2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG?

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Thu 29 Dec 2016 14:02
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - lleiro

Hello everyone,

My first post here and I spent hours reading! :)

Because of a change in Jobs I sold my car in September (2006 Golf V SDI and definitely the slowest gutless car I ever owned) Before that a 2001 Mercedes A140 which I replaced for the Golf for the Gas Mileage and the size.

Before that I lived 11 years in the United States where I drove mostly Subarus which I love dearly. (Had an 2003 Outback, a 2001 Legacy L Wagon, a 2000 Legacy GT, a 1998 Forester S, a 1998 Outback, a 1996, Legacy L Wagon and a 1995 Legacy Brighton Wagon) (All of them with the EJ25 (2.5) except the 95 and 96 which had the 2.2. In the US I also had a 1990 4Runner, a 1992 Audi 100S, a 1992 Volvo 940 GL Sedan, a 1993 Audi 100CS, a 1995 Mitsubishi Mirage, a 1996 VW Jetta, a 1994 Ford Ranger and a 1996 Ford Ranger.

I am now on the market to buy a budget car. Hopefully in the £2500 range and I will be commuting about 2500 miles per month.

My initial thought was to get a diesel. My experience with the SDI was fairly good but I would not want that carriage again. Overtake on that car is an adventure that I do not wish to entertain again. However the SDI, does not have a Turbo or a DMF or a DPF. All the things that apparently I wish to avoid.

Before opening the discussion is important to mention that I do most of the work on my own cars and after succesfully tackling the Head Gaskets on my 2003 outback, I am confident to do most jobs that wont require two people, a specialized place or specialized tools.

I really don't care much for the way the plastics on the dash feel to the touch or minor electrical faults such as windows switches and the likes.

The car I will be buying will be an esential part of my job and I know that a low budget is not the ideal scenario but I am confident it can be done.

Having said so I am swinging from what the heart wants to what the reason dictates.

The heart definitely wants a Sunroof and that will narrow my search and limit the available cars but a sunroof is a must.

From heart to reason this is the list of cars I have been considering:

1) Audi A4 TDI 1.9 130 Estate/Saloon (B6)

(Dont care for the B7s or newer)

2) Subaru Legacy Estate/Saloon (4th gen) Freshly converted to LPG with the addition of Valve protection

3) Mercedes C220 CDI Estate/Saloon (W203)

4) BMW 320D Touring (E46)

5) 7th Gen Honda Accord 2.2 cdti Executive Saloon (Not the Touring! That thing looks like a vessel!)

6) Any Volvo Sedan or Estate with the 2.4 D5

7) BMW 1 Series (E87 either the 118D or the 120d)

8) VW Golf IV/V GT TDI Up to 130. (Don't need more)

9) Toyota Rav4 XA20/XA30 (if I am lucky) but not to crazy about the MPG

10) Mercedes B150 CDI (W245)

Transtioning to more logical and less likable (to me anyway)

1) Astra H 1.7cdti Van/Hatch

2) 7th Gen Honda Civic 1.7cdti (Basically same Isuzu engine as the Astra right?) Although I don't think they came with sunroof in the DIesel version)

3) Toyota Corolla 2.0 D-4D (Ninth Gen) Also the post 2005 Verso Version

4) Toyota Avensis 2.0 D-4D Estate/Saloon

5) Toyota Auris Altough apparently the only one that comes with Sunroof is the T180 which I don't need want and aparently does not return great MPG.

6) Hyundai i30/Kia Cee'd with the 1.6 crdi (if I can find one)

7) 2005 Honda Civic Executive 1.6 VTEC Petrol (To LPG)

8) Auris 1.33 vvt-i

For what I read I should stay clear of pretty much every make that uses a PSA derived engine so No Mazda, Ford, Peugeout, Citroen and some Volvos. I should also stay clear of Renault and also stay clear of any make using Fiat derived engines so no Saabs, 1.9cdti Vauxhalss, Fiats, or Alfas.

Finally I would like to have an opinion on the current state of affairs about LPG. Most references I find online are outdated by 6 years or more and the prices for certified installs is in the £700 region now. As I orginally stated I am inclined to find a Subaru in the 100k region and have an LPG kit installed on it. Looks like if properly mantained and if I add the valve protection It should give reliable and enjoyable motoring.

