Small/medium, economical car - any advice?

MichaelCR

Alot_does_not_exist wrote: »

Like......?

Hate to mention it again.......

have a look at 2004/5/6 Ford Fiestas with the 1.4 TDCi Engine.

bigjl

Indeed, Flying-High, there are plenty of largish diesels that do decent mpg.

I don't want to go back to it, but, my Mondeo cost £2450 in Nov 2008, it was above average miles, one owner, FSH, etc.

It was meant to be a stop gap, but I still have it, comfy, cheap to run, parts are cheap to buy, safe if the worsse happens and still worth what i paid for it give or take a few quid.

I couldn't have got a three yr old small car for the money, and to be honest I have been driving really easy the last week or so and it is averaging 58mpg, Esso diesel and 1:200 2-Stroke as an experiment.

The wifes Clio is currently showing 59.4mpg, but the wife does a lot more sitting in traffic than i do.

Actually until I got stuck in traffic yesterday my fuel computer was showing 60mpg!

If you get a car like mine, ex fleet, a bit up on miles but with good history then it can be a very cheap car to run, and nobody thinks you have bought a small car to save money. Keep up with the Jones' WIN.

Flying-High_2

Alot_does_not_exist wrote: »

Like......?

Most Small/Medium/Family size Diesels....?

Most Small Petrols...?

bigjl

MichaelCR wrote: »

Hate to mention it again.......

have a look at 2004/5/6 Ford Fiestas with the 1.4 TDCi Engine.

If I had a choice between a Fiesta with that engine or a Mondeo the it would be a Mondeo everytime.

Not that there is much wrong with the Fiesta Tdci, but I drove a Fusion for 3 weeks when my wifes Clio was being repaired, and the bodyshop gave me it as a loaner.

I must admit that in every way imaginable the Clio was superior, ok the Fusion isn't exactly the same but they are very close.

My Mondeo is in a different world.

Though another car to consider is an ex Police Focus, lots of these around, companies buy them and fix the holes, I have seen some on eBay for under £3000.

On the subject of the Fiesta TDCi, for the same money as a Mondeo TDci you would be looking at a bit of a nail of a Fiesta.

This is only my opinion, and many will disagree, but I know more people that have bought family sized ex fleet diesels than have bought small diesels, the ones that bought small, did it due to Insurance not the price of the car, as they are Uni graduates that have joined the Ambulance service in their early 20's, so they have that to consider.

Again, an interesting debate, i think there are positives on both sides.

The negatives would be buying a clocked ex Taxi of a Mondeo, which you can avoid by sticking to one or two owners and checking the details on the logbook before buying.

And the risk in the case of the Fiesta of buying an ex driving school car that was owned by a self employed instructor, very few have dual controls these days from what i have seen.

Alot_does_not_exist

Flying-High wrote: »

Most Small/Medium/Family size Diesels....?

Most Small Petrols...?

Great.

I'll buy 'most', then...

Flying-High_2

Alot_does_not_exist wrote: »

Great.

I'll buy 'most', then...

Good Idea....

rodenal

The mpg / cost of car savings / cost argument can go on forever - it's possible to argue for either side but the two biggest factors that will wipe out any savings are insurance and repairs.

If you are a bit older then insurance may not be an issue, £50 a year between a medium and large car wont rock anybodies world but if you buy a car sitting on say 75k and at about 5 years old it's potentially going to need:

cambelt/ waterpump - £250-£450
ARB bushes £80ish
Shocks / springs £2-300
clutch £250-£600 (DMF)
ABS sensors £20ish a time for the sensors
etc
etc

Get hit with any combination of the above, plus add in tyres if you buy something that is wearing crap rubber or on low tread and soon it wont matter if your car does 5mpg or 80mpg as you've obliterated any saving

If you really are intent on saving cash then research the cars you are looking at carefully and try to make a judgement on what you may potentially have to replace in the next couple of years - dont narrow your choice down too much by looking at manufacturers mpg figures

Strider590

I think the overall general consensus is to find something you like.... As long as it's not French or Italian, it should do well

Horizon81

Honda Jazz, Toyota Yaris, Fiat Panda, Skoda Fabia - probably the best of the bunch.

Avoid Citroens and Renaults.