120 Miles Daily Commute - Which Car

[c001lh202]

Due to change of job, I am having to drive (from currently less than 5 miles daily to) about 125 mile return commute.

I currently own an i10 and it is obviously not fit/safe for such long distance commute.
I will be doing almost 2500 miles a month, so looking for diesel which is also comfortable as I will end up spending almost 3 hours in car everyday.

Browsing through this forum and web, Volvo S60 D5 and Honda Civic/Accord - 2.2 CTDi is in my short list.

Any other suggestions and advice?

[wemorgan]

budget?

[nomis88]

Really need a budget?

I have a BMW 318d e90 shape for a 100 mile a day commute and I think it's great. It does 55+mpg on a motorway run. On my A road commute with lots of roundabouts it does about 48ish.

The only problem with it is every other person on the commute seems to have one!

[eltax91]

Budget? Given you are looking at S60, then a 525/530d would work.

For this exact job for me for 4 years, commuting up and down the m1, I spent 2-3k on a TDi Octavia. Get one with the older 110 or pd130 engines and it'll be bomb proof

[CDP]

XJ6 or S-Type diesel? That way you arrive at your destination unruffled.

[Schermerhorn]

Any 1.9 tdi VAG

[AntiguaBill]

The missus commutes 160miles a day in a fiat 500 diesel, it does 70mpg in summer and she loves it.

[SystemParanoia]

continental GT

[c001lh202]

Wow...so many replies..so quickly...I am impressed.

Budget would be upto £5k, but looking for trouble free motoring

[wemorgan]

The Civic 2.2 is a decent car and engine. A nice balance of performance, economy, reliability.
The early Accord with the same 2.2 engine only has a 5-sp (Civic has 6-sp), so suffers a bit on economy.

[Aeroresh]

Ive been doing a similar commute on and off for the last 20 years and the main thing Ive leaned is that unless you are using brand new cars (which you'll kill in value pretty quickly), you'll need something super reliable and really be on top of routine maintenance.

Its also advisable to have a back up vehicle when it does eventually break.

S60 d5 is a good call but Ive gone for an alternative fuel route with an lpg converted Subaru Legacy 3.0r.

One of the best kept secrets with 245bhp and the equivelant of 45mpg average.....brilliant!

[c001lh202]

Any thoughts on this? - S60 for £3k

[drivin_me_nuts]

Buy the car with the most comfortable seat that suits your body shape. Make sure it has decent lumber support and that it supports all of your back and shoulders. Other than obvious issues of reliability fuel choice etc, nothing else comes close to this first need.

[CDP]

drivin_me_nuts said:

Buy the car with the most comfortable seat that suits your body shape. Make sure it has decent lumber support and that it supports all of your back and shoulders. Other than obvious issues of reliability fuel choice etc, nothing else comes close to this first need.

Yes, seat comfort is the most important criterion by a long way. You'll be sitting in it for two hours a day.

[MrC986]

I'm just in the same situation & bought a late 03 Saab 9-5 2.2 tid estate with 100k miles, FSH & 1yrs MOT for under £2.5k. l have had it 3 weeks & it is averaging 43mpg. IMHO l wouldn't spend all of the self imposed budget OP.

You could also consider if you want to waft along, a Merc E220 cdi? Good luck & Volvo V70s/S60s are great....l have a V70 with 187k miles!

[Deerfoot]

Schermerhorn said:

Any 1.9 tdi VAG

I used to do a 100 mile round trip commute in a Polo GT 130. It returned 50+mph easily.

The seats were comfortable enough but it wasn't the quietest thing in which to spend 2 hours a day.

I'd be looking at a PD130 Passat / Superb it I had to choose again.

[sjf2020]

Would you consider leasing? Plenty of good deals around for some nice wafting along wheels!

[c001lh202]

sjf2020 said:

Would you consider leasing? Plenty of good deals around for some nice wafting along wheels!

This long commute is only for first 6 months, so provided I can get a short term lease (6 month or lower) I can and employer is willing to compensate one way or other.

Can you share any details of short term lease, I have never leased a car before so no idea.
Also I am not sure a lease would be feasible given that I will cover 2500 miles a month.

[andy-xr]

I'd stick with the i10. You're looking at 30k a year - any older car is going to take a beating doing it and will cost you in repairs. The average economy of the i10 is what, 55mpg? You'll struggle to get a 2.0 diesel to do that to be honest. Fit it out with a decent headunit, an iPod classic and a cushion

[c001lh202]

andy-xr said:

I'd stick with the i10. You're looking at 30k a year - any older car is going to take a beating doing it and will cost you in repairs. The average economy of the i10 is what, 55mpg? You'll struggle to get a 2.0 diesel to do that to be honest. Fit it out with a decent headunit, an iPod classic and a cushion

My four year old i10 has covered 30k miles in four years, but I am not too sure it is safe for such long distance commute.