Advice needed on very low cost (mainly) motorway driving

ship69

Standard Member
Joined
May 9, 2011
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
Points
2
Hi

I need some advice on what car (probably second hand) to buy. My priorities are:

MOST IMPORTANT:
1. Low *overall* cost motoring
2. QUIET & comfortable with good ride on motorways (long journeys & making phone calls from car)
3. Good-ish acceleration (for safe overtaking). (0-60 in c.8 or 9 secs max)

DESIRABLE:
4. Ideally need a hatchback (for transporting larger items)
5. Good cornering (saves fuel & also more fun!).
6. Cruise control (useful for long journeys)
7. Easy to park

WHAT DOES NOT MATTER:
- I do not care about make of car/image.
- I do not care what the car looks like.

BACKGROUND CONSTRAINTS:
- I am open to leasing, purchasing new or buying second hand.
- I have about GBP 10,000+ to throw at the problem.
- I do about 20,000 miles per year.
- I am in my early 50s.
- I have 3 years no claims bonus.

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS:
I have been advised to buy an old second hand Honda Accord, c. 1996 which apparently "never break down".

AVERAGE HISTORY COSTS:
I have just run the numbers for over the last 4 years, which are:
Depreciation: GBP 1,400 per year
Deisel: GBP 1,800 per year
Repairs/parts: GPP 2,100 per year
Current car: Golf TDI 1.9 (150 BHP I think).
Mileage: 16,000 miles per year (about to be 20,000)

DISCUSSION:
To me the huge surprise is just how small a proportion of overall costs is fuel - even now it's only about 33% !

- Any advice?


John
John Smith
 
Skoda Octavia 1.9TD/2.0TD Elegance Spec. The 2.0TD has around 140bhp, 6 speed and very good mpg, 1.9TD has 105bhp and only 5 speed. My dad and sister both own one, dads is a 2004 1.9TD Elegance and sisters is a 2007 2.0TD Elegance Estate. They come with all the goodies(dual climate,cruise,parking sensors etc.) and eat motorway miles.
 
stblob said:
Hum....
Whats wrong with the Golf TDi?

Exactly my thoughts!!!
 
Keep the car you've got and save 10k! ;)
 
Pretty sure you could retro-fit cruise to the Golf too, if it doesn't already have it.
 
Hum....
Whats wrong with the Golf TDi?

Problems with the Golf:

1. My Golf has now down 140,000 miles. Repairs costs starting to escalate (£3000 last year!). May need a new clutch soon too.

2. Too much road noise & too much engine noise (when worked hard).

3. Terrible cornering (IMHO).
 
Skoda Octavia 1.9TD/2.0TD Elegance Spec. The 2.0TD has around 140bhp, 6 speed and very good mpg, 1.9TD has 105bhp and only 5 speed. My dad and sister both own one, dads is a 2004 1.9TD Elegance and sisters is a 2007 2.0TD Elegance Estate. They come with all the goodies(dual climate,cruise,parking sensors etc.) and eat motorway miles.

140BHP on a big car like that sounds too little.
According to this page
Skoda Octavia hatchback variants | CarBuyer
even the Elegance TDI 2.0 has a 0-62 time of well over 9 seconds.
Also the 1.9 deisel is said to be noisy. :(
Skoda Octavia hatchback review | CarBuyer
 
I wouldn't give 0-60 times too much importance when it comes to diesels.
If you're doing lots of motorway driving, their in-gear acceleration is what's important.
And a VAG (VW/Audi/Seat/Skoda) 140bhpg diesel has plenty of torque to give really good in-gear acceleration on a motorway.
I had a 140bhp Audi A3 Sportback that regularly did Scotland-England trips with 4 blokes + luggage.
And whilst I wouldn't take many people on away from traffic lights, it had ample performance on the motorway.
 
3. Good-ish acceleration (for safe overtaking). (0-60 in c.8 or 9 secs max)

The 0-60 time is completely irrelevant "for safe overtaking" and is only relevant to the Traffic Light Grand Prix
 
There really isnt any difference between the 1.9TD and 2.0TD when it comes to noise, if anything the 2.0TD is louder as it has more of a turbo whisle thing going on.

Power wise the 2.0TD really does move and doesnt feel underpowered, yes is not super fast but it will cruise along with ease. If you want more poke then they do do the VRs TD with 170bhp
 
There really isnt any difference between the 1.9TD and 2.0TD when it comes to noise

Maybe not so much when you're in the car and cruising.
But the 1.9tdi is substantially noisier and rougher than the 2.0tdi.
You can feel that roughness when driving.
I went straight from a 1.9tdi A4 (130bhp) to a 2.0tdi A3 (140bhp).
The thing I found most surprising was how much more economical the 1.9tdi was.
My A3 used roughly 20% more fuel than my A4 for the same type of driving.
And when I went from my 2.0tdi A3 to a 200bhp BMW diesel, the BMW used less fuel!:eek:
So the 2.0tdi isn't a paragon of efficiency, but the 1.9tdi is.
 
