Best Long Distance Cruiser Under £4k

[anon12]

Hello all
As the title says I'm looking for something I can do ridiculous miles in in complete comfort. What better way to get some ideas than pistonheads forums. I've currently got an 04 Clio 182 which is great and really fun but I've just not got the spare cash or time to be using on the track and I seem to just be using for the odd day to day thing where it's pretty loud and uncomfortable. I'm not really using it for what it's good at, track days/ great driving roads etc.

I have had an is200 recently which I actually thought was a great car. It cost me £500 was pretty reliable (typical Toyota reliability) and went through the miles with ease. The big problem was fuel consumption being around 22mpg which as a long distance car isn't ideal.

I suppose the boxes that it needs to tick are as follows:
- Saloon/estate ideally as I'd like something a bit bigger with bigger back seats
- MPG upwards of 40 (open to diesels which it will probably have to be)
- Budget of £4k
- Would prefer Japanese as they have always served me well and as I'll be looking for something a bit older, they seem to stand the test of time a little better
- Great comfort and refinement for covering big mileage (trips up to Scotland from Manchester or down to Cornwall)

Outside that I'm pretty open! Open to all ideas so just give me a shout

[Pat H]

Mondeo estate?

I have a 2007 Focus 2.0 TDCi estate. Owned since new. Now on 175k. Been very reliable. 60mpg on a gentle run up the motorway.

It is pretty comfortable, so I expect that a Mondeo would be great.

[Yadizzle1]

Accord 2.2 i-cdti Tourer should meet all of those needs

[TurboBlue]

Saab 9-5. I ran an Aero, which I bought at 247,000 miles, for a couple of years. Super comfy, took it to NW Scotland a couple of times. It isn't a sportscar but you could get a very decent saloon or estate for much less than your budget. Here's a nice private sale with a 1.9td engine and only 50,000 miles for less than £3k.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

[Summit_Detailing]

Mondeo & Insignia were designed for precisely this purpose, lots of choice for sub £4k.

Cheers,

Chris

[ZX10R NIN]

I have to say that there are some cracking options for your budget now my first pick isn't a saloon or estate but the boot is big & the rear seats fold also when it comes to comfort/NVH levels they're hard to beat (I am bias as I've had a fair few of them) so take a good look:

CLK320cdi Sport these benefit from having the Orthopedic seats which make long journeys a breeze:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

Running costs for these are sensible & you'll see mid forties on a run,

If you go mainstrem the Mondeo Titanium X Sport is the pick but they hold their money well:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

2.2d TXS

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

The Insignia in Elite trim is a good shout but make sure you have the oil flushed every other service to help keep the pick up pipe from (to be honest I do this on all my cars) clogging up:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

E280 Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...