012 BMW 320d Touring with 200k (£4.5k)
2012 Passat 2.0TDI CR with 140k (£5k)
2010 Passat 2.0TDI CR with 120k (£4K)
2005 Passat 1.9 TDI PD with 80k (£2.5k)

All well looked after with solid history. What is likely to give least bother over 5 years, 80k

[loskie]

I would plump for the cheapest Passat if the number of owners is low and a documented service history

[SidewaysSi]

Least bother? A Honda Accord.

[matt21]

Not keen on Japanese, plus have a good VAG and BMW specialist nearby

[DoubleD]

Does it have to be diesel? You will probably get more car for your cash if you go petrol

[matt21]

It doesn't have to be, but petrols seem quite few and far between, and they aren't without their problems (NA 6cyl BMW is probably fine but more expensive)

[wemorgan]

None of those look good value to me. Especially when you consider you can lease a brand new Octavia/superb for £5k over 2yrs.

Or a Mondeo looks better value at second hand.

Edited by wemorgan on Sunday 17th December 11:06

[DoubleD]

Why arent you keen on Japanese cars? Most independents will service any car. The Mazda 6 is a cracking car.

[Dolf Stoppard]

wemorgan said:

None of those look good value to me. Especially when you consider you can lease a brand new Octavia/superb for £5k over 2yrs.

Or a Mondeo looks better value at second hand.

Edited by wemorgan on Sunday 17th December 11:06

The OP wants a car for five years / 80k miles and is considering used cars which have done between 80k and 200k miles. The cheapest of these cars is c£2k. I suspect he probably doesn't want to spend £5k leasing a car for two years which then leaves him with no budget and no car.

[bearman68]

MX5 or a remapped 535 is the answer - now, what's the question.

Cheapest Passat,so when you scrap it, it's least money lost. 2005 Passat should do the miles though, and older stuff is more reliable / longer lived than the newer stuff. Other views are available.

[ZX10R NIN]

matt21 said:

I know there are a lot of factors but all things being equal, what is the right balance in age vs mileage. I'm looking to replace my aging Passat with a comfy estate car for £5k.

Options are:

2012 BMW 320d Touring with 200k (£4.5k)
2012 Passat 2.0TDI CR with 140k (£5k)
2010 Passat 2.0TDI CR with 120k (£4K)
2005 Passat 1.9 TDI PD with 80k (£2.5k)

All well looked after with solid history. What is likely to give least bother over 5 years, 80k

You have to balance it up but something around 2009 with less than 100k would be where I think the sweet spot is:

I'd be looking for a Mondeo Estate in Titanium X spec they're a(if you can find a 2.2d that's even better) better steer than the Passat just as reliable & will cost less to run:

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

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

The best value for money at the moment are Vauxhall Insignia's especially when you consider age spec & mileage.

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

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

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

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

Or the 2.2d Mazda Sport 70k 2009

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

[wemorgan]

Dolf Stoppard said:

The OP wants a car for five years / 80k miles and is considering used cars which have done between 80k and 200k miles. The cheapest of these cars is c£2k. I suspect he probably doesn't want to spend £5k leasing a car for two years which then leaves him with no budget and no car.

Yes I take the point. I'm not suggesting leasing is cheap - but neither is potentially running a BMW up to 280k. If you look at all the running costs then sometimes a cheap car to buy is not a cheap car to run.

For his budget I think a 2010-12 Mondeo is the best bet.