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Economy cars - Rog46

Hi im after a car ill be doing 17k miles a year, ideally a petrol, space is not important. I have a 2 budgets in mind around the 4k mark and another option 6k max. Economy is essential because at the moment im only getting 36mpg part motorway/part A roads.

Thanks

Economy cars - galileo

Hi im after a car ill be doing 17k miles a year, ideally a petrol, space is not important. I have a 2 budgets in mind around the 4k mark and another option 6k max. Economy is essential because at the moment im only getting 36mpg part motorway/part A roads.

Thanks

What are you driving now? How much space do you need? How fast do you drive? What mpg do you want to achieve?

Economy cars - Sprice

Try and find a late model FN2 Civic (2006-2011 model) with the 1.8 i-VTEC (R18A2) petrol engine, some report near as damn it 50 mpg when driven carefully on a run and they're no slouches when needed. Always best to try and get one with Honda history so you know the oil used at each change is the recommended type. Best test drive one as the ride could be considered firm, I don't mind it but we're all different!

Edited by Sprice on 10/01/2018 at 22:58

Economy cars - SLO76
Japanese engine (Daihatsu design) cheap to buy, cheap to run, simple and robust, pleasant to drive even at reasonable motorway speeds and always easy to sell on again as highly popular with younger and older drivers alike. Available also with more powerful 1.2 PSA engine but while they’ve proven reliable to date it’s early days and their reputation for timing chain issues on the previous VTi motors is poor. I’d stick with the Japanese motor and accept it’ll be a bit slower. These are very popular commuter motors.



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Economy cars - Happy Blue!

17,000 miles a year implies lots of motorway and dual carriageway driving. Why specify petrol? Diesel will work just as well if not better and in the current climate, you may pick up a cheap one because people have been scared into avoiding them.

Sounds like a job for a typical Focus/Golf size car with a 2.0 turbodiesel.

Economy cars - Engineer Andy

17,000 miles a year implies lots of motorway and dual carriageway driving. Why specify petrol? Diesel will work just as well if not better and in the current climate, you may pick up a cheap one because people have been scared into avoiding them.

Sounds like a job for a typical Focus/Golf size car with a 2.0 turbodiesel.

I suppose it really depends upon both how well looked after a £4k (and likely 5-7yo) diesel-engined car was, and how it was driven during its previous ownership - the former may be relatively easy to find out via electronic records from the dealership/manufacturer (assuming its bought from one) and the DVLA MOT results site, but the latter definitely isn't, even if the mileage appears to be genuine via MOT test results, as two or more years or low annual mileage could mean either lots of short trips to the shops/school OR less numbers of longerjourneys (not anywhere near as bad for the DPF etc).

The history would, in my view, be a LOT less trustworthy if much of it were NOT electronically held (not sure what happens if you get a car serviced at an indie, especially a 'back alley' one, however proficient they are at the work itself) or absent if done by an indie or an owner themselves.

As SLO says, older (and more complex) diesel engined cars that have all the three-lettered acronymn emissions components, etc are a potential financial disaster in-waiting UNLESS you can guarantee the entire maintenance and running history of the car. It can be similar (though lower risk) for petrol-engined cars, but as he says, certain ones are far more hardy than others and also attract owners who treat these cars more sympathetically as per the manufacturer's guidance.

That's not to say the OP may still find a good'un diesel, but the likelihood is lower and the risks (£££ and breakdowns) higher, even factoring in the difference in fuel costs for an above average annual mileage (though below most people's nominal changove point of 20-25k miles pa). I suppose it may well depend upon the OP's ability to tell the difference between a good and not so good car (especially if they look cosmetically very similar) or willingness to take a likely higher risk, particularly if they have limited funds for any major repair/replacement.