Also availability of parts and spares is an important aspect of my decision. One that favors finding a good VAG candidate which are as popular here as Subarus were in the Midwest where I had them. (Not so much here)

I am looking for cars at Autotrader, Gumtree and ebay. If I am missing a big one please chime in. I don't care to drive a few hundred miles to pick the right one.

If you got all the way here, thanks for not falling asleep!

Looking forward to get some feedback!

Cheers!

Edited by lleiro on 29/12/2016 at 14:08

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Thu 29 Dec 2016 14:23
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - RobJP

Right. 500 miles a week. You don't want anything horribly modern/complicated.

I'd say choice 1 or 8 - the ones with the VW 1.9 diesel engine in (preferably) 130 bhp output variant. Serviced properly, and with belt/waterpump changes done when they should, they'll go to galactic mileages, and turn out 45-50mpg all day long.

BMWs of that era ... too many timing chain failures. And I speak as someone who owns a modern BMW diesel.

Merc ... too many general build quality problems.

Also consider the Skodas of the same (and slightly later) era with the same diesel engine.

BUT manual gearbox is a must. The VAG automatics (of varying types) have a number of problems. Again, simple is best, and simple is a manual box.

Try to buy relatively local if at all possible - the last thing you want is a car bought from a garage 200 miles away that you've got to then get back there if any problems happen. Ideally, buy from a private vendor who has owned the car for some time

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Thu 29 Dec 2016 14:30
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - skidpan

Any car costing £2500 is going to be older with miles on the clock, that is a fact.

Older cars will break, even the best looked after.

Doing 2500 miles a month means those issues will occur frequently.

That applies to all makes.

So if you must do this mileage in an old car be prepared for inconvenience and expense.

So I would suggest you find a bit more cash and get a Kia that is say no more than 6 years old, fully serviced (preferably main dealer) with no more than 70,000 miles on the clock. A diesel Ceed would be my choice.

Run it for 12 months during which time hopefully Kia will foot your bills excluding servicing and then swap it for another.

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Thu 29 Dec 2016 14:39
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - lleiro

Any car costing £2500 is going to be older with miles on the clock, that is a fact.

Older cars will break, even the best looked after.

Doing 2500 miles a month means those issues will occur frequently.

That applies to all makes.

So if you must do this mileage in an old car be prepared for inconvenience and expense.

So I would suggest you find a bit more cash and get a Kia that is say no more than 6 years old, fully serviced (preferably main dealer) with no more than 70,000 miles on the clock. A diesel Ceed would be my choice.

Run it for 12 months during which time hopefully Kia will foot your bills excluding servicing and then swap it for another.

I read HJ recommending the 1.6CRDs will look into how much more would they go for.

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Thu 29 Dec 2016 14:37
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - lleiro

Also consider the Skodas of the same

BUT manual gearbox is a must.

Should have mentioned that in no scenario I am considering an auto. I have to find a way to like Skodas but I will if I find a good one. Looks like in my current situation I might be better off not paying for the premium that comes with the VW/Audi brand if it will be the same thing under the bonnet.

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Thu 29 Dec 2016 14:49
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - gordonbennet

Well seeing as you're sensible Scooby fan here's our recent history.

We bought a 2002 Outback 3.0 H6 now almost 3 years ago, 3 years in Feb i think, it had around 110,000 miles on it and cost the princely sum of £1170 complete with a set of new spare alloy wheels and winter tyres fitted, though the OE wheels, scabby, were in the boot.

We ran it for a few weeks to see how it went, during which time i went right through it, and after deciding it was keeper, fitted new pads and discs all round, fully serviced it, changed all oils inc gearbox auto only on H6 Outback and coolant, new spark plugs (nasty horrible job still got the scars), had the original wheels refurbed and fitted new Nokian summer tyres to those.

The front inner CV joint boots were both split, as you probably know they sit right above the cats so get cooked, new boots were a diy doddle because the driveshafts are fully dismanteable as they are circlipped, no wear at all on any coupling.

Then a few weeks later in the spring we had it LPG converted with dougnut tank in the spare wheel well, cost more than the car did (flashlube a must), and after that i spent a couple of weekends derusting the subframes and underbody preparing treating and fully rustproofing the underbody with Bilt Hambers finest products.

