Up for suggestions - Need used diesel suggestion for 600 miles / week

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Sun 1 Apr 2012 16:40
Up for suggestions - Need used diesel suggestion for 600 miles / week - mjn1210

All,

I am looking to purchase a used diesel for my daily commute. Commute is 95% on the M25, 120 miles / day / 600 / week. Looks not important, neither is size as will be used only for my commute. Would like some recommendations for models / decent milage that is in the 2000 - 3000 range. Do have a parts exchange that may take budet up to 4000. Would like to get at least 2 years out of the car, and understand I am looking at a car with at least 80K on the clock. Would like to get at least true 50mpg. Been researching several models (Ford Fiesta / Focus / Mondeo), (VW Golf / Polo / Passat), (Peugeot 206/306, 207/307/407). Fords I know, just not diesel side of them. VW are always suggested, just hard to get model in price range, milage I am looking for. Peugeots are 50/50 depending on who is talking. Seems diesel engines are good, just electronics are shakey. Again not too fussed about looks / functions as long as it get me from A to B to A, day in and day out with minimal upkeep. All help is appreciated.

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Sun 1 Apr 2012 16:56
Up for suggestions - Need used diesel suggestion for 600 miles / week - Bobbin Threadbare

I used to do 600 miles per week in a 1.6L petrol Focus. I imagine a diesel one would cope with that as admirably.

My first thought for diesels was a Skoda Octavia, closely followed by VW Passat. Brief experience of a diesel Honda Accord allows me to say that I found them comfy for long journeys but I can't attest to reliability.

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Sun 1 Apr 2012 17:03
Up for suggestions - Need used diesel suggestion for 600 miles / week - mjn1210

I am not married to a diesel, but I am not sure I can get the 50+mpg in a petrol car for th price I am loking for. Also a little concerned about the 30K+ miles a year on it

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Sun 1 Apr 2012 17:11
Up for suggestions - Need used diesel suggestion for 600 miles / week - Bobbin Threadbare

There's a v. similar thread to this which I've just replied to. I run a petrol Mazda 6. I used to do the 600 p/wk run in it and for the past year I've been doing about 300-400 miles per week in it. I've whacked 30k on it in 14 months and it really does run very nicely indeed (at ~102k on the clock). Mpg on a petrol - very very hard to make it match what a diesel can do, but you can get close. I've never had to do anything to my car aside from replacing a headlight bulb. I can't really ask more than that of it. It's very comfy for long journeys too.

I think, from my own experiences, a petrol car from a Japanese company cannot be beaten for longevity and reliability. My husband runs a Toyota Celica - no maintenance on it ever. It's 9 years old and 92k up. Still brilliant fun.

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Sun 1 Apr 2012 17:16
Up for suggestions - Need used diesel suggestion for 600 miles / week - Avant

I too have just replied to the other thread - I completely agree with Bobbin. If you want a petrol engine, go Japanese - Toyota or Mazda, or the old-shape Honda Civic.

But to get 50 mpg it needs to be a diesel, and although any diesel can go expensively wrong at high mleages, the VW Group 1.9 TDI has a very good reputation for reliabilty, as attested by many Octavia-driving taxi-drivers.

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Sun 1 Apr 2012 17:19
Up for suggestions - Need used diesel suggestion for 600 miles / week - Bobbin Threadbare

Avant is spot on - look at taxis. Imagine the mileages! The ones round where I live are Skodas, Ford Mondeos and Mercs.

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Sun 1 Apr 2012 17:30
Up for suggestions - Need used diesel suggestion for 600 miles / week - jamie745

Taxi's are proof that short trips and cold starts is what kills a car. Taxi's near me are 10 year old Peugeot 406 HDi's, probably done 300k+ and still going. They're on the road all of every day, always running warm. Very few cold starts. Thats exactly how an engine likes to operate.

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Sun 1 Apr 2012 17:33
Up for suggestions - Need used diesel suggestion for 600 miles / week - Avant

The Peugeot / Citroen HDI is another good diesel engine, as Jamie says. If you're buying a French car, there are some good ones around but you need one that's been well looked after as they are more vulnerable to neglect than Japanese cars.

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Sun 1 Apr 2012 19:09
Up for suggestions - Need used diesel suggestion for 600 miles / week - balleballe

I had a mazda 6 also - managed around 29k in 14 months - it went when it had 103k on the clock

I had a few more problems with it - but still reliable considering the car was 9 years old

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Mon 2 Apr 2012 11:10
Up for suggestions - Need used diesel suggestion for 600 miles / week - oldtoffee

I had a Skoda fabia vRS with the 1.9PD engine. Bit thrummy around town as they all are but great on my motorway commute. In 6th gear crusing at 70+ would easily show 60mpg. It felt like a bigger car, comfy, relaxed and not much wind and tyre noise. Like you I didn't need the space so figured a smaller lighter car would be a decent bet.

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Tue 3 Apr 2012 18:14
Up for suggestions - Need used diesel suggestion for 600 miles / week - Roly93

I am not married to a diesel, but I am not sure I can get the 50+mpg in a petrol car for th price I am loking for. Also a little concerned about the 30K+ miles a year on it

I think a diesel is a must for this work, as evenb though you may buy a petrol with near-diesel economy, getting caught in a few slow moving jams on the M25 will destroy petrol MPG completely, as well as the wear aspect.

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Mon 2 Apr 2012 16:11
Up for suggestions - Need used diesel suggestion for 600 miles / week - ChannelZ

I've a Mk3 Mondeo, 1.8. It's got the Mazda MZR engine in it. Mine's got 71k on the clock, and the engine is totally faultless. Only engine related repair was a replacement auxiliary belt tensioner at 70k, only because it was noisy and the belt was starting to slip. It doesn't use a drop of oil, and goes quite well considering it's only supposed to be 125hp. Goes better than my 1.8VVT 140hp Vectra, by a long shot. Similar MPG to the Vectra.

I usually put 50-55 litre of petrol in it, and I expect to see 320-450 miles out of that, depending on how many short trips I do.

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Tue 3 Apr 2012 13:07
Up for suggestions - Need used diesel suggestion for 600 miles / week - BenG

Kia Cee'd 1.6CRDI. No DPF on pre-2010 models, also no DMF and chain cam drive, so straight away three problems areas on modern diesels are avoided.

I'm not convinced the VW 1.9TDI is as economical as people say - my Leon only does about 49mpg but the trip computer typically claims 5mpg over actual so don't believe them. As for the Fabia vRS being a light car, it's heavier than it looks at 1315kg, or more than my old Focus 1.8TDCi!

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Tue 3 Apr 2012 13:11
Up for suggestions - Need used diesel suggestion for 600 miles / week - BenG

EDIT: I checked your budget and you'll be lucky to get either a Cee'd diesel or a Fabia vRS for £2-3k.

Can I suggest a leftfield choice: Rover 45 / MG ZS diesel. The L-eries engine seems to be very reliable without modern afflictions such as DPFs or EGR, and the cars are quite light so go fairly well with either 101hp or 113hp. The MG would be better handling. Should be easy to find one well within your budget and spend some cash getting it professionally rustproofed and serviced etc...

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Tue 3 Apr 2012 13:20
Up for suggestions - Need used diesel suggestion for 600 miles / week - Bobbin Threadbare

BenG's got a good point there. MGs are very reasonablly priced and, when I was looking for my current car, I looked at the ZS and found the insurance to be very low too, since that's something I have to factor in due to age and only 4 years driving.

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Tue 3 Apr 2012 16:57
Up for suggestions - Need used diesel suggestion for 600 miles / week - mrnikko

Since June of last year I have had a daily commute of 120 miles round trip predominantly on motorways so a similar requirement to you. I bought a 2003 Ford Focus Ghia 1.8 TDCi for £2999 with 44,000 miles on the clock. So far mileage 71,000 miles running costs two tyres, two services and of course diesel. Getting 48 to 53 mpg depending how I drive this calculated from fill up to fill up not relying on computer.Car was cheaper because its the boot version not the hatch but as i look through the windscreen I never see the boot.

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