For various reasons I might need to start driving to work, about 40 miles each way, mostly at speed.
So, I'm think about buying a car. Basic criteria are:
a) (expanding) Family size - so probably estate (we'll keep the Daewoo hatch as the wife's car for now).
b) Stupidly excellent MPG - at least 65mpg extra-urban (ie at 56mph or whatever).
c) Not too fancy, but aircon would be nice, with all these roasty summers we're getting these days. No leather seats or any of that, no excessive electrics. Just a decent basic efficient workhorse.
d) Affordable (for some definition).
I've been through the Government's VED database and Skoda have some efficient diesel engines - both the 1.4 and 1.9.
What do people think of Skoda these days? I take them as basically VW with a cheaper price tag - am I right? Our local mechanic laughed his end off when I mentioned this to him - but he's definitely viewing Skoda as of 10 years ago, which is understandable. I notice Octavias are popular with the taxi drivers round here which must be a good thing.
I'm looking at either 2-3 years old low milage and re-sell at 5 years and repeat, that means I can fund the depreciation entirely from savings on my train ticket.
Or I might treat myself to a new one at around the 12-13k mark and keep it
10 years for a little more cost - do they last that long? Given it may be handed over to the wife at some point, I estimate the annual milage will be half of my commute plus some, so about 15,000 miles. If kept for 10 years, that would clock up 150k
I've got a Skoda Octavia 1.9TDI the 110hp lump - the older type and not the estate and this will carry me, better half, two daughters and all their holiday kit!
Had it a few years now and all that's ever gone wrong are:
water pumped siezed at 60000 miles (now done 95000) was replaced by a QH item and fortunately didn't total the engine - cam belt and idlers were replaced at the same time.
servo hose split and was replaced by one off an Escort
engine control relay failed and was replaced - also at around 60k.
It's fast, comfy and economical returning 50's to the gallon and will do
110 (not on the highway of course)
Spun it off the road into a ditch on the A84 about this time last year and all it got was scratched paintwork and a dent in a wing! It got us home after removing the front wheel well plastic covers. Ins paid up and it's as good as new :)
Nothing else before or since. I got one as all the taxis were using them in these parts.
That's a point - do remember seeing Mondeo diesels on the database as having 58mpg extra urban. Close, I might consider. At least the parts should be cheap, being Ford, unless that's no longer true...
Then I can be "Mondeo Man" as well as "Mr Angry from Tunbridge Wells" (I live 3 miles away) ;->
Cheers
Tim
PS I'm using this as the source of my MPG data these days, it's a pretty useful site:
Hmm. People tend to fill the space they have, so if you were to get, say, a Mondeo estate (which is huge) you'll find that you fill it.
I'd relax this specific requirement, which I'll discuss below.
In the Mondeo class, air conditioning has been near-standard equipment since
1998 / 1999. In smaller classes you will find examples of cars that don't have air conditioning. Personally, I wouldn't buy *anything* even approaching sensible without air conditioning, even if I were never to use it - because many buyers are exactly the same.
Hmm. What you may consider affordable I may think unrealistic! :)
Hmm. Yes they do, but the VAG's TDI engines in this size are no longer class leading.
Great. Makes the VW and Audi products appear overpriced, too-firm riding and badge-pretentious. Unfortunately Skoda TDIs keep their value well because the trade know that people know they're based on VAG technology.
Mostly. Purists - typically VW or Audi fans :) - argue that they're not built as well and the quality of the interior isn't as good. I've been consistently disappointed by every VW badged machine I've been in or driven in for interior quality. Volkswagen can take their "soft feel" plastics and shove them up the two little exhaust pipes at the back of most TDIs heh.
They feel broadly similar. Skodas tend to be comfort-orientated as a range (there are exceptions of course). VWs try to achieve everything. Seat are sportily set up. Audi, well, try to cover all bases. Personally I rate the Fabia, especially with the 1.9 130 PS TDI, the vRS - this is a diesel hot hatch.
No it absolutely is not understandable unless he has been living as a hermit for the last ten years.
Or unless he is worried about a drop off in business given that Skoda score consistently well in reliability polls and similar?
Easily. Everything should last thing long with due care and attention. Almost all modern machines, as a rule of thumb, are as good as their owner. But do bear in mind that if you keep a car for ten years and pay £12,000 for it, you're likely to lose £11,000 over that period, at least. If the diesel is £12,000 but the petrol only £8,000 the diesel has to save you least £300 a year. You may find that marginal depending on the comparison.
As an example I'll pick the 2.0 petrol Mondeo. Driven reasonably briskly but with an eye towards fuel consumption and on the motorway you'd expect to return 42 to the gallon. Then take the TDCi. You should see somewhere around 50 to the gallon but I'll run with 52. Assuming petrol costs 94p per litre and diesel is 98p per litre, over 20,000 miles you'll save £321 a year in fuel costs.
Figure on you returning 42 to the gallon from the petrol and 50 from the diesel and the saving becomes £250.
That £300 or so can be wiped out through the service costs or even down to something such as one model having luscious 17" alloys and the tyres being materially more expensive than the standard 15" or 16" design.
Easily providing you look after it.
Really, Corsa? It has many attributes, they're tough, inexpensive to run, long lived - but boring as 'eck to drive. So no.
The larger the car the cheaper they are used, relatively speaking. On the motorway and providing you stick to the speed limit, or the fuzzy bit between the speed limit and a ticket, you'll find the majority of 1.8 to 2.0 litre, four cylinder, direct injection turbodiesel, manual, front or rear wheel drive (no all wheel drive) machines return comparable consumption figures. Some give better mileage - in the Mondeo class, the earlier generation Volvo S40 cars with the later Eurodiesel 1.9 engine - whereas some give poorer figures, but by and large they're all comparable. A few miles per gallon either way doesn't do too much in the scheme of things and is ruined by a side wind, low tyre pressure or increase in the price of fuel...
What can make a difference is service costs (Ford, Vauxhall are typically cheaper), insurance and tyres. Yes those 17" wheels may look great but tyres probably won't last as long and will cost half as much to replace (not to mention the ride).
At your mileage, the choice between petrol and diesel is marginal too. Year old petrol Mondeos and Vectras are just plain cheap but their nearest equivalent diesels are relatively expensive.
When we lost the Ka, I bought a '99 Accord. Now I liked this car, to a point - decent to drive, beautiful 1.8 VTEC engine. Slightly thirsty, yes: they're one of the thirstiest 1.8 cars in their class. I could squeeze over
40 to the gallon from it :) but ultimately and as brilliant as the VTEC engine is to drive... I got bored of having to drive like a Nun to squeeze
Anyway I saw this lovely blue colour Saab 9-3, saw that it was a diesel, and I've enjoyed it ever since. I can drive like a nun and record low to mid 50s, or (so far) however I want and record... mid to high 40s. Or anywhere inbetween.
My annual mileage is somewhere around 25K a year. It isn't enough to justify a diesel over equivalent petrol, I just prefer turbodiesels. :)
In June (eg the end of the quarter) it was possible to get a new Ford Focus C Max 1.8 Ghia for under £12,000. The regular Focus Estate same spec was about £2,000 more.
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