It hasn't missed a beat since, touch wood, exhausts are made of unobtainium indeed a genuine would have cost nearly as much as the car so had a cat back stainless made and fitted during this summer because the rear box was getting shabby and wasn't going to last much longer, but apart from LPG and exhaust manufacture i haven't found a single job thats beyond reasonable DIY, and you already know these cars were designed to be worked on from scratch.

Its my wife's knockabout motor, dog carrier etc, she loves it, it goes like hell, doesn't matter what you do on the road you cannot unstick the thing, and being a tough old thing with several scrapes already she doesn't worry two hoots about new dings and scrapes gained at the supermarket, it laughs at ice and snow.

It averages about 22 mpg with her dodging (flying) about with fuel at around 55ppl at present, will do about 25 on a run.

Yes, when this one dies she wants another Scooby, i'd recommend the H6 because they don't seem to suffer with CHG problems like the 2.5's can, but remember an H6 regd after March 06 goes into £500 VED bracket, so if you want newer and don't want the VED rip off (i will simply not pay that for our ungovt to fritter away) then 2.5 it would have to be.

Edited by gordonbennet on 29/12/2016 at 14:53

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Thu 29 Dec 2016 15:20
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - gordonbennet

I lied, it cost £1070 not 1170.

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Thu 29 Dec 2016 16:54
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - bazza

I think what Skidpan says is very true, older cars doing that kind of mileage will need frequent servicing and attention. We are always quick to recommend the VAG 1.9 units, they are indeed great ( I've had two) but although the motors are very tough, you're going to need to budget for things like bearings, bushes, joints, etc, all of which will need replacing. That is true of all makes of course, but don't overlook it. In which case, I'd be looking for something in its sweet spot of 50K to 80K, rather than buying anything with lots of miles (100K plus) and then putting lots more on quickly. And don't buy anything without full service history. My personal choice would be older Avensis 1.8 petrol manual, the one with manual handbrake. Or Corolla /Auris but I'd stick with petrol personally.

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Thu 29 Dec 2016 21:05
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - Fishermans Bend

A co-worker now always buys 100,000 plus miles cars. He makes sure they are low owners, full service history and bought privately. Invariably cheaper to buy and invariably no more costly to maintain than a 50,000 to 80,000 mile car. Avensis would be high up my list, perfectly capable of reaching 400,000 miles, I'd go for about a 2002 petrol for no more than about £1,000 - plenty for salee privately.

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Thu 29 Dec 2016 21:48
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - lleiro

A co-worker now always buys 100,000 plus miles cars. He makes sure they are low owners, full service history and bought privately. Invariably cheaper to buy and invariably no more costly to maintain than a 50,000 to 80,000 mile car. Avensis would be high up my list, perfectly capable of reaching 400,000 miles, I'd go for about a 2002 petrol for no more than about £1,000 - plenty for salee privately.

Looks like the Avensis is a strong candidate. Where you refering to the Diesel one reaching 400k or the petrol one?

Despite how much I love Subarus, the 4wd comes with its complocations and they do suffer from premature head gasket failures, particularly the 2.5 and bearing that mind the avensis would be simpler and more economical in many regards. Will have to consider them.

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Thu 29 Dec 2016 21:54
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - lleiro

I think what Skidpan says is very true, older cars doing that kind of mileage will need frequent servicing and attention. We are always quick to recommend the VAG 1.9 units, they are indeed great ( I've had two) but although the motors are very tough, you're going to need to budget for things like bearings, bushes, joints, etc, all of which will need replacing. That is true of all makes of course, but don't overlook it. In which case, I'd be looking for something in its sweet spot of 50K to 80K, rather than buying anything with lots of miles (100K plus) and then putting lots more on quickly. And don't buy anything without full service history. My personal choice would be older Avensis 1.8 petrol manual, the one with manual handbrake. Or Corolla /Auris but I'd stick with petrol personally.

Bearings, bushings and joints are exactly the tipe of job that does not concern me too much. Even the cambelt kit does not scare me particularly. I definitely be wanting a FSH vehicle whatever I end up with and I will definiyely look for a private seller and one or two keeper if possible

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Thu 29 Dec 2016 21:42
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - lleiro

I lied, it cost £1070 not 1170.

