Cars - Advice/Opinions needed please!

[Brow]

Hey guys.

I've recently come to the conclusion that due to work more than doubling my commuting mileage (and not paying anything towards it) that I'm going to have to sell my Ford Focus ST170 and buy something in a Diesel that's still big enough for me to fit my gear in but not too big as it won't fit on my drive  :lol:

I more or less have a £10k budget (less if possible) including whatever I'd get for mine part exchange so just thought I'd ask for some opinions of what I could get for my money.

So far I've checked out (and all are 2.0 Diesel unless stated)

Ford Focus mk2 Titanium
Renault Megane RenaultSport Diesel
Audi A3 (if I can find any in my budget)
Golf TDI (if I can find any in my budget)
Seat Leon

Does anyone have experience of any of these cars? Pros/Cons of each? Any other suggestions of things I could look into?

Thanks!

Craig

[HTH AMPS]

if you're doing lots of miles, something with a smaller engine is going to offer better MPG surely ???

how about a Petrol/LPG car?

Smartcar?

when I was last on about, well complaining about, the MPG I get from my Petrol Saab 93 the local mechanic guy I take my car to reckoned his Toyota something or other (similar size car) does nearly 60MPG on the motorway and around 45MPG urban.

some links...

http://www.fuel-economy.co.uk/stats.shtml
http://www.buyacar.co.uk/cars/article_best_for_fuel_economy_top_20_2527.jhtml

[Nadz1lla]

Don't some newer Golfs come with that new "Blue Motion" mumbo-jumbo? Isn't that some kind of fuel-saving gubbins? Might be worth having a gander at.

[JDC]

http://www.whatcar.co.uk is worth a look too

bluemotion is a model designed for maximum fuel economy, ie skinny tires and aerodynamic tweaks

[fbloke]

I own a Seat Leon and buying was a seriously good move.  It's a lot of car for the money, the engine is Volkswagen and Audi and it's very solidly built. I got mine (a Mark 1) for £ 5000 with only 68000 miles on the clock.  Had it for over a year, replaced the EDR valve and that's it.  Brilliant car.

[ToneMonkey]

I'm not a massive fan of the small engine, save money rule.  Generally you're going to go as fast as you want to go(say 75mph on the motorway officer), if you have a smaller engine then your driving it harder.  I notice this when I drive the wifes Yaris as she does 70 odd and I do a little more.

Like fbloke says, any of the VAG group cars are good second hand (VW Audi Skoda) and all have decent deisel engines.  You could always take it over to my mate at Revo and have it remapped for extra econamy (or power).  I've been a number of their cars and they're nuts.  They had his Leon running at 360 bhp (it's the white one on their site)

Generally you can't go too wrong with something Japanese either.

What are you after and how many do you need to fit in because a Lotus Elise can be quite economic

[Plexi Ken]

My folks have a Golf TDI and it's been rock solid, IIRC they average over 50mpg.

[_tom_]

Not a cool option but my sisters Micra seems to last forever on one tank. In comparison my Fiesta Zetec S absolutely drinks it, only gets about 37mpg :(

[Brow]

Thanks for the opinions guys.

I currently get about 28 MPG out of my car, and that's not even driving it like an idiot!  :lol:

Micras/Fiestas.Corsas etc are too small and Mondeos etc are too big.

I've tried a Diesel Focus and a diesel Renault Megane out so far and much preferred the Focus. I've also found an Audi A3 for within budget, so I'm going to have a look at the weekend :)

[38thBeatle]

I get around 55 mpg from my Peugeot 308 HDi.

[Brow]

I get around 55 mpg from my Peugeot 308 HDi.

How are those to drive?

I learnt to drive in some of the smaller Peugeots but haven't been in 1 since.

[Ratrod]

I'd go with the Focus.

Nothing French. There are quality issues with French cars and it's near impossible to change a light bulb.

VW is reasonably reliable but the same goes for the Ford and Ford parts are cheaper. Don't be fooled by the Blue Motion marketing, they did a real world test the other day and they use more than claimed.

I'm waiting for the first Alfa MiTo Multi Airs to hit the used market below 10K Euro. I test drove one for a day. Heaps of fun to drive and I managed to get 18 kilometers per litre average without driving economical. It is a compact car but I can fit my gear in in it: head, cab, guitar and misc.

[Plexi Ken]

... 18 kilometers per litre...

That's just over 42mpg for fans of the Imperial system :P

[fbloke]

...and please remember there's no such things as a perfect car, they all have some weak points.  As my mate Andy used to say:

"If it's got t1ts or wheels, it's going to give you trouble!"

He used to work for Sky.

[Brow]

I'd go with the Focus.

Nothing French. There are quality issues with French cars and it's near impossible to change a light bulb.

VW is reasonably reliable but the same goes for the Ford and Ford parts are cheaper. Don't be fooled by the Blue Motion marketing, they did a real world test the other day and they use more than claimed.

I'm waiting for the first Alfa MiTo Multi Airs to hit the used market below 10K Euro. I test drove one for a day. Heaps of fun to drive and I managed to get 18 kilometers per litre average without driving economical. It is a compact car but I can fit my gear in in it: head, cab, guitar and misc.

Thanks for the info.

I had seen those Blue Motion things advertised but never really had any real world reason to look into them until now  :?

... 18 kilometers per litre...

That's just over 42mpg for fans of the Imperial system :P

Thanks for that. That's a good 12MPG more than I get now, but the diesels I'm looking at 'claim' 51MPG but I'll keep my eyes open.

...and please remember there's no such things as a perfect car, they all have some weak points.  As my mate Andy used to say:

"If it's got t1ts or wheels, it's going to give you trouble!"

He used to work for Sky.

Oh yeah, I know there's no such thing as perfect. I just need to find something that has a decent enough mix of performance and economy. I'm not quite ready to buy a flat cap just yet!  :lol: