Car Suggestions

TechnoFreek

Hi all,

Looking for some suggestions for cars to buy as I'm really struggling for ideas here.
My golf has the mileage clocked up so its time to upgrade.

I am commuting, 60miles each way per day so need an efficient diesel with good mpg.

The mileage on the car needs to be low as it wont be long building up under my ownership.

I appreciate that low mileage most likely means a new or almost new car however if I could get something second hand around the 18/19k bracket that would be ideal.

Size wise, similar to the golf or even next size up (passat, mondeo, insignia) is what I am thinking.

Decent spec - alloys, air conditioning, rain sensitive wipers, all electric windows etc

Any thoughts here would be much appreciated

JohnBoy26

Another Golf maybe? Or a kia cee'd/ Hyundai i30?

TechnoFreek

What sort of mpg could I expect out of the Hyundai or kia?

George Dalton

A 1.6 TDI Golf or Octavia will be the most fuel efficient car in your budget IMO. What year is your current Golf?

discombobulate

Friend is getting around the 60mpg mark in a 1.6 Focus. Nice car. Wouldn't know anything about the reliability etc.

bazz26

Seat Exeo:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/SEAT/Exeo/2.0-TDI/37213765185359420/

Seems to tick a lot of boxes for you as long as you are ok with it being basically an old Audi A4 but with the newer VAG TDi engines.

ba_barabus

bazz26 wrote: »

Seat Exeo:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/SEAT/Exeo/2.0-TDI/37213765185359420/

Seems to tick a lot of boxes for you as long as you are ok with it being basically an old Audi A4 but with the newer VAG TDi engines.

That's good value.

TechnoFreek

Thanks bazz, certainly something I would never have considered before.

Going to a nearby Toyota garage at the weekend to take a look at an Avensis.

Any thoughts on the 2012 model.
What sort of mpg on the 2l diesel?

R.O.R

TechnoFreek wrote: »

Thanks bazz, certainly something I would never have considered before.

Going to a nearby Toyota garage at the weekend to take a look at an Avensis.

Any thoughts on the 2012 model.
What sort of mpg on the 2l diesel?

2012 Avensis won't be the best in class for fuel consumption, but will be alright. 120 miles a day is more or less what it was built for, so would be a decent enough cruiser, but I wouldn't go for an Avensis as it has 15,000km service intervals so will be due a service every 3-4 months at your mileage. Also has a smaller fuel tank than most other cars in the class (think it's 50L).

I had a 2012 Avensis for the best part of a week, doing less mileage than you, but on the sort of run that gives good economy. Full tank was estimating just over 900km to empty, so you may just about scrape a full weeks commuting from a full tank. Not a hugely major issue, but a pain in the hole having to stop twice a week for fuel.

I'd be looking at something from the VAG stable. Good fuel economy, 30k service intervals (which shouldn't be an issue at almost 200km a day), and a decent fuel tank size - Passat is 70L and known to give over 1,300km to a full tank.

Personally - I'd be looking at the best Skoda Superb I could fit to budget. Size may be excessive for your requirements, but I haven't driven anything as comfortable for long distance, than the 170 Ambition I had for a week and a half.

dantastic

How about a Jag? They are great for long journeys. High spec. Jags have very good fuel economy as well...
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/jaguar-x-type-top-spec-rare-in-automatic/5586740

bazz26

This is worth a look too, will still have the balance of the 5 year Hyundai warranty:


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Hyundai/i40/1.7-CRDI/37713776213140730/

colm_mcm

Long service intervals arent necessarily a good thing on a modern diesel, id be doing an oil change at 15k as a minimum either way regardless of the manufacturers intervals.
If you have a long interval you may be changing certain items earlier and more frequently than if youre doing regular shorter intervals.

R.O.R

colm_mcm wrote: »

Long service intervals arent necessarily a good thing on a modern diesel, id be doing an oil change at 15k as a minimum either way regardless of the manufacturers intervals.
If you have a long interval you may be changing certain items earlier and more frequently than if youre doing regular shorter intervals.