Do you remember who intalled the kiy and what brand was it?

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Thu 29 Dec 2016 23:19
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - Fishermans Bend

lleiro, petrol Avensis. Should do 40 mpg on a run, but they do use oil, quite normal for the 1.8.

Edited by Fishermans Bend on 29/12/2016 at 23:26

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Thu 29 Dec 2016 23:58
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - brum

Somewhat optimistic to expect a £2500 car to rack up 2500 miles per month, day in day out reliably for any length of time. Unless the OP a competent diy mechanic type individual with a decent repair skills/budget and breakdown insurance.

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Fri 30 Dec 2016 07:58
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - Falkirk Bairn

>>Somewhat optimistic to expect a £2500 car to rack up 2500 miles per month

Agreed - I used to do 25/30K per year for many (1975-2004). Even a new cara could, & did, give concerns - Almost new lot of niggly (&odd serious repairs), then a period of comparative reliability - as the miles piled on - say 80K+ there were more troubles.

1995 I bought my 1st Brand New Honda - still tyres, brakes. servicing etc etc BUT breakdowns, repairs & car off the road were a thing of the past!

Expecting a "new to you" 80-100K car to run well @ 500 miles per week seems optimistic - I know of people with lunar mile cars BUT often owned or in the same family for many years.

Buying a really reliable 2nd hand car off a forecourt or somone's drive seems optimistic!

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Fri 30 Dec 2016 09:21
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - Fishermans Bend

Why? No reeason a carefully chosen car can't be reliable.

OP has stated.

Before opening the discussion is important to mention that I do most of the work on my own cars and after succesfully tackling the Head Gaskets on my 2003 outback, I am confident to do most jobs that wont require two people, a specialized place or specialized tools.

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Fri 30 Dec 2016 09:30
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - Fishermans Bend

(Duplicate post)

Edited by Avant on 30/12/2016 at 11:28

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Fri 30 Dec 2016 09:41
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - Bolt

Somewhat optimistic to expect a £2500 car to rack up 2500 miles per month, day in day out reliably for any length of time. Unless the OP a competent diy mechanic type individual with a decent repair skills/budget and breakdown insurance.

I used to buy cars for no more than around £500 and expected them to do on average 1800 miles a month, the only car that caused me problems was the Toyota corolla 1.3- but the most reliable (and only thing that went wrong on this car) was cracked dizzy cap on a-rover 216 (honda engined) estate

So yes, you can expect to get that kind of mileage from cheap cars

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Fri 30 Dec 2016 09:29
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - SLO76
Challenging one this. Asking a budget car provide reliable transport over mileage like this could be far more expensive in the long run than stumping up more money for a newer more fuel efficient model which is probably where I'd go if budget allowed and look at Hyundai i30, Kia Cee'd, Honda Civic/Accord, Toyota Auris/Avensis around £7-£9k.

But if you're unwilling to spend more than £2,500 then I'd go old school Diesel preferably VAG 1900 PD and in a B5.5 Passat which was one of VW's best made cars ever, it's far superior to the car that replaced it and will run beyond 500k if cared for. The only weakness is the short 4yr timing belt interval though having said that with your mileage I wouldn't run it any longer than that without it anyway.

There's loads of room, the seats are like armchairs and you'll always find a buyer for it when you come to sell. I recently flogged a very tatty one I took as a part ex with 170,000 miles up that was running and driving great despite being neglected for years. New owner has been delighted with it to date.

Buy the best low mileage car you can find with a full service history and pay the extra for a good car over a tatty one, it always pays off. Don't be tempted by the later generation at similar money, they're nowhere near as well built. Auto Trader #DrivenByMe
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20160715589...5





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Fri 30 Dec 2016 10:50
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - lleiro

Thanks for the Passat rec. I read mixed reviews about them but I quite like them. Would you say they are better built than the B6 A4s?

Isn't there a year range or engine code to be avoided? Also do you regard the estates to be equally good?

I wish I can splash £7k but I dont have them and I dont think i would get finance either.

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Fri 30 Dec 2016 11:50
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - craig-pd130

Thanks for the Passat rec. I read mixed reviews about them but I quite like them. Would you say they are better built than the B6 A4s?

