2k Budget - 30,000 Miles A Year

manfromthesham

Hi all,

I'm currently looking to replace my Clio Extreme 1.2 16V

I do approx 30,000 miles a year, mainly motorway driving for my daily commute to work (90 Miles Per Day)

I have a budget of around £2K however this could be topped up with the funds I receive from selling the current car so prob £2800 Max

Any suggestions would really be appreciated

jimjames

VW Golf Mk4 TDI or B5.5 Passat TDI. Both with the PD130 engine

citykid5

Just about the only car I would consider for a 2k budget and 30k miles would be any vag group 1.4 tdi, bulletproof mechanicals 60+ mpg and often zero ved

foxy-stoat

Any car thats a manual with a VAG 1.9 tdi PD engine will do. Try and spend £2000-£2500 and keep £1000 in a savings account for maintence and repairs.

Bora
Golf
A4
A6
Octavia
Fabia

Look for one that has had a recent cambelt and water pump and or new clutch with DMF fitted. Full service history and low owners are also a good things.

bigjl

I personally wouldn't just look at VAG diesels.

Seems daft not to consider the Ford Focus, not the 1.6tdci/HDi.

If you can find one of the 1.8 Tddi or 1.8 Tdci versions as they are dependable with good maintenance.

A later Focus with the 2.0tdci engine is also something to be considered.

The Astra with the 1.9cdti is not bad, but they do have some issues for which there are fixes, though avoid anything that has a DPF.

Sometimes found diesel at the lower end of the market is risky, they attract people who don't like spending money, they sometimes out a car when a problem is about to need expensive repairs.

I know somebody that put over 200k on an old shape Picanto. Similar annual miles as mentioned here, Peterborough to East London 4 days a week.

You could always consider a 107/Aygo/C1 though they might be a little bit noisy at higher speeds.

Or just go for a newer Clio, I assume yours is a mk2?

The mk3 is a much nicer car to drive.The 1.5dci is a decent little engine, ours gave little trouble in 6 years or hard usage.
Again a 1.2 petrol will be simpler at the expense of more fuel used and higher VED.

If buying a Clio mk3 try and avoid a FAP/DPF car.

Geodark

I just bought an astra 1.7CDTI SRI, less than 90k on the clock 2006 plate for less than 3k. the 1.7 isn't as powerful as the 1.9, but is supposed to be more reliable - plus anything prior to 2007 has not DPF!

almillar

You could always consider a 107/Aygo/C1 though they might be a little bit noisy at higher speeds.

I think one of these would get tiring very fast doing 30k miles per year on a motorway, and I don't think you should consider it.
You do enough miles and the right driving pattern for a diesel anyway, hopefully we can all agree on that one for a change!

daveyjp

None. Any £2k car is a complete lottery, how do you know it will be better than your Clio which is running? Save more money.

A budget of £4k will give more than twice the car of one costing £2k

scaredofdebt

It's a lottery regardless, but you do improve the odds the more you spend.

I do similar mileages, had a 2.0 Mondeo TDCI that cost be about £3k but they can be had for £2k and I was happy with mine until the fuel pump went around 205k

I also ran a 17 year old Pug 206 diesel for 6 months, put 16k on that without isues and it only cost me £500. Not ideal for long motorway runs though!

Currently driving an '04 Cmax 1.6TDI - they are a ticking time bomb apparently, but mine is still ticking at 165k on the clock, no major issues, had it 16 months. Nice driving position, quite comfy, slow as a dog though but once you get up to speed it will cruise happily at 70 all day. 65 MPG if you are careful. Mine was £1300.

Good luck!

Edit - I'd agree with the above, keep running your current car until it starts costing money and use that time to save up more for a newer car that should be more reliable.

jimjames

daveyjp wrote: »

A budget of £4k will give more than twice the car of one costing £2k

I don't agree. You could get a worse lemon at £4k and have wasted £4k not £2k. Price doesn't guarantee anything at these sorts of amounts, the car and history means far more.

bigjl

almillar wrote: »

I think one of these would get tiring very fast doing 30k miles per year on a motorway, and I don't think you should consider it.
You do enough miles and the right driving pattern for a diesel anyway, hopefully we can all agree on that one for a change!

I don't agree that a diesel is always the right choice for every driver doing 30k a year.

And sub £2000 diesels are a notorious lottery.

And if you get it wrong can cost you a fortune in repairs.

I did mention the 107/Aygo/C1 may be noisey at higher speeds. But they will also return 50mpg or more.

The best car for the OP is clearly a brand new Tesla S.

Cruise control, near silent, cheap VED etc etc

But the budget is £2k not £60k

If the journey has been done perfectly well by an old Clio then I think it can be done in any small car if budget dictates.