What car ... £1.5k frugal motorway transport
Discussion
I've reluctantly come to the decision that my initial thoughts of MX-5s and Clio 172s aren't really suitable for what I need currently. In the next six months or so I'm going to be moving house, setting up my wedding on the other side of the country and commuting long distance on and off.
I'm leaning towards a diesel as I will be doing lots of long motorway trips. Money is quite tight, so certainly on the basis of mpg/£ per litre it would appear to make sense, but I'm aware of the potential for mechanical issues with DMFs and the like. That said, I'll probably only keep the car for around six months until I'm settled in the new place, so it doesn't need to last forever. I suppose I'm looking for 40+ mpg if it's petrol and 50+ mpg if it's diesel (on the motorway).
A full size estate would be handy for the move, but I'm not sure how much benefit it would really provide over a hatchback saloon of the same size? It's not as if a Mondeo or even an Octavia hatch with the seats folded is exactly short of space.
And while running costs, comfort and space are the priorities, something vaguely respectable to drive by repmobile standards would be a bonus.
Thoughts so far:
Mondeo of some description - my budget should get an early mk3 (square shape) one - possibly the TDCi 130 or one of the petrols
Mk1 Focus Estate 1.8 TDCi - just in budget, lots of tales of mechanical woe
Mk1 Focus Estate 1.8 TDi - cheaper, but the older engine is supposed to be a bit agricultural
Peugeot 306 HDi 110 estate - decent chassis and engine plus good value as far as I can see, reliability?
Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDI - perhaps a tiny bit dull, but seems well regarded, even the hatch has a big boot from memory?
VW Golf 1.9 TDI estate - as above but slightly more expensive presumably!
Rover 75 CDT Tourer - well regarded BMW diesel engine and I like the fact it's a bit different
I'm leaning towards a diesel as I will be doing lots of long motorway trips. Money is quite tight, so certainly on the basis of mpg/£ per litre it would appear to make sense, but I'm aware of the potential for mechanical issues with DMFs and the like. That said, I'll probably only keep the car for around six months until I'm settled in the new place, so it doesn't need to last forever. I suppose I'm looking for 40+ mpg if it's petrol and 50+ mpg if it's diesel (on the motorway).
A full size estate would be handy for the move, but I'm not sure how much benefit it would really provide over a hatchback saloon of the same size? It's not as if a Mondeo or even an Octavia hatch with the seats folded is exactly short of space.
And while running costs, comfort and space are the priorities, something vaguely respectable to drive by repmobile standards would be a bonus.
Thoughts so far:
Mondeo of some description - my budget should get an early mk3 (square shape) one - possibly the TDCi 130 or one of the petrols
Mk1 Focus Estate 1.8 TDCi - just in budget, lots of tales of mechanical woe
Mk1 Focus Estate 1.8 TDi - cheaper, but the older engine is supposed to be a bit agricultural
Peugeot 306 HDi 110 estate - decent chassis and engine plus good value as far as I can see, reliability?
Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDI - perhaps a tiny bit dull, but seems well regarded, even the hatch has a big boot from memory?
VW Golf 1.9 TDI estate - as above but slightly more expensive presumably!
Rover 75 CDT Tourer - well regarded BMW diesel engine and I like the fact it's a bit different
what he said.
FWIW i'd avoid the fords, as they are pretty crap in most respects. the focus is nothing like as good as hype sugests, but no one wants to stand up and say 'its rubbish' for fear of standing out from the crowd. but it is. the TDCi is agricultural, the old tdi is like a sledgehammer hitting a compressor tank, just unbearable.
FWIW i'd avoid the fords, as they are pretty crap in most respects. the focus is nothing like as good as hype sugests, but no one wants to stand up and say 'its rubbish' for fear of standing out from the crowd. but it is. the TDCi is agricultural, the old tdi is like a sledgehammer hitting a compressor tank, just unbearable.
philoldsmobile said:
what he said.
FWIW i'd avoid the fords, as they are pretty crap in most respects. the focus is nothing like as good as hype sugests, but no one wants to stand up and say 'its rubbish' for fear of standing out from the crowd. but it is. the TDCi is agricultural, the old tdi is like a sledgehammer hitting a compressor tank, just unbearable.
I have a mk1 focus (tdi i think)FWIW i'd avoid the fords, as they are pretty crap in most respects. the focus is nothing like as good as hype sugests, but no one wants to stand up and say 'its rubbish' for fear of standing out from the crowd. but it is. the TDCi is agricultural, the old tdi is like a sledgehammer hitting a compressor tank, just unbearable.
Cant complain about it realy as a first car. Beats my driving instructers 1.2 corsa.
Slow said:
I have a mk1 focus (tdi i think)
Cant complain about it realy as a first car. Beats my driving instructers 1.2 corsa.
its a fair point, but with no prior experience its hard to benchmark anything really. I've had the benefit of having driven a massive selection of cars, there are some real surprises out there. Its also often the case that some well reviewed cars do get good reviews simply because everyone else gives them good reviews. the press can be a real bunch of sheep.Cant complain about it realy as a first car. Beats my driving instructers 1.2 corsa.
philoldsmobile said:
what he said.
FWIW i'd avoid the fords, as they are pretty crap in most respects. the focus is nothing like as good as hype sugests, but no one wants to stand up and say 'its rubbish' for fear of standing out from the crowd. but it is. the TDCi is agricultural, the old tdi is like a sledgehammer hitting a compressor tank, just unbearable.
I am getting that impression when it comes to the Focus, although I don't have any experience of the diesels of that age.FWIW i'd avoid the fords, as they are pretty crap in most respects. the focus is nothing like as good as hype sugests, but no one wants to stand up and say 'its rubbish' for fear of standing out from the crowd. but it is. the TDCi is agricultural, the old tdi is like a sledgehammer hitting a compressor tank, just unbearable.
That said, the Mondeo TDCi 130 is a good engine from memory. Ages since I've driven one, though.
Chris71 said:
I am getting that impression when it comes to the Focus, although I don't have any experience of the diesels of that age.
That said, the Mondeo TDCi 130 is a good engine from memory. Ages since I've driven one, though.
the mondeo tdci 130 is the best of the ford diesels, but the pug HDi's are in a completely different world. a 406 hdi would be a better vehicle.That said, the Mondeo TDCi 130 is a good engine from memory. Ages since I've driven one, though.
philoldsmobile said:
Chris71 said:
I am getting that impression when it comes to the Focus, although I don't have any experience of the diesels of that age.
That said, the Mondeo TDCi 130 is a good engine from memory. Ages since I've driven one, though.
the mondeo tdci 130 is the best of the ford diesels, but the pug HDi's are in a completely different world. a 406 hdi would be a better vehicle.That said, the Mondeo TDCi 130 is a good engine from memory. Ages since I've driven one, though.
philoldsmobile said:
MJK 24 said:
Passat 1.9 TDI. Avoid the 'Golf tax' and they're often in better nick than an equivalent age Golf as young people have little interest in them. Use this to your advantage.
same is true of the bora, same car as the golf, but far easier to find a good one, and cheaper.philoldsmobile said:
bora is saloon only, its just a saloon variant of the golf.
Thought that might be the case. To be honest, of the VAG offerings an Octavia estate would probably suit best.An S60 D5 is a possibility, presume that would be somewhat more costly to run than a VAG 1.9 or a PSA HDi engine, though?
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff