£3000 budget - 15k - 18k a year Diesel or Petrol ?

wba31

Accord Estate will give you plenty of space, as would a pre 2004 civic. the 1.7 diesel in this civic is fantastic on the motorway. the 2.2 diesel in the accord doesnt need a belt (it has a chain) and is a great engine, however from occasionally looking myself they often come with high mileage.

motorguy

bengalknights wrote: »

I would suggest a pre 07 diesel car mainly as they wont have DPF issues

DPFs came in with Euro IV compliance - some cars were Euro IV compliant from 06. Worth checking

jimjames

worried_jim wrote: »

What about an Audi A4 estate with the 1.9tdi engine?

The PD130 is probably the best engine for the VW group so I'd certainly recommend any vehicle with that as a good option

BeenThroughItAll

Michelle_Lang wrote: »

Speaking from experience the 1.0 and even 1.33 litre engines aren't suited for extended motorway driving. Revving at 4000 rpm is noisy and tiresome. Add to the fact that the standard seats aren't as supportive as say the Accord or Avensis. The Yaris SR with 1.8 litre isn't too bad for motorway driving and it comes with better seats with lumbar support. Rear seats can be folded down for the guitars etc.

Aha, so the 'sudden increase in knowledge' phase has started.

Michelle_Lang wrote: »

I'd be willing to bet even if the E46 and E92 M3 will be tiresome and noisey for long motorway drives, revving at 4K rpm at 70-80 mph. Honda S2000 and the GT86 will be equally bad.

Crikey, we moved onto the 'M3 in every sentence ****' phase quickly.


Go away DM. Go outside your dingy university bedroom and make some friends. Just wash first, or they may not like you.

mcpitman

Michelle_Lang wrote: »

I'd be willing to bet even if the E46 and E92 M3 will be tiresome and noisey for long motorway drives, revving at 4K rpm at 70-80 mph. Honda S2000 and the GT86 will be equally bad.

!!!!!!, here we go again, you forgot to mention Lexus....:mad:

Chrishazle

Surprised no-one has mentioned an MB E class diesel estate - cavernous boot, aparently adequate with the 220 engine, the 270 engine is very good (I had a C class 270, it was excellent). Comfortable motorway cruiser as well.

Shaps

Thanks to everyone for taking the time out to answer my question , it has given me a lot to think about .

Have only owned Diesels which i normally buy for around £1000 - £3000 and run into the ground and if they last 2 - 3 years I am happy but the servicing and issues seem to outweigh and benefits i gain in MPG.

Will keep searching Autotrader as my MOT is up at the end of next month ( if my car makes it ) but this time include the Petrol versions .



Thanks again
s

sun-n-moon

I spent years driving 20k a year. I bought high mileage Mondeo 2.0 blacktops. Never had a problem with them apart from one broken front spring. Motoway runs mostly and averaged about 40mpg with a light foot and cruise control. Retired them at about 180k still running sweetly when a better deal would come up.

Londoner_1

Michelle_Lang wrote: »

Personally I'd settle for an older Japanese petrol engine. They're usually bomb proof and fairly efficient, for example a 2004 onwards Toyota Avensis 1.8 litre petrol or a 2003 onwards Honda Accord 2.0 i-VTEC. Shouldn't struggle getting 40 plus mpg on a motorway run.


You can pick one up that is in good condition for around £2000. No worries about turbo failure or injectors and will see star ship mileage if taken care off.

Good choice, best to go for 2006+ Avensis 1.8, earlier ones suffered from excessive oil consumption.

londonTiger

i would have thought that storage space in your car would be a prerequisite