Suggestions for fuel-efficient/economic car - VERY HIGH Mileage

Freefall

OK needing advice.

I have a Renault Clio TCE, 1.2L, Petrol. It gets NOWHERE near its stated mileage (32 MPG average, 38MPG at 70MPH on motorway).

Anyway, I am going to get a new car because my mileage is very high and my wife can use the Renault as a town driving car.

I reckon that I could end up doing 25 to 35,000 miles in the next year with my work. I have been racking up some serious mileage recently. So, I was wondering what people would suggest.

I have been looking at things like Ford B-Maxs, Hyundai i40/i30, standard hatchbacks and the like. It doesnt need to be luxury, economy is key.

Any help would be most appreciated.

Tilt

Punto Twin Air;

http://www.fiat.co.uk/uk/fiat-punto/engines-technical-info

Tad expensive but I think its very cheap tax (if not zero rated) and congestion charge exempt AFAIK.

BlueC

Tilt wrote: »

Punto Twin Air;

http://www.fiat.co.uk/uk/fiat-punto/engines-technical-info

Tad expensive but I think its very cheap tax (if not zero rated) and congestion charge exempt AFAIK.

You'd have to be mental to want to drive 25k miles per year in a Punto. Absolutely mental.

I'd suggest to get something big and suited to doing high miles. E.g. A mondeo diesel, Skoda Octavia, etc.

That said, no matter how economical it is going to be a huge expense to buy in the first place.

bigjl

No longer CC exempt indefinitely they have just announced the new g/co2 limit is 75!

Obviously nothing to do with the fact the manufacturers found it fairly easy to get below 100!

A neighbour has an i40. It is a nice looking car, not sure I would have it over a Mondeo though!

Totally left field choice.

Dacia Duster with the 1.5 dci engine!

I would say get a Clio dci, the wife has one, but they are not really geared for long journeys.

At 70mph the engine is fairly screaming away and fuel economy drops to mid fifties, the wife's 68bhp, '06 model, does give 60mpg pretty consistently with lots of urban use.

Another idea would be the Megane Estate, new one not the old one, a very safe car, not that bad to look at in Estate form and you are looking at a fairly easy 60mpg on a run, they are also cheap and come with the 1.5 dci engine.

One thing to remember about the 1.5 dci engine is that people talk about turbo failure, but I wonder how many of these turbo problems are caused by running the oil out to 12k when the vehicle is used for lots of stop start and local running around?

It says in the handbook to change the oil at 6k if you do that kind of use.

But how many read the service book fully?

I change the oil every 6/7k usually with Mobil 1 0w40. Bosch filter from Euro around £5 odd and 5 litres of Mobil 1 for £30 at Costco.

Fuel filters are expensive on the 1.5 dci, but air filters are under £10.

I would try to minimise electrical problems by going for a lower snd model though, just to for the minimum spec needed, aircon, electric windows, remote central locking/alarm and maybe alloys.

bigjl

Sorry, forgot to say, don't buy new doing those miles.

Buy above average miles with lots of history, just off lease then you will lose less money in depreciation.

As an example http://www.cargiant.co.uk/pda/detail.asp?id=589510&mk=Renault&md=Megane

Run that for three years and it will be pretty much worthless, but will have cost you £2k a year before running costs and fuel even if you got nothing back at the end.

That would have likely cost nearly £20k new in '09.

And as you already know Renaults are very comfortable. Do your own basic servicing and running costs are next to nothing.

I believe the cambelt is 72k or 5 years but can't be exact without looking it up, had the wife's Clio belt done at 5 yrs when I think it had done just under 70k.

Wife does 17/18k in her Clio.

Original clutch, not fitted with the FAP system, no other problems apart from a rear brake shoe that became gummed up and recently a slightly noisy antirollbar drop link, replacement cost just over £20 at Euro.

In all honesty it has been a good car, especially when you consider it is used for stop start local use due to the wife's job as a Home Carer.

We want to get another two years out of it, then it will be passed on to learner driver duties.

Another possibility as far as left field choices go would be a Laguna.

Never popular and now they have stopped selling them, but they are very cheap for what you get.

I would only buy the 1.5 dci.

Tilt

BlueC wrote: »

You'd have to be mental to want to drive 25k miles per year in a Punto. Absolutely mental.

I'd suggest to get something big and suited to doing high miles. E.g. A mondeo diesel, Skoda Octavia, etc.

That said, no matter how economical it is going to be a huge expense to buy in the first place.

Better get myself checked then as i've not done far off myself in the past and that was in a mk2. Far better return than the OP's Clio (38mpg) and it was a 1.4. I currently have a 13 year old 1.8 HGT and about once a month do a 360 mile round trip between Portsmouth and the Midlands and can manage 40 mpg (if I take it easy). No probs at all so not sure how mental I am.

Freefall

bigjl wrote: »

Sorry, forgot to say, don't buy new doing those miles.

Buy above average miles with lots of history, just off lease then you will lose less money in depreciation.

As an example http://www.cargiant.co.uk/pda/detail.asp?id=589510&mk=Renault&md=Megane

Run that for three years and it will be pretty much worthless, but will have cost you £2k a year before running costs and fuel even if you got nothing back at the end.

That would have likely cost nearly £20k new in '09.

And as you already know Renaults are very comfortable. Do your own basic servicing and running costs are next to nothing.

I believe the cambelt is 72k or 5 years but can't be exact without looking it up, had the wife's Clio belt done at 5 yrs when I think it had done just under 70k.

Wife does 17/18k in her Clio.

Original clutch, not fitted with the FAP system, no other problems apart from a rear brake shoe that became gummed up and recently a slightly noisy antirollbar drop link, replacement cost just over £20 at Euro.

In all honesty it has been a good car, especially when you consider it is used for stop start local use due to the wife's job as a Home Carer.

We want to get another two years out of it, then it will be passed on to learner driver duties.

Another possibility as far as left field choices go would be a Laguna.

Never popular and now they have stopped selling them, but they are very cheap for what you get.

I would only buy the 1.5 dci.

Thanks what do you mean by left field choice?

I am also very scared of the second hand market.... sounds like a bit of a minefield and at these miles I need reliability.

Tilt

I would certainly recommend at least looking at a Punto. I speak from experience. I'm on my 13th Fiat atm (not all Punto's) and reliability has never been a big issue (although I did have seized turbo on a new Uno Turbo mk1 which was sorted under warranty after about a week). Obviously it's your money so if you come back and say you don't like it then I won't be offended!

marlot

This site might be helpful

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/

mcfisco

The Toyota 2.0 D4D engine is pretty bullet proof
No cam belt to worry about and pre 2010 they don't have a DPF either.

With the sort of mileage you want to do, I'd look at something like a low mileage 2009 Avensis and factor in changing it after 2 years but not actually doing it unless needed.
You could also look at picking something up that has a couple of years warranty left on it, again a 2010 Toyota would fit the bill or a Kia etc.

There's no way I'd look at a new car

getmore4less

Look at what the taxi guys drive.

1.9 Octavia. (spend a bit and look for an Elegance or L&K)


if you don't need hatch/estate and want a bit of comfort.
Superb. (thirstier than an octavia)
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/cars/skoda/superb/radius/1500/body-type/saloon/fuel-type/diesel/engine-size-cars/1-7l_to_1-9l/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/page/1/sort/pricedesc


Mondeo loads to choose from.

edit: we looked at the evensis as well and thye are popular in some areas as Taxis.