Isn't there a year range or engine code to be avoided? Also do you regard the estates to be equally good?

The B5.5 Passats are very good cars but there are two big things to watch out for: the front suspension knuckle joints, and the electrics.

The knuckle joints are held together with an unplated steel bolt which corrodes solid. When the joint wears out (which it inevitably will do), the bolt can usually only be removed by cutting / destroying one of the suspension arms. It's a swine of a job and costs £400+ per side in parts and labour, even at a good independent garage.

Also, check all the electrics work. There's a control unit for windows and other electrics under the passenger seat. If the interior gets wet (which it can do if the bulkhead / firewall drain holes block up - which happens regularly) it can fritz the control unit and cause all sorts of fun and games.

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Fri 30 Dec 2016 13:12
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - SLO76
Agree regards the drainage holes blocking up, it's a very common issue and easily sorted but can cause damage to electrics if too much water is allowed to enter the cabin so check it all works and look for signs of damp in the foot wells.

Hadn't heard about the knuckle joint, I've luckily managed to miss that with any I've bought or sold but will be asking my mechanic when I see him in the new year. Don't want stung with a big bill on an old motor. Is the suspension set up not basically the same as the Mk IV Golf/Octavia? Can't be that common when so many high mileage older cars with little value are still on the road?
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Fri 30 Dec 2016 12:50
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - SLO76
The A4 is mechanically very similar so I'd buy based on condition, history and mileage over anything else but you tend to get more for your money with the Passat. The PD TDI engines are all good news as far as my experience goes. The 130 is a great balance of power and economy but even the 100 is no slug.

The estates are very useful and command higher prices so you'll get a higher mileage car for your money so unless you really need the room I'd go for a low mileage saloon.

Edited by SLO76 on 30/12/2016 at 13:03

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Fri 30 Dec 2016 09:43
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - craig-pd130

You mention Volvos with the 2.4 D5 motor: I would also add the S80 saloon with the non-turbo 2.5 petrol.

They're built like tanks, have a huge boot and because they largely appealed to an older / more mature driver, they're usually well cared for. The only problem is finding one, they didn't sell that many in the UK.

My sister bought a 2001 model with autobox 5 years ago for £3,000 that had been owned by an upmarket taxi firm. It had 120,000 on the clock but still drives like new and has only needed scheduled servicing.

Has the trademark Volvo ergonomics, excellent seats and is the perfect long-distance cruiser.

I believe the engines take LPG pretty well too.

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Fri 30 Dec 2016 11:47
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - Avant

Welcome to the forum. You say 'From what I read I should stay clear of pretty much every make that uses a PSA derived engine so No Mazda, Ford, Peugeot, Citroen and some Volvos' - but the Ford 2.0 TDCI engine (which I don't think is PSA-derived) has a much better reputation for reliability and longevity than the 1.6.

The advantage of Fords is that there are more of them to choose from in order to get a good one.

As others have said, the VW Group 1.9 TDI is a good engine (avoid the 2.0 PD; the current 2.0 common-rail is OK); you'll pay less for it inside a Skoda or SEAT than for a VW or Audi of similar vintage.

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Fri 30 Dec 2016 13:22
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - SLO76
The 2.0 TDCI Puma diesel in the Mk III Mondeo is Fords own work and is often confused with the vastly superior PSA 2.0 diesel in the MK II Focus/Cmax built at the same time. Still they've an appetite for DMF's and DPF issues are common where fitted.

The 1.6 PSA TDCi is notoriously fragile though and definitely to be avoided. Later versions are supposed to be improved but I've a co worker and a neighbour both who've had Citroen Berlingos with this engine one 2009 and the other 2012 that suffered turbocharger failure at alarmingly low mileages and the 2012 car ruined its engine by ingesting metal fragments as the blades disintegrated.
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Fri 30 Dec 2016 13:43
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - lleiro
The 2.0 TDCI Puma diesel in the Mk III Mondeo is Fords own work and is often confused with the vastly superior PSA 2.0 diesel in the MK II Focus/Cmax


I always loved Peugeots up until the x05 series but the fact I can get newer and with low miles Pugs is tempting. This is also not the first time I read positive commenta on the PSA 2.0 HDI. I wonder if a 308 2.0 HDI should be on my list as well...

