High mileage strategy
Discussion
Suppose you were going to do about 40,000 miles a year for the next few years. Mixture of long commute, business trips and widely scattered elderly relatives. Yes I know the suggestion will involve house moves and trains to avoid the situation. But if that is the situation, how best to handle it. Cost is an issue, acceptable comfort a must.
Options seem to be.
1)Buy a small cheap car with some distance capability, Fabia maybe, 3 or 4 years old with around 40 or 50K on the clock. Hope it will last till 200,000. Should have reasonable gadgets and economy.
2) Go a bit upmarket, to say Octavia/Golf/Mondeo.
3) Buy an older Octavia/Golf/Mondeo etc with >100,000 to minimise depreciation. Give it regular oil changes but accept will probably have to change it at some point. Reliability might start to become a worry.
4) Buy an older car that was more upmarket when new, say a big diesel Merc. On the grounds that comfort will make up for higher running costs and the occasional big bill. How will longevity and reliability compare with option 3?
Options seem to be.
1)Buy a small cheap car with some distance capability, Fabia maybe, 3 or 4 years old with around 40 or 50K on the clock. Hope it will last till 200,000. Should have reasonable gadgets and economy.
2) Go a bit upmarket, to say Octavia/Golf/Mondeo.
3) Buy an older Octavia/Golf/Mondeo etc with >100,000 to minimise depreciation. Give it regular oil changes but accept will probably have to change it at some point. Reliability might start to become a worry.
4) Buy an older car that was more upmarket when new, say a big diesel Merc. On the grounds that comfort will make up for higher running costs and the occasional big bill. How will longevity and reliability compare with option 3?
If you are ferrying old people about, you need to think about how easy is it for them to get in and out of the car too..
Imo, something like a Mondeo towards the end of its depreciation curve will do the job well.. Then throw it away at the end. I'd be tempted to start with a higher miler, but make sure you get one on the right-side of high mileage. ie. one where bits have been well refreshed, rather than one that will need replacement bits soon..
Imo, something like a Mondeo towards the end of its depreciation curve will do the job well.. Then throw it away at the end. I'd be tempted to start with a higher miler, but make sure you get one on the right-side of high mileage. ie. one where bits have been well refreshed, rather than one that will need replacement bits soon..
Edited by tejr on Tuesday 6th February 10:16
Dr Jekyll said:
4) Buy an older car that was more upmarket when new, say a big diesel Merc. On the grounds that comfort will make up for higher running costs and the occasional big bill. How will longevity and reliability compare with option 3?
This is exactly what I did and so far so good. I bought a 2003 Merc E320 with just over 100k on the clock and it cost me about £4k. The things I've had to have done on it are all minor wear and tear so battery, ball joint and lower control arm. Plus a normal service so I'd say probably £500 in total. I have had the car about 20 months now and done nearly 20k in it so I don't think that's really bad. I think because of the diesel situation the value has dropped a bit but even if it's a grand, it's still less than a newer car would lose.
I mostly use it for the motorway and I've found it comfy, really well spec'd and everything works inside. Electric memory heated seats, dual zone AC, decent stereo (no Bluetooth) and just a generally nice place to be sat. I'm really pleased with the car even now. The only thing I'd replace it with is an S Class but only when I have a more cash to spend.
Hope that helps OP.
4 grand will get you a MK4 Mondeo diesel with reasonable mileage.
Treat it well and it should easily reach 200k and carry on going.
Just accept there will be some bills along the way, but as long as u keep it serviced you should be ok.
Or just look what cars taxi drivers favour and go for those.
Treat it well and it should easily reach 200k and carry on going.
Just accept there will be some bills along the way, but as long as u keep it serviced you should be ok.
Or just look what cars taxi drivers favour and go for those.
Buy a big comfy barge, or better yet a pair - if one breaks use the backup.
For me, if I were doing that many miles (I currently do 30k a year), comfort would be priority above ultimate cost. A quiet, vibration-free engine, comfy seats, good stereo, good headlights etc are much more relaxing than running around in a tinny hatchback.
