i need to find a Cheap car to run, as I drive 120 miles a day

becki4

Hi ya
I currently drive a 1.9si diesel Renault Clio and I drive 120 miles a day to work

at the moment I fill my car up about 42litres and it costs me £52.00
I am finding it costs me £15.00 a day on 122 miles

I can't afford a new car, but would like suggestions on if its worth getting another cheap car to travel in. maybe a smaller litre engine? would this cut my travel costs? has any one got any advice

Thanks

TiTheRev

(New car I know, sorry!)

The new Bluemotion series from VW claim MPG figures over 70miles on a run and are tax exempt due to the low emissions. May be worth an investment to save you money in the long run? It would save you approx £150 on tax and would almost half your fuel bill from approx £800 per year to £450ish. That's £500 a year saving that can go towards the new car payments?

Hintza

Not convinced TiTheRev, OP should perhaps alter driving style a little. 3 gallons of fuel seems a lot for that car over given distance. OP should be able to shave 20-25% off that.

How about a service for it?

redux

if you like the Clio, can you swap to another one with the 1.5 dci engine, which might do about 65 mpg?

or a Golf or something like

but the cost of buying a more expensive car takes away the saving, as the second post more or less shows

hewhoisnotintheknow

i do around 110 to and from work daily, i use a faultless 406 hdi, 65+ mpg from that on motorways over a week

before that i had a xantia hdi

I think keeping your current car and running it into the ground is the cheapest solution

AdrianHi

It will be hard to beat a diesel Clio used on the motorway for fuel costs. Even if you can trim some off the fuel costs I think you would end up spending that and more on the higher depreciation of the younger car.
Have a go with Millers Diesel Sport 4 fuel additive. Many people but not everyone) measures a 5% to 7% improvement in fuel consumption with it which does save money even after the cost of the addtive.
Also, as said, keep the car serviced to schedule. I grabbed an extra 1.5mpg on a 48mpg car in the tankfull following a scheduled service and do all the usuall keeping tyres at the right pressure, removing uneeded items from the car to save weight etc.

sprob

That seems a lot of fuel for the miles covered, I would expect to get 55+mpg for that vehicle - its got the same engine (1.9 dci) as my Laguna 2 which is much heavier and I still manage 50+mpg, it should cost 9-10 pence a mile - diesel round here is about £1.18 a litre (£5.30 a gallon) - are there any petrol stations on your route at this price, that would be a good starting point.

sprob

Also try petrolprices.com, you can specify the fuel you use and the area you live, they email you with the cheapest in your area

hewhoisnotintheknow

also whats your driving style if i drive at 56 (behind a lorry speed) it only takes me an extra couple of minutes and the difference in my fuel consumption is crazy

becki4

do you really think driving more slowly will help a lot?
say if I try and stick to 60 mph

I normally do 70/80 sometimes maybe more its so easy as the road is really clear alot of the time as i drive on the A303

AdrianHi

becki4 wrote: »

do you really think driving more slowly will help a lot?
say if I try and stick to 60 mph

I normally do 70/80 sometimes maybe more its so easy as the road is really clear alot of the time as i drive on the A303

The less powerful the car you drive the more difference reducing speed will make to your fuel consumption. I'm certain you could save 100's a year by slowign to 60mph from 70-80mph.
Take a look at this graph of test results.
Gold 1.9TDI saves 5mpg at 60mph compared with 80mph which is something like a 12% fuel saving. The percentage could be higher still for your car.