Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Fabia, Volvo V40 - Cheap Motorway Car?

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Sun 4 Sep 2016 18:30
Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Fabia, Volvo V40 - Cheap Motorway Car? - Louis Leatherbarrow

Hey all,

I'm sorry for the generic "what car should I buy" post, I'm sure you get hundreds of them, but I've been hunting around for weeks and I'm really struggling to find something suitable.

So I've been driving a Skoda Fabia 1.9SDI for the last year, it's been pretty good - AMAZING mpg (can easily get 80 on the motorway if you're careful) but probably the slowest car I've ever driven, to the point of feeling unsafe. To top this off somebody spilt 2L of milk on the back seat, and I get the feeling it isn't going to pass it's MOT anyway so GOODBYE SKODA.

I drive a lot for work (20k+), so I'd really like a quiet motorway cruiser, preferably diesel. However, the problem I'm having is insurance. By some bizarre combination of postcode, job type, age and an at fault accident two years ago my insurance is ridiculously high. The Skoda costs me £1000 a year, even though I'm 27, have been driving for nearly 10 years and have 1 years NCB.

I'd really like a Golf, but I'd be looking at more like £2000 for the insurance, which I refuse to pay. Current contenders are; Volvo v40 2ltr Diesel, Skoda Fabia 1.9TDI or perhaps a Citroen C4 - all of these seem to be under the £1400 insurance mark which is doable.

If anyone could point me in the right direction I'd greatly appreciate it! My budget is around £2000.

Thanks,

Louis

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Sun 4 Sep 2016 19:57
Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Fabia, Volvo V40 - Cheap Motorway Car? - RobJP

The problem is, those diesel cars were made for doing lots of miles. And they've now done all those miles. So a lot of them for sale are pretty worn out.

Do bear in mind that there are a fair few smaller petrol hatchbacks that might not get terrible fuel economy. The Toyota Yaris is one in particular, in 1.3 VVTi petrol, seems to be in the region of 47-50mpg. You probably wouldn't get much better economy out of one of the diesel cars you've mentioned. Add in the additional potential problems of the diesel (DMF, EGR valve, injector failures), and going petrol might be the sensible option.

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Sun 4 Sep 2016 20:07
Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Fabia, Volvo V40 - Cheap Motorway Car? - Louis Leatherbarrow

Thanks for the reply!

I cant see the Yaris being that great on the motorway? Previous to this I had a Nissan Micra 1.3gx, which was amazing in town but once you got it on the motorway it sounded like a tornado and felt very light.

I'm a sound engineer so sound is really critical to me, I turn up to work with ringing ears it makes my life much more difficult!

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Sun 4 Sep 2016 22:27
Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Fabia, Volvo V40 - Cheap Motorway Car? - Stumblebum

With that budget your choices will be limited. I would consider searching for a 6 speed petrol car (as wekk as Diesal). The 6th gear can make a real difference (I moved from a 5 speed Honda petrol to a 6 speed Honda petrol). 6th gear means 3K revs = 73mph indicated + 45mpg in my car.

At £2K, perhaps a 6 speed petrol Ford Focus or similar (or Mondeo)

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Sun 4 Sep 2016 22:30
Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Fabia, Volvo V40 - Cheap Motorway Car? - Cyd

You could do a lot worse than try out a Saab 9-3. I have a modified 2.0T Aero (petrol turbo).

on the motorway it's really smooth and quiet (despite sport suspension). Also long legged (6 sp 'box), it gobbles the miles.. they are quite easy to drive - very natural. Comfy seats and great aircon.

They're out of production now, but if you go on Facebook and search for 'everything saab' and 'saab owners club uk' you could post to ask if there's any for sale, I've seen a few recently, petrols and diesels. At your budget you should be able to find a well cared for example in decent condition.

Aslo you can't argue with Saab safety, built like tanks and more airbags than you can shake a stick at.

No idea what sort of economy you'd get out of a diesel, but best I can get out of my tuned Aero is 42 if I can resist the urge to let it off its leash! I'm sure you'd better that by a wide margin.

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Sun 4 Sep 2016 22:57
Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Fabia, Volvo V40 - Cheap Motorway Car? - Louis Leatherbarrow

The Saab actually looks surprisingly good! I hadn't considered one before. Unfortunatly they are all insurance group 20+ so a no go for me.

I really don't understand this insurance business, how can a car that does 0-60 in 18 seconds and cost £200 be £1000 to insure? (my Fabia)

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Mon 5 Sep 2016 11:51
Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Fabia, Volvo V40 - Cheap Motorway Car? - Cyd

The Saab actually looks surprisingly good! I hadn't considered one before. Unfortunatly they are all insurance group 20+ so a no go for me.

I really don't understand this insurance business, how can a car that does 0-60 in 18 seconds and cost £200 be £1000 to insure? (my Fabia)

Do not use insurance groups as your only yardstick for how much insurance might cost you. They are a simple guide only. Use the comparison sites and get QUOTES for cars you are considering. One way I’ve used is to find suitable cars on eBay or Autotrader and get reg numbers from photos. Note too that out of production models are often cheaper than they were when in production. Another advantage in your position is that you’d get an awful lot more car with a 9-3 than you would with a Golf or Volvo as demand is starting to tail off now reducing values

I really don't understand this insurance business. ……. Have a look at the insurance section on moneysavingexpert.com. Martin has put together plenty of advice you should find helpful.

