VW golf - which is the most economical..

[ugene425]

Hello readers,

I will be averaging driving about 15-17k miles annually and thinking of getting a 'workhorse' that is cheap to run/maintain but does the job for a few years (then perhaps I might upgrade car). It will just be myself driving the vehicle most of the time. My wife might take it for a spin to the shops/supermarket come the weekend but that is about it.

Budget around £5-7.5k, looking at a diesel engine. Mostly short journeys sub 5-7 miles, but there will be two journeys daily of 14 miles.

There are so many golfs for sale and wondering what is the best engine to go for? I appreciate I am sacrificing performance I know but it'll need to do 60-70mph when I go on the motorway. I owned a W reg. mk4 petrol 1.6 which was a great little run around back in the day (and never went wrong). Given my above mileage, I think a diesel engine is better suited and will save me money over the 2-3 years of owning this car. It will do more miles to a full tank over a petrol I think/hope!

I was thinking of a Bluemotion golf but they seem to have a higher price tag than a standard tdi. I recall the mk 4 gti tdi was a fun yet economical car to drive. 150 bhp with loads of torque, which meant it felt faster than it actually was. What would be the equivalent engine now for my budget? These cars seem very rare to find and they are approx. 20 years old now. Equivalent of a mk5 or maybe mk 6?

Yes I was looking at spending £15k and getting a gti. I realised I would lose a lot of money and also I feel it is a waste of my money to spend that much. Reduce the budget to the above, and get something more 'practical' for now!

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, and looking forward to hearing your thoughts/comments.

[88LG]

Would doing 5-7 miles journeys not be better suited to a petrol. If you’re doing short journeys in a diesel surely there’s potential for dpf and EGR issues?

[ugene425]

88LG said:

Would doing 5-7 miles journeys not be better suited to a petrol. If you’re doing short journeys in a diesel surely there’s potential for dpf and EGR issues?

Yes true, but also I will be doing 2 x 14 mile journeys daily as well. Also the reason I was leaning towards diesel is because I could get more miles to a full tank, cheaper motoring.

[keo]

It would take a diesel around 10 miles just to get warm so you can get your money saving mpg I’d imagine.

Get a petrol it will be more efficient on the short journeys that you say you will be doing. Block a dpf on a diesel and that will be about £1000. Expensive egr as well as previously mentioned.

[88LG]

Even with 14 mile journeys, it’s only 4 miles where the car will be efficient.

Yes there’s more choice of diesels, but there’s also the potential for bigger bills with (as I mentioned) dpf and EGR issues.

Why not an older GTI?

2013 Bluemotion
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011176...

2009 GTI
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101158...

Edited by 88LG on Saturday 16th January 11:07

[stevemcs]

You need a VW Up for that trip, or a Fiat 500 1.2. A diesel isn't going to get warm enough to start being efficient, add in that its going to be at the time of life where bits will need to be replaced.

[p4cks]

A diesel is going to be trouble with that mileage. The poster above suggests an Up!, which is a very good shout.

If you want a frugal petrol then see if you can get into a 2013+ model year 1.4 SEAT Leon. Great little engine

[ZX10R NIN]

Your numbers don't add up to 15k? You're actually looking at less then 10 if you're doing the 32 miles a day.

If you are doing 15k a year then, go for a loaded Focus (a better steer & just as nice a place to be as the Golf) it'll be as economical.

If you want a really economical diesel then take a look at the DS5 diesel hybrid:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007221...

[Drive Blind]

short journeys and a £7K budget, I'd be looking at mk3 petrol Leons.

The desirable 1.4 FR's might be beyond your budget but you'll find SE spec cars with the tech pack. This 1.2 SE also has the auto lights, wipers and dimming rear mirror option.