Diesel for a 250km daily commute

username?!

As the title says, I will need to commute for the next six months racking up about 1250km a week, 250km a day. The drive is motorway 100% of the way so takes about an hour and 15 minutes. Unfortunately fuel costs will be my own but due to some circumstances this is the best decision for me currently.

I'm obviously looking for something capable of over 45mpg, that will sit well at motorway speeds and be reliable, the catch is I have about 5k to spend.

Any ideas?

James Bond Junior

Hard to see past a Mondeo.

Wildly Boaring

username?! wrote: »

As the title says, I will need to commute for the next six months racking up about 1250km a week, 250km a day. The drive is motorway 100% of the way so takes about an hour and 15 minutes. Unfortunately fuel costs will be my own but due to some circumstances this is the best decision for me currently.

I'm obviously looking for something capable of over 45mpg, that will sit well at motorway speeds and be reliable, the catch is I have about 5k to spend.

Any ideas?

Leon 1.9 tdi or octavia with same engine let one go this time last year for that money.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/09-seat-leon-1-9tdi-nct-taxed-/18589862

Avensis 2.0 D4D

GustavoFring

Would go Mondeo sized for a commute like that personally. Cruise control, climate control and xenon headlights are worth having too - will make life a lot more pleasant.

Volvo with the D5 engine of some variety? Tax will be a little higher but flip side is purchase price will be lower.

893bet

What are you currently driving? If it's only for 6 months then is there any point changing really? Will the fuel saving be worth it?

username?!

893bet wrote: »

What are you currently driving? If it's only for 6 months then is there any point changing really? Will the fuel saving be worth it?

Current car is a 4.5 V8 so it's a must.

Some good suggestions so far, never thought of one.

In an ideal world I would like, an estate, leather, cruise control and co2 based tax but this might be a stretch on my budget. A4 Avant is currently top of my list but reliability is a concern.

ayux4rj6zql2ph

This post has been deleted.

keoclassic

I do the same, 240 km a day Nd have been doing it for quite a while. I do get some covered by work all the same. I drive a Volvo s40 2.0 d 2007. She does roughly 52 miles per gallon and the cost is 2 full tanks a week.it's a small tank that's in them and the current cost of filling is about 53-55 Euro a time. If your looking at the volvos try to get one with the 2 ltr engine as the 1.6 can cause a fair bit of hassle.

frozenfrozen

I have a 260km commute. Got a sub 900 euro skoda superb. 60mpg

bazz26

I wouldn't be spending anywhere near 5k on a car you only really need for 6 months yet racking up enough miles on it in that 6 months to still depreciate substantially. I'd be looking in the bangernomics thread and put comfort high on my list.

bazz26

Newer shape Skoda Superb here for under 3k:



https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/skoda-superb-2008-se140/18345351

Cheap tax and over 12 months NCT.

Philb76

Skoda superb also gets my vote

Leonard Hofstadter

Hard to beat an Avensis D4D for reliability,boring as hell but it will be totally trouble free.

Old diesel

With that blue Superb above - I take it thats an EA 189 engine????.

Might thus be worth checking whether it had the infamous dieselgate software "update".

It's been on sale a while too I think as it's not the first time I've seen it

GustavoFring

Some of the early MK2 superb 140s were PD engines.

Old diesel

Apologies I thought it was just the 1.9s that were the older PDs in Mk 2 Superbs.

unkel

username?! wrote: »

Current car is a 4.5 V8 so it's a must.

Is it really a must? There seems to be an obsession with Irish people with fuel consumption and tax over anything else. Penny wise, pound foolish maybe?

In your case, let's say your 4.5 V8 (what car is it?) does about 30mpg on motorways at 120km/h (my own 90s BMW 7-series V8 petrol auto did something like that) and a diesel would do about 45mpg

Over your 6 months, you'd do 32.5k km. And above diesel car would save you just €1600 in fuel. It could very well be much cheaper to just keep driving your gazz guzzler than to buy a more frugal car that you will have to sell again after the 6 months and that might very well need maintenance under your ownership...

Cee-Jay-Cee

How about an 08> Accord? You should be able to find plenty of them within budget. They're a lovely car to drive and the 08 on models had all the niggles/problems sorted.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/honda-accord-2-2-executive-cheap-tax-08/18858624

Or this one with low mileage but higher price.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/honda/18680298

diomed

captainspeed wrote: »

Hard to beat an Avensis D4D for reliability,boring as hell but it will be totally trouble free.

I wish.
Three twenty minute dead engine stays at the side of the road (possibly parking brake), and an EGR replaced over ten months in a car bought aged six months.

steveshort

Have u considered converting your existing car to LPG? It could be more cost effective than spending 3 + on another car

unkel

captainspeed wrote: »

Hard to beat an Avensis D4D for reliability,boring as hell but it will be totally trouble free.

