Cheapest car to buy & run for 6 months and 500 miles a week?

[w00tman]

Morning all.

A job opportunity means I need to start driving daily myself, rather than borrowing the wife's car as-and-when. It's a 6 month job, and will mean a commute of 500 miles a week.

Given the short timescale (it's going to be a fixed contract) I'd rather run something and be able to sell it again at the end of the 6 months, and go back to cycling.

What should I be looking for? I'm thinking something relatively small/hatchback sized, probably diesel, but I've never had to commute before so not sure the sweet spot.

thanks!

[stevemcs]

£400 1.8 Mondeo with at least 9 months mot with decent tyres, run it for 6 months then sell it.

[nuttywobbler]

£300 Nissan Almera petrol. Like cockroaches. Just run and run. Change oil every 20k miles if you can be bothered, no bother if not.

[Wacky Racer]

My son has had a 2005 Kia Picanto since 2008, bought with 30,000 miles for £3500, now worth £300, on 130,000 miles...runs like clockwork.

He commutes 45 miles each way.

Only had battery, brakes etc, never let him down once.

[ZX10R NIN]

Nissan Primera

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

2.0hdi 206 Sport

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

1.9d 8v Alfa 147

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

[Digby]

I would probably just get a Yaris.

[GreatGranny]

For 500 miles a week I would avoid a Yaris sized car.

Yes obviously it can be done but personally I would want a little bit more refinement and power.

You can't go wrong with a Civic IMO.

Example:

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

Decent kit, enough poke, comfortable and pretty refined.

There's loads below a grand with sensible mileage.

[ElectricSoup]

Octavia/Leon/Golf 1.9 TDI PD.

[p4cks]

ElectricSoup said:

Octavia/Leon/Golf 1.9 TDI PD.

This. There's a very good reason why about 60% of minicabs are these

[vtecyo]

K11 Micra.

You may be quite miserable though.

Primera of the same era worth a go if you can find one. As is an Avensis. Any late 90s Japanese boring saloon really.

[superlightr]

nuttywobbler said:

£300 Nissan Almera petrol. Like cockroaches. Just run and run. Change oil every 20k miles if you can be bothered, no bother if not.

yep I would go with this, We had an Almera from new like 20 years ago ! its still going -we cant kill it. Father in law has it now.

[Pat H]

vtecyo said:

K11 Micra.

You may be quite miserable though.

K11s are fantastic.

But most are rusty.

And by modern standards, expensive to tax. And not so good on fuel.

Pains me to say it, but an Aygo/C1 would be cheaper to buy and run.

500 miles in a week might be a bit hard going in a little car.

Look for a Mk2 Focus diesel, preferably the 1.6 or 2.0, rather than the old 1.8.

They are comfortable, well built, reliable, cheap to fix, good on fuel and often have heated front screens, which are great.

The 2.0 diesel has a 6 speed box too.

[ElectricSoup]

These:

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...

[gman88667733]

I'd love another Octavia mk2 as the 1.9 engine is fantastic. My last one was a DSG which was shockingly bad (IMO) and all the big ticket items went wrong in too short a time frame. Had it been a manual, i'd have kept it.

They seem to command strong money for high mileage ones (150k+ for £1500+) so I am reluctant to commit to that given the big bill potential....

Which MK2 Focus is recommended? I had one as a loan car, not sure which diesel engine it was and it was awful, no torque at all and the trip meter never went over 35mpg... Nice place to sit in though.

[Pat H]

gman88667733 said:

Which MK2 Focus is recommended? I had one as a loan car, not sure which diesel engine it was and it was awful, no torque at all and the trip meter never went over 35mpg... Nice place to sit in though.

Can only speak for mine, which has the Peugeot 2.0 16v motor.

Averages over 45mpg around town and has cracked 62mpg on a long motorway run.

Produces 136bhp, so sufficient for most purposes. Will pull indicated 125mph on the autobahn.

For a long time the 1.8 diesel was the old single cam Ford engine, which was a bit of a blunt instrument. I had the non turbo version of the 1.8D in a Mk5 Escort. It was a very clattery old thing that produced bugger all power, but was economical and reliable.

The Peugeot motors are a lot better.

[VR99]

Does the 136 bhp diesel in the MK2 focus take well to short stop start journeys or is it DPF issue prone like many other diesels?

[stevemcs]

VR99 said:

Does the 136 bhp diesel in the MK2 focus take well to short stop start journeys or is it DPF issue prone like many other diesels?

Not usually

And avoid the 1.6 diesel in anything that has the PSA lump.

[Pat H]

VR99 said:

Does the 136 bhp diesel in the MK2 focus take well to short stop start journeys or is it DPF issue prone like many other diesels?

Dunno.

I've done 170,000 problem free miles in mine, but as a 2006 built car it just predates having a DPF.

Mine just has the EGR system to worry about, but that only takes a couple of minutes with a 10mm socket to dispatch.

[nobrakes]

stevemcs said:

£400 1.8 Mondeo with at least 9 months mot with decent tyres, run it for 6 months then sell it.

^ this.

Buy on condition. Don’t be fussy about auto or manual or anything tbh.

I wouldn’t buy anything too small for those miles, and I wouldn’t get hung up on mpg as condition will govern overall cost.

A good condition larger engine will be cheaper overall than a micro car that’s shagged and you have to wring it’s neck to go anywhere or get out of junctions safely.

Edited by nobrakes on Tuesday 3rd December 16:25

[w00tman]

I never came back to say thanks for the replies - so, thanks for the replies!

Waiting to hear back about the contract, but 6 month snotter is going to be the plan.