50 mpg for less than a grand?

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imp75

Senior member
 Hartlepool
Any one know of a car I can buy for no more than a thousand pounds that will actually do 50 mpg as a commuter? Recommendations from personal experience preferred rather than manufacturing figures :) brand or model not got a preferred choice as its simply going to be a tool.
 
You might get a 1.2l Fiesta to do 50 on a run and still find one under a grand. Other than that you'd be looking at things like the Daewoo Matiz or Fiat Seicento but I'm not sure I'd drive either on a public road.

Check here http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/ and you'll see very few cars do 50mpg and even fewer that are a few years old.

Andi.
 
See if you can find a Peugeot 306 Diesel under a grand - it might be stretching it to find a decent one for the money. In my last job one of the field engineers ran one as his daily, decent enough to drive and great on fuel.

As andicole0 has suggested, the Ford Fiesta 1.25 'Zetec' petrol engined cars are a lot of fun - you might do better with the 1.4 'Zetec' engine though as the little extra power for virtually no impact on fuel economy is well worth it. Great handling on the b-roads (you obviously will know spirited driving = lower mpg) but perfectly good to cruise on A roads - I think you'll hit high 40's rather than 50mpg though. I have owned both in the past. In fact, if you decide on the 1.4 engine you can get a Puma which is excellent.
 
Peugeot diesel is a good call. I'd be surprised if a petrol ford would manage it, and now I see matiz and seicento writen down, maybe I do have some standards..... I like the puma idea but would not be able to keep the right foot light enough and chuck it around corners etc. I'm not a fan of two wheels so scooter is out 80 mile commute would be unbearable :( good call for mpg though.
 
I'm not sure if you can pick one up for this cheaply, but what about an early smart roadster? I had a brabus version a few years back and that made 50mpg no matter how it was driven!

Andrew.
 
andrewr said:
I'm not sure if you can pick one up for this cheaply, but what about an early smart roadster? I had a brabus version a few years back and that made 50mpg no matter how it was driven!

Andrew.
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Now we re talking! I had a bluewave roadster for a year. Ididn't even mind the gearbox to be honest :) last I checked cheapest was just under 2k though.
 
You may be able to bargain one down to closer to your budget, I can't imagine many other cars would be so fun for so little money. I never got on with the gearbox, even with the paddle shift, but that's mainly because I love a manual box. But the rest of the car was so much fun, and definitely unique.

The original smart would be another option, but you may need to spare a few pennies for a brown paper bag for your head!

Andrew.
 
These will pi55 50 mpg http://vans.autotrader.co.uk/used-vans/vauxhall/combo/2002-vauxhall-combo-1700-di-diesel-widnes-vfpa-8aa146043f3c4904013f71adb21b2caf/makemodel/make/vauxhall/model/combo
 
I bought a 306 diesel about 3 years ago for £450 ran it for a year for next to nothing and returned 54mpg

I put a complete new exhaust on it myself from manifold backwards for £90. Also replaced rear brake shoes and cylinders for grand some of £60

Mine was non turbo (less to go wrong). Did about 12k in it.

Only real issue was the rust round the sunroof. Apparently Peugeot used to galvanise the shell and then cut the hole for the sunroof. Newer cars they started doing the other way round so not an issue.
 
mr wilks said:
These will pi55 50 mpg vans.autotrader.co.uk/used-vans/vauxhall/combo/2002-vauxhall-combo-1700-di-diesel-widnes-vfpa-8aa146043f3c4904013f71adb21b2caf/makemodel/make/vauxhall/model/combo
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Same era astra prob has same engine and not so utilitarian. Dull but like I say its just to flog up and down the a19 all week.
Another vote for pug from srhutch - esp at that price! Did you service it at all or just see how long it would last with nothing but a fill up?
 
We have a 2003 renault Clio 1.2. It does 40mpg+ not sure it would do 50 other than on a motorway at 55mph. Think you can pick them up for about a grand now. Good little car. :thumbsup:
 
imp75 said:
mr wilks said:
These will pi55 50 mpg vans.autotrader.co.uk/used-vans/vauxhall/combo/2002-vauxhall-combo-1700-di-diesel-widnes-vfpa-8aa146043f3c4904013f71adb21b2caf/makemodel/make/vauxhall/model/combo
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Same era astra prob has same engine and not so utilitarian. Dull but like I say its just to flog up and down the a19 all week.
Another vote for pug from srhutch - esp at that price! Did you service it at all or just see how long it would last with nothing but a fill up?
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I changed the oil, filters and glow plugs. Only failure was the starter motor after nearly a year, but it was never very strong. Didnt replace until it finally gave up though.

I only sold it as i got a company car, otherwise it would probably still be sitting outside. Brilliant for tip runs, could park anywhere and not worry and pennies to run.

Sold for £300 on ebay with a buy it now in under 30 minutes.
 
How about a Toyota Yaris? :thumbsup:

I bought an X reg basic model with 103k on the clock for £600 20 months ago when I landed a job 60 miles from home. It now has 143k on the clock and always returns at least 50mpg (confirmed by mpg trip and amount of fuel from the pump). Have had 55+mpg on the odd day that I leave early enough not to rush. Route is a mixture of motorway, A roads and country lanes. Mostly A roads.

Had it serviced once and had to replace a wheel bearing. But has more than double paid for itself in fuel saving.

Also has an average speed clock, useful for those fesky average speed cameras.
 
You might get a 6n2 Polo (1.4 PD TDI) for under a grand if you look hard enough.

Will return 60-70mpg if you're really careful. Fantastic car and engine! I think there MAY be a Lupo version. It's also the same engine as the 1.4 TDI Audi A2 (but they're less likely to be found for under £1k).

ETA - close! http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201307037616337/sort/default/usedcars/model/polo/make/volkswagen/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/radius/1500/postcode/kt229bx/page/1/keywords/1.4%20pd?logcode=p
 
sixspeed said:
You might get a 6n2 Polo (1.4 PD TDI) for under a grand if you look hard enough.

Will return 60-70mpg if you're really careful. Fantastic car and engine! I think there MAY be a Lupo version. It's also the same engine as the 1.4 TDI Audi A2 (but they're less likely to be found for under £1k).

ETA - close! http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201307037616337/sort/default/usedcars/model/polo/make/volkswagen/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/radius/1500/postcode/kt229bx/page/1/keywords/1.4%20pd?logcode=p
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:thumbsup:

I run a 1.4TDi 6N2 as a daily. I've put 80,000 miles on it in 5 years and it's never let me down. It's in sheddy condition though, so I'd happily sell for £500 when the time comes. £30 a year road tax and an average economy of 58mpg. 8)
 
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