fuel efficient

yabba

Hi folks...need some expert advice please...thinking of changing car...drive about 1000 miles per week...very little town/slow driving....would like a bit of power...6 speed preferably....what's most fuel efficient in your opinion...cheers

MuppetCheck

Budget? Any special requirements?

dgt

Body type? Prefable years? New or second hand?

1000 miles a week, maybe it would be cheaper to move ?

The time alone, is it worth it ?

What would make the most sense from an economy point of view would be to buy an old car, probably a Jap car, honda Toyota etc. And run it into the ground.

No point spending xxxxx on a car for it to depreciate like a stone.

fuel economy is only part of the equation.

koalabeard

Comfort. 1,000 miles is a lot. Get an old diesel Citroen, and run it into the ground.

@80C/L

Converting a MK II Prius with 70+ K miles to LPG if you can get it and @80C/L would be one of the cheapest cars to drive, next would be the MK III Prius after that without doubt doubt, Electric is the cheapest of all.

The Prius is one of the most reliable cars in the world. I wouldn't say it's got a lot of poke, it's not bad but the MK III is a lot better but more expensive and better on fuel again.

Forget diesel, at that mileage it will still cost a fortune and the Prius only needs oil and filters every 10K miles and sparks every 60K or so.

colm_mcm

Very little town driving, can't see how a Prius would work straight line all day tbh.
Also would need chiropractor on speed dial with those seats.

keithsfleet

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Converting a MK II Prius with 70+ K miles to LPG if you can get it and @80C/L would be one of the cheapest cars to drive, next would be the MK III Prius after that without doubt doubt, Electric is the cheapest of all.

The Prius is one of the most reliable cars in the world. I wouldn't say it's got a lot of poke, it's not bad but the MK III is a lot better but more expensive and better on fuel again.

Forget diesel, at that mileage it will still cost a fortune and the Prius only needs oil and filters every 10K miles and sparks every 60K or so.

You ever used a prius for more than a jaunt to the local shops?

Horrible car that is useless on motorways, assuming the OP is on motorways, which is safe to assume if you're doing 1000 miles a week.

shedweller

OP go to carzone and select engine size to a max of 1.4 and diesel. Narrow it down from there. Anything in that bracket will be a ball of dirt but thems the breaks!
If you want pulling powah then you are looking at a 1.9tdi of some sort and 5L/100k guaranteed. Go down a size to a 1.4 (a few sizes!!) And you can get into the 4L/100k or less. The meganes come in a 1.5dci but they are renault and if you buy a high mileage one (Or any renault!!) you run the risk of spending loads on parts just to keep yourself mobile. Theres a risk with any car but moreso with a renault.
L/100k isn't everything but is definitely part of the equation.
My experience with boring old toyotas is that they are boring as hell but keep on going. I service mine very regularly and it keeps on giving me 80mpg per tank, recently up to 84mpg per tank. Boring? Absolutely. Cheap to run? Hell yes!
When the kids feck off to college maybe i might be bothered spending my time waxing a v8 of some sort. Until then...ruthless efficiency!
Not very "motors" but hey, i've got mouths to feed!

vandriver

shedweller wrote: »

OP go to carzone and select engine size to a max of 1.4 and diesel. Narrow it down from there. Anything in that bracket will be a ball of dirt but thems the breaks!
If you want pulling powah then you are looking at a 1.9tdi of some sort and 5L/100k guaranteed. Go down a size to a 1.4 (a few sizes!!) And you can get into the 4L/100k or less. The meganes come in a 1.5dci but they are renault and if you buy a high mileage one (Or any renault!!) you run the risk of spending loads on parts just to keep yourself mobile. Theres a risk with any car but moreso with a renault.
L/100k isn't everything but is definitely part of the equation.
My experience with boring old toyotas is that they are boring as hell but keep on going. I service mine very regularly and it keeps on giving me 80mpg per tank, recently up to 84mpg per tank. Boring? Absolutely. Cheap to run? Hell yes!
When the kids feck off to college maybe i might be bothered spending my time waxing a v8 of some sort. Until then...ruthless efficiency!
Not very "motors" but hey, i've got mouths to feed!

