15 replies to this topic

[TIP]

Hi

advise wanted

I am now a matter of a coupe of weeks from completing on our new home , however my work commute will now be about 35 miles each way on mainly motorway and Sarf london roads.

at present the VX is my only car and already the mileage is 103k so I am loath to keep adding 70 miles a day just to get to work. so want to retire the VX to my new garage for the weekdays, and buy a shed for daily use

bearing in mind all the spare cash is going into the house, I am after a CHEAP hack.

criteria in descending order
1. Reliable
2. CHEAP (buy, run, insure and fix)
3. comfy
4. driver experience (VX ticks that box)

suggestions please
so far , had a look at fiestas, rover 25's, small french hatches ?????

Edited by TIP, 23 June 2012 - 10:00 AM.

[Bargi]

Prob not quite what you want but there's a 4 door Mk4 Golf 1.8T with the works (heated leather) and 76k going for £1700 on my street?

[TIP]

have looked at a few vw's but they hold their money too well for my pocket at the moment.

Edited by TIP, 23 June 2012 - 11:08 AM.

[Victor Xray]

Small diesels seem to make a lot of money at the moment, so maybe a higher mileage new shape corsa, 55 plate ish? The 1.2 offers good economy but insurance and road tax are cheap. If you can stretch it though, get a lite diesel, I run a smart forfour diesel and get 60mpg on a similar commute to yours. £30 a year road tax, cheap insurance and not too bad a drive really.

[ChrisS1]

Fiesta 1.4 TDCi is my hack. Happily does 90 on the motorway (apparently) and still returns over 50mpg.

[pete-r]

Won't call it a hack, but my daily driver is a corrado VR6. Engine pulls like crazy and is all about torque, such a low bhp state of tune they run on and on. Golf would be my choice, or if you want to save more pennies have a look at a rover 75 which are very impressive on the motorway.

[JG]

Volvo s40 sport lux - all the options you could hope for, great reliability and very cheap. http://www4.autotrad...age/1?logcode=p

[ChrisS1]

What's the real lIfe MPG on one of those JG?

[Bargi]

Won't call it a hack, but my daily driver is a corrado VR6. Engine pulls like crazy and is all about torque, such a low bhp state of tune they run on and on.

Golf would be my choice, or if you want to save more pennies have a look at a rover 75 which are very impressive on the motorway.

What is it with Corrado's? guy at work has two and won't stop going on about them

[JG]

What's the real lIfe MPG on one of those JG?

The petrols are 35-40 and the diesel 55-60 (in 115 direct injection guise), the older diesels (which are quite agricultural and slow are a bit less 45-50)

[TIP]

I had discounted bigger cars but it seems they can be had very cheap. small diesels seem the worst value as eveybody is after one

[chrisgold]

Hi

advise wanted

I am now a matter of a coupe of weeks from completing on our new home , however my work commute will now be about 35 miles each way on mainly motorway and Sarf london roads.

at present the VX is my only car and already the mileage is 103k so I am loath to keep adding 70 miles a day just to get to work. so want to retire the VX to my new garage for the weekdays, and buy a shed for daily use

bearing in mind all the spare cash is going into the house, I am after a CHEAP hack.

criteria in descending order
1. Reliable
2. CHEAP (buy, run, insure and fix)
3. comfy
4. driver experience (VX ticks that box)

suggestions please
so far , had a look at fiestas, rover 25's, small french hatches ?????

Seat Ibiza 1.9 tdi, its fast, cheap to run 50mpg plus, its the VW (Audi) 1.9 tdi engine and is the most reliable modern diesel ever made! They handle very well and they are comfy, also you can pick them up very cheap compared to there VW golf/polo and Audi A3 counterparts, Skoda Fabia is also pretty much the same thing, just loads less monies! (its all VW)

Thats my opinion, take it or leave it

£800?

http://www.autotrade...680ra?logcode=p


Even got a tow hitch

How cheap are we talking? Cheaper than £800?

Edited by chrisgold, 23 June 2012 - 08:26 PM.

[Tuuurtle]

I bought a Rover 75 diesel for this exact reason (and because I have a running joke with a mate out them), it's been great, no problems at all since buying it (apart from some idiot who drove into it when it was parked up last weekend). It's great on the motorway, but don't expect to hustle it down a country road and get good feedback as the steering is pretty numb! Fulll of kit if you go for the Connoisseur model, I have full auto electric everything and heated leather seats so it's a nice place to be too.

[Mangham54]

I bought a Rover 75 diesel for this exact reason (and because I have a running joke with a mate out them), it's been great, no problems at all since buying it (apart from some idiot who drove into it when it was parked up last weekend).

It's great on the motorway, but don't expect to hustle it down a country road and get good feedback as the steering is pretty numb!

Fulll of kit if you go for the Connoisseur model, I have full auto electric everything and heated leather seats so it's a nice place to be too.

MGZT would give you more feedback, but be less comfortable on the motorway.

the 2.0 diesel, though a bit agricultural, is a decent engine

[TIP]

I suppose cheap is a subjective term. (as is the term shed) at the moment my wallet is after something as far south of £600 as possible I mean PROPER shed territory. If I could pick up something for a couple of hundred and run it for a year (or 2) that would be perfect.

[JG]

You need to find something that is decent but that not many people want. thats why the s40 is great value for money as they are quite well built, very reliable and very cheap.