No modern tech but relatively old and high mileage diesel for a budget of €5k is likely to be trouble free if you do high miles in it. Your advice should be completely ignored.

unkel

unkel wrote: »

Is it really a must? There seems to be an obsession with Irish people with fuel consumption and tax over anything else. Penny wise, pound foolish maybe?

In your case, let's say your 4.5 V8 (what car is it?) does about 30mpg on motorways at 120km/h (my own 90s BMW 7-series V8 petrol auto did something like that) and a diesel would do about 45mpg

45mpg would be very much on the low side. The 1.6 tdi I'm driving at the moment is getting around 55mpg on motorway, and ive got over 60mpg on trips with a combination of free flowing N road and motorway.

unkel

Anabelle Weak Sedation wrote: »

45mpg would be very much on the low side. The 1.6 tdi I'm driving at the moment is getting around 55mpg on motorway

At 120km/h? Even if it did, that would mean the extra fuel costs keeping the OPs petrol guzzler going for the next 6 months would still cost well under 2 grand in extra fuel

Sounds like a lot of money, but I'd bet ya it would cost him a lot more to buy a diesel and having to sell it again after 6 months. And I'm not even talking about very possible disastrous and very expensive things that could go wrong with the diesel (that are unlikely to happen to his current car)

rameire

was doing similar journeys in a 1.5 diesel Fiesta.
very comfortable for the drive and a nice size for parking in any situation.

https://www.donedeal.co.uk/cars-for-sale/ford-fiesta-zetec-1-5-diesel-price-crash-/18852530

https://www.donedeal.co.uk/cars-for-sale/ford-fiesta-zetec-1-5-diesel-price-crash/18892144

unkel

unkel wrote: »

At 120km/h? Even if it did, that would mean the extra fuel costs keeping the OPs petrol guzzler going for the next 6 months would still cost well under 2 grand in extra fuel

Sounds like a lot of money, but I'd bet ya it would cost him a lot more to buy a diesel and having to sell it again after 6 months. And I'm not even talking about very possible disastrous and very expensive things that could go wrong with the diesel (that are unlikely to happen to his current car)

Yeah at 120kmh, never faster through as it drops. It's only a 5 speed also which doesn't help.

I haven't done a motorway only drive but with a regular long trip which is close to 2/3 motorway I've seen as low as 4.5/100km and never more than around 5.1 or 5.2 (usually caused by heavy traffic at the start of the journey or driving farily hard. I'd say around 4.6 to 4.8/100km would be about the normal range.

Personally I couldn't spend that much on fuel, I'd have to change car to one cheaper to run.

mikeecho

Have you considered a long term rental car.
You could get something for €5 to 7 a day (long term rental)

You'll only have to fuel it.

Tyres, , flat tyres, servicing, breakdown recovery, motor tax, insurance etc will all be covered.

All you need is excess insurance, which is about €50 per yr.

I reckon for €1,200 you could get rental for 6 months.. without insuance/tax/maintaince worries.

Or

You could buy a banger for €500, then insurance, and motor tax, and hope that you don't get a puncture or need a service.

Just a thought

Old diesel

unkel wrote: »

Anabelle Weak Sedation wrote: »

45mpg would be very much on the low side. The 1.6 tdi I'm driving at the moment is getting around 55mpg on motorway

At 120km/h? Even if it did, that would mean the extra fuel costs keeping the OPs petrol guzzler going for the next 6 months would still cost well under 2 grand in extra fuel

Sounds like a lot of money, but I'd bet ya it would cost him a lot more to buy a diesel and having to sell it again after 6 months. And I'm not even talking about very possible disastrous and very expensive things that could go wrong with the diesel (that are unlikely to happen to his current car)

Excellent points Unkle.

My brother went from V8 to diesel but only when the former was actually coming up to time to replace.

OP knows their 4.5 v8. It's clearly a car they expect to keep for a longer term.

They intend to go back to it in 6 months.

Drive the V8 is thus the way forward.

It will also likely be nicer to use then a diesel.

My Brother likes his diesel and it's an extremely nice current model Skoda Superb.

However that car is A LOT more then OPs budget.

A 2008 Avensis diesel simply can't match a 4.5 v8 that OP has become accustomed to.

Idbatterim

username?! wrote: »

Current car is a 4.5 V8 so it's a must.

Some good suggestions so far, never thought of one.

In an ideal world I would like, an estate, leather, cruise control and co2 based tax but this might be a stretch on my budget. A4 Avant is currently top of my list but reliability is a concern.

Im not joking here, but those bit engines are so unstrained at those speeds, it may be worth keeping it. Are you planning on selling the V8? Would you lpg it?