Comfy commuter for £10k

[Liam876]

Evening chaps,

A relocation from Essex to Scotland and change of jobs means the bikes have had to go and I'm finally growing up and moving to 4 wheels rather than 2.

I've got a budget of around £9k which I could probably push to just under £10k for the right car.

My use case is a 60+ mile round trip for my daily commute. This is mainly fast A roads with a short B road stretch at the end.
My car will also be the "big and sensible" car whilst the other half has her Micra for round town and an urban commute. This means it needs to be able to carry a reasonable amount for the dreaded ikea trips that will follow our house purchase as well as the occasional cross country trek to visit friends and family with luggage on board and room for 2 in the back when we get there. The job i do also means reliability is paramount.

So, I need something that is reliable that will cover miles in quiet comfort and cheaply. I'm not too concerned about performance as long as it's passable and a nice place to be on the longer journeys. I do like my tech, bluetooth, decent DAB stereo and cruise control etc. Parking sensors would probably be a good idea going from a bike to a big car too...

I had my heart set on a Mazda 6 2.2d:
https://www.evanshalshaw.com/search/details/mazda/...

However looking into some of the horror stories of the Mazda diesels dying without warning due to failed DPF regens and diesel being dumped into the sump etc gave me cold feet.

I then started looking at Volvo S60s and found this promising D4 model:
https://www.alistairbuchan.co.uk/used-cars/volvo-s...

Then I look further and find a bunch of similar stories about the D4 VAE and EGR issues. To top that off, plugging the reg into the Volvo service website shows that I'd be looking at a bill for almost a grand for the 5 year service which is due.

I've discounted Insignias entirely based purely on personal bias as Vauxhalls have always seemed to be horribly cheap in the past.
Covid, along with current work commitments, makes test drives a very difficult prospect. I will of course test drive before buying but my previous plan of trying a bunch of cars to narrow my options has really gone out of the window. My only car driving experience to date has been our 0.9l 2017 Micra and a 1.6d fiesta.


Am I being silly not just going with the crowd and picking up a Mondeo?
Does anyone have any suggestions or pointers?
Alternatively am I worrying too much about a vocal minority online and the cars above would in fact be perfectly fine?
I am a fan of them but once I buy this car I'll be stuck with it for at least 4-5 years and money is likely to be tight for that time so I really do need to avoid big bills springing up.

Edited by Liam876 on Thursday 14th January 18:08

[ZX10R NIN]

The Mondeo in Titanium spec is a great pick but they do hold their money well:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202012227...

Or the older model but with a higher spec.

Titanium X Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009143...

Now there are some very good alternatives that'll be reliable & see you right for the next 5 years:

Infiniti Q50 Sport a step up in quality from the Mondeo & with a Mercedes drivetrain these are great value at the moment:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202012227...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101067...

DS5 DStyle 180 this & the 508 are the same car underneath but the DS5 has the nicer interior

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101097...

160

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011065...

508 GT SW 180 great spec & a very good family wagon

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202012076...

[R2x]

A mate of mine done some heavy commuting pre covid with a Mazda 6. He was quite happy with it - comfortable, reliable and decent on motorways.

Alternatives (aside from what has already been said, mondeo titanium is always a good shout), a VW Passat 1.9tdi seems to be a good mile muncher with good reliability.

Edited by R2x on Thursday 14th January 23:03

[CG2020UK]

I think the Mazda 6 is beautiful car!

Great used prices as well with nice specs.

Never drove one but really appealing.

[Wander87]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

I do still love the Mazda 6 and was so close to buying it but the horror stories about the Mazda diesels really put me off. I did ask the garage if they'd be willing to do a check for the issues but they said as there not a Mazda ofgarage they can't without incurring costs so they only do their standard used car checks.

Looks like at the moment the Mondeo Titanium and Passat are front runners, mainly because they're what I can find locally. I think my next step it to try and get a test drive or even just an in the flesh look at both.

edit: same person, different username. Thought the name change would affect old posts but the more you know...

[Tyre Smoke]

Hyundai i40 Touring or it's brother the Kia Optima.

Had my i40 from new 3.5 years ago, just coming up on 170k and drives like a new car still. Best heated seats I've ever sat in, can drive it all day and it's so comfortable. Also has a heated steering wheel.

Routine maintenance only, save for a wheel bearing that was a warranty repair. 45mpg from it's 1.7 diesel.

[Ben Lowden]

Something like an auto 320/330/335d M Sport Touring would be my choice. Appreciate this particular example is a bit over your budget, but does look lovely (minus the M badge...)! www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/11107682

[Wander87]

Looks very nice indeed. Unfortunately I've already pushed the budget once from £8k to £10k so I really have reached the limit of what I'll get away with.

Was leaning towards a Passat but servicing costs have now turned me back toward the Mondeo. Cambelt at 5yrs/60k on the Passats and 10yrs/120k on the Ford.
I've just arranged a test drive for a Mondeo Titanium and will see how that goes.

[culpz]

I'd go for the Mondeo. Good, reliable cars and decent to drive, even in diesel form.

[Brett748]

Auris Hybrid.

They’re superb. They are comfortable, easy to drive, well specced, reliable and staggeringly cheap.

We have just picked one up for my OH and I love it.

It’s totally devoid of any fun driving but we have a C63 for that.

[MrSanti]

Lexus IS fits your bill pretty well. Very comfy, great tech/toys, fast enough that it's still fun and good reliability reported.

[Jamescrs]

Id be looking at Skoda Superb personally.

[samoht]

Liam876 said:

My use case is a 60+ mile round trip for my daily commute. This is mainly fast A roads with a short B road stretch at the end.
...
However looking into some of the horror stories of the Mazda diesels dying without warning due to failed DPF regens and diesel being dumped into the sump etc gave me cold feet.

As you've read, many owners of diesel cars have had pretty bad experiences. Especially when DPFs were initially bodged onto existing engine designs, the compromised setups often couldn't regenerate reliably in the relatively short, stop-start urban trips that many owners did, leading to blocked DPFs and/or fuel/oil dilution and consequent total engine failure.

However, your use case sounds ideal for a diesel - driving 30 miles twice a day, at mostly continuous extra-urban speeds. It's hard to imagine that any DPF would have trouble regenerating under such ideal conditions, engine fully warmed up and working hard for a decent length of time twice a day.

If you're concerned about the pre-existing condition of the engine, I would have thought a warranty - or basic Consumer Rights 'fit for purpose' rules - would cover you if the engine goes pop in the first few months after purchase from a dealer. You could try and check if the oil is showing any signs of dilution, I suppose; possibly try and get the car taken to a Mazda dealer / specialist to check?

Overall it seems to me that your usage means you're very unlikely to run into the DPF problems that have affected other diesel drivers, while you'll benefit from the torque and economy of a diesel, so I'm inclined to think you may as well go for the Mazda you like.