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Fri 30 Dec 2016 16:06
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - SLO76
The 2.0 TDCI Puma diesel in the Mk III Mondeo is Fords own work and is often confused with the vastly superior PSA 2.0 diesel in the MK II Focus/Cmax


I always loved Peugeots up until the x05 series but the fact I can get newer and with low miles Pugs is tempting. This is also not the first time I read positive commenta on the PSA 2.0 HDI. I wonder if a 308 2.0 HDI should be on my list as well...

The 2.0 is quite rare in the 308 and I personally don't rate the rest of the car. It's well behind Class rivals in driver enjoyment and electrical reliability. But they are cheap and economical. The old 8v 2.0 HDI was a legend among the taxi trade. I've sold them with well over 300k and running fine. Even knew a driver with one with over 850k and still running! The later 16v 2.0 we're talking about here isn't as robust but will run to high mileages with car and performs very well.
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Fri 30 Dec 2016 14:23
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - corax
I've a co worker and a neighbour both who've had Citroen Berlingos with this engine one 2009 and the other 2012 that suffered turbocharger failure at alarmingly low mileages and the 2012 car ruined its engine by ingesting metal fragments as the blades disintegrated.

The turbo oil feed pipe with integral filter blocks, not helped by infrequent oil changes. It's probably best to renew the pipe if there are any doubts. Seems strange to me that such a ubiquitous engine should have so many problems. It should have had a better reputation given that it's the 'bread and butter' of the diesel world. But things never work out like that.

Audi B6's are a solid, long lasting car as long as you keep on top of the usual VAG weaknesses as noted above. But they'll be pricy for what they are, and you'll get more Passat for your money.

Volvo D5's also solid, but it might help to have a local specialist near you because the later phase 3 Volvo's need specific diagnostics to sort out electrical faults, and they can get expensive to repair otherwise. 2005 on are more reliable electrically. A great car to be in for long distance though. Euro 3 engines are more economical than the later ones.

Subaru's good but there have been head gasket issues with the 2.5's as you no doubt know. They are thirsty but bombproof apart from that, but I'm not sure that it would be my first choice if I was doing a large annual mileage.

Avensis 1.8 petrol ideal for racking up this sort of mileage without a qualm. Cheap to buy and economical. It won't be fun to drive, and personally I don't find the seats or driving position that great (the base cushion sags at high mileage), but they last and last, and more likely to be problem free than most other cars when older.

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Fri 30 Dec 2016 16:30
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - SLO76
"Avensis 1.8 petrol ideal for racking up this sort of mileage without a qualm. Cheap to buy and economical. It won't be fun to drive, and personally I don't find the seats or driving position that great (the base cushion sags at high mileage), but they last and last, and more likely to be problem free than most other cars when older."

Good suggestion, the Avensis is long lived and comfortable but bland to drive. I ran one for years, paid £1250 for it, ran it over three years without hassle, flogged it to a friend for £850 who then ran it for another 3 years or so before it died.
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Fri 30 Dec 2016 16:37
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - Fishermans Bend
"Avensis 1.8 petrol ideal for racking up this sort of mileage without a qualm. Cheap to buy and economical. It won't be fun to drive, and personally I don't find the seats or driving position that great (the base cushion sags at high mileage), but they last and last, and more likely to be problem free than most other cars when older."

Good suggestion, the Avensis is long lived and comfortable but bland to drive. I ran one for years, paid £1250 for it, ran it over three years without hassle, flogged it to a friend for £850 who then ran it for another 3 years or so before it died.

A taxi company used to use Avensis petrols, bought at 100,000 and then driving to 400,000 before parting company. Long term found to be cheaper and more reliable than turbo diesels.

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Sun 1 Jan 2017 19:15
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - lleiro

Been looking at some Avensis online. I wonder if your recommendations were for the 1st gen Avensis, or The 2nd one or both. I also seen some 2.0 VVT-i which are better equipped. Are both engines equally reliable or thereis something special about the 1.8? (They are both chain driven for what I. read)

Although I've been reading about the speculation about the Diesel engines around. I wonder If I take that route I should stick to certain years and above and Euro4 - Euro 5 etc. I wouldn't know where to distinguish ones from the others.

