Reliable ULEZ compliant

[HJG]

Anything over 40 years old

[TCX]

DB1234 said:

Hi Guys,

Looking for a reliable petrol engine, commuting around 1000 miles a week needs to be petrol due to ULEZ.

I was looking at the ford fiesta 1.0 ecoboost but being a 1 litre and most of my travelling being done on motorways I don't think this is practical.

So looking at either a MK2/2.5 focus 1.8 or Mazda 3 1.6 MK2.

Can anyone comment on reliability for these engines are recommend any other good petrol engine.

Surely with that amount of mileage a ulez compliant diesel be better, currently doing similar mileage my self,but in non ulez compliant diesel,just goes onto expenses

[DB1234]

TCX said:

DB1234 said:

Hi Guys,

Looking for a reliable petrol engine, commuting around 1000 miles a week needs to be petrol due to ULEZ.

I was looking at the ford fiesta 1.0 ecoboost but being a 1 litre and most of my travelling being done on motorways I don't think this is practical.

So looking at either a MK2/2.5 focus 1.8 or Mazda 3 1.6 MK2.

Can anyone comment on reliability for these engines are recommend any other good petrol engine.

Surely with that amount of mileage a ulez compliant diesel be better, currently doing similar mileage my self,but in non ulez compliant diesel,just goes onto expenses

Only issue is I don't see the point in spending more money on a newer car to just run it into the ground as for a ULEZ compliant diesel.

[georgeyboy12345]

What is your budget?

[DB1234]

georgeyboy12345 said:

What is your budget?

Around 5/6k

[plenty]

Last week I helped my friend purchase a facelift Mazda 3 (previous gen), 59 plate, 48k miles, 2.0 auto for £5,500. It needed two new tyres, wheel refurb and a few dents sorting for a total spend of £6k.

If you don't need an auto you have much wider choice and prices are much lower. 1.6 pre-facelifts on 56 to 09 plates with 80k miles are advertised for £2k. Reckon one of these should be pretty reliable even at 12-15 years old.

[DB1234]

Thank you very much, I'll keep a look out

[DB1234]

Thank you very much, I'll keep a look out

[ZX10R NIN]

DB1234 said:

Only issue is I don't see the point in spending more money on a newer car to just run it into the ground as for a ULEZ compliant diesel.

Here's the thing you don't have to spend a lot more money (£1000 before negotiating) to get a ULEZ compliant diesel just look for an Infiniti with a 3.0d engine they're ULEZ/CAZ compliant & it'll be a very comfortable place to while away a 1000 miles a week.

M30d:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202203203...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234424920836?hash=item3...

Or an Infiniti Q50 which uses the same drivetrain as a C220d:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202203163...

All the above are diesel & ULEZ compliant.

[georgeyboy12345]

Honestly if you are doing over 50,000 miles a year, you should probably get a diesel. These are all ULEZ compliant and will be reliable so long as you maintain them as required - this means changing the oil at least every 10,000 miles and cambelts, etc when due.

BMW 320d ED - seen these for sale with over 250,000 miles on them, so you should have another 2-3 years of use out of it
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202203213...


Hyundai i30 1.6 CRDI - I was in one of these last year that was being used as a taxi, it had 240k on the clock and the taxi driver said he had one previous that did 500k before he scrapped it, and he swore that changing the oil every 7k was his secret
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201131...


Peugeot 308 1.6 HDi
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108106...


Vauxhall Astra 1.6 CDTi EcoFlex
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202203253...


Renault Megane 1.5 dCi
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202232...

Edited by georgeyboy12345 on Tuesday 29th March 22:33

[Canon_Fodder]

That Megane looks good... Nice smooth engine and comfy seats

[GreatGranny]

C4

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202232...

Skoda Rapid

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112070...

If you really want a petrol you can't go wrong with a Toyota

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112110...

or a Honda

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109257...

[DB1234]

I have one across the Lexus RX 400h and rx450h which are hybrids and meant to be bullet proof and as reliable as you can get.

Anyone got any feedback regarding these?

[GreatGranny]

Why go for a 14 year old SUV that will probably only do 35 mpg and £305 tax when you can buy a much newer diesel/petrol hatch which will do an easy 40+ mpg?

[DB1234]

GreatGranny said:

Why go for a 14 year old SUV that will probably only do 35 mpg and £305 tax when you can buy a much newer diesel/petrol hatch which will do an easy 40+ mpg?

Trouble is newer cars aren't built like they used to be, doing 180 miles a day will certainly take its toll on a smaller newer engine surely?

People seem to be able to run them rx400h up too several hundred thousand miles without any issues at all from what I've read.

[georgeyboy12345]

DB1234 said:

I have one across the Lexus RX 400h and rx450h which are hybrids and meant to be bullet proof and as reliable as you can get.

Anyone got any feedback regarding these?

What kind of driving are you doing? City or motorways? I would imagine mainly motorway driving if you are doing 1000 miles a week. Hybrids like these Lexuses are not as good on the motorway, you’ll get much better fuel economy with a diesel. Also, you mentioned the 1.0 Ecoboost Fiestas in your OP, they won’t be bad on the motorway, but you need to bear in mind they will need a £1000 cambelt change at 10 years or 150,000 miles.

As I mentioned before - get a diesel.

[georgeyboy12345]

DB1234 said:

GreatGranny said:

Why go for a 14 year old SUV that will probably only do 35 mpg and £305 tax when you can buy a much newer diesel/petrol hatch which will do an easy 40+ mpg?

Trouble is newer cars aren't built like they used to be, doing 180 miles a day will certainly take its toll on a smaller newer engine surely?

People seem to be able to run them rx400h up too several hundred thousand miles without any issues at all from what I've read.

Nonsense, some cars built in the last 5-10 years are miles more reliable than cars built 15-20 years ago. It realy does depend on the car - some have specific design flaws, but I’d say overall reliability has increased in recent years.

[ZX10R NIN]

DB1234 said:

Trouble is newer cars aren't built like they used to be, doing 180 miles a day will certainly take its toll on a smaller newer engine surely?

People seem to be able to run them rx400h up too several hundred thousand miles without any issues at all from what I've read.

If you go for the ULEZ compliant 3.0d's I listed earlier they're the perfect tool to do 180 miles a day in also hybrids aren't at they're best (fuel wise) at motorway speeds.

[campionissimo]

Don't rule out the Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost, we've got one, a 67 plate, supremely comfortable on the motorway at or possibly above 70mph. Very quiet and smooth.

Mix of round town and very infrequent longer runs give 47mpg average.