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Sun 4 Sep 2016 22:43
Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Fabia, Volvo V40 - Cheap Motorway Car? - Metropolis.

Out of the options you listed, i'd opt for the Volvo. It's likely to be the most reliable and the most refined out of those options. You might not have considered it but i'd also look for an automatic. Save you any issues with DMF etc. Volvo normally use Aisin autos so ought to be pretty bomb proof. Just had a quick google and they do use Aisin. Just make sure it doesnt have the ford derived 'powershift' dual clutch gearbox. Manual options dont seem bad either.

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Sun 4 Sep 2016 22:57
Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Fabia, Volvo V40 - Cheap Motorway Car? - brum

The back seats come out easily on the fabia, 10 seconds is all it takes. A good scrub down and some upholstery cleaner and they will be as good as new.

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Sun 4 Sep 2016 23:00
Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Fabia, Volvo V40 - Cheap Motorway Car? - Louis Leatherbarrow

I've already replaced the back seat with a new one I bought on ebay. The milk had gone all down the footwells, the boot, through the seat - it's a total mess. And considering the bizare knocking sounds the suspension makes, the clunk when you turn the wheel, the complete lack of power steering, the broken electric windows, the broken speedometer and the missing rear wiper I think it's probably just time for a new car :D

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Sun 4 Sep 2016 23:16
Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Fabia, Volvo V40 - Cheap Motorway Car? - brum

2 pints? Cant be that bad. Pull the carpet out and wash it. An afternoons work. The boot is easy.

Suspension knocking and steering clunk is probably just subframe bushes and droplinks, maybe a trackrod end. Not too expensive to fix. Electric windows could be just switch/fuse or a complete replacement is about £100 per side, much less if you diy. Speedo and wiper I would replace with ebay salvage parts. The only showstopper is the power steering, could just be a tired battery, or if its the pump that is expensive and would cost a few hunfred pounds to replace. Briskoda is the forum to consult for advice on faults and repairs.

For £2000 you are not going to get a golf or a volvo in prime condition.

Edited by brum on 04/09/2016 at 23:25

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Sun 4 Sep 2016 23:29
Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Fabia, Volvo V40 - Cheap Motorway Car? - Louis Leatherbarrow

Hmm. While it isn't the news I wanted to hear, I'm starting to think you're right. I've already replaced the power steering pump so I'll need to do some fault finding there, but I'm probably just being lazy with the rest of it. Maybe it has a couple of years left in it - and I just got 85mpg on a 500 mile drive, it's so cheap!

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Sun 4 Sep 2016 23:50
Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Fabia, Volvo V40 - Cheap Motorway Car? - brum

With the 1.9sdi engine, if its half decent and you get it through the mot, it will sell very easily. Its much sought after for the economy simplicity and reliability. So its worth at least properly costing the repairs as it could add £1500 to your budget - I'm guessing its an 04 sdi hatchback (estate would be better and worth more) comfort spec.

If you run it another year it will lose very little value and your extra year ncb will help your insurance problem.

What you need is a largish car (long distance comfort) preferably wth cruise control (long distances), a petrol engine (quiet), low insurance group. Something like an octavia 1.4 maybe. It could double your fuel bill though.

Oh and shop around for your insurance, you may be surprised how much can be saved.

Edited by brum on 05/09/2016 at 00:04

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Mon 5 Sep 2016 12:47
Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Fabia, Volvo V40 - Cheap Motorway Car? - chriswales

The sub 2k car market can be very hit and miss. You could have a few years trouble free usage or over £500 in bills during the first 6 months. Sometimes it’s better the devil you know at this level. Keeping your current car could be the better option, I guess it depends how reliable it is and if it’s still suitable for your needs.

If you do replace the car given the amount of motorway miles you’re travelling a turbo diesel would be the best mix of driveability and fuel economy. But picking the wrong one could cost thousands in repair bills.

You’d be paying a premium for a VW over a Skoda or Seat that underneath are the same cars.

Personally I’d recommend the last of the non PD 1.9TDI VW engines, I know they were still used in the Seat Leon up to 2005, not sure when they stopped in the Toledo and Octavia. The PD’s can have a lot more expensive items to replace like Dual Mass flywheels that can fail before the clutch wears out.

I’m using a 2003 Seat Leon for a motorway commute with the 1.9 TDI 110 engine. It’s comfortable and efficient transport that doesn’t cost much to keep on the road. I’m impressed that you’re getting 80mpg from a SDI. I’ve had the Leon for ten years and normally average 53mpg. On my commute it was varying between 51mpg and 56mpg depending on how many people were in the car and if I was travelling in the outside lane. A few months ago I fitted cruise control, mainly because my right knee wasn’t happy with the driving. I did a 500 mile trip in one day using CC most of the way and got 61mpg, which I was very surprised with since the CC was set to 75mph most of the time.

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