Car for commuting

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Mon 9 Jan 2012 21:19
Car for commuting - Jamie2106

Hi all, first time posting on here but I've got a bit of a dilemma. I've got a 52 reg VW Bora 130 TDI Sport, which is smart, fast and comfortable for me but costing a bit to keep on the road.

My daily commute is 25 miles each way, which usually goes like this - 12 miles fast-ish country roads, 4 miles motorway which is usually conjested, then the rest on a 60mph dual carriageway but the last mile or two is stop-start. The mpg is best on the country roads and the computer rarely dips below 50 and often shows a lot more but as soon as I hit traffic then it drops into the 40's and in stop-start it's terrible.

I'm getting just over 50mpg overall (real world not the computer) but with long journeys at the weekend too I'm doing 350+ miles a weeks so any savings would be useful. The car recently passed it's MOT but there were several advisories so there's some big bills on the way, it's at the age when things start to go wrong plus with the recommended cambelt changes every 40k the overall upkeep is getting a bit much.

I've been tempted by the idea of downsizing, on the basis that I would save money on the upcoming repairs, and for not much outlay I can get a newer small car, which in theory would be more reliable and save significantly on tax and insurance, and perhaps a little on the actual fuel costs.

For a maximum of £4k the favourite at the moment is a Panda or Yaris, both diesel versions. Does anyone have any thoughts on either of these and how they would compare both to each other and to the Bora? One final point is I have to tow a light dinghy sometimes which is why I want to stay with diesel rather than petrol. Thanks in advance!

Edited by Avant on 09/01/2012 at 23:54

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Mon 9 Jan 2012 21:25
Car for commuting - unthrottled

£4k will keep your current car on the road for a long time. Those PD engines are very efficient-no comparable car driven in a comparable style will give better real world economy-in spite of what the official figures might say. If you're looking to save money, put autotrader back on the shelf.

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Mon 9 Jan 2012 23:57
Car for commuting - Avant

I agree. The VAG 1.9 TDI is one of the most durable diesel engines there is. Any used car is a gamble, particularly on a low budget: and sadly miodern diesels can be liable to expensive failure. Best to keep the Bora for now.

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Tue 10 Jan 2012 00:04
Car for commuting - jamie745

It always confuses me when people intend to shell out several thousands (four in this case) in the pursuit of 'saving money.' The maths will say even on the 20k odd the OP racks up the ROI will not be quick and as Avant says any used car is a gamble. I dont know what your advisories were but ive had cars get advisories one year and the following year they pass with none despite me doing nothing to it in the meantime (my corroded brake pipes obviously mended themselves!!). However if you know repairs are on the way then its cheaper to do it now than go through the hassle that a breakdown brings as it could be causing issues to other parts in the meantime.

The only way to realistically save money from your current point is with a spot of old fashioned shedding. Get the best, most economical car you can for about a grand with an MOT and something approaching a service history and run it until it blows up.

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Tue 10 Jan 2012 08:16
Car for commuting - Bobbin Threadbare

OP, your mpg isn't that bad actually. I'd run that Bora till it fell to bits, or until you are truly bored with it. On average mileage for its age, your Bora should net you about £2.5k I reckon. So do you mean that you've got another £1.5k to put with that, or do you mean you've got £4k (saved up) + £2.5k (car)?

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Tue 10 Jan 2012 14:11
Car for commuting - Jamie2106

Hi thanks to everyone for replying, it's £1.5k plus current car as a trade in so £4k overall, the way I was thinking was to spend what I would have to spend on repairs plus whatever, to upgrade to a newer but smaller more economical car, although the concensus seems to be keep running the Bora.

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Tue 10 Jan 2012 09:40
Car for commuting - ChannelZ

Drive the Borat till it drops. Spending a fortune on replacing a commuter car to save money is madness.

That's why I'm running a £800 Mondeo, when it craps itself and needs more than about £500 repairs, then I'll replace it, until then it's saving me money despite only doing 32mpg over a 50 mile round trip.

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Tue 10 Jan 2012 10:35
Car for commuting - dieselnut

Totally agree with all the above comments. This engine is just about at the pinnacle of efficiency & everything is down hill from here due to the emissions regs. Running gear is shared with the Golf, so most wear items are very reasonably priced from ECP & other suppliers.

You do mention 40k cambelt changes. AFAIK these engines originally had a 60k interval which was later changed to 80k on the same engine, so some saving can be made there.

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Fri 13 Jan 2012 15:49
Car for commuting - BenG

I have to respond to some of the comments about the efficiency of the VW 1.9TDI engine. A few months back I bought a Seat Leon FR TDI with the 150hp version of the engine. On a 300-mile round trip on 75% motorways traveling at around 75mph and 25% A-roads at 50-60mph I got an average of 49mpg (the computer indicated 54).

My previous Focus 1.8TDCi used to give 52mpg at an indicated 75mph on the motorway (laden with camping gear and 2 people) and gave 51mpg last year on a trip through France, mostly cross-country (so lots of slowing and accelerating), laden with two people, camping gear and 2 bikes on a towbar rack.

Can't say I'm particularly impressed with the efficiency of the VW diesel so far, and yes it's been checked out using VCDS - no fault codes and the EGR, MAF and turbo vanes are all working fine....

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Fri 13 Jan 2012 16:53
Car for commuting - thunderbird

I have to respond to some of the comments about the efficiency of the VW 1.9TDI engine. A few months back I bought a Seat Leon FR TDI with the 150hp version of the engine. On a 300-mile round trip on 75% motorways traveling at around 75mph and 25% A-roads at 50-60mph I got an average of 49mpg (the computer indicated 54).

My previous Focus 1.8TDCi used to give 52mpg at an indicated 75mph on the motorway (laden with camping gear and 2 people) and gave 51mpg last year on a trip through France, mostly cross-country (so lots of slowing and accelerating), laden with two people, camping gear and 2 bikes on a towbar rack.

Can't say I'm particularly impressed with the efficiency of the VW diesel so far, and yes it's been checked out using VCDS - no fault codes and the EGR, MAF and turbo vanes are all working fine....

Cannot understand your issues. A Focus 1.8 TDCi, think they were 115 bhp gave 51 mpg an a long trip through France presumably in the summer. A Seat Leon with 150 bhp gives you 49 mpg on a 300 mile trip in the UK during the winter (OK so its mild but you would still be using winter diesel which is less efficient). Cannot understand why you have a problem.

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Fri 13 Jan 2012 17:44
Car for commuting - barney100

4k goes a long way to keeping a car on the road, carefully choosing a good indie to keep the Bora going may be a good idea. Soon as you get a new car the procss starts again, I'm being b***** minded and hanging on to my 11 year old 'til it's absolutely necessary to change.

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