Should I consider replacing my 2.5T....?

snips86x · 19 Feb 2016 at 14:22

I'm currently doing around 18-20k miles a year and wondering if I would be better off replacing it for a Diesel. I'm getting about 32mpg which is equating to about 365-450 per tank - depending on what driving I've been doing (long/short distance)

I'm doing longer runs (200 miles each way) twice a month which is why I'm now considering a change. There is nothing wrong with the car, but now I'm living on my own and wanting to buy a house, I can't help but think I should make savings - starting with my car.

snips86x · 19 Feb 2016 at 16:42

Unfortunately the most I seem to be able to get for my Mondeo is £3.5k. That's trade though. I wouldn't want to spend too much more on top however. I'm considering a diesel focus.

snips86x · 19 Feb 2016 at 17:24

I have though found a 2.0TDCI Mondeo Tit X Sport with 54k miles. Only problem is there's a £4K difference on the part ex

snips86x · 19 Feb 2016 at 20:58

Thanks for your thoughts, it's inreresting to see this from other perspectives. I'm still not 100% sure what I want to do you but I appreciate it all the same. I would imagine that selling privately could potentially cover the cost of a replacement car...it can't be all bad eh...!

snips86x · 20 Feb 2016 at 08:17

p1RATE said:
Have you considered LPG?

In a year at 18k you'll save roughly £1300 which would cover the cost of install, after which point you'll more or less half your fuel bill.

I actually didn't think of that, good shout. Are there any well known sites with useful information around compatible cars?

snips86x · 20 Feb 2016 at 09:29

Thanks for the details. It's not that I want a new car, I'm after efficiency savings. Driving a 400 mile round trip isn't the issue, it's the amount of fuel I'm using. Yes I can slow down but that doesn't stop the car from being thirsty. I've put it up for sale so we'll see how it goes. If it doesn't sell, I may consider an LPG conversion.

snips86x · 20 Feb 2016 at 13:12

iaind said:
The difference in efficiency with lpg varies between cars, some it's not noticeable at all and others it's significant. Dad had it done on a 2.3T Saab a few years back and it was pretty much the same as on petrol, I suspect smaller turbo engines react better to it. Bear in mind the tanks are smaller so you'll be filling up more often - but it does buy you more range as you can brim both lpg and petrol tanks.

Yeah, I'll be honest, I'm not keen on splashing out on a conversation, despite it being a good idea. My problem is that now I'm looking to buy my own place, I could well be saving £1100 per year by having a cheaper car. It's not just the long runs which worry me about the usage, it's just in general. Don't get me wrong, it's a superb drive and I love driving it and can afford to drive it - I just want tot start making savings.

snips86x · 20 Feb 2016 at 14:28

iaind said:
The only way you'll start making savings straight away is to sell it and buy something of the same or lesser value. This isn't necessarily a bad idea but you do need to bear in mind the risks that older diesels bring - say you bought another mondeo but a diesel at that money, chances are it will need a DMF. This isn't being anti diesel, it's just the reality of older diesel cars. If that happens, you'll wipe out the savings you've made. If I was in your shoes, I'd advertise it privately and buy a Saab 9-3 TiD. Mainly because I like them but you'll get a much newer and lower mileage one for the same money than a lot of other cars and tend to be comparatively reliable

Thanks bud, appreciate your help here. I did actually look at a few of them yesterday, what are they like for reliability? I'll admit though, they are nice.

Also, what kind of mileage would you consider if you were looking? 50-60k?

snips86x · 20 Feb 2016 at 15:56

iaind said:
I had one for about 18 months and 30k miles - it was faultless. It's a GM engine, EGR issues aren't too uncommon but they're more robust than some similar engines. The TTiD is a lot nicer to drive with a twin stage turbo but a bit more complexity to go with it.

Condition over mileage, mine was on 130k when I got rid of it and it was faultless. It actually popped up for sale again - a high speed 58 reg facelift, the guy had only done a few miles as it was on 135 and he was asking 3k. I'd have had that over a 50k mile older car to be honest!