What car are you driving that returns 84 mpg?

650Ginge

colm_mcm wrote: »

Very little town driving, can't see how a Prius would work straight line all day tbh.
Also would need chiropractor on speed dial with those seats.

Straight line work is exactly what a Prius is perfect for. It ain't a rally car but the is pretty good over distance. Been to south of Germany and south of France in mine. Seat are fine did gap to Calais without even a toilet stop on the way back.

For the money you won't get better overall running costs. But you will buy something cheaper that will work out cheaper as you are lolling at 100% depreciation of whatever you buy due to the mileage your doing.

Sam Kade

yabba wrote: »

Hi folks...need some expert advice please...thinking of changing car...drive about 1000 miles per week...very little town/slow driving....would like a bit of power...6 speed preferably....what's most fuel efficient in your opinion...cheers

If you like power you'll have to forget fuel efficient or vice versa

YbFocus

Sam Kade wrote: »

If you like power you'll have to forget fuel efficient or vice versa

It's like the old triangle,

cheap fast reliable

Pick two

yabba

Thanks all....will give u bit more info....budget not a big factor...prob looking at 2006-2010 re age....currently driving audi a4 s line 2005....fuel costing a lot and don't expect it to keep going much longer as huge miles on it...what i really want to know is what make and model would you recommend for 1000 miles a week mainly motorway .....thanks

shedweller

vandriver wrote: »

What car are you driving that returns 84 mpg?

2004 yaris 1.4d4d. Couldn't do less than 60mpg if it tried! No street cred though but couldn't care less.

Prius will go forever you won't find much more reliable. If you convert to LPG it will be the cheapest fossil fuel car you can run. @ around 80c per litre.

You can buy them cheap enough with 80k + miles and they are known to last well over 300 k miles.

MK III Prius would be better.

And yes I've done lots of miles in the Prius. Motorway etc.

Very little maintenance required, the MK III has a decent bit of poke too.

Max Power1

Deleted User wrote: »

Prius will go forever you won't find much more reliable. If you convert to LPG it will be the cheapest fossil fuel car you can run. @ around 80c per litre.

You can buy them cheap enough with 80k + miles and they are known to last well over 300 k miles.

MK III Prius would be better.

And yes I've done lots of miles in the Prius. Motorway etc.

Very little maintenance required, the MK III has a decent bit of poke too.

Bit of poke, comfortable on motorway, prius

pick two :P

MuppetCheck

**** me lads, people are suggesting 1.4 diesels for a thousand miles a week, didn't realise so many people here were into self flagellation.

What you need op regardless of budget is comfort, a bit of spec (climate control, cruise control, good quality seats, good headlights - xenons), a bit of reliability.

I've done that sort of weekly mileage in a Focus sized car and they are too small, you need something Mondeo sized or bigger for real comfort. I'd be looking towards an A6 2 litre 170 diesel.

166man

[Deleted User] wrote: »

fuel economy is only part of the equation.

This argument crops up a lot around here. And I frankly think its rubbish tbh.

Lets say you're doing 1000 miles a week and its costing you €100.

You're a well paid person in a €52k a year job, before taxes your income is €1k a week. After taxes that falls to €750 odd a week, once you paid a mortgage/rent you could be looking at €500 a week left, after paying for food and bills you could be at €300 a week.

A fuel bill that equates to 33% of your income after all bills are paid is certainly more than part of the equation.

You'd be doing well to find a €50k job these days too.

Scortho

166man wrote: »

This argument crops up a lot around here. And I frankly think its rubbish tbh.

Lets say you're doing 1000 miles a week and its costing you €100.

You're a well paid person in a €52k a year job, before taxes your income is €1k a week. After taxes that falls to €750 odd a week, once you paid a mortgage/rent you could be looking at €500 a week left, after paying for food and bills you could be at €300 a week.

A fuel bill that equates to 33% of your income after all bills are paid is certainly more than part of the equation.

You'd be doing well to find a €50k job these days too.

It is a lot but when you spend a fairly high proportion of your life in a car you want something big and comfortable. I'd understand if be was just pottering around town, then a 1.4 is fine.

BUBBLE WRAP

shedweller wrote: »

2004 yaris 1.4d4d. Couldn't do less than 60mpg if it tried! No street cred though but couldn't care less.

I could well believe that mpg figure. Fantastic cars on fuel. Is the Diesel nippy though?

shedweller

BUBBLE WRAP wrote: »

I could well believe that mpg figure. Fantastic cars on fuel. Is the Diesel nippy though?

It actually is. Motorway speeds no problem and it doesnt struggle at all. Its not glamourous but it does what i want very well.

kona

vandriver wrote: »

What car are you driving that returns 84 mpg?

A 99 Toyota fullof****

mickdw

At 1000 miles a week, you should be looking at cars that you wont be concerned about selling on again so a big cheap and reasonably fuel efficient diesel I would have though would be the ideal.

shedweller

kona wrote: »

A 99 Toyota fullof****

Is there really a need for that?

kona

shedweller wrote: »

Is there really a need for that?

It's a diesel so no .

bazz26

I would not fancy doing 1000 miles a week in a car the size of a Yaris.

166man

166man wrote: »

This argument crops up a lot around here. And I frankly think its rubbish tbh.

Lets say you're doing 1000 miles a week and its costing you €100.

You're a well paid person in a €52k a year job, before taxes your income is €1k a week. After taxes that falls to €750 odd a week, once you paid a mortgage/rent you could be looking at €500 a week left, after paying for food and bills you could be at €300 a week.

A fuel bill that equates to 33% of your income after all bills are paid is certainly more than part of the equation.

You'd be doing well to find a €50k job these days too.

If you're doing 1000 miles a week it's costing a lot without doubt.

So, why increase your spending with a more expensive car that you might be paying interest on and will loose a fortune in depreciation over that mileage ?

So it's true that fuel is only part of the equation, significant no doubt but still part of the equation.

If you're doing the average 12k miles a year or less then you can afford to spend more on a car if you wish because it won't depreciate near is much with the mental mileage on it.

Now that's the economics of it, wanting a more luxurious car to do 50K miles a year is another matter.

At 1000 per week it would to me be obvious that you need to relocate a lot closer to work.

yabba

These have been suggested to me elsewhere...what ye think? Bmw 520 and 320....ford kuga....Toyota avensis...Santa Fe

unkel

yabba wrote: »

These have been suggested to me elsewhere...what ye think? Bmw 520 and 320....ford kuga....Toyota avensis...Santa Fe

In your feet, I would probably pick a BMW 520d, any model up to and including '06 would have this engine, which is very reliable once you get the swirlflaps removed (cheap job)

It is very frugal with diesel (best in class by a long shot), big, safe and comfortable, with some toys. Just the features several people have mentioned here would be important if you spend that much time in your car.

Also consider a 6 cylinder 530d, maybe even automatic (DMF go in many manual modern diesels and this is quite expensive, google it). Costs more to tax and uses a little more fuel, but more refined and again easier to live with...

mullingar

If I had to do a 1000 mile commute it would be a full sized car. Think about it, a 1000 miles is around 20-30 hours sitting on your ar$e so comfort would be my number 1 priority.

A 406, a C5 or a 320d/520d in non-m-spec.

Do NOT buy something with hard seats, you will regret it.

XsApollo

A high mileage cheap 520D would be perfect.
There's one on Donegal for 9000e 2006 with 120k miles and lots of others.
Run it for 2 years and then move it on.
Then buy another.

YbFocus

unkel wrote: »

Also consider a 6 cylinder 530d, maybe even automatic (DMF go in many manual modern diesels and this is quite expensive, google it). Costs more to tax and uses a little more fuel, but more refined and again easier to live with...