My shopping list would be 6 cylinders, automatic, heated seats.
For me, if I were doing that many miles (I currently do 30k a year), comfort would be priority above ultimate cost. A quiet, vibration-free engine, comfy seats, good stereo, good headlights etc are much more relaxing than running around in a tinny hatchback.
My shopping list would be 6 cylinders, automatic, heated seats.
Alex_225 said:
Dr Jekyll said:
4) Buy an older car that was more upmarket when new, say a big diesel Merc. On the grounds that comfort will make up for higher running costs and the occasional big bill. How will longevity and reliability compare with option 3?
This is exactly what I did and so far so good. I bought a 2003 Merc E320 with just over 100k on the clock and it cost me about £4k.210 mercs are known for rusting and mine isn't too bad (yet!), but I also know that there are high very mileage 210 taxis all over the world and hopefully another few 100k miles won't hurt the drivetrain too much.
The only downside is that it rarely gets above 37mpg compared to my old 406 HDI or BMW E46 320d that would never fail to get below 50mpg. But then again I can think that to get something of the size and quality new would be a lot more expensive than the difference in mpg.
Option 4.
40,000 a year is a lot of miles.
You’ll want a comfy quiet car with decent power and equipment.
A Fabia, while a nice car, won’t have the same motorway manners as a 5 series, E class or XF.
Go diesel, auto, decent heated seats, good sound system, xenons and find a good specialist to give it the tlc it may need as the miles increase.
40,000 a year is a lot of miles.
You’ll want a comfy quiet car with decent power and equipment.
A Fabia, while a nice car, won’t have the same motorway manners as a 5 series, E class or XF.
Go diesel, auto, decent heated seats, good sound system, xenons and find a good specialist to give it the tlc it may need as the miles increase.
Option 4 all day long
I currently do about 35k per annum. 2007 BMW 535d comfort seats with 240k on it now. I’ve been doing this annual mileage about 30 years now and have had all types. Current barge I can drive all day with no ill effect. Probably not really the most frugal option but for me anyway the most sensible one. Life is too short.
I currently do about 35k per annum. 2007 BMW 535d comfort seats with 240k on it now. I’ve been doing this annual mileage about 30 years now and have had all types. Current barge I can drive all day with no ill effect. Probably not really the most frugal option but for me anyway the most sensible one. Life is too short.
rob0r said:
The only downside is that it rarely gets above 37mpg compared to my old 406 HDI or BMW E46 320d that would never fail to get below 50mpg. But then again I can think that to get something of the size and quality new would be a lot more expensive than the difference in mpg.
Is that mostly around town? I've managed to get a genuine 47mpg from my E but that is at a steady 65mph. Heavy footed and it drops nearer the 40 mark but generally it's really good. Considering it's a big old engine and not exactly a lightweight.
In terms of rust I'm keeping an eye on my E for that. Although it's a W211, they're still prone to rusty arches.
search on here for mondeo info. there is a lot of love.
especially from glasgow rob (taxi driver)
can't recommend Skoda/octavia. My sister had 3, 2 D, 1 P. All virtually new and all needed masses of engine work/rebuilds.
the 3rd (petrol) needed a £7500 engine replacement. known oil loss.
I've a mondeo, you'll get 55 ish mpg from a 2.0l D on runs at speed. I'm sure the 1.6/1.8 will be more frugal. funnily enough we used a taxi on sat night, that was a 1.6 D, mondeo. driver said he'd had no bother with it, it was on 175K. they're comfy cars and a lot of toys in them. goodness knows how old you are etc, but my ins is only £240. oh, they do eat front tyres though.
especially from glasgow rob (taxi driver)
can't recommend Skoda/octavia. My sister had 3, 2 D, 1 P. All virtually new and all needed masses of engine work/rebuilds.
the 3rd (petrol) needed a £7500 engine replacement. known oil loss.
I've a mondeo, you'll get 55 ish mpg from a 2.0l D on runs at speed. I'm sure the 1.6/1.8 will be more frugal. funnily enough we used a taxi on sat night, that was a 1.6 D, mondeo. driver said he'd had no bother with it, it was on 175K. they're comfy cars and a lot of toys in them. goodness knows how old you are etc, but my ins is only £240. oh, they do eat front tyres though.
You need to strike a balance between enjoyment, toys/tech, comfort, reliability and running costs.
I tried using a cheap banger (£800 toyota avensis 2.0 petrol). It was reliable and comfortable enough, and while not great on fuel was depreciation proof. The lack of enjoyment and toys/tech meant it didn't last long.
Then came a 325d touring auto. Cost about 15x the value of the avensis. Much higher on the toys/tech scale. Comfortable enough. Proved to be reliable, but because of the value any minor fault had to be sorted to keep the value up. 42mpg was tolerable. Not very enjoyable though, and depreciation was a worry so it went. I got a bit bored TBH.
Currently running a 130i manual. It's much, much higher on the enjoyment scale, comfortable enough, and the 3.0 lump is reliable and good for high mileages. Downside is it's older so toys/tech are missing, and 33mpg (and 320 miles on at tank) isn't ideal! On the plus side it should suffer minimal depreciation.
Obviously running a citroen C1 for hammering big miles on would probably save a bunch on fuel but it would do my head in.
You takes your pick...
I tried using a cheap banger (£800 toyota avensis 2.0 petrol). It was reliable and comfortable enough, and while not great on fuel was depreciation proof. The lack of enjoyment and toys/tech meant it didn't last long.
Then came a 325d touring auto. Cost about 15x the value of the avensis. Much higher on the toys/tech scale. Comfortable enough. Proved to be reliable, but because of the value any minor fault had to be sorted to keep the value up. 42mpg was tolerable. Not very enjoyable though, and depreciation was a worry so it went. I got a bit bored TBH.
Currently running a 130i manual. It's much, much higher on the enjoyment scale, comfortable enough, and the 3.0 lump is reliable and good for high mileages. Downside is it's older so toys/tech are missing, and 33mpg (and 320 miles on at tank) isn't ideal! On the plus side it should suffer minimal depreciation.
Obviously running a citroen C1 for hammering big miles on would probably save a bunch on fuel but it would do my head in.
You takes your pick...
Going to throw a Volvo suggestion in there, V70 or S80 depending on how much load space you need.
Big, comfy, heated seats, good stereo, cruise control, better suited to lots of motorway miles than B road smashing as they're quite heavy on suspension bits.
Euro 3 D5 (163bhp, black plastic engine cover) from late 2004 or early 2005 is the one to go for (electrical / autobox gremlins ironed out by then, Euro 3 is 10mpg better than the Euro 4 motor and no DPF to go wrong)
Cheap too, could buy a reasonable one for £1,500.
For comfort / tyre costs avoid the (awesome looking) 18" wheels.
Big, comfy, heated seats, good stereo, cruise control, better suited to lots of motorway miles than B road smashing as they're quite heavy on suspension bits.
Euro 3 D5 (163bhp, black plastic engine cover) from late 2004 or early 2005 is the one to go for (electrical / autobox gremlins ironed out by then, Euro 3 is 10mpg better than the Euro 4 motor and no DPF to go wrong)
Cheap too, could buy a reasonable one for £1,500.
For comfort / tyre costs avoid the (awesome looking) 18" wheels.
Edited by SturdyHSV on Tuesday 6th February 11:15
Brother in law does 40 - 50K a year in a diesel Lexus. ( I think it is a 200d or 220d). He got it with something like 80K on the clock, its now at 180K. It has done fine, has needed consumables and servicing, but that is about it.
His criteria were:
1) Economy - at those sort of mileages, the fuel bill is hideous
2) Comfort - if you're going to spend much of your life in a car, it might has well be nice.
Apparently the Lexus has done well on both counts and was not expensive to buy.
His criteria were:
1) Economy - at those sort of mileages, the fuel bill is hideous
2) Comfort - if you're going to spend much of your life in a car, it might has well be nice.
Apparently the Lexus has done well on both counts and was not expensive to buy.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff