First post so hello to all and hope still early enough in January to wish you all the best for the New Year.
I do a 75 mile each way commute Mon to Fri - A303, M3, M25. Am now looking at changing my 1.8 Mondeo petrol Hatchback workhorse that has given sterling service for the last 10 years to the most economical, assume diesel, replacement.
As per normal I am looking for the most I can get for the least outlay so anything considered as long as it is reliable, will get me to and from work in relative comfort and at the least cost.
Also happy to listen to any recommendations of what you think I should be looking for even if you do not have a vehicle to offer.
Located in Andover, Hampshire so something in the locale would be ideal although willing to travel reasonable distance for the right motor.
Many thanks
Pity the N Plate Citroen Xantia for sale on these boards is not a diesel really.
{Moved from the classifieds forum - DD}
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It depends how much you are willing to spend...
If you're after something along the lines of a Xantia diesel, £1000 should get you a decent Xantia 1.9TD on a S-T plate with sensible mileage and all the toys. Driven sensibly and looked after, these cars are good for 200k plus and give 45mpg. The ride quality on these is excellent, thanks to Citroens hydropneumatic suspension and the 1.9TD engine is also very refined for an old-school diesel and works well in the Xantia with decent performance and lots of torque for relaxed motorway cruising. You should hopefully find that the car will pay for itself over time, provided you find a decent well looked after example, due to the saving you will make in fuel. My Peugeot 306 1.9TD (same engine as the Xantia) often used to manage just short of 600 miles to the tank when it was used for a 65 mile each way daily motorway commute a couple of years back.
Martin
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Many thanks for the response Martin - exactly the sort of information I am looking for. 306 is on my watch list but no information regarding the Xantia. Is there anything you would recommend looking out for on these vehicles, good or bad, when looking at older used models?
Still happy to look at other options if anyone has any additional recommendations - thanks in advance for any responses.
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I had a 306 HDi and my present car (SEAT Toledo) is faster, more economical, more comfortable, better equipped, and doesn't have a common rail fuel system to worry about.
£4000 for my 2002 with one owner, 55,000 miles, FSH, and all the toys.
Only problems with these are a couple of well known water leaks.
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Buy the best 405TD you can find - about £1250. No Xantia suspension problems, and good for 250k miles - mine's on 178k and gives 42-45 mpg. Estates more expensive, saloons around £700 for the best.
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I bought a mk2 Mondeo 1.8TD 18 months ago for the exact purpose of a 70 mile round trip commute and family hack / runs to the tip / shopping wagon at weekends.
Bought one of the very last (2000 X reg) with 100k on it and it's now fast approaching 130k. Outside of routine servicing it's needed a water pump (replaced as a precaution when I did the timing belt), a CV joint (needed doing when I bought it) and an engine mount (£15 off Fleabay)
Returns mid to high 40's mpg, is adequately refined on the motorway and has never broken down or failed to start. Parts cost peanuts and my local diesel specialist reckons the engines are good for 300k+ as long as they're serviced regularly and the cambelt's not left too long (30-40k is considered about right)
Plus it has the usual Mondeo positives you will know from your existing car such as a decent ride and handling, comfy driving position and rugged build quality. It does understeer a little more than the petrol version because of the heavier engine, but still a very satisfying drive off the motorway, as all Mondeos are. Cheap to fix too unless the clutch goes.
It's a tad noisy under acceleration and a bit slow, but for a reliable workhorse you could do a lot worse.
Hundreds around for £1500-£2000. £2000 is very late minter money.
Cheers
DP
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Sorry misprint - should read £500-£2000
Cheers
DP
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And with those roads I pressume you won't be needing an automatic box, which widens your choice considerably. My commute is in traffic and I can't be doing with a manual these days.
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Great information gents.
Hoepfully someone else can benefit from it too. I will be having a look on Autotrader, ebay etc and locally to see what may be around and using the info made available via this thread.
Does anyone else have any old reliable motorway eaters to recommend? All info gratefully accepted - thanks in advance again.
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I must ask, why do this commute in the first place ?
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Job where the money I want is. Nothing comparable in Andover where I live and suits me for now.
Ideally the wife would pay me my current wage for surfing the net all day but not really going to happen!!
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Has to be Skoda Octavia for pure mile munching.
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In response to the question you asked me earlier regarding the 306 and Xantia, common problems with these include radiator and heater matrix leaks and on the TD versions (particularly the 306) look out for signs of head gasket problems such as pressure in the cooling system. When looking at one, carefully inspect the radiator and the condition of the coolant in the header tank- if it looks dirty, walk away. When taking the car for a test drive, make sure the heater works and keep an eye on the temp gauge.
Pick a decent, well maintained 306 or Xantia TD with service history, change the oil and filters every 6k, coolant every 2 years and cambelt every 50k and reaching 200k shouldn't be too much of a problem, especially if you are doing mainly motorway miles. The 1.9TD XUD engine is a well-proven lump which goes on for an eternity if serviced correctly. Neglect regular oil changes and leave the same coolant in for years on end and you're asking for head gasket problems.
Martin
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Rover 45 - rough, noisy but powerful economical and reliable L Series engine.
Quite comfortable car and very cheap now to buy.
Or Rover 600 - same engine but a nicer car overall, despite being older.
Mondeo 1.8 - awful diesel makes enough noise to wake the dead but very reliable.
No common rail systems on these. Buy cheap, keep serviced and then scrap when knackered.
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Have you thought about a C1/Aygo/107. Supposed to do 60mpg and you should get fairly troublefree motoring. If you dont mind a small low power car of course, but how often will you exceed 60mph on your journey. £40 tax and group 1, no cambelt to change.
I did what you are suggesting and bought a Mondeo TD MkII good car but failed mot after 6 months and not really worth repairing. A C1 should pay for itself in savings and give you reliability, albeit at the expense of lots of metal around you in a crash.
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Personally I don't understand suggesting a mk2, 1.8TD Mondeo. The engine is abysmal, and the petrol 1.8 will achieve 45mpg on a motorway the same as the diesel, with petrol being a few pence cheaper, with less diesel worries about injectors and so on.
A mk3 with the better engines in, fair enough...
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A couple more for the mix first a renault 21 or early Laguna wih the 2.2 non turbo engine. My 1994 laguna with the 2.2 did 178,000 miles in three years apart from routine servicing it only needed a battery, water pump at 157,000 miles and that was that.
My brother in law still has the car commutes to work in portsmouth mileage over 250,000 i belive still doing 45 to the gallon only new clutch recently needed.
Do not go for turbo version though as turbo can cost lots to fix.
The 21 is o.k. on turbo though as its the old van engine out of the master van so its tough as old boots.
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Do you like the retro look? I had my Dad's old Cavalier 2.0 CD hatch that did 40 mpg if taken sensibly on the side roads and at 75 on the M-way.
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The Carina E 1.6 and 1.8 had 'lean burn' engines that could match diesel economy on good runs, or even a Carina E diesel, the later turbo diesel obviously better than earlier NA. All those taxi drivers in Dublin couldn't have been wrong (few years ago)!
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Thanks again for the responses folks.
Anyone any experience of one of these:
1995 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT CL TD 4dr Diesel Saloon Price:
£995
Features: 78,000 miles GREEN Diesel 4 Door Saloon N reg (1995)
Full Description: Manual, 78,000 miles, 1.9 turbo diesel N reg forest Green coachwork with unmarked cloth trim,electic windows,central locking,power steering,electic sunroof,stereo,service history plus all old mots,remote alarm system,mot to april 2007 only done 4000 miles since last years mot last owner retired from driving,looks and drives excellent.
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