My ebay banger which set me back 160 quid went on a motorway cruise the other day. Got 42mpg cruising at average of 70mph.
I struggled to believe the figure since the engine has done 200,000 miles in 11 years. I just thought that a 1.6 engine would be pretty worn out after so much use.
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It seems the car ahs had an easy life. 200,000 miles in 11 years is over 18,000 miles pa, so its done a reasonable amount of distance low stress driving. Engine probably just run in so no reason to expect poor economy. Besides, poor emmisions = poor economy. If the car passes the MoT it should be within tolerance for economy as well.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Diesel or petrol?
My mate has had a similar experience. 94 Cav diesel with 140k, not serviced in 40k, got better fuel economy than his 56k W-reg Vectra!
It seems to me that manufacturers are more concerned about increasing power than fuel economy. Attempts to increase the latter died in the late 1980's.
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Mike Farrow
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Petrol..Even my mate who goes on about his low mileage Citroen ZX diesel is impressed!
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Friction (apart from aerodynamic drag) gets less as the engine and drivetrain progressively loosen up with age. Tyre drag probably gets less as the tread wears.
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L\'escargot.
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But I believe that yr Nissan has FSH, company owner? That's the way they like to be treated - it probably won't be worn ie oval bores, knackered bearings etc., until 400,000 at least, if you care for it the way it has been already. It's never been used on the school/Tescos/nip down the gym run, for example.
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Sounds like you got yourself a bargain there, and if you look after it, its likely to last you for a while yet.
My old Polo isn't high mileage (108000 in 12 years), but its had a hard life (Started life as a demonstrator/courtesy car, then bought by an old lady [not as great an advantage as you think], then a young lady who did short runs and then me who also used it to learn in). Many back roomers would say this is a recipe for disaster but its still going and always returns 50 Mpg (4 speeder too). It doesn't burn a drop of oil despite having what I think is piston slap when cold, which disappears entirely when warm, to reveal a silky smooth idle.
But isn?t this now a common thing on newer engines. They all run seemingly fine and dandy, even when on the brink of expiring. A girl I know at Uni admitted that for the past 2 weeks, the oil pressure light came on every time she braked, but didn?t bother checking it. I asked if it made any unusual noises, but she said no, and continued to explain it when as good as it always was.
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>>A girl I know at Uni admitted that for the past 2 weeks, the oil pressure light came on every time she braked, but didn?t bother checking it. I asked if it made any unusual noises, but she said no, and continued to explain it when as good as it always was.
Maybe a moan or 2 when engine siezes up due to lack of oil/fails to start due to lack of oil pressure!
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Steve
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I think that newer engines are more efficient, but its being masked by the increased bodyweight of modern cars. Top gear reckoned the Mk5 golf weighs twice as much as the Mk1.
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Those of us who are fans of high mileage cars will know that with the kind of useage your car has obviously had, it is probably far from worn out. My Volvo, now on 330,000 miles, returns as good a mpg as it ever did - not in your league of course, but not bad for a gas-guzzler.
Just keep on changing the oil.
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Top gear reckoned the Mk5 golf weighs twice as much as the Mk1.
What Car? give a kerb weight for the current Golf hatchback of 1208 kg to 1415 kg depending on the variant. I can't imagine that a Mk 1 Golf would weigh as little as 604 kg to 707 kg. Unless any Backroomer knows different......
P.S. The kerb weight of a current Smart is 720kg to 805 kg.
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L\'escargot.
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One result googled gave 885kg as the weight of the Mk1 1600GTi.
Mk1 is thus about 62.5% of Mk5 (885/1415)...
Remember that the Mk1 Golf is perhaps smaller than the current Polo, and certainly not built to today's crash standards.
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Lack of power steering, aircon and other electrical using devices probably help old cars consumption. Plus lower emissions come from catalysts and EGR valves. These tend to sap power and fuel..imo.
madf
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It´s mainly down to bodyweight. The much-heralded superlight Audi A2, with hydroformed aluminium chassis etc etc weighed in the same as a Mark 2 Golf. But I know which one I would rather crash in.
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My Ford Ka has done jsut over 35k miles, the fuel consumption on any Super UL petrol is about 47-49 mpg (50 on a long trip perhaps. The engine is the Endura-E used in the old fiesta, does anybody know how long these engines will last if serviced every year? My friends K-reg fiesta has completed 100k miles recently but he does a round trip of 60 miles 5 days a week on the M40/M25!!!
Where as i use my ka only on weekends!
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Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
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The Endura E will last for ever (long after the body has rusted away anyway). The tappets just rattle louder and louder as time goes on.
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Dont worry Alistair im gonna apply waxoyl soon for this winter!
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Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
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