Need a car to drive me 20,000 miles a year
Discussion
Hey everyone, It's car buying time.
My job is very client facing and I can never afford to be late, I'm going to be driving about 20,000 miles a year.
My requirements:
-Comfortable seating for 4-5 people.
-Needs to be bomb proof (the A road I live next to doesn't have a hard shoulder, so I can never break down).
-Fun to drive down a country lane.
-Preferably an automatic petrol (Not risking buying a diesel in the current climate)
-Good highway economy.
-Under £12000
What would you buy?
My job is very client facing and I can never afford to be late, I'm going to be driving about 20,000 miles a year.
My requirements:
-Comfortable seating for 4-5 people.
-Needs to be bomb proof (the A road I live next to doesn't have a hard shoulder, so I can never break down).
-Fun to drive down a country lane.
-Preferably an automatic petrol (Not risking buying a diesel in the current climate)
-Good highway economy.
-Under £12000
What would you buy?
With those requirements I'd be looking for the best condition BMW 5 series with a 3L diesel that you can find for your budget. A quick hunt on AT shows a dozen or so 2010/11 cars which meet your requirements.
Alternative option, a newer mondeo? I quite like the look of these but I won't claim to know what the 2L diesel is like for reliability.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010094...
Alternative option, a newer mondeo? I quite like the look of these but I won't claim to know what the 2L diesel is like for reliability.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010094...
- EDIT* Apologies, just seen the petrol criteria. Same mentality applies, find a 2.0 petrol Mondeo or 5 Series, dependant on your preference. Just bare in mind the residuals after clocking on 20k/yr, I'd still be leaning towards the diesel in this instance because of the low budget and thus low risk but it's all personal preference.
Edited by J1990 on Wednesday 27th January 16:30
J1990 said:
With those requirements I'd be looking for the best condition BMW 5 series with a 3L diesel that you can find for your budget. A quick hunt on AT shows a dozen or so 2010/11 cars which meet your requirements.
Alternative option, a newer mondeo? I quite like the look of these but I won't claim to know what the 2L diesel is like for reliability.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010094...
I'd prefer a petrol, just because we don't know how the government are going to regulate diesel cars in the next 10 years. The problem with the BMW is you need to pay enter central Birmingham/Oxford (diesel older than 2015), but the mondeo looks good.Alternative option, a newer mondeo? I quite like the look of these but I won't claim to know what the 2L diesel is like for reliability.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010094...
imahuman118 said:
I'd prefer a petrol, just because we don't know how the government are going to regulate diesel cars in the next 10 years.
Thing is, with the mileage you're doing, you'll pay more for an auto petrol in fuel costs "just in case" Government regs affect diesels.I too would consider that possibility, but also consider that it could be relatively minor.
There's too many people in diesel cars for the Government to do anything in the near future that's going to make their value worthless.
Buy the car you need now, not the wrong car that might be right for the future.
Muzzer79 said:
Thing is, with the mileage you're doing, you'll pay more for an auto petrol in fuel costs "just in case" Government regs affect diesels.
I too would consider that possibility, but also consider that it could be relatively minor.
There's too many people in diesel cars for the Government to do anything in the near future that's going to make their value worthless.
Buy the car you need now, not the wrong car that might be right for the future.
100% agree - If you're spanking 60k on a new 5 Series that you want to keep for 10 years then forward planning and playing it safe will be worth it for some people. When you're spending 20% of that on a car that's going to be put through 20k/year then the value will be smashed by the mileage long before the car becomes unable to be sold due to diesel regs.I too would consider that possibility, but also consider that it could be relatively minor.
There's too many people in diesel cars for the Government to do anything in the near future that's going to make their value worthless.
Buy the car you need now, not the wrong car that might be right for the future.
I'm staring at this reality for an extended commute, albeit about 17 to 18k a year. Currently doing about 14k. I'd say you need to look at something Focus sized with cruise, not so importantly auto but something definitely diesel. I'd be looking at something that could do 60+mpg and isn't too noisy at speed. Some small cars are just no good for any distance on a daily.
I'd not bother with a Merc, BMW or Audi due to potential costs, stick with cheaper end e.g Ford, Peugeot, Hyundai and maybe look at one of their higher specced models for greater comfort. Look for low mileage and good service history. Buy on condition then drive it til it dies.
I'd not bother with a Merc, BMW or Audi due to potential costs, stick with cheaper end e.g Ford, Peugeot, Hyundai and maybe look at one of their higher specced models for greater comfort. Look for low mileage and good service history. Buy on condition then drive it til it dies.
imahuman118 said:
I'd prefer a petrol, just because we don't know how the government are going to regulate diesel cars in the next 10 years. The problem with the BMW is you need to pay enter central Birmingham/Oxford (diesel older than 2015), but the mondeo looks good.
20k per year for 10years? It will be leggy but any decent diesel will save you far more than a government will add on. My old Saab 9-5 2.0T petrol did 280k miles with no problem but that was at about 32mpg and £100pw in fuel at one point. My V60 D4 does about 55mpg all day long and will do 800 miles for about £80.imahuman118 said:
Actually you're all making good points about the diesels
I know you're seeing that diesel could make you some significant savings on fuelling (at 20k/yr and ~35mpg vs 50mpg you're looking at £1k a year saved on just fuel)... we currently have a Hyundai Ioniq hybrid and I think we get ~60-65 mpg on long journeys, they're actually quite a nice place to be (for that budget), has a hefty boot on it, lots of toys and they're really not a bad consideration IMO.https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202012056...
^ 3 years/66k warranty left, adaptive cruise, heated seats/wheel, fairly innofensive.
The downside? I hate the gearbox, it's just a bit crap... But all other aspects of it make it a really relaxing car for long journeys.
Chicken Chaser said:
I'm staring at this reality for an extended commute, albeit about 17 to 18k a year. Currently doing about 14k. I'd say you need to look at something Focus sized with cruise, not so importantly auto but something definitely diesel. I'd be looking at something that could do 60+mpg and isn't too noisy at speed. Some small cars are just no good for any distance on a daily.
I'd not bother with a Merc, BMW or Audi due to potential costs, stick with cheaper end e.g Ford, Peugeot, Hyundai and maybe look at one of their higher specced models for greater comfort. Look for low mileage and good service history. Buy on condition then drive it til it dies.
I’m about to do this. I'd not bother with a Merc, BMW or Audi due to potential costs, stick with cheaper end e.g Ford, Peugeot, Hyundai and maybe look at one of their higher specced models for greater comfort. Look for low mileage and good service history. Buy on condition then drive it til it dies.
Set myself a budget and then looked for a sensible miles diesel with cruise, Bluetooth and a good history. I found a 6 year old Kia ceed with 42k miles and one owner still has a years manufactures warranty and cost just over half the OPs budget.
At 15-20k a year I’d like it to last me 4-5 years and I see no reason it won’t. For £12k a Kia/Hyundai Ceed, Optima, i30 or i40 would be easy to find and would suit the job perfectly.
Typically this is PH the first suggestion is an older more likely to have done a lot of work already bmw.
imahuman118 said:
Hey everyone, It's car buying time.
My job is very client facing and I can never afford to be late, I'm going to be driving about 20,000 miles a year.
My requirements:
-Comfortable seating for 4-5 people.
-Needs to be bomb proof (the A road I live next to doesn't have a hard shoulder, so I can never break down).
-Fun to drive down a country lane.
-Preferably an automatic petrol (Not risking buying a diesel in the current climate)
-Good highway economy.
-Under £12000
What would you buy?
Firstly the Government has already laid out it's plans in regards to emissions & it'll be based on Euro Ratings so you just need to make sure you buy a Euro6 spec diesel/Petrol car & you'll be fine.My job is very client facing and I can never afford to be late, I'm going to be driving about 20,000 miles a year.
My requirements:
-Comfortable seating for 4-5 people.
-Needs to be bomb proof (the A road I live next to doesn't have a hard shoulder, so I can never break down).
-Fun to drive down a country lane.
-Preferably an automatic petrol (Not risking buying a diesel in the current climate)
-Good highway economy.
-Under £12000
What would you buy?
With you're annual mileage I'd buy a diesel (I did buy one) Euro7 is still a while off (2025 at the earliest) it's also more likely that high C02 from older petrols will be hit with a Euro5 minimum.
Now back to the picks there are quite a few nice options at your price point.
Q50 Sport bulletproof drivetrain (same as the Mercedes C220) as well as fully loaded spec wise
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101087...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101057...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101208...
Q70 Sport bigger version of the above with all the kit but the added bonus of Adaptive Cruise:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101067...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009143...
DS5 Elegance very nice interiors spacious reliable cars
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007171...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202012016...
Mondeo Titanium 180 with the XPack (so you get full leather interior) these are the best FWD steer
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101077...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202012267...
Volvo S80 D4
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008283...
Current Shape Insignia SRI Nav very good car but the 1.6d works hard pulling the weight around:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101218...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202012026...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009073...
Skoda Superb 190 SE L Executive
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011035...
The Infiniti's Mondeo & DS5's would be where I'd be looking.
Chrishum said:
I’m about to do this.
Set myself a budget and then looked for a sensible miles diesel with cruise, Bluetooth and a good history. I found a 6 year old Kia ceed with 42k miles and one owner still has a years manufactures warranty and cost just over half the OPs budget.
At 15-20k a year I’d like it to last me 4-5 years and I see no reason it won’t. For £12k a Kia/Hyundai Ceed, Optima, i30 or i40 would be easy to find and would suit the job perfectly.
Typically this is PH the first suggestion is an older more likely to have done a lot of work already bmw.
Yep, a leggy German is not the thing you want to be running as I would imagine it'll be fairly high maintenance. You want something with cheap parts and something that doesn't need flogging. Service with consumables and get on with it. Set myself a budget and then looked for a sensible miles diesel with cruise, Bluetooth and a good history. I found a 6 year old Kia ceed with 42k miles and one owner still has a years manufactures warranty and cost just over half the OPs budget.
At 15-20k a year I’d like it to last me 4-5 years and I see no reason it won’t. For £12k a Kia/Hyundai Ceed, Optima, i30 or i40 would be easy to find and would suit the job perfectly.
Typically this is PH the first suggestion is an older more likely to have done a lot of work already bmw.
I don't think I'd even stretch to 12k, I'd probably be looking under £8k, possibly £5k. I reckon the bangernomics lot would pull this mileage out of a £1500 snotter.
Chicken Chaser said:
I reckon the bangernomics lot would pull this mileage out of a £1500 snotter.
My current car is a £1200 ceed SW that I bought to do 200 miles every weekend in and to potter around town in. About 3 weeks after buying the car I got a job that had a 300 mile a week commute but I couldn’t afford to buy a newer car so have put 59,000 miles on it. While it’s never broken down it’s not exactly been stress free
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff