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Its simple
No £3500 car with 125,000 miles on is going to be reliable for another 75,000 miles.
Go ahead and buy a car for that money but expect to spend possibly more than the purchase price in repairs over the years.
the alternative is to spend more but that is no garantee of reliabilty.
If you want realistically reliable motoring with no bills buy new.
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Not true. There are countless examples of older cars lasting the mileage with resonably low repair bills.
I know this is possible as I have done it with mutiple Volvo's, my v70 went to 210,000 before it needed anything major, everything else was typical maintenance and servicing which you pay for a car new or old. We still have a 2003 family audi a6 estate which was bought for £4,000 years ago and is still strong past the 200,000 mile mark.
My question is for alternatives vehicles not whether it's possible
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Just trying to point out you are being unrealistic.
Since you obviously know better just carry on.
Your choice.
Hope its a good one.
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Not true. There are countless examples of older cars lasting the mileage with resonably low repair bills.
I know this is possible as I have done it with mutiple Volvo's, my v70 went to 210,000 before it needed anything major, everything else was typical maintenance and servicing which you pay for a car new or old. We still have a 2003 family audi a6 estate which was bought for £4,000 years ago and is still strong past the 200,000 mile mark.
My question is for alternatives vehicles not whether it's possible
Not possible anymore to cover such mileage in a newer diesel car without problems but perfectly possible in a petrol car if well maintained. As others have said you'd be better off with something Japanese if looking for an older car but any car of that age could be problematic.
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Thanks for this it's quite helpful
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Buying new is absolutely no guarantee of reliability, though, in theory, you won't have bills to pay if something goes wrong.
Looking at a high mileage BMW is a very odd place to start if you are after reliability?, is that more an image thing?. You want to be looking at something Japanese or Korean made, with a petrol engine.
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I was looking through all estates. I would easily go for a toyota avensis or honda accord if it meant better reliability.
I'll sack the BMW off it these are seen as unreliable, never owned one personally. Comfort, reliability and practicality come first.
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"comfort, reliability and practicality come first. "
But that's three ... 1. Comfort. 2. Reliability. 3. Practicality. They can't all be first.
Assuming you've, as you say, "sacked off" a BMW then which of the above three actually comes first?
Some would say something French is likely to offer comfort.... they were generally known for it, particularly the bigger ones.
Reliability - then the two most usually mentioned these days seems to be Japanese and Korean. German doesn't seem to feature so much.
Practicality .... well I would think something like a Berlingp for maximum space for stuff, bits and bobs, plus high roofline and good loading space etc.
However your reply to the first observation does seem to suggest you knew all this anyway - but at £3,500 the expression "beggars can't be choosers" springs to mind. And therefore not only do you have to prioritize your choice from comfort, reliability and practicality, you have to add "cheap" into the equation.
As has been said, good luck with that.
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Up to £5,000 is fine.
If i had to be pushed for an order It would be 1.Comfort 2.reliability 3.Practicality as you say.
Looks like Volvo is going be the way forward again then as this is offers a health balance of the above and they always have low resale values which means you can get a bargain.
In terms of the french models the C5 fits the bill and they also depreciated dramatically which means good finds are out there but i'm unsure on reliability.
Toyota avensis doesn't seem to have a downside though it would be nice to hear from someone who knows how reliable they can be, might need to start a new thread for that.
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"If Ii had to be pushed for an order It would be 1.Comfort 2.reliability 3.Practicality as you say."
No-one's pushing you to do anything - it's you who are asking the questions and seeking answers ... no-one here will be doing any arm twisting.
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“I was looking through all estates. I would easily go for a toyota avensis or honda accord if it meant better reliability.”
Agree. The Japanese are the best options at this sort of money, especially in normally aspirated petrol form. Modern DPF equipped diesels are a never-ending source of expense as the approach 7yrs and beyond. I’ve just bought a 2010 Avensis 1.8 Estate with 70,000 miles and a full history for just over £4K and this would be the best bet for your requirements. It’ll do 40mpg plus on a run, it’s spacious, well made and longlived and there’s no DPF, turbo or timing belt to worry about. As I often say on here when shopping on a budget keep it simple. A Mazda 6 2.0 petrol or a Honda Accord 2.0 VTEC are two other worthies.