I wouldn't give 0-60 times too much importance when it comes to diesels.
...And whilst I wouldn't take many people on away from traffic lights, it had ample performance on the motorway.
For clarification the need for acceleration is for overtaking NOT on motorways (e.g. winding Scottish roads etc)
 
There really isnt any difference between the 1.9TD and 2.0TD when it comes to noise, if anything the 2.0TD is louder as it has more of a turbo whisle thing going on.

Power wise the 2.0TD really does move and doesnt feel underpowered, yes is not super fast but it will cruise along with ease. If you want more poke then they do do the VRs TD with 170bhp

Apparently the Octavia vRS TDI is quite noisy though
Skoda Octavia vRS TDI (2009) CAR review | Road Testing Reviews | Car Magazine Online
:(
 
Maybe not so much when you're in the car and cruising.
But the 1.9tdi is substantially noisier and rougher than the 2.0tdi.
You can feel that roughness when driving.
I went straight from a 1.9tdi A4 (130bhp) to a 2.0tdi A3 (140bhp).
The thing I found most surprising was how much more economical the 1.9tdi was.
My A3 used roughly 20% more fuel than my A4 for the same type of driving.
And when I went from my 2.0tdi A3 to a 200bhp BMW diesel, the BMW used less fuel!:eek:
So the 2.0tdi isn't a paragon of efficiency, but the 1.9tdi is.

I must be losing my hearing in my young age as i drive my dads and sisters cars all the time and dont really notice a difference so i wouldnt say its substantially different when coming to the Octavia.

Both sound quiet compared to the neighbours Modeo ST Diesel thing, that thing sounds like a transit van.
 
For clarification the need for acceleration is for overtaking NOT on motorways (e.g. winding Scottish roads etc)

Well I live in Aberdeen, and drive on plenty of rural roads.
I never found the 140bhp 2.0tdi lacking in overtaking power.
And if you really found it a problem, plenty of people do remaps for the 2.0tdi engine.
You can get 180bhp+ from the engine, for around £400.
 
The VAG 140bhp diesel engine is all about the torque not the bhp figure.
I believe its 259ft lbs in my A4?
 
Something else to be aware of with the 140bhp VAG diesel (The PD version, not the newish 143bhp common rail one)
Many of them have an unhealthy appetite for oil.
My 1.9tdi A4 never used oil between services.
My 2.0tdi went through a litre every 1500 miles.
And whilst I've heard of oil-tight 2.0tdi's, we've never had one on the fleet.
Mine was the worst, but even the best one used a litre every 4500 miles.
We went through so many expensive 1-litre bottles that we bought a big drum instead.
There were also a fair few members of the Audi forum suffered unexplained coolant loss from their 2.0tdi engines.
I believe the reason was 'porous cylinder heads' and many faced expensive bills.
 
2009 or 2010 Citroen C5 Estate.
 
How about this line of thinking?

e.g. I have my eye on a Honda Accord Tourer - say model "2.2 iDTEC Type S".
Acceleration is reasonable: (0-60 is 9.2 secs)
(Power: 177 BHP)
(Top speed: 134 MPH)

Economy: 47 MPG average (according to What Car mag)
(672 mile on a tank)

Now, say a 2005 version, with 60,000 miles on the clock, would only be £5,400 from and independent dealer.
2005/05 Honda Accord Tourer 2.0i VTEC Executive 5d Auto (17 inch Alloy + Nav) Valuation - Parkers

2005 is not THAT old.. and with luck I could probably put another 100,000 miles on the clock before it started to fall to pieces, no?

Why/how would this old honda become 'uneconomic' ?
 
2009 or 2010 Citroen C5 Estate.

Nice car but you may aswell throw money out the window as you drive along, the C5 is one of the highest depreciating cars on the market.

0-60 isnt completely irrelevant as a fast 0-60 usually means a fast 60-100mph, so you can overtake in shorter distances as you can get upto speed quicker.
 
the C5 is one of the highest depreciating cars on the market.

According to my plan that's GOOD.

My plan is to buy a (reliable) car that has already done (almost) all of its depreciating already and to then get very cheap motoring by just running it into the ground.

It's really the 50 to 80 acceleration of course for overtaking but if 0-60 is quick, 50 to 80 is unlikely to be slow!
 
Renault Laguna? I think it will be the 2.0 dCi now and you should have around 160-170 bhp.

I have a Mk II Laguna and it is definitely quiet and comfortable. Did 3 hours driving each way, non stop, a few days ago and I could have gone for longer if need be. My car has sport seats which may have helped but my Dads Scenic is also as comfortable.

Mine is the 2.2 dCi with 150bhp and has more than enough pull on the motorway.

I also see you mentioned the Honda Accord. Although I have never been in one on the motorway, they are definitely comfortable and probably something I would pick over the Laguna. From my experience in one with the 2.2 CDTI engine in, it certainly has a lot of pull! Plus you could get a higher mileage one and with it being a Honda, it shouldn't give you too much trouble. A friend bought his on 120,000 miles a few years ago and it is still going strong.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom