Best car for a 700 mile commute?

[FrazzleTC]

I'd suggest a V70 2.4 on LPG, as the engine is bombproof, and averages about 30 mpg on that sort of run, which on LPG makes for very cheap motoring. The D5s aren't going to give more than 45, and the petrol is pretty refined.

75 V6 on LPG would be well worth considering too, because on long runs, LPG makes a huge amount of sense, and is far cheaper to run than a diesel.

[MSS]

Originally Posted by markyp

Automatic with cruise control for the average speed cameras, comfortable and totally reliable.

I would have said that is unlikely to be achievable for £1500 regardless of the choice of car. Most cars being sold for £1500 will be of an age that something will go wrong and/or need attention.

I would suggest to spend £1k on a 75 CDT, circa £100 on breakdown cover with recovery and £400 to spend on addressing all the nigly bits that may otherwise lead to lack of reliability.

Then hope that none of the major items such as the clutch, injectors etc. misbehave during your 6-month intensive use period.

[BigAde]

Originally Posted by mss

I would have said that is unlikely to be achievable for £1500 regardless of the choice of car. Most cars being sold for £1500 will be of an age that something will go wrong and/or need attention.

I would suggest to spend £1k on a 75 CDT, circa £100 on breakdown cover with recovery and £400 to spend on addressing all the nigly bits that may otherwise lead to lack of reliability.

Then hope that none of the major items such as the clutch, injectors etc. misbehave during your 6-month intensive use period.

Quite agree, the budget is very low for the requirements so what mss said makes perfect sense.

[Leyland Worldmaster]

Add to that excellent back up from this forum and you're on to a winner!

[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by mss

I would have said that is unlikely to be achievable for £1500 regardless of the choice of car. Most cars being sold for £1500 will be of an age that something will go wrong and/or need attention.

I would suggest to spend £1k on a 75 CDT, circa £100 on breakdown cover with recovery and £400 to spend on addressing all the nigly bits that may otherwise lead to lack of reliability.

Then hope that none of the major items such as the clutch, injectors etc. misbehave during your 6-month intensive use period.

Lookup Autonational breakdown cover via Compare the market - 12 months very comprehensive Supercover for under £50.

I would suggest a very carefully vetted 75 CDTi, with all the usual suspects sorted would be fine for that.

[grivas]

Originally Posted by markyp

My family and I will soon be moving from Lincolnshire to Devon....., but for 6 months I will have to commute between the two.
As my wife will be using our new car in Devon, I will need a reliable diesel estate .
Automatic with cruise control for the average speed cameras, comfortable and totally reliable.
And to make the hunt harder I only have £1500 to spend.

I would really like a 75 but would this be the best car for the job?

What would you buy to do the job....LPG or Diesel....

The other estates I am considering are: Toyota corolla D4D
Honda accord CDTI
Skoda Octavia TDI
Mechanical condition will be the priority as the Devon hedges take no prisoners....

Best buy will be a Ford Mondeo estate TDI 148bhp mind it has been well maintained though, however I will go with a 75 diesel Club SE and above Auto with a known history, give it a thorough service, check pumps are done, and there you have it, £1500 gets you a superb example, if you can find one.
Best of luck

[capese21]

Please do not i repeat do not buy a mazda 6 diesel.

Well we did and 95k trouble free miles I can report no problems and still running well. it has proven to be one of the most trouble free cars we have owned.

What are you saying

Ed

[Leyland Worldmaster]

Re: the Mondeo; after a chat with a family friend, I wouldn't; he was fixing his in a car park and said it had been nothing but trouble; injectors; electrical faults etc. He was trying to find the cause of headlamps working on full beam only at the time...

[thomas 75 connie]

Originally Posted by capese21

Well we did and 95k trouble free miles I can report no problems and still running well. it has proven to be one of the most trouble free cars we have owned.

What are you saying

Ed

Im saying my dads mazda chucked its engine at 108,000 miles on an 05 plate car fully serviced.
Im only going on what has actually happened.
If yours is ok then thats good for you but im just saying what happened.
Hope this helps

[tonybel]

For 1500 its bangernoics whatever you buy. I woud also say Mazda 6, but petrol as there are no issues and its a great long distance car. That is a huge milage to expect from a 10 year old 75, so you would need a lot of luck to find the right car, if you were not to spend your days going through the technical section while waiting for recovery.