The 9-5 is also worth a look, it's more equivalent to a mondeo in size. Just avoid the old 2.2 diesel and definitely avoid the 3.0 v6 diesel

Well I've found a stunning 9-3 TTiD which would be perfect. I've been over the financials and I think it could work.

snips86x · 22 Feb 2016 at 23:19

I've been talking to a few traders about my 2.5T and while I still have my advert of Auto Trader, I'm keen to know what you think. Currently, the only 2.5T with a good low mileage is priced at £4750 for a Titanium X with 54k miles.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201512099340846

Mine has 39k miles and is a Titanium. I've advertised at £5k, do you think this is too much? All trade offers have been round the £3k mark and while I know I can get more from a private sale, I'd be interested to know what you all think!

snips86x · 23 Feb 2016 at 10:56

mulpsmebeauty said:
If you are content at 60mph I reckon you'll see well north of 50mpg on a modern diesel. I do 19k a year with 30% urban and 70% A road driving. I stay out of the rat race in the outer lane and get 60mpg from a Peugeot 407 diesel. I've just topped up the tank today at £47.13 with about 630 miles out of the tank at that point. The trip computer was indicating 63mpg.

At 70-75mph it'll do mid 50s mpg. I was never able to get a petrol car to exceed its quoted consumption figures, but sitting in 6th gear in the right conditions and I think most diesels will far exceed their petrol equivalent. Try taking your preferred model out for a test drive doing the sort of driving you normally do and see what mpg it returns. For me the savings have been significant.

I did just that last night with the Saab 9-3. I reset the MPG readout and went for a 45 min drive which consisted of dual carriage way and my usual drive to work. Managed about 52mpg from the 1.9TiD. While it was a very nice drive indeed, there are things which needed to be addressed on the car - didn't give confidence that there should be nothing else which would go wrong, I know you get a warranty too.

I really don't want to rush it as I still love driving my Mondeo. I'll see how my advert goes - even though I need to include more pics - and then make a decision based on my priorities at that point. I don't know if I'm going to be doing long distance driving frequently but at the moment it's 1-2 times a month doing a 400 mile round trip on some weekends. I've still not found anything I'm 100% set on but time will tell.

snips86x · 24 Feb 2016 at 12:01

I've been thinking more and more about this and the fact my car is the only luxury item I own makes me think it's worth keeping as I love driving and driving it. There's no doubt that I could get a more economical vehicle but I don't want to rush it. Something will turn up in due course no doubt. A200 would be first on my list...

snips86x · 3 Mar 2016 at 18:57

I'ms struggling to find a car which fits my criteria of being fuel efficient, decent power and low on Tax. So far, I've only found the 118d. The specs are pretty much spot on and exactly what I'm after. However, I don't know much/anything about BMWs. What are your thoughts on this?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...earlynew,new&search-target=usedcars&logcode=p

snips86x · 3 Mar 2016 at 19:41

Dav4 said:
Looks naff that. Looks really dated even though it's only 8yrs old. Surely that's a slight downgrade to a top spec 2.5T Mondeo

I'm not overly fussed about downgrading but I don't want to completely loose the comforts of driving. I'm after a car with decent power (120bhp+), decent economy (50mpg+) and low VED. The M-Sport 118D is something else I've considered but I'm going back to diesels.

Are there others you think would be more suitable? I also don't need a car the size of a Mondeo, so looking at a hatchback.

snips86x · 3 Mar 2016 at 19:48

Howard said:
The specs are spot on? Looks like a poverty spec 1 Series to me!

Poverty spec...lol! I'm not fussed on gadgets, for me its how comfortable the drive is as well as the economy of the vehicle but like I said, I don't want to completely loose the comfort. How about some alternatives around the £6.5k mark...?

snips86x · 3 Mar 2016 at 20:10

Dav4 said:
Just keep your Mondeo u obviously like and enjoy the car it seems silly getting rid of it to get better mpg. And don't overpay for a poverty spec German hatchback because people assume there getting a better car that 1 series is not as good as your 2.5T Mondeo.
There's plenty of mk3 2012 Focus's for sale for around 6.5-6.8k. It's a good 4 years newer and looks fresher than that 1 series for the same price.

It's not just the MPG, its the over all running costs - tax, total fuel I spend in the month etc.... I'm doing a lot of miles in a year (18,000) and its taking its toll. I'm also visiting a friend 200 miles away twice a month which is making my car look expensive.

RoboCod said:
If you want something fun to drive and don't care about seats or boot but interested in BMW (as it seems) why not a Z4?

haha - they're nice but not quite what I'm after lol

snips86x · 3 Mar 2016 at 21:25

RoboCod said:
To be honest, putting myself in your shoes and what you do I'd want something that was a nice space to sit in, relatively good economy but with some power if need be. Jag XF (Ford Mondeo ) have always tempted me for that matter as I'm in the same boat as you.

Dav4 said:
The mk3 Focus should definitely be worth a try for a newish looking motor at 6.5k. The Volvo S40 R design Sport is a great looking car a 2.0D can be had in your price range. Or just get abother Mondeo but in a diesel

That makes sense...what kind of max mileage would you consider if you were buying?