Advice for a noob soon to be commuting 120ish miles a day...

[Mikey2312]

VAGLover said:

Mikey2312 said:

Hi all,

First post but have followed PistonHeads for many years for advice and thought now would be a good time to join as a member.. I work for a company that is currently based close to my home address however come November we will be moving to Harwich around 60 miles away (one way) and due to the nature of my work I'll be doing this 120 mile drive 14 days out of a month roughly.

I knew this when I took the job and bought a little 1.6 TDCI fiesta for economy.. so far.. it has proven to be a good little car in light of all the bad things I had previously read. The fiesta is returning on average of 65mpg to/from Harwich which is great but the deal breaker for me is the comfort.. it's like sitting on a bench seat and at the end of the journey I feel like I let Mike Tyson in his prime use my spine as a punch bag, you don't normally test drive a car for 60 miles so I didn't really know just how uncomfortable it can be until it was too late...

So.. here lies the needed help.. I'm looking to part ways with the fiesta in the coming months and add a little cash to my budget, aiming to be around £3,500ish maybe £4,000 for the right car.

I have been looking at loads of various cars such as a 320d, Volvo C30 1.6D, Alfa Romeo Mito/Julietta, Mondeo 1.8/2.0 TDCI, Ford Focus 1.8 TDCI, Jag X-type, VW Golf... the list goes on however as with all forums, every car seems to have 'nothing but issues' now, granted, people only normally go on forums to report problems but each one has left me with a knock of confidence in following up on a purchase.

My key points I'm looking for are:

1) Comfort (first and foremost)
2) Reliability (I know with my budget I'll inevitably see issues at some point but I really don't want to be spending ALL my off shift watching my car being torn to pieces in a garage)
3) Economy (I know I won't see fiesta economy but high 40s - high 50s would be nice)
4) Gadgets (I'm happy to install a parrot kit but ideally looking for something that is nice to sit in)
5) Space (I carry a bit of kit for my job and it just fits in the fiesta so need an 'ok' sized boot)

I appreciate these types of questions have been flogged to death and to be honest I've spent a few days reading through them but I thought it's worth asking myself personally.

Apologies for the long intro, look forward to speaking with you all

Has your company ever heard of flexible working?
A mobile and webex account and off you go

That would be an easier option but I work offshore and sail out from Harwich, work 14 days out of a month so I dont think it can get anymore flexible 😉

[Mikey2312]

oldcynic said:

I'd rather be in the 5 cylinder Volvo than the 4 cylinder Skoda any day. The S40 that the OP linked to looks lovely but the excessive capitals in the advert would put me off. MoT history is consistent with mileage and googling the trader's name doesn't immediately ring alarm bells, so maybe I should tolerate the capitals after all...

The only thing I found when doing an MoT history check is there are a few advisories that will need looking at... wonder if that would help negotiating a price

[Mikey2312]

So I think I'm going to go with an S40 with either a 2.0D engine or 2.4 D5 looking for SE R Design..

Is there a substantial difference in mpg between the 2.0 and 2.4?

Im looking at the one I posted previously, should I be conerned about 90,000 miles?

[Mikey2312]

PartOfTheProblem said:

If its any assistance, I bought a V70 D5 2005 yesterday and I can't think of anything better to soak up the miles in.

Excellent S60s/V70s are available for £1500 - £3000 ish, why not forget about the centre console and smoke around in one for a bit?

Do you have any pics of yours just out of curiosity?

Ive just joined the volvo forum so I think a volvo is happening I just need to figure out which one... how are the V50's? I'm thinking either an S40 in 2.0D or D5, S60 or V50 in 2.0D or D5... a 2.0D high spec S40 or V50 seem very easy to come by.. D5's are proving a tad more harder

[Mikey2312]

So I've found a 2005 S60 D5 manual SE with 97000 miles on it. Full black leather interior and full service history with the timing belt being replaced at the previous service and two owners, also has the HU850 sound system I've heard so many good things about..

