Spec my girlfriend a car. 6k, 20k miles a year.

sloth

sloth

sloth

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I've been offered a new job which means me and the girlfriend will need our own cars for commuting to work.

For her it's 70 miles of commuting a day which takes just under 2 hours. Mainly A roads, with a bit of B road and city driving. No dual carraigeways or motorways. (Lots of corners.)

Budget - 4-6k, could go a little higher if the car cost less to run overall.
Miles - 20k miles a year.
Size - No bigger than a Focus/Golf/Astra. Mondeo/Vectra = definate no. (Her choice). Big enough for doing the weekly shopping.
Engine - Petrol or diesel?
Economy - ~45mpg+ would be good, but not so important if the car is cheaper.
Insurance - 0 NCD (new policy), age 23. Say below Group ~12 as a guide.

In short, something very reliable with a fairly low total cost of ownership, which is nice enough to spend 2 hours a day in. We'd probably keep the car for 2-3 years.

So, OcUK, spec my girlfriend a car. :)
 
My sister has an Almera 2.2dci SXE which she has had for a couple of months now.

Its an 03 plate and returns 50+mpg on the motorway / A roads and she does 80 miles a day.

Its a Nissan so it wont break and it came with DVD Sat Nav, Parking Sensors, Climate Control, 6 speed box etc & is realy comfortable I must admit.

It cost £5995 which is a bargain in my opinion, they are not for everyones liking however.
 
Focus TDCi would be my choice.

But seriously, she needs to properly consider a new job instead. 70 miles a day can be a nuisance up and down the Motorway but will be a proper free-time-sapping nightmare on A and B roads. Unless it's a damn good job with an excellent salary it's probably not worth it.
 
[TW]Fox said:
But seriously, she needs to properly consider a new job instead. 70 miles a day can be a nuisance up and down the Motorway but will be a proper free-time-sapping nightmare on A and B roads. Unless it's a damn good job with an excellent salary it's probably not worth it.
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Irrelevant.

Anyway I used to do 75 miles a day, everyday, on A roads to work and back in my Rover. Hardly a fuel efficient thing :p

What are you going to do when you finish Uni Fox? If you cant find a decent close job, either drive a distance to work or move close to work? Would be interesting to see how your views change.
 
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I genuinelly have no idea. Today for example my commute is a 100 mile round trip, and takes about an hour each way. It's quite annoying.
 
I think an hours commute driving is all I'd be able able to do. Anymore, and I'd have to seriously considering relocating or changing jobs.

That's would be virtually a 12 hour day, rinse and repeat 5 days a week.
 
Tommy B said:
On the subject of hatchbacks, why does nobody on here ever reccomend Audi A3s.
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Becuase they are pretty pointless given they are simply a more expensive version of the VW Golf and the Seat Leon. The Leon even has the same interior more or less.

You can get an Audi A3 1.8T Quattro sport for about £5500 and they go like a missile.
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It doesn't go like a missile for a start, but the main reason is simply whats the point? A Seat Leon 1.8VT, Toledo 20VT, Golf 1.8T, etc etc are all the same thing for less money, or a newer car for the same money.
 
Tommy B said:
Can you pick up a BMW 328i for that sort of money?
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Yes, you can, either a totally mint E36 and some change or an earlier E46 Saloon. I'm really not sure this is very helpful speccing his girlfriend a car though as it's not suitable for her needs - perhaps a new thread?

I struggle to find a VW Golf as fast as that Audi I mentioned for less on Pistonheads.
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Bet you can easily find a Seat Leon Cupra 20VT though. Or a Skoda Octavia vRS which is even quicker.
 
Tommy B said:
On the subject of hatchbacks, why does nobody on here ever reccomend Audi A3s.

You can get an Audi A3 1.8T Quattro sport for about £5500 and they go like a missile.
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Because we are talking fuel economy here which discounts any sort of normal petrol engine.
 
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