Cheap reliable mid size car

mejinks

mejinks

mejinks

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Joined
28 Oct 2002
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Hiraeth
So my mileage is probably about to hit 20-30k a year. I currently have an E60 530, which is a lovely car, but £300 for rear tyres is starting to grate a little and £130 a week in petrol isn't the route to happiness.

What I'm after, I think, is a smaller diesel which won't make me want to give up the will to live. Saying that, I was reading in last months BMW mag that it take 14 years to make back the savings of petrol over diesel with the initial outlay and that doesn't include turbos etc. So maybe a diesel isn't the best choice.

It doesn't need to be a big car, but I don't want to be driving around in a spitewagon like a 106.

I'm thinking 320i? VW golf?
 
320i/d would probably hit the spot, or an F10 520d would be good - a chap at work has one (salesman, high mileage) and regularly betters 60mpg. It's a lovely car, has been reliable in the first 20k miles at least and if you drive in such a way to get 60mpg then tyres will last well too.

Just an idea.
 
OpenToSuggestions said:
I have no idea what you are intending to spend!

There is no point blowing thousands on a new car to cut your fuel costs.
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I'm just open to suggestions at the moment. I could carry on using my E60, but at 134k, things are going to start going wrong with the best will in the world.

As for amount to spend, I am thinking 4 - 5k? Again, its just a figure. My thoughts are:

1. Buy a beater of a car and run it into the ground. Change it yearly.
2. Buy a nicer car and pay out more to keep it in good condition.

I'm not even sure I won't keep the E60 for holidays or special occasions...
 
mejinks said:
I'm just open to suggestions at the moment. I could carry on using my E60, but at 134k, things are going to start going wrong with the best will in the world.

As for amount to spend, I am thinking 4 - 5k? Again, its just a figure. My thoughts are:

1. Buy a beater of a car and run it into the ground. Change it yearly.
2. Buy a nicer car and pay out more to keep it in good condition.

I'm not even sure I won't keep the E60 for holidays or special occasions...
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I think others on here have the 530i with near 200k on.
At £5000 I would go with a diesel Focus or Astra. No fancy badge so purchase costs are kept down. A Golf would be significantly older than the others in this price bracket.

Have you considered moving closer to work? Using 20+ gallons of petrol a week would certainly destroy my disposible income.
 
I was getting miffed with spending close to £60 on petrol every week.

Personally I'd find a nice petrol car that isn't too new, you like that isn't too small that can tolerate a pretty hefty lump of metal in the spare wheel bay without ruining the handling of the car, Preferably a VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda, BMW in other words something with nice hard valve seats in the engine. then Get an LPG conversion.

My MK4 golf is a petrol getting me 32 MPG on LPG which is Half the price of diesel. most decent branded diesels struggle to get 60MPG Plus they are a Diesel. I Put about a tenner of petrol in a month to get it started. The only Trouble is that you need to fill up more on LPG than diesel and petrol depending on the size of your tank, and the Dash gauges not terribly accurate.
 
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mejinks said:
I've been looking at LPG, but it would take a very long time to make the cost back in savings.
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Probably about the same amount of time (or less) as it would cost to make back the savings going to a diesel. You could spend £1500 out of your 4 grand and have 2500 left over - should last you a few years covering repairs and things on your 530.

I'm not saying you should though, mind - just that you could. Merely pointing out that if you're bothered about making back the savings then it applies to buying a smaller diesel too
 
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