car for commuting, 2011 clio 1.5 dci?

s100000

s100000

s100000

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I have had a clio in the past, although it was a 1.6 and the mk2 shape. I do 70 miles a day and want to be cruising at around 80mph. My current mk5 gti is no longer practical.

The car im looking at is well speced, its the initiale trim but its up for £6.5k with 40k on the clock and 2 previous owners. Mileage is low for a 5 year old diesel buts it a main dealer. Is there anything In particular I should look out for? Is the 106 bhp engine a good one compared to the lower bhp dcis? Do you think the price is right for a main dealer? Any alternative suggestions for cars would be great as I dont want to spend more than 6k, though under this would be better. Just need a diesel that will give 60mpg, is reliable and preferably from a main dealer with a good warranty.

Also looking at the following, as I heard there reliable although a bit older... (heard the VAG 1.9 is solid)

seat ibiza mk3 /leon mk1 1.9 tdi fr
seat ibiza mk4 2.0 tdi fr
skoda fabia mk1 vrs 1.9
toyota corolla 2.0 d4d SR
vw golf mk5 gt td 140/170

Any advice on the above would be appreciated, along with any other suggestions.. thank you.
 
70 miles a day in a Clio :eek:
Have u not looked at The Focus and Mondeo? 6.5k should get u a 2011 mk3 Focus that would be a nicer drive on the motorway
 
Had an older style Dynamique dci but only the 88hp one, did 110k in it commuting along the M62. Did absolutely fine, got a lot of comments on here over the years about spending time in a little pokey car on a commute, but it had a radio for entertainment, a heater for the cold days and a window for the warm ones and hardly missed a beat. Used to average 70mpg'ish for the commute, managed 80 for a while when the m'way was limited to 50mph for a few years.

Not sure what the 106hp gives over the 88hp and if it's worth the extra, but £6.5k seems a bit steep for a 5yr old Clio, I'd have thought more like £5-5.5k.
 
I had a 2012 clio and was the most dull uninspiring car to drive, I died a little each time I started it. Doing 70 miles a day in one would kill me within a week.
 
For a couple of months, I did 80 miles a day in a 75ps Polo TDi and it was fine. 40 miles each way, ~35 of which were on the motorway, the rest in traffic. It wasn't 'fun', but it would take a special car to make that particular journey enjoyable. People are a bit dramatic about it.
 
Think I'd rather have the Megane to be honest. The 1.6 TDCI PSA engine is disastrous in terms of reliability, turbo failures, DPF, DMF and other bits falling off into/out of the engine. The 1.8 is Ford's own design, ancient and rattly.
 
s100000 said:
Appreciate everyones feedback.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...&model=focus&keywords=leather seats&logcode=p

Never really thought about the ford focus. What would be the best engine/year to buy? What should I look out for?
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Personally I wouldn't necessarily spend that much on a MK2 focus (even though it is the Titanium Trim with heated seats etc), as the MK3 looks a lot fresher in comparison

The 1.8TDCI is a very old engine, so less refined, but potentially less problems (as don't think it ever had a DPF - although for the mileage you do, you shouldn't have problems anyway)


Just for perspective, a newer mk3 would be at the top end of your budget

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...rget=usedcars&searchcontext=default&logcode=p



Another option would be a Mondeo e.g. which £6k could get you a Titanium X with everything, heated seats, cruise, climate, bluetooth, auto wipers/lights, parking sensors etc. Don't worry about mileage too much - buy on condition.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...miles&maximum-age=up_to_7_years_old&logcode=p
 
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If you like Renault cars then take a look at the Megane, I ran a 1.5dci for 3 years/45000 miles including plenty of 100 mile commuting journeys (200 miles in a day) and it was fine, kept up with traffic, comfortable seats and good economy (55mpg overall average, 60mpg on a run).

Something like this looks nice
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201602070803148

I can't comment on long term reliability but mine seemed well screwed together and had no faults from new in the 3 years I owned it.
 
Thanks again for the input!

So in terms of reliability renault and ford are now up there with VAG cars?

Any other suggestions that are Japanese or German would be appreciated, whats the most reliable engine for my money?
 
Honestly I'd try and get a BMW 3 series. Much better ride quality than anything French. For a daily I'd prefer to buy German. 320d best bet, but out of your list I'd take golf. Infact I just sold my wife's Corolla and replaced it with Golf Tdi 140. The wife never felt comfortable doing the 120 mile round trip to her parents in her Corolla, but she finds it no problem in her Golf.
 
s100000 said:
So in terms of reliability renault and ford are now up there with VAG cars?
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VAG (and indeed German reliability) is a myth these days - A Golf is a slightly more premium alternative to a focus, but wouldn't say it was any more reliable.
 
Armageus said:
A Golf is a slightly more premium alternative to a focus, but wouldn't say it was any more reliable.
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Even then, I don't see why, A golf does look a bit nicer than a focus (personal opinion), personally I hope my next car is a nice Golf, it MIGHT be a bit quicker, but in terms of comfort and extras, you can get a lot more for your money with a Focus.

Why these German cars still carry a price premium over equivalent cars I'll never know.

Correct me if I'm wrong :)
 
Jamesyboyjim said:
Even then, I don't see why, A golf does look a bit nicer than a focus (personal opinion), personally I hope my next car is a nice Golf, it MIGHT be a bit quicker, but in terms of comfort and extras, you can get a lot more for your money with a Focus.

Why these German cars still carry a price premium over equivalent cars I'll never know.

Correct me if I'm wrong :)
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It's generally the little things that make it more premium - better quality plastics used for the dash and door cards, things like one touch electric windows with anti-trap (not standard on most fords), puddle lights etc.

Nothing that you would necessarily normally look for when buying a car, but they are the some of the little things that you may miss.

Moving from my Previous Audi A3 to my current Mk3 Focus, the only things I miss, are the things I didn't even think about e.g. one touch anti-trap windows, better quality parcel shelf material in the Audi.
 
None of that is particularly important, I wouldn't pay at least another 5 grand on a car that has a nicer parcel shelf.

the most important thing you've listed being the one touch windows, I assumed it was more or less standard on most modern cars now? My partners mk3 Focus has these on all 4.

Still seems a false economy to me.
 
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