Guy is looking for £2,700 for it.. does that sound like a good deal? I'm thinking I might be able to get him down to £2,500 and either trade my fiesta in or go back through the multiple enquiries I've had and accept the first offer..

Seems like a good little find to be honest so do I jump on this or hold out for an S40 D5?

[Mikey2312]

Bonefish Blues said:

EFA, IMHO

It will likely be needing suspension work by that mileage, so look at MOT history and service record for evidence it's been done, and listen for knocking F&R, but at 2.5, if it's a good one, it's a decent buy that will serve you well.

This is the car in question... few issues over the years with the MOTs but look to be sorted. Spoke to the garage and they said they will service and MOT the car and any advisories that come up they will sort. Also get a 6 month warranty. It's a little family owned garage and the guy, surprisingly, sounds pretty decent.

http://www.topgeargarage.co.uk/cars/volvo-s60-2-4-...

[Mikey2312]

Super Slo Mo said:

97k is nothing. I stripped the engine on mine when I blew it up (not the engines fault by the way), and it was like new inside, with 186000 on the clock.
Suspension can wear but mine was still reasonably ok.
I don't know how people average 49 mpg in them though, mine did 44 over about 45000 miles, best I ever got was a single 500 mile, motorway only trip at 70 mph on cruise, it just broke the 50 mpg barrier. I mostly drove at 70 on the motorway, rarely any faster.
It was a 2002 V70 manual (163, 5 speed).
Some parts can be quite pricey, that's the only downside.

So even an S40 D5 with similar mileage shouldn't be too troublesome? Is there much weight difference between the V70 and S60 as I wonder if that might contribute to the difference in mpg?

Are there any regular service parts that are pricey? The mot history is showing a common denominator being the bushes

[Mikey2312]

Bonefish Blues said:

Hutton Bros are a well known Indy - I'd give them a call as they've seen the car for the last few years.I'm assuming it's a Euro 3, too, which is nice - in fact exactly the spec everyone's after, and what I recommended.

A wheel refurb incl and a 2.5K haggle with a service and warranty and you're sorted, I'd say!

I was a little reluctant to post the ad up as I know it can be hard to come by these.. I'll give them a call and see what they have to say. Might be onto a winner here

[Mikey2312]

Very nice lady at Hutton Brothers.. They had the car previously and sold it to a customer in 2015 with nothing serious recorded. Been serviced with them alongside MOTs and last service they advised brake fluid will need changing at the next service and tyres were feather on the outer rim but other than that it is fine.

Explained about my interest and she said she had seen the price it was up for and thinks it would be negotiable but either way is still fairly good for a car of that age.

She did even say that bushes on the heavier cars such as S60/80 and V70 are a common thing and nothing to worry about.

My driving will primarily be A roads with approx. 8 roundabouts (done the journey so much I could drive it blind) and then about 35 minutes on some backroads to work however the final stretch is a route regularly used by HGV's coming off the docks so it is a bit battered and can be a bit bumpy

[Mikey2312]

loskie said:

I got a calculated 50mpg out of my 2009 V50d. Owned from new till 138000m. Mostly driven on rural roads.

Was that a D5 or 2.0?

[Mikey2312]

tonyvid said:

What are you waiting for? It's the exact model and spec everyone is saying look for and "only" £2700, Try it and grab it if you like it before it goes elsewhere! If you don't like it after the winter, easily sell it on and start again.

I do agree BUT I'm still torn about the S40 D5... I'll phone about the S60 tomorrow and see what his best price is and what he would do for mine... it is 5 hours away so a bit of a treck to get there and realise it isnt for me!

The main point is.. is the price reasonable for age, mileage, etc

[Mikey2312]

Jumping the gun a little bit but need to ask... do S60's have any capability of bluetooth or aux for phones? Just thinking if I go get it then it's a long 5 hour journey listening to the radio

[Mikey2312]

Super Slo Mo said:

I don’t think so, but you could probably get a parrot fitted for not too much money.

