Hi Guys & Girls,

Daily 80 mile round trip is proving a little expensive on the back pocket, so I'm going to be saving up for a new frugal (2nd hand) commuter car.

I have the following criteria:

Excellent MPG (either real or psudo due to being LPG for example)

I'd prefer auto - but I understand this knackers MPG due to limited ratios

A reasonable size car - astra/focus ish size is about as small as I'd want to go really

must be comfy to drive - armrest, good head rest etc.

I'd like cruise control

aircon if possible.

safe in a crash

got up to a 2.5k to spend - but I'd prefer to spend WAY less so I can buy it quicker and stop forking out on fuel!


Sooooo, advise please oh wise oracle.

I'm going to be saving and keeping an eye out for a bargain over the next few months.

Any general commuter car advise is also welcome - not just recommending specific cars, for example I remember having a 307 hdi hire car which did silly mpg - like 60+mpg!

So is a small deisel the way to go, or is a bigger petrol best - with LPG fitted?

Thanks in advance!

The only safe cars in that price range seem to all be french so i would suggest a top spec laguna or xsara

eta - i think deisel is best as the price of lpg is going up and probably wont be long before its same as petrol and the cost of running it will be the same.

[Edited on 22-6-09 by speedyxjs]

Volvo V40 diesel?? I'd look for an estate and it'll be good for throwing car parts in the back too. They seem to go on forever with little going wrong.

How much in fuel do you need to save in order to pay for the car?

Or are you able to sell your current car for enough to justify the change? (I assume given the 2.6K range you are able to do that).

But as said diesel seems to be the way.

Mind I use to have hire car french diesels that seemed only marginally better than petrol (and in one cases worse)

Rover 75 CDT (BMW engine) Should get an 03 plate for about 2k get a 130bhp one or fit a rover ron box to the 116bhp

Andy

Modern autos are not much different from manual boxes these days - as long as you drive them sensibly. Almost all of them have 4 gears + overdrive, and they lock up to stop slippage when in top gear.

If you've got your foot to the floor all the time then all bets are off, but at other times you'll have the advantage of being in the right gear most of the time. A GOOD driver in a manual will always get better mpg than the same driver in an auto, but for an ordinary person there's not much in it.

quote:

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Originally posted by David Jenkins A GOOD driver in a manual will always get better mpg than the same driver in an auto, but for an ordinary person there's not much in it.

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to late, provisionally sold this for £2k.


Description

2003 tdi Ghia, 50+mpg, best car we have ever owned to date.

All the trick bits except cruise.

Highly recommend you give the focus a look.

Second Jon's ^ recommendation.
Modern Fiesta or Focus partic. Tdci if you can find one.
Cracking chassis and loads of grunt.
Cheers, Pewe

Although I always buy Renaults, I would stay away from a

Laguna II 1.9 diesel. Loads of problems with the turbo which ends up in damaging the engine.

Have a quick look on the following link

Linky


I have a Laguna 1 1.8 16v. I love it. Realy comfortable. A little bit on the slow side for my taste, can be quickish but you can see the petrol level going down on acceleration.

I am doing about 110 miles a day. It cost me about 12-13 quid a day on fuel.
60 miles motorway and the rest city and A roads.

But with sensible driving

If i got the chance, i would get the Sport edition which has loads of gadgets. The diesel version of that Laguna was a lot better than the newer one.



[Edited on 22/6/09 by l0rd]

i got a corsa sxi 17tdi 100bhp one in 2003 i did 88,000 in it and sold it in may nothing ever went wrong with it very cheep to run loads of power and 60mpg ,it was not that small and was great to drive.it was super cheep to run and i would buy one again ,always had big cars and i loved the corsa my mate had it for 2 weeks when i was on my holiday 2 years ago and he went out and got one he was saving £45 a week useing my corsa on fuel.

I had a saxo 1.5 D (2000 Plate)

uncomfy on long drives
Brakes - well - Fred Flinstones's car had better
MPG 50+
Crasjh results = POOR

But for a comunter was OK

Third the recommendation for the TDCi Focus. We had an estate for ages and it was a brilliant car. Only problem we had was the water pump died at about 60k miles, other than that was comfy, quick and 50mpg.

David

quote:

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Originally posted by Steve G

quote:

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Originally posted by David Jenkins A GOOD driver in a manual will always get better mpg than the same driver in an auto, but for an ordinary person there's not much in it.

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Hands up if you are an ordinary driver then. I'm damned brilliant I am - so i'll definately be far better off with a manual!!

Arent we all good drivers on here then??

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