A what car thread - 22k per annum, up to £10k

[danlightbulb]

Hi all

Due to change in circumstances I may soon be doing around 22k miles per annum with a good chunk of that being motorway miles. That's up from my current average of around 10k per annum.

I currently have a 2003 honda accord 2.4 petrol estate which gets between 28 and 31 mpg. It may gain a couple of mpg if doing more motorway miles but I think the extra mileage will cost quite a bit in this car.

So I'm thinking of going back to diesel to get around 55mpg on these sorts of journeys.

What I am unsure about is what car to go for. Realistic max budget is 10k but that would be a loan or finance. I could also buy something older and cheaper. Reliability is very important as I don't want a money pit, and some comfort on the motorway is nice too and I'm thinking automatic over manual.

Anyone any ideas please? Anything considered. Has to be an estate though I need the room.

One I had seen locally is a volvo v60 2.4 d5 r design 60 reg which looked nice, should get the economy I need and has 200 bhp. Was £11k though at 78,000 miles.

Thanks.
Dan.

[DoubleD]

Volvos have very good seats and a nice stereo so thats probably where i would look. Do some sums though, because the cost to change could be more than any savings on fuel.

[NuddyRap]

When considering such a car and the incumbent loan, don't forget how many miles of fuel say, £2k will pay for. Or £5k, over the course of your ownership of the car.

If an £11k car will depreciate by £5k over 3 years, you could one day work the maths back to find you would have been better off running a slightly appreciating petrol V8 Jaguar XKR than your economical diesel wagon.

I advise looking at cheaper, more stably priced alternatives to maximise overall economy.

BMW 530 and 535d wagons haven't moved too much for a couple of years, but economy might not suit you.

My mind says a few thousand on a Volvo is the way to go.

[Momentofmadness]

You're already driving an older car, so I'd say go diesel but older-tech, don't laugh but the 1.7CDTI engine is well proven so how about a low miles older Astra?

something like this? http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017... (you need to find a genuine mileage one and look after it)

Pug 406 - very comfortable, quiet and reliable - spend some of the £10K getting the belts done and enjoy your commute http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Edited by Momentofmadness on Saturday 18th March 09:42

[ZX10R NIN]

Hi Dan personally I'd go for a 2.2 Mondeo they'll be around 48-52mpg, they're reliable we've had a few of these at work & have one as a pool car with 170k on the clock.

Plus they come loaded with kit heated & air cooled seats etc

2011 Titanium X Sport 61k 200bhp

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...


Or you could go for a low mileage pre DPF diesel which would cost you a lot less but be a little worse on fuel & also need a bit of suspension (bushes etc)maintenance due to being a bit older.

The E class is what I'd recommend in E270/320 in Avantgarde trim you'll also have to budget around £600 to upgrade the stereo so you have DAB/bluetooth/upto date navigation etc

2004 E320 69K

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

2004 E270 68K

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

[kiethton]

As others have said a D5 Volvo would be perfect, again I'd put my money (bout £2-3k to get a good one) into a S60 or S80 of ~2004-2005 vintage but make sure it's a manual. Should be pretty reliable, give a solid 45mpg on the motorway and be extremely comfortable & relible, saving a lot of cash over a newer car that will depreciate far more.

[valiant]

Good shout on the Volvo V60 D5. Is it a manual or auto as there is quite a difference in mpg between the two. If auto, you're looking at mid 40s. I do a 120 mile round commute on predominately dual carriageway and motorway and that's what I get on average.

Check the ride on the r-design as it is a little firmer although the seats are still super comfy. Maybe have a look at an SeLux? All the toys but a little more of a supple ride.

As long as it has proper history, that D5 is barely run in!

[danlightbulb]

I'm gravitating towards auto simply because I want an easy drive. I have a manual now and fed up of getting on and off the clutch in the inevitable traffic jams. But reliability is critical - do not want to be spending money rebuilding an auto box.

[Dr Jekyll]

NuddyRap said:

If an £11k car will depreciate by £5k over 3 years, you could one day work the maths back to find you would have been better off running a slightly appreciating petrol V8 Jaguar XKR than your economical diesel wagon.

[danlightbulb]

NuddyRap said:

When considering such a car and the incumbent loan, don't forget how many miles of fuel say, £2k will pay for. Or £5k, over the course of your ownership of the car.

If an £11k car will depreciate by £5k over 3 years, you could one day work the maths back to find you would have been better off running a slightly appreciating petrol V8 Jaguar XKR than your economical diesel wagon.

I advise looking at cheaper, more stably priced alternatives to maximise overall economy.

BMW 530 and 535d wagons haven't moved too much for a couple of years, but economy might not suit you.

My mind says a few thousand on a Volvo is the way to go.

Ok so I've looked at fuel costs and worked out some numbers.

Current fuel costs with current car at 10k miles per year is £1,865 per year, assuming £1.15 /litre.

At 23k miles per year, keeping my current car, assuming MPG increases slightly due to motorway driving, that would cost me £3,639 per year, an increase of £1,774.

If I had a car doing 50 MPG, then fuel costs drop to £2,402 per year, a saving of £1,237 per year compared to keeping my current car and running those miles.

Over 5 years that is £6,185 difference in fuel costs alone.


On this basis, buying a £10k 50 MPG diesel car would take 8 years to pay back, not counting for maintenance (which applies to all cars anyway) or residual value.

But - this doesn't change the fact I could still buy an older car for a couple grand doing 50 MPG and make the same savings for less outlay. I'd just be having an older, potentially more maintenance hungry, potentially less comfortable car to do the miles in.

And it looks like 50 MPG might be difficult to achieve in an older Volvo (they are showing as 45 extra urban).