Ahh st... another question, how easy is it to remove a towbar? I have never needed one so dont know how they are attached nor will I ever need one

[Mikey2312]

Bonefish Blues said:

oldcynic said:

That S60 looks like exactly what you need, although I've no idea on pricing. My personal feeling is that £2700 is ambitious for a 12 year old car but it's all down to what the market will pay.

People have cottoned onto the car in that very specific spec, so good ones do command a premium.

Is the car worth it?? I'm seriously on the fence here with whether to go for the S60 or dig a little deeper in the pocket and go S40 or mondeo

[Mikey2312]

Bonefish Blues said:

If a good one, yes, all day long. There's a depth of quality that's not present in the newer iterations.

Seems our move to Harwich may be brought forward so think I need to move on this a) before that happens and b) before it gets snatched up... i'll make the call tomorrow and report back... what is a fair but reasonable offer to make.. some people have already mentioned that it maybe a little overpriced

[Mikey2312]

Bonefish Blues said:

...would be a good outcome. I'd say, given they've said they will MOT and fix any advisories IIRC.

I agree, a wheel refurb would be nice however I have been eyeing up some R-Design wheels to make it look a little more 'pretty' haha I know the ride will be a little harsher but I think it will be worth it!

I'll drop them an email with details of mine for trade in and see if they come back to me

[Mikey2312]

Email sent... requested a quote for part ex on mine and asked if he'll take £2,400 for the car including service, MOT, 6 month warranty, 12 month breakdown and any issues to be sorted.

Mentioned the wheels but didn't ask for refurb, to be fair I know a guy who can do them for me on the cheap and his quality of work is very very good but if he accepts then I'll aim to pick it up late next week as I'm away for work.. I'm actually in Wales on a course so it has crossed my mind to drive to York, drop the hire car off and pick the S60 up then drive home with it...

[Mikey2312]

So update on this... I decided against the S60 in the end... I think you've got to like a car to want to own it and I'm just not 100%.. if there's doubt then there's no doubt!

Im swaying back towards a C30 or S40 and went and looked at a 2008 (58) C30 D5 today with all the extras, really good little car and I'm starting to think if I run out of boot space I'll just drop the back seats.

I'm enquiring to see what I can get the price down to and if we can agree I think i'll go for it as it is only 11 miles from where we live.

If I see an S40 D5 in the mean time with similar spec then I will probably jump on it but they seem to be hard to come by!

On a side note I've got a lot of like for the 2007+ S80 which I think will be next for me but funds cant stretch that far at the minute

[Mikey2312]

PartOfTheProblem said:

Mikey2312 said:

So update on this... I decided against the S60 in the end... I think you've got to like a car to want to own it and I'm just not 100%.. if there's doubt then there's no doubt!

Im swaying back towards a C30 or S40 and went and looked at a 2008 (58) C30 D5 today with all the extras, really good little car and I'm starting to think if I run out of boot space I'll just drop the back seats.

I'm enquiring to see what I can get the price down to and if we can agree I think i'll go for it as it is only 11 miles from where we live.

If I see an S40 D5 in the mean time with similar spec then I will probably jump on it but they seem to be hard to come by!

On a side note I've got a lot of like for the 2007+ S80 which I think will be next for me but funds cant stretch that far at the minute

Sounds like the right decision for you for sure. I know what you mean too, I'd love either of those cars but both out of budget for me at the moment. For now I'm happy with my beige estate

Yea it's a little overpriced I think but its an R design SE sport and has everything except a coffee maker! We've provisionally agreed on £500 less than the asking price including a 6 month warranty and its from a garage with a very good rep which is rare!! Hopefully it doesnt let me down!

[Mikey2312]

So here is the car in question... cant wait to get home to go pick it up already!!!!