20,000 Miles per year, £1500 car

Malc

Malc

Malc

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Hi,

I know these high mileage threads always go down the same route of "why are you doing 20,000 miles per year, get another job". However I'm keeping the job for about a year and then moving on as an hour each way for more than a year will kill me.

So with that out of the way I'm after some advice on which car to get for a 20,000 mile per year commute. I currently own an MR2, which I'm keeping and I don't really want to put 80 miles per day onto it. I've worked out that if I buy a second car which does on average 50mpg I will save over £800 per year once all the running costs have been taken into account. I will be buying a second car in a years time anyway for my girlfriend to use, so if I get one now and run that to work instead of the MR2 I'll be saving £800 against the car that I would have to buy in a years time anyway.

So, £1500, diesel, 20,000 miles per year, frugal (such a fun requirement), not painfully slow so 0-60 in sub ~12 seconds.

I've been looking at the following, (size isn't a constraint hence the variety)

Ford Focus Mk1.5 1.8 TDCI
Peugeot 306 2.0 HDI
Volvo S40 1.9D
VW Bora 1.9D
VW Passat 1.9D
Seat Toledo 1.9D
Audi A4 1.9D

I don't want anything that's too costly to repair either (probably rules the A4 and the S40 out?). I like the look of the S40 and the specs are right but what is the reliability like on these cars? and what are they like to repair? Also in my price range they all have 150,000 miles + on them. I assume this will be easy mileage but how long will they run for?

My head says the Focus, the Bora or the Toledo will be the cheapest to run and maintain, however the interior and styling on a decent S40 is appealing. The A4 and Passat are in the mix as I'm not sure how much more expensive they would be to maintain over the Bora or Toledo.

Cheers
 
That age S40 is garbage, I think I would probably go for the Seat. Avoid VW, you want maximum value at this money and a Golf does not offer that.
 
Stay away from the early Focus 1.8 TDCI's. Quite a lot of them have or will suffer from DMF issues. Id personally go for a Bora or Passat.
 
I forgot to add the year of car that I'm looking at into my original post, 2000/2001+.

The Octavia was on the list but I forgot to write it in the OP. Basically anything with the 1.9L PD engine that is not an SDI spec or equivalent is on the list. Good spec levels aren't a high requirement but are a nice to have. I'd like cruise control but it's unlikely in my price range.

What's so bad about a 2000+ S40 Fox? Build quality? I've read about the steering issues but these were cured on the later models weren't they? The S40 was in my list as it was a bit different to the usual, however there's probably a reason for that.

Also the Focus, I thought the DMF problems were sorted on the facelift MK1 (2001-2004). I'm aware of the fuel pump issue but this was a recall wasn't it?

Overall I'm edging towards one of the 1.9D PD engined cars, it will probably be a Seat or a Skoda (probably Seat as I like the harder suspension set up). I assume that there isn't much difference in reliability and build quality between a Leon and a Toledo?
 
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406 hdi, done 80k a year for 3 years in one without a single problem, ever

** or a primera dci can be had for 1500ish now i think, another great mile muncher, 55mpg on the motorway from a 2.2
 
I think the Octavia or the Toledo will probably give you the best car all in all for the money.

As Fox said though, S40s from that era are crap ...that model was the one that shared much of it's self with the Mitsubishi Charisma ...needless to say John Prescot probably has more charisma than that.

Something in good condition that runs nicely with a VAG 1.9 PD engine is your best bet imo, be that a Toledeo, a Bora, a Passat or an Octavia. The Golf will be more expensive and offer less value though.
 
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Dual mass flywheel can be a problem in the diesel octavia's and a similar problems can also effect diesel (mk3)mondeo's. Well worth doing some research on owners forums.
Flip side of that, I ran an octavia 1.9 diesel for 3.5 years and it never missed a beat, was comfortable, well equipped and would return a real world 48-50mpg round town and 60+ on motorway journeys.
<edit> try and find one with a six speed box, the five speed box feels slightly under geared on long motorway journeys </edit>
 
Late hi-spec 406 HDI without a doubt.

Such a nicer car in every way than the vag junk you will get at that price point.

I have a mk4 golf tdi, such a hateful miserable car plagued with annoying little rattles and faults.
 
GT3 said:
Late hi-spec 406 HDI without a doubt.

Such a nicer car in every way than the vag junk you will get at that price point.

I have a mk4 golf tdi, such a hateful miserable car plagued with annoying little rattles and faults.
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Agreed can't really beat a 406 HDI for this usage. Ideal cheap econobarge.
 
Think I read somewhere that the 2.2s were hard to work on and hated by garages due to mega cramped engine bay.
 
I've done a similar run, 40 miles each way per day, in my (soon to be gone) 306hdi. Not a bad car for the price range, I get 56mpg average from it driving carefully. Had no issues with it apart from the usual constables like tyres and brake pads, I've done 30k in it and it's done 115k total.
Just wanted to add my own experience from doing something similar in a similarly priced car :)
 
I'm not a brand snob but I've always been put off Peugeots by their reputation for shoddy electrics and the like. However I have read very good things about their HDI diesel engines, hence the 306 in my original post.

That 406 linked to on Pistonheads has some serious luxuries in comparison to the VAG stuff I've been looking at. What are the repair costs like on a 306/406? In comparison to say an octavia/leon/toledo?

Another constraint which was vaguely mentioned in my original post, will be that my girlfriend will be having the car as her first car in a years time. She's therefore got to like the car.

I suppose it all boils down to, any car in the £1500 price range having about the same chance of going wrong as another, French or not.
 
Id say so. Its always gonna boil down to luck at this price range. You can land a car that will run for years or one with endless problems.

Just find one with a good history and all the big jobs done, like cambelt etc.
 
My mk4 golf has had many problems in the last year before I bought it with window mechanisms, central locking, mirrors, door solenoids, abs faults etc

My old 406 and my mates 406 have had no electrical issues at all.

Not saying they don't have faults but don't think the VW's are immune from such problems. In my experience they are worse!
 
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