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I'd say the car that combines practicality, comfort and reliability at that price would be a Ford Mondeo Titanium X estate. The Avensis tips it slightly in the reliability offsetting some of the comfort and practicality. A Suburu Legacy would likely be reliable but guzzles fuel and you would be buying an older car at that price. Of the other cars mentioned the Mazda 6 is worth a look, the Accords are nice at speed but a bit jiggly around town. Really, the Mondeo is the best car but badge snobs need not apply.
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“Really, the Mondeo is the best car but badge snobs need not apply.”
A great car to drive but the petrol options are very limited especially at this money with really only the Mazda 2.0 motor which is surprisingly thirstier than it is in the Mazda 6 or the reliable but flaccid 1.6 Yamaha. A decent Ecoboost 1.6 is too much money and the diesels are all risky at this end of the market especially the 1.6.
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“Really, the Mondeo is the best car but badge snobs need not apply.” A great car to drive but the petrol options are very limited especially at this money with really only the Mazda 2.0 motor which is surprisingly thirstier than it is in the Mazda 6 or the reliable but flaccid 1.6 Yamaha. A decent Ecoboost 1.6 is too much money and the diesels are all risky at this end of the market especially the 1.6.
Yes, I'd go fo a larger normally aspirated engine, the Ecoboost is likely to cause pain down the road! I don't know what the intended milege is - but the difference in reality of 10 mpg is negligable. I liked the Ford 2.3 autos (early Mondeo, late Scorpion) not a very efficient engine but unburstable.Similarly for five grand nowadays I'd probably buy a 2.5 V6 titanium X - you'll get more car for your money (people are scared of V6s) if you're cruising they'll still return 35mpg and if you're only pottering around town is fuel consumption even an issue? High mileage extra/urban is where the difference will be felt.
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“I'd probably buy a 2.5 V6 titanium X - you'll get more car for your money (people are scared of V6s)“
The 2.5 in the generation of Mondeo here is the 5cyl Volvo motor. A great engine and goes like stink but 25mpg is the norm.
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It is certainly possible to pick up a vehicle with a good possibility of achieving the mileage you are looking for. The Avensis purchase mentioned above would be an excellent choice, that particular purchase was well within mileage/budget parameters and plenty of evidence of these vehicles achieving 150/200k. You will need to scour Autotrader etc and be quick when the right model comes up. I have one myself in fact and did a couple of hundred motorway miles today and averaged 42.5 mpg, brim to brim.
Another thought might be a VW group 1.9PD diesel engined vehicle. These engines are very long lived and reliable but need an oil change every 10k to help them on their way. An excellent example came up at BCA recently. A Passat estate with 35k, one owner, full history, very clean inside and tidy bodywork with just a couple of minor scrapes. How much? £2200 including trade fees, probably a bit more for a private buyer. We have had several in the family, one being sold at 150k and still going, the other getting to 189k before being traded. You will have to work hard to find one, they are both rare and sought after, the more elderly ones can disappear to Eastern Europe.
It is entirely possible to get a car that meets your requirements, the dogmatic naysayer above is mistaken, but you will need some application and perhaps a bit of luck as well.
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Thanks this is the sort of answer I was looking for. I'm going to view an Accord GT ES tourer VTEC 2.0 59 plate 87,0000 £4,500 this weekend. Avensis is also still up there.
Edited by Niall Fricker on 06/09/2018 at 11:01
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Thanks this is the sort of answer I was looking for. I'm going to view an Accord GT ES tourer VTEC 2.0 59 plate 87,0000 £4,500 this weekend. Avensis is also still up there.
Good model. Watch for worn and juddering clutches and paint lacquer peeling. Honda build quality cars but their paintwork is far from the best. Look also for poor body repairs. Mechanically they’re excellent but ask to hear it start from cold to listen for a rattling timing chain, though this is unlikely unless it’s really been neglected. Get a good one and it should be fit for another ten years and 100k.
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