Long commute car?

Flashdan

I will be driving Dublin (Red Cow) to Portlaoise every day for work. I have 20k to spend. Can anyone recommend a car that will be very economical? Comfort would be nice as well.

Thanks very much.

bazz26

That's mostly M7 driving I presume. I'd look at some flavor of 2.0 litre diesel family saloon designed for mile munching, the likes of a Mondeo, Passat, etc. Should be able to get 50mpg or a bit better on that run plus a car that size will offer plenty of comfort. Cruise control would be a want too. You should also look at your driving style, doing a steady 100kph over 120kph can noticably improve fuel economy. Hard to stay at 100kph on a motorway though, you feel like your standing still.

California Dreamer

How about the older model Skoda Superb? That will cruise along with lots of comfort.

GPoint

Bmw 3 series with automatic gearbox. Fuel economy 4.9 to 5.1 litres per 100km on a motorway runs plus town. 20k would buy you 2016 car with current prices. More comfortable over Mondeo and better ergonomics over Skoda.

User1998

Look at a diesel Passat or Golf with DSG & radar cruise control.

Golf is surprisingly decent on the motorway but a Passat would be slightly better. DSG and radar cruise control make it effortless and they give very good fuel economy with 7 gears.

AMKC

@OP You want a classy, Comfortable aNd stylish car not a dull to drive and look at VW.

A Citroen C5 VTR is what you want.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/citroen-c5-hdi115-vtr-techno-4dr/31634112

It can be had in 1 6 diesel or 2 0 litre diesel. There is more 1.6s do and better deals on them.

Want more room for family trips and if you have dogs think about the estate.

bazz26

It's funny you bleeding on about dull VWs again yet the irony is that Citroen's advertising campaign at the time promoted that C5 model as being almost "German" when it came to build quality.

Also I wouldn't be paying 10k for a C5, they are only really worth considering at bangernomics money and even at that price point they are a risk. 2.0 litre is much better in every department over the 1.6 litre too. The OP's 20k budget will get them something more modern and less risky.

User1998

I’d rather the simplistic layout of a VW over that absolute minefield of an interior

davidfitz22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119532213#Comment_119532213

Owned a 2011 one of these and it was more comfortable than an audi a6. Probably one of the best cruisers for the motorway but cumbersome in tight spaces

MakersMark

Try for active cruise control if you can.

Flashdan

Thanks for all the replies, some great ideas. Love the idea of DSG 7 gears and radar cruise control. C5 was not something I was thinking of, will take a look. Didn't think I could get a decent bmw for that money.

The only thing that bothers me is nearly all cars like this have way over 100k on the clock. Is this a problem? I'm from the days of 100k ment it was time to scrap it.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119532637#Comment_119532637

The only thing that bothers me is nearly all cars like this have way over 100k on the clock. Is this a problem? I'm from the days of 100k ment it was time to scrap it.

Not if its a diesel and well serviced and looked after.

Back Home

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058260654/long-commute-car

20k will buy you a nice E class and will do 3-4 hundred thousand km if looked after.

https://www.kinsaleroadautos.ie/vehicles/mercedes-benz/e%20class/cork/3151109

bazz26

I'd stay away from premium branded cars for the budget the OP has to be honest. Premium cars can come with premium maintenance and repair bills especially the older they get. The cars might get cheaper to buy but the repair bills won't if something major goes wrong.

I'm not for one second saying the second generation Insignia is the best car out there, they are generally unloved but that can work to your advantage in that they do offer a fair bit of bang for your bucks in today's crazy used car market. Fairly modern tech and safety systems with plenty of comfort plus modest running costs:

https://www.carsireland.ie/3164020

https://www.carsireland.ie/3141471

DaveyDave

I've taken a Golf on several 300-400km trips, including 400km return in the same day. Comfortable, quiet and nice to drive. I wouldn't rule out a Golf if looking at a Passat. DSG gearbox would be highly recommended and I believe everything but the most basic trims have adaptive cruise control, also a must. In the right spec they're a nice place to be.

Someone at work went from an older Insignia to a Golf, they commute 120km a day.

I wouldn't worry about mileage once it has a good service history. A friend of mine is 500km shy of 300,000km in an A4 that has been well maintained and has absolutely nothing wrong with it. Two of my friends have only ever owned cars with over 100k on the clock and never had any major issues as they were always serviced. Pretty much all diesel VW/Audi.

celtic_oz

whats that 100km each way ?

 Can anyone recommend a car that will be very economical?

you will not get anything more economical than electric .. especially if work pay for the charge while there

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/renault-zoe-2018/31783045

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2019-nissan-leaf/31813913

Flashdan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119534986#Comment_119534986

Yeah I liked the look of them. Driven an older one of these and seemed pretty good.

patmahe

Volvo S60 or S80, most comfortable seats of any car I've driven including a Lexus LS 400, for your budget you should be able to get one with all the toys to make your cruise nice and easy.

Flashdan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119536204#Comment_119536204

I would love to go electric! My company doesn't have a charge point and there is not one near.

My house is on the end of terrace and the parking is off set so my parking spot is not in-front of my house. I think it would be hard to run cables as they would go over a public pathway :(

Flashdan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119536729#Comment_119536729

My uncle has a Volvo S60 and its pretty nice to be in. Are they expensive to repair?

ba_barabus

I'm literally preparing my 2013 Avensis for sale which was bought for long driving.

Can't recommend them enough. Only reason I'm selling is that I've a company car on the way.

chicorytip

Nissan Qashqai or Renault Kadjar

1.5 dci.

the_syco

If you're leaving it in the LAUS Red Cow carpark, get something which doesn't have the catalytic converter exposed at the bottom of the car; the car park isn't patrolled, and have heard of a few cats getting taken from cars there. Likewise if the place in Portlaoise that you're parking at isn't gated.

Flashdan

I was thinking these but does the extra size make them worse mpg?

Water2626262

Mondeo is kind of boring but is very comfortable and I found to have notably low cabin noise which is nice for long commutes. Radar cruise would be nice too I assume.

if I was facing a long commute with a 20k budget I’d be favouring something like that vs premium brands. Lot of bare spec A4s and 3 series out there.

kirving

I'd be going for an E-Class, and sucking up any maintenance (which was surprising low for a car with 250k km). The 3 series I have now isn't a patch on the W212 I had for motorway miles.

mc2022B2TF

Disaster you don't have the option to home charge as a 2nd hand leaf 40kwh would easily do that round trip daily with a good bit to spare. And it would save you thousands on fuel each year.

Flashdan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119640627#Comment_119640627

Yeah its a new build, I will look into it when I get down there. Was told there was not an option.

mc2022B2TF

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119641309#Comment_119641309

yeah because your type of commute is literally perfect for an electric charge at home car. You could save the price of the leaf in fuel costs over 5 years and still be left with a car worth 10k, so a net gain. Rather than be in a massive loss with a diesel factoring in deprecation and fuel costs.