I've had no problems with my dmf in my manual but their hard to come by anyway
I'd go for the six cylinders as they take the huge mileage much better, they're smoother and the torque is real nice.
They are cheaper than the 520's because of the tax so that cancels it out effectively.
If your handy with a spanner you can do the swirl flaps no problem yourself.
Also I regularly get 40mpg calculated not believing the computer, so they ain't that bad.

yabba

Ok folks im going to give my short list...im not really interested in driving anything other than these....please state which u think will cost less fuel wise...don't worry about services, parts etc...
Here goes....Honda accord
saab 93
Lexus 220
Bmw 520
Audi a4 or a5
Santa Fe
mondeo ......thanks

XsApollo

520d

yabba

Thank you!!! That is exactly the kind of post i want....straight to the point....keep them coming folks.

veetwin

yabba wrote: »

Thank you!!! That is exactly the kind of post i want....straight to the point....keep them coming folks.

520d auto. Far superior to the manual and won't be a huge difference in mpg if mostly motorway miles. You left leg would thank you.

Otherwise Accord or Mondeo but they would be well behind the BMW.

_Kaiser_

Did the same 1000-1200 km per week (mostly motorway) for a year in a 06 2.0 TDI Passat with DSG. Very comfortable, plenty of room, power when you need it and good on juice. Full tank would do me around a week's driving and cost just under €100

Agree with MuppetCheck.. with that sort of driving you want something decent under you and comfort as well as not being too bad on the wallet. Automatic also strongly recommended.

Out of your list I'd say the A4 or go for the A5 for something a little different.
520d's are everywhere, have potentially expensive engine issues, and I really don't rate them in comfort/layout or power having had an automatic 06 one recently for a week.

Scortho

I'd go a5 as its different.
Every second car seems to be a 520 d, an Audi a4 or a Honda accord.

@50

At 40 mpg average needing 115 litres of fuel, in this case I calculated diesel at 1.52 per litre.

The cost would be 174 euros per week.

@50 mpg you would need 93 litres, costing 141.36 per week.

At that kind of cost I'd buy the cheapest car and run it into the ground.


My money would be on a reliable Honda or Toyota.

A Prius on LPG @ 80c/l would need 90 litres at 53 mpg worst case costing 72. Euros providing you can find the LPG. So say 75 euros gives a small decrease in efficiency.

Prius MK III should do better.

keithclancy

Deleted User wrote: »

At 1000 per week it would to me be obvious that you need to relocate a lot closer to work.

I believe the OP asked what car was good for the purpose of driving 1000 miles per week.

Not "I drive 1000 miles per week and don't like it, what should I do ?"

I hate it when people say why don't you live close to work.

I don't want to live close to work and like it perfectly fine where I am !!

Mondeo 2.0 TDCI is a decent mileage muncher and comfortable.

I have Volvo V50 2.0 Diesel Estate... The seats are very comfortable, very nice to drive but I couldn't recommend it as there are some niggly expensive things that go wrong with them.

I'd go for a Mondeo next, but will drive my current car until its completely dead.

Frank Black

yabba wrote: »

Thanks all....will give u bit more info....budget not a big factor...prob looking at 2006-2010 re age....currently driving audi a4 s line 2005....fuel costing a lot and don't expect it to keep going much longer as huge miles on it...what i really want to know is what make and model would you recommend for 1000 miles a week mainly motorway .....thanks

Like you OP, I have a long commute (1,000km per week, mostly motorway driving). I had an Audi A4 1.8T S-line and I was paying about €160 in fuel every week,
We changed car about 6 months ago to a Mini Cooper D (wife's choice!). It's cut our fuel bill by more than half (now pay €75 per week) and am getting about 58mpg. I could probably get even better economy if I drove a bit slower on the motorway, but I don't have that luxury.
It's obviously not like driving the Audi in terms of performance, but it's got a bit of poke at the same time.

barneygumble99

vw golf, lots of motorway driving
various driving styles but never dips below 60mpg
have calculated it manually also as i thought the trip computer was wrong

yabba

Thanks all...don't have the option of moving house so i gotta do the miles. golf is a bit small as have young family....mondeo is a possibility but to be honest have a bit of a fear of fords based on trouble with one years ago. am i mad to be considering Bmw 520?