Fuel efficient family hatch

shell820810

Have a 03 Clio dci 1.5, bought with 28k on clock in mid 2005 now sitting at 132k

It is drinking oil, bout litre a month, no obvious leaks, so expect the engine is dying. It is also due a timing belt at 140k. I used to get over 60mpg but now it has dropped to just over 50mpg. All this couple with the fact it's a 3 door and we just found out first baby is on the way means I think it's time to change.

I don't expect to do many miles next year as I will be off but when I go back to work I will be doing 200-400 miles per week, half of which is motorway.

Few questions:
Should I hold onto the Clio until it dies and pay the upkeep, which is essentially dead money. Hubby has a Subaru which I could use when I am off on maternity but don't like it and costs a fortune to run.

I was thinking a 2-3 year old 40k miles - focus, auris, civic. Leon etc. Prefer to stay away from Renault, Peugeot etc. Which is best value for money. KIA ceed looks reasonable- seen 2009 18k for 7995 but forums are saying mpg are around mid 40s which seems a bit low.

Dont really want to spend more than 10k and the less the better. Although I do like a decent spec like multinfunction steering wheel, air con etc.

Any advice on when to change and what to change to?

Hammyman

Keep the Clio. £2 of oil a month isn't a great expense. Unless its chucking lots of blue smoke out the back, its not dying.

As for dead money, you do know the 2-3 year old car will lose more in depreciation just sat there than your Clio will cost in maintenance, the £2 of oil a month and a new cambelt?

shell820810

Hammyman wrote: »

Keep the Clio. £2 of oil a month isn't a great expense. Unless its chucking lots of blue smoke out the back, its not dying.

As for dead money, you do know the 2-3 year old car will lose more in depreciation just sat there than your Clio will cost in maintenance, the £2 of oil a month and a new cambelt?

Thanks, I just dont know how practical a 3 door car with a small boot is for a car seat and push chair. And there is no point buying a travel system just to suit this car.

Strider590

Im in agreement with teh Hamster, surely you could find better things to spend £8000 on rather than a lump of metal. All the repairs in the world aren't going to cost £8000.

bigjl

I'm with Strider and Hamster on this.

You are better off fixing what you have in the short term.

In the long term then you have a highish miles diesel that will start to cost you money at some point.

The possible reasons for the oil consumption are either generalised engine wear or the turbo seals, but as the engine isn't smoking then depending on how many miles it is doing. Going by the fact you have done over 100k in 6 yrs then you do nearly 2k a month, a litre or 2 of oil per month isn't that bad.

Your current car may need nothing more than a cambelt, air and fuel filters, maybe the EGR cleaned or replaced, I think yours has a MAF sensor, that needs regular cleaning.

I must admit that your Renault Clio with the 1.5 DCi engine is one of the stars of the recent Renault range, the 1.5 would appear to be a much better engine than the 1.9 was.

If you really want a new car then i would go for any of the current mid range diesel hatches.

Though do you really do the miles to warrant a diesel now that you are having a baby, as you can get any number of petrol engined hatchbacks for under £6000, if you then started to do the miles again you could convert to LPG perhaps.

Petrol cars do tend to be cheaper on the maintenance side.

I would go for the last generation Astra or the last generation Focus, diesel or petrol is your choice, though there isn't much wrong with either, though if you go for a diesel Astra then go for the 1.7DTi as it is more reliable than the 1.9, from what i have been told it is an Isuzu engine rather than the Fiat of the 1.9, i thought the engine in the mk4 and mk5 Astra 1.7DTis was a Vauxhall/Opel lump but discovered recently that it was actually a newer Isuzu lump.

The Met Police have had the mk5 Astra in 1.7DTi spec for many years without trouble, they have just bought a load of old shape Focus' but I don't know what engine they have as they have just bought them, almost certainly got them for next to nothing though, not stupid the fleet purchasers of the Met, pity they don't work for the LAS.

merlie

get rid of it .... got myself a 1.6 focus Tdci climate 06 £5k - 50mpg compared to the 33mpg 1.8 petrol Zafira. Takes ages for the derv guage to empty !

bigjl

But your Focus is worse on fuel than a Clio, the drop in mpg by the OP could be sorted by a new maf and a clean of the egr.

The tdci Focus is a nice family car though, much bigger boot than the older Clio that the OP has.

Mobeer

Maybe ditch the Clio, use the Subaru for now as you are only planning to drive short distances, then shop around when you are closer to returning to work?