Car for High Annual Mileage best residual value

Brian...howdy!

Hi Guys,

In the market for a new car and am open to all possibilities.

Annual mileage: 58,000km (Half motorway half national road mileage)

Currently driving the following:
2007 Ford Focus Van 1.6 litre diesel returning 57 mpg and 235,000km on the clock.
Costs are: Diesel €3,385.00 (average €1.35 per litre last 5 years)
Tax: €330.00
Insurance: €450.00
Total €4,165.00

I would budget then €5,000 per annum for repairs, depreciation and tyres.

What are my options?

Key factors for me:
Reliability (Focus engine gave me problems!)
Comfort
1.5 litre or above engine
MPG? I think must be at least 55MPG and if not saving must be gotten in residual value
Electric not option no plug in facility at workplace

R.O.R

Brian...howdy! wrote: »

Hi Guys,

In the market for a new car and am open to all possibilities.

Annual mileage: 58,000km (Half motorway half national road mileage)

Currently driving the following:
2007 Ford Focus Van 1.6 litre diesel returning 57 mpg and 235,000km on the clock.
Costs are: Diesel €3,385.00 (average €1.35 per litre last 5 years)
Tax: €330.00
Insurance: €450.00
Total €4,165.00

I would budget then €5,000 per annum for repairs, depreciation and tyres.

What are my options?

Key factors for me:
Reliability (Focus engine gave me problems!)
Comfort
1.5 litre or above engine
MPG? I think must be at least 55MPG and if not saving must be gotten in residual value
Electric not option no plug in facility at workplace

Budget for the new car?

Brian...howdy!

I could go for about €18,000 if it was the best option

MuppetCheck

Octavia VRS diesels seem to attract decent money regardless of mileage. I did the bones of 70k in a year in one and lost about 2k on it. Bought at 2 years old. I didn't believe the trade in prices I was getting for it (because it really was a bag of shyte).

colm_mcm

I'd say vrs diesels are a lot more plentiful nowadays though?

bazz26

High mileage and heavy depreciation usually go hand in hand. Of course the other way to looking at the problem is buy something that has already taken a big hit on depreciation. So buy cheap to sell on cheap.

But to answer the question, VWs tend to still command top money even on high mileage examples. Something like a Golf or Passat. Passat CCs are fetching good money even the high mileage examples. Problem is you are still going to buy them at good money to begin with.

Brian...howdy!

Whats your opinions on the Hyundai i30 & i40? 5 year unlimited mileage warranty seems like a good option?
I also like the look of the Leon & Toledo as I do the Rapid & Octavia which are more reasonable than the VW's although I do believe they hold value better.
It seems most economical engines are the 1.6 litres, is there any 1.9 litres matching 55 real mpg's? As i believe a 1.6 litres would give more problems or was i just unlucky in my 1.6 focus?

bazz26

Smaller diesel engine are not always automatically more economical. In big heavy cars they have to work harder meaning they use more fuel. Larger engines tend to be less stressed meaning they are just as fuel efficient.

Since motor tax is no longer related to engine size I would see no reason to limit yourself to small diesel engines. If doing 58k km per year then I'd be looking at a 2.0 litre car with plenty of power for overtaking when needed and something that was comfortable.

MuppetCheck

Brian...howdy! wrote: »

Whats your opinions on the Hyundai i30 & i40? 5 year unlimited mileage warranty seems like a good option?
I also like the look of the Leon & Toledo as I do the Rapid & Octavia which are more reasonable than the VW's although I do believe they hold value better.
It seems most economical engines are the 1.6 litres, is there any 1.9 litres matching 55 real mpg's? As i believe a 1.6 litres would give more problems or was i just unlucky in my 1.6 focus?

The newer Golf and Leon in 2 litre form are good for 55mpg in the real world, I get that from a 2 litre Leon over a tank but that is doing 95% main road driving. I don't drive with economy in mind but I don't drive it on that much either. The Octavia is a bit heavier so that will have an impact.

They're also a lot better to drive than the 1.6 versions - better and safer overtaking, more responsive, 6 speed boxes, fine even when loaded up. The rapid and toledo are a class below, based on a Polo.

Brian...howdy!

I usually check out honest john which shows real mpg's of cars. There is not many 1.9 or 2 litre engines making 55 mpgs

MuppetCheck

Brian...howdy! wrote: »

I usually check out honest john which shows real mpg's of cars. There is not many 1.9 or 2 litre engines making 55 mpgs

It depends on usage and the driver. My driving is N-roads, 100 limits so that helps no end. Motorways would definitely be lower due to the higher speeds. Throw in some town driving and it drops too. If you're getting 57 from the focus, you should definitely see the same from one of them.

Brian...howdy!

2 litre leon and golfs seems good. Have yet to drive either but Leon looks to have nicer interior. Is Seat good for retaining their value?

bazz26

I got low 50s from my old Passat CC.

MuppetCheck

Brian...howdy! wrote: »

2 litre leon and golfs seems good. Have yet to drive either but Leon looks to have nicer interior. Is Seat good for retaining their value?

The Leon will be worth less afterwards, but it will be a little cheaper to buy too. The interior is pretty decent in them these days but it's a notch down on the Golf. They are usually better specced though which makes up for one or two bits of cost cutting. Some tanks I've gone over 60 with but the colder weather hampers it.

It's just an option but I'd seriously consider a car from the class up. You might sacrifice a small bit in terms of running costs but they will be more suited to your mileage.

Brian...howdy!

Not sure i could afford to given my budget?

MuppetCheck

A Superb 2 litre is where I would be looking. Even call into a random dealer and try an Octavia and a Superb to see the difference. It would be possible to get one in budget.

Brian...howdy!

What year and mileage would you be suggesting?

bazz26

What's your budget?

Brian...howdy!

18 thousand. But as per my first post I can only budget 5 thousand towards repairs, tyres, upkeep and depreciation. So want to know what my best option is. I know people will say buy older but I want to have reliability.

Bigus

There's a good few 1.6 tdi new model 2013 Leon's available for around 16 k,

With miles your doing its going to knock any car hard so the cheaper the outlay at the start the better as regards depreciation.

MuppetCheck

Something like this suit? Very slightly over budget though.
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Skoda/Superb/2.0-TDI-/103214159273287670/advert?channel=CARS

Brian...howdy!

Mileage might be bit high considering after a years driving it'd be up on the 100k miles

bazz26

I think you have to accept that with your annual high mileage any car you buy will take a hit on depreciation. Buying an already heavy depreciating car cheap allows you to sell it on cheap again, whereas buying a low depreciating car means it is costing you more up front when buying.

Francie Barrett

bazz26 wrote: »

Smaller diesel engine are not always automatically more economical. In big heavy cars they have to work harder meaning they use more fuel. Larger engines tend to be less stressed meaning they are just as fuel efficient.
Since motor tax is no longer related to engine size I would see no reason to limit yourself to small diesel engines. If doing 58k km per year then I'd be looking at a 2.0 litre car with plenty of power for overtaking when needed and something that was comfortable.

A Skoda Superb is a great car for comfort, but because it's so big, it will be thirsty enough for a diesel no matter what size the engine is. My 2.0 Passat for example cannot go any better than 45mpg or so travelling at an average speed of about 100-110kmph on the motorway. On the other hand, if you're willing to sacrifice comfort, you could look at a VW Polo. Our 1.4 TDI does nearly 55mpg over similar conditions to the Passat. Obviously the ride isn't as comfortable, but if economy is important, then it pays to go with a small car with a smaller engine.

A Yaris d4d is probably another decent option. There's a few of these with similar galactic mileages.

Idbatterim

at that price, is there anything new around that price bracket that would be worth considering?

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Brian...howdy! wrote: »

I usually check out honest john which shows real mpg's of cars. There is not many 1.9 or 2 litre engines making 55 mpgs

The trip average on my 1.9 2002 Golf is 55 mpg, over the last ~6000 miles. On my daily 60km motorway commute, I can see over 62-63 mpg for that journey if I stay at 110 for the whole way.

That's in an old golf with 180,000 miles on the clock, imagine what a newer one would be able to do! So I must disagree with your statement that not many 1.9-2.0 engines can do 55+mpg

Even a 2010 skoda superb that I had would easily beat 55mpg on the motorway/dc journeys.

bazz26

Francie Barrett wrote: »

A Skoda Superb is a great car for comfort, but because it's so big, it will be thirsty enough for a diesel no matter what size the engine is. My 2.0 Passat for example cannot go any better than 45mpg or so travelling at an average speed of about 100-110kmph on the motorway. On the other hand, if you're willing to sacrifice comfort, you could look at a VW Polo. Our 1.4 TDI does nearly 55mpg over similar conditions to the Passat. Obviously the ride isn't as comfortable, but if economy is important, then it pays to go with a small car with a smaller engine.

A Yaris d4d is probably another decent option. There's a few of these with similar galactic mileages.

Well I had a Passat CC with the 2.0 TDi engine and constantly got low 50s mpg from it so unless you have a heavy right foot I'd expect better from your Passat. I'd expect similar from a Superb with the same engine.

Also the OP is doing 58k km per year, that's certainly not something I would like to be doing in a small car like a Polo or Yaris. If spending so much time in a car then comfort and space are important imo.

Brian...howdy!

Ya I wouldn't like to spend amount of time I do in a polo or Yaris. What about the Toledo? Seems to be pretty good prices for almost new.
Is my budget reasonable to buy a car for up to 18k and say drive it for 2 years budget €2000 repairs and depreciation €8000. So be looking sell car for at least €10k after 2 years. Reasonable?

MuppetCheck

Brian...howdy! wrote: »

Ya I wouldn't like to spend amount of time I do in a polo or Yaris. What about the Toledo? Seems to be pretty good prices for almost new.
Is my budget reasonable to buy a car for up to 18k and say drive it for 2 years budget €2000 repairs and depreciation €8000. So be looking sell car for at least €10k after 2 years. Reasonable?

It's a Polo basically so it's based on a car in the same class as a Yaris.

If you buy the Skoda version it will have a 150k km warranty and chances are you won't need the 2k repair fund. You should transfer that 2k to depreciation as that would be a hard enough sell for 8k at 2 years and 120k.

If you're not bothered about spec that much we could have bought a 132 basic, ex lease Leon 90bhp diesel with 50k km on it late last year for 14.5k for herself. It would be a better bet and probably more saleable when you're done with it.

With the mileage you're going to pay a lot in depreciation whatever you do on the majority of new cars.

Idbatterim

Op would you not consider a 4-5,000 euro car, does it have to be nearly new?

R.O.R

We've a few Skoda Rabid 1.6Tdi Ambition's out on contract, for 2 years / 130,000km.

Quick look at the figures, and we expect them to depreciate €10,000 over the 2 years / 130,000km, from what we paid for them.

Not my customer, but pretty sure these worked out the cheapest as far as monthly costs (purchase less forecasted value) against standard specification (these have the tech pack).

They weren't a bad little motor, but I wouldn't fancy doing 55,000km a year in one.

Brian...howdy!

What is peoples experience of manufacturers warranties? Hyundai unlimited mileage warranty sounds very good but I'm skeptical. Is it really unlimited? Or is there a better warranty out there?