I think that after all your advice I should try to borrow a few more quids and go up to £3500 and I was able to see some nice 08-10 skodas with the 1.9 tdi with 70-80k miles...

Thanks!

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Sun 1 Jan 2017 19:33
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - corax

Been looking at some Avensis online. I wonder if your recommendations were for the 1st gen Avensis, or The 2nd one or both. I also seen some 2.0 VVT-i which are better equipped. Are both engines equally reliable or thereis something special about the 1.8? (They are both chain driven for what I. read)

1st gen will be getting on a bit now. I'd be looking at 2nd gen. 1.8 and 2.0 vvt-i both good, with the 1.8 doing around 40+mpg on a run. The only weakness was that some earlier cars could use a lot of oil, but 2004 on should be fine.

They are typically Jap normally aspirated petrols being revvy with not much torque, but the 1.8 is particularly economical for a big car.

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Sun 1 Jan 2017 19:48
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - SLO76
1st gen is firmly in sub £1,000 bangerndom now so it's the larger more refined Mk II I'd be looking at here. They're a bit bland to drive and look at but have loads of room, are well made, the 1.8 petrol will do over 40mpg and they're cheap to buy. £2,500 will get a good one, £3,500 is plenty for a cracker.

The petrol engines are based on the same design and are chain driven but the 1.8 VVT likes to drink a bit of oil while I've not heard much of this regarding the 2.0 strangely enough. Not really much to worry about as long as you check it and top up regularly. Both are long lived but lacking in midrange pull.

The belt driven 2.0 D4 isn't as robust as the older 2.0 diesel (I once took one as part ex with 452,000 miles) but is fit enough for 200k plus easy enough if looked after but avoid at all costs the 2.2 diesel which has a bad reputation. Belt interval is 6yrs or 72k which eats into the fuel savings over the petrol but the diesel is much stronger for overtaking.

Regarding the Skoda bear in mind that they're notorious for DPF problems so avoid any with one fitted and remember also the short 4yr t/belt interval and price the job in with any car that's due. Post links to the cars you've been looking at, the advert can tell us plenty.

Edited by SLO76 on 01/01/2017 at 19:55

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Sun 1 Jan 2017 21:36
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - lleiro
Post links to the cars you've been looking at, the advert can tell us plenty.

I will be making a decision in a few weeks. Drove legally for a whole year and after been a licenced driver with a spotless record for 20 years I need to take the exam as if I were 16. Oh well...

In the meantime I was reading at this at a Toyota forum and it is a bit scary albeit, the guy was probably very very unlucky.

Perhaps the 2.0 D4-D might be better? I can tackle the cambelt unless it is ridicoulously harder than the subaru EJ25 which I've done several times.

Also does anyone know if the 05+ Verso uses the same engines? It might work better for me and I am renouncing to aesthetics for the time being...

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Fri 30 Dec 2016 16:52
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - Bolt
"Avensis 1.8 petrol ideal for racking up this sort of mileage without a qualm. Cheap to buy and economical. It won't be fun to drive, and personally I don't find the seats or driving position that great (the base cushion sags at high mileage), but they last and last, and more likely to be problem free than most other cars when older." Good suggestion, the Avensis is long lived and comfortable but bland to drive. I ran one for years, paid £1250 for it, ran it over three years without hassle, flogged it to a friend for £850 who then ran it for another 3 years or so before it died.

everyone I knew that had one, needed a new gearbox every 30k ish as the they got very noisy?

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Fri 30 Dec 2016 16:56
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - skidpan

Tried an Avensis 1.8 back in 2010. It made the 5 year old Focus C-Max 1.6 TDCi we had at the time feel like a sports car in both driving manners and engine performance. Never been so happy for a demo to finish.

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Fri 30 Dec 2016 18:24
2500 miles per month. £2500. Diesel? Petrol? LPG? - lleiro

Tried an Avensis 1.8 back in 2010. It made the 5 year old Focus C-Max 1.6 TDCi we had at the time feel like a sports car in both driving manners and engine performance. Never been so happy for a demo to finish.

Any car will feel sporty after the GOLF V SDI 75!

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