OP is doing close to 1,000km a week. Unless they are spending 2-3 hours each way (in which case, they aren't right in the head), then it's likely to be all motorway/N Road steady speed driving - the sort of driving that puts least amount of strain on a car.

I've been doing similar for the past 10 years, never having issues running my personal cars to 20k or 30k service intervals. My current car has extended it's condition based servicing schedule to 33,000km as the strain is very little for my driving.

In work, we run thousands of cars to long life service intervals, and have very few issues (if any) that can be attributed to extended service intervals.

Someone doing less mileage per year, it might be a good idea to shorten service intervals, but not for the OP - and that's based on both personal and professional experience.

JohnBoy26

R.O.R wrote: »

OP is doing close to 1,000km a week. Unless they are spending 2-3 hours each way (in which case, they aren't right in the head), then it's likely to be all motorway/N Road steady speed driving - the sort of driving that puts least amount of strain on a car.

I've been doing similar for the past 10 years, never having issues running my personal cars to 20k or 30k service intervals. My current car has extended it's condition based servicing schedule to 33,000km as the strain is very little for my driving.

In work, we run thousands of cars to long life service intervals, and have very few issues (if any) that can be attributed to extended service intervals.

Someone doing less mileage per year, it might be a good idea to shorten service intervals, but not for the OP - and that's based on both personal and professional experience.

30k intervals are just to much Imo and is probably one of the factors in the problems many modern diesels give. IMHO I wouldn't be choosing a car based solely on it's service interval. Even if a car had a 30k service interval id be doing a service before the 10k miles regardless.

R.O.R

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

30k intervals are just to much Imo and is probably one of the factors in the problems many modern diesels give. IMHO I wouldn't be choosing a car based solely on it's service interval. Even if a car had a 30k service interval id be doing a service before the 10k miles regardless.

And everyone is entitled to their opinion, but manufacturers don't spend millions developing technology to enable 30k intervals, if they don't think the vehicle will make it that far.

10k miles is around 16,000km, meaning the OP would be dropping it for service every 3 - 4 months. That's not just an expense that the driver can do without, but it's a right pain in the hole having to either take a day off, or organise a replacement vehicle, swap insurance and head miles out of your way. Spending 2 hours + on the road everyday is bad enough, without adding to it on such a regular basis.

bazz26

R.O.R wrote: »

And everyone is entitled to their opinion, but manufacturers don't spend millions developing technology to enable 30k intervals, if they don't think the vehicle will make it that far.

10k miles is around 16,000km, meaning the OP would be dropping it for service every 3 - 4 months. That's not just an expense that the driver can do without, but it's a right pain in the hole having to either take a day off, or organise a replacement vehicle, swap insurance and head miles out of your way. Spending 2 hours + on the road everyday is bad enough, without adding to it on such a regular basis.

To be fair I'm of the opinion that these long intervals are more designed at marketing than anything else. 30k intervals looks very appealing to companies looking for low maintenance costs on their fleets and I can understand that from a company's perspective who have a fleet of cars doing thousands of miles per month that it would cost them a lot in both time and money having all their fleet being serviced every 3 or 4 months. But for the private owner it is lunacy imo to leave service intervals so long especially those who don't do a lot of driving and a 30k service interval means an oil change ever 2-3 years.

As for manufacturers knowing what is best, well these same manufacturers still manage to design engines with timing chains that snap prematurely, engines that implode by ingesting their own swirl flaps, excessive oil burning, etc so I would not put too much faith in any manufacturer's R&D program.

TechnoFreek

Have to say I'm surprised at the mpg and tank size of the Avensis.

My petrol golf holds 55l I think!

JohnBoy26

TechnoFreek wrote: »

Have to say I'm surprised at the mpg and tank size of the Avensis.

My petrol golf holds 55l I think!

It's a 60 litre tank that's in the Avensis.