Project Ultimate MPG

Hawk Tuah

Hawk Tuah

Hawk Tuah

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
14,256
Location
Sandwich, Kent
Right, it looks like soon I will be getting my first house. However we are planing on moving further from where I work. The long term plan is to get a job closer to where I'm moving to. There are a few big companies, Phizers being the predominant one, so fingers crossed. However until then I have to do a 120 mile a day commute. Some B road, some A road and some motorway. Now with that in mind, I really dont want to part with my car. It probably not worth much, but its worth a lot more to me.

However it does costs a fair amount to run. It will cost a load on fuel, and there are always things that need sorting out. So my plan is to buy a vehicle just for doing this commute. However I'm planing on doing it very much on the cheap.

The car I have in mind at the moment is a Citroen AX 1.4 diesel. I reckon I should be able to pick one up for a couple of hundred. I should be able to tax it for just over a ton a year and hopefully insurance should be under £100.

I do plan on making a few modifications though to try and get the mpg up as high as possible. I'm thinking of strippnig all the interior out, and putting some fuel saver tyres on it. Perhaps duck tape up all the seams. ;)
 
I don't know how cheap it actually works out myself, but if its purely just fuel savings your after and nothing else. Look for some sort of pre converted barge running LPG maybe? My friend where i used to work had a Ford Granada running LPG it was silly cheap to run and although he was pretty mechanically minded i never saw him really having any major trouble with it...
 
A few points;

1) Would you really have saved all that much after having spent £500 buying a crap box car and fuelling that vs just fuelling what you already have?

2) Sure it's not Pfizer you want to work for? :p

3) DUCT TAPE NOT DUCK TAPE!
 
divine` said:
A few points;

1) Would you really have saved all that much after having spent £500 buying a crap box car and fuelling that vs just fuelling what you already have?

2) Sure it's not Pfizer you want to work for? :p

3) DUCT TAPE NOT DUCK TAPE!
Click to expand...

Qwack qwack.
 
Bug One said:
Qwack qwack.
Click to expand...

The generally preferred spelling is 'Quack quack' ;)

Anyway, the first point is a serious one, how much would you actually save after having shelled out another car, tax, insurance and fuel for that vs just the fuel for your fiat?
 
Bug One said:
So what do you reckon then. Strip the interior, black hammerite it. :)
Click to expand...

I say yes to black hammerite but are you sure its not false economy? i mean its on nearly 130k is it not? and cheap old french cars dont cope with mileage well... although it is diesel... but still

all said and done good luck, its a darn sight better for the environment and its another tax payer that isnt me :P
 
second thoughts leave it as is, save some money (and weight:D) and not use Hammerite

Reading through the auction i noticed it had a new engine 10k ago but tbh the derv engine is the last thing id worry about at any mileage.
 
My recommendation:

Skoda Octavia or similar. Get a dirt cheap SDI or TDI model - they'll do 65+ mpg if you stick to around 60mph and they arent crap to drive or live with like a Citroen AX is. Also, if you're buying your first house - you'll be doing a fair bit of DIY, so it's handy to have a car to haul stuff around in. Stick the coupe in storage for a year and save the pennies :) Also, the Octavia will be worth something when you're done with it.

Pfizer are a good company - direct competitors of my old man and I've done a bit of contract work for them in the past.
 
Bug One said:
Dammit. Some fool has just put a bid in taking it up to nearly £200.
Hmmmm.
Click to expand...

Just as well, you seriously don't want to be doing 120miles everyday in one. The 1.4 engine is not the best, it suffers from head gasket problems, and even in the ultra light AX is still dog slow. The later 1.5 is better, but still a lethargic slug.

If you want a cheap supermini (and god knows why for 120 miles a day) look out for the 205 turbo diesels. Not only are they cheap to run, the engine is robust and they have surprisingly good performance.

Another possibility is a Rover 400/600 SDi (the 'i' is important!). Very strong engines, lots around with 300k+ on them, as long as they are maintained. Considerably better ride and interior than an AX, and the 400 hatch version gives you a really decent sized boot, which is always useful for lugging crap to the tip etc.

Even the Mondeo with the rather undesirable 1.8 TD engine would be vastly preferable to the AX. They will do good mileage if serviced properly, but it's a pretty unrefined engine by todays standards. However ride and handling up to the usual decent Mondeo standards, a vastly nicer place to be than a french tin can (and before anyone starts, I had an AX GTi and loved it, but not for 120 miles a day).

Also consider almost anything with the XUD engine, Citron ZX,Xsara,Xantia, Pug 306,406 etc.

If you can get an Octavia within your budget, then it would be better than all the above by a significant margin, but only the TDi. The SDi (normaly aspirated diesel) is very slow, and prone to gearbox problems.
 
Last edited:
Dogbreath said:
Also consider almost anything with the XUD engine, Citron ZX,Xsara,Xantia, Pug 306,406 etc.
Click to expand...

We've had to Xantia's with the 1.9TD in it now, the first one we owned for about 100k, the 2nd about 20-30k and in that time I don't think anything major has gone wrong with the engine {touch wood}.

Although maybe avoid a Xantia because of possible suspension problems, if it's going to be cheap as chips :p
 
I had to do this for a bit at the end of my placement and if I can give you once peice of advice, it would be:

You DO not want to do this in a small, lightweight, crude car. 120 miles a day is a lot of time in the car, too long for a Citroen AX.

Cavalier or Mondeo TD is the way forward, or Xantia, 405, 406, etc etc.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom