Need something economical :(

[SynapticFire]

As you may have seen, my Zed is for sale after only half a year of ownership. It was too good a chance to turn down, but I simply can't drive it the way it deserves to be driven without making myself bankrupt!
Used to be a contractor in IT for the MOD, and I'm still adjusting to the significant difference in pay with a civvie-street permie job. That's my excuse for making a budgeting cock-up anyway

So I need to look at something else. My girlfriend (well, recently ex-girlfriend) had a Fiesta 1.4TDCi.
I've nothing against diesels (had a 320cd for nearly 5 years) but it's the 1.4 that put me off! Having driven it though, it's pretty damn good for what it is and the economy it returns is just insane in comparison with the Zed.
I've also nothing against Fords (rich tradition of Fords in the family) it's just ... after being a BMW owner for over 5 years now, I'm finding it very difficult to stop looking at them! There's just something about them that other 'lesser' cars can't match.

I also like something a little different. I've been looking at the Volvo C30 with a 2.0 diesel lump - I love the marmite looks of the rear end, the engine is pretty good (I've driven one recently) and it's a Volvo so it's built like a tank! A friend has the D5 S40 and can't speak highly enough of it (though he did want to chuck it for a Zed after he had a ride in mine!)

I've thought about Focuses (far too boring), Mondeos (far too large) and won't touch a Vauxhall with a bargepole.
The Alfa 159 has tickled my fancy, but I'm concerned that what I'll save in fuel efficiency I'll spend in servicing!


Throw some ideas at me! I'm looking second-hand, below £10k. I had a fantasy of selling the Zed, paying off some debt and getting a second hand car for about £6k but at that price point I'm looking at an older car which;
a) Isn't as economical as the newer engined cars
b) Is a lot higher mileage

 

[greddyl30pjg]

If i were in your position with economy being key i'd consider an A3. 140 & 170bhp diesel variants so can a still have a bit of ummph....was going to mention the Leon FR but, despite being part of the VAG group with the same engine/s (& chassis??) as the Audi, id defo spend a little extra and get the A3 based on interior quality alone! Despite not being a fan of 5 doors, the sportback looks better with more slick rear lights so theres abit of added practicallity too..

 

[oli445]

Get another 320cd - great compromise car!

 

[Finisterre]

perhaps you could run a 2.0?

The 2.0 isn't that expensive to run.
We get 37 average and on the motorway
40 mpg at 90
45 mpg at 80
50 mpg at 70
54 mpg at 62
62 being a comfy speed with the roof down, it does tend to get some miles in.

I suppose it depends on your usage but if you are doing long boring journeys I don't think the difference is that huge compared to a a 320d when you factor in the 5% diesel premium though I expect a smaller engined fiesta will pay for itself in a few years.

try this calculator
http://www.which.co.uk/cars/driving/driver-tools/petrol-vs-diesel/petrol-and-diesel-fuel-costs/

I guess you need to put some numbers in and see what can be realistically saved. Itried comparing your car against a new fiesta at £13k doing 20.000 miles at 70 mpg and it reckoned you would be quids in after 18months.

(sorry for the geekery but I like numbers)

 

[Z222M]

I've just replaced the daily shed with a 2007 Golf GT Sport. Cost me 6k exactly. 5 door, 140bhp and giving me 60mpg on my 35 mile each way commute. My initial impression is it's looking like a keeper. Drives like new, has a bit of poke and feels good on the road.

£140 tax as well....have to pay £490 to tax the ///M tomorrow :thumbsdown:

You do just feel like one of the crowd though. Was driving home the other day and had 2 Golfs in front of me, 1 behind me and 2 that I was overtaking

 

[bluestreak56]

Research the ford TDCI engine very very carefully. A friend of mine bought a 2002 1.8TDCI Focus 2 years ago with 97k on the clock. 500 miles later all 4 injectors failed. They cost £200 a piece to recondition. 6 months later they all died again, we learnt the hard way and replaced them this time. 6 months later the clutch and flywheel had to be replaced. Having said that, since then (touch wood) its been fine, but its certainly put my off Ford Diesels in a big way.. :thumbsdown:

 

[itguy]

Surely the 120d has to be in the mix here?

Fun but frugal.

If you really want economy, go for a slightly earlier VAG group car with the 130hp 1.9tdi in it.

My god that is economical as they were pre DPF and euro 5 etc.

 

[ItHurts]

This:

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/stunning-bmw-1-series-coupe-120-diesel/1018422339

Loads around at this price.

I ran one of these alongside my Roadster for 3 years. Loved it. Felt more like an E30 3 series, than the current barge of a 3 series (which I own).

Fuel economy was great, not a VAG , handled and drove well when driven "progressively", oh, and did I mention not a VAG?

 

[mr wilks]

I've just replaced the daily shed with a 2007 Golf GT Sport. Cost me 6k exactly. 5 door, 140bhp and giving me 60mpg on my 35 mile each way commute. My initial impression is it's looking like a keeper. Drives like new, has a bit of poke and feels good on the road.

£140 tax as well....have to pay £490 to tax the ///M tomorrow :thumbsdown:

You do just feel like one of the crowd though. Was driving home the other day and had 2 Golfs in front of me, 1 behind me and 2 that I was overtaking

60mpg on a VAG 140 tdi ? our 2006 GT 140 wouldnt break through 50 ! top work

 

[itguy]

I've just replaced the daily shed with a 2007 Golf GT Sport. Cost me 6k exactly. 5 door, 140bhp and giving me 60mpg on my 35 mile each way commute. My initial impression is it's looking like a keeper. Drives like new, has a bit of poke and feels good on the road.

£140 tax as well....have to pay £490 to tax the ///M tomorrow :thumbsdown:

You do just feel like one of the crowd though. Was driving home the other day and had 2 Golfs in front of me, 1 behind me and 2 that I was overtaking

60mpg on a VAG 140 tdi ? our 2006 GT 140 wouldnt break through 50 ! top work

Ditto - I had a 140hp A4 Avant and it was awful, usually got around 38-40mpg.

 

[Mowflow]

Be VERY WARY of the older VAG BKD 140bhp diesel. They like turbos and injectors.

If I was going diesel my money would be heading in this direction
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201301315139057/sort/default/usedcars/engine-size-cars/3l_to_3-9l/price-from/6000/maximum-mileage/up_to_80000_miles/price-to/10000/fuel-type/diesel/model/3_series/make/bmw/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/radius/1500/page/1/postcode/g37pj?logcode=p

 

[aquazi]

Imo i wouldnt touch a vag turbo diesel.... I learnt the hard way! Unreliable... Which i could have got a bad one... But then dealer support was atrocious.

My company 120d easily give 55mpg and most of the time i drive it like i stole it! (But in a huge ploom of soot!)


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

 

[BMWZ4MC]

An E46 330d M sport would be economical and fun, otherwise a 320cd M sport if you're feeling frugal. Both are well within your budget. I have a 320d and I easily get 50-60 mpg on the motorway dependent on my right foot and 45mpg on a combined journey that includes London traffic.

 

[miln0039]

A bike?

Or try driving the 3.0si slower / more economically. Might be a bit boring on the daily commute doing 65 but you should get best part of 40mpg and then you still have something to go mad in at the weekend.

Also, only six months ownership....think about how much it will cost you to change (depreciation...will still have hit) and compare that to the fuel economy savings....bet the difference isn't that much.

Failing that approach - Prius of Shame.

 

[-Tom-]

Agree with above in a way. Drove my si on a roads on the commute the other day, sticking behind cars in front for once and mpg was mid 30s at its lowest. Amazing when you want it to be.

Temptation if you get a diesel is to drive more aggressively with the go fast pedal, knowing it won't cost the earth to do so but .... Brings mpg closer to what you could achieve if you drove like an eco warrior. "Swings and roundabouts" - hate that term, sorry.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[Craigza]

I too am looking to sell my ZED in the coming days/weeks as I need more seats for reasons I cannot control

I'm probably going to get a 130i LE but then seen the return on a 123d, anyone got any experience of the 123d reliability?

 

[jimmybell]

Gotta say 320d 'efficient dynamics' is a great practical and economical car, lots of torque so still a little kick in the back when you floor it!

Driven a few using streetcar.

 

[Mowflow]

A bike?

Or try driving the 3.0si slower / more economically. Might be a bit boring on the daily commute doing 65 but you should get best part of 40mpg and then you still have something to go mad in at the weekend.

Also, only six months ownership....think about how much it will cost you to change (depreciation...will still have hit) and compare that to the fuel economy savings....bet the difference isn't that much.

Failing that approach - Prius of Shame.

I have a 30 mile commute and did have the older, non Si 3.0 Z. I didn't use the car for commuting every day but when I did I never got anywhere near 40mpg. The display would read 32mpg but the actual economy was more like 29mpg. Why? Well because if you commute during the normal working hours it's impossible to maintain the constant speed required for high mpg over any distance. Traffic is just too bad.

I also only had my Z4 for 6 months and i lost roughly £100 in depreciation (no I have not missed any zeros)

I too am looking to sell my ZED in the coming days/weeks as I need more seats for reasons I cannot control

I'm probably going to get a 130i LE but then seen the return on a 123d, anyone got any experience of the 123d reliability?

I have the 125d which is the new version. Same N47 engine but with more power due to 2 borg warners. The only thing that really goes with those engines is the timing chain. I know it sounds like i just played that down as i have essentially just said "the only problem is the engine will destroy itself". Some will tell you that all the N47 engines are doomed but reports of lunched engines aren't THAT common if you think about the number of cars driving around with the N47 engine (118d, 120d, 123d, 318d, 320d....). However, I wouldn't own one without a full warranty.

I can't fault the car. The 123d can easily be mapped to 220ish BHP. I've temporarily been given a loan of a tuning box for my 125 and using the torque app it appears to be chucking out 250bhp and 530Nm. The app probably isn't the most accurate but the pre box readings were only 2% off the manufacturers stated figures.

 

[RichardG]

Research the ford TDCI engine very very carefully. A friend of mine bought a 2002 1.8TDCI Focus 2 years ago with 97k on the clock. 500 miles later all 4 injectors failed. They cost £200 a piece to recondition. 6 months later they all died again, we learnt the hard way and replaced them this time. 6 months later the clutch and flywheel had to be replaced. Having said that, since then (touch wood) its been fine, but its certainly put my off Ford Diesels in a big way.. :thumbsdown:

I know where you coming from. We have recently bought an 08 1.6 Focus TDCi, I then started reading all the horrors stories of wrecked turbos and Injectors and started to think we had made a mistake. Bit more digging and it appears it all boils down at least as far as the turbo is concerned to poor maintenance, an oil line to the turbo clogs up and can be prevented by changing the oil more frequently then Peugeot recommend (not a typo it's a Peugeot engine) and injectors seem to be a problem across most of the makes.

A friend had a similar age VW Golf which IMO had a dark and dingy cabin and was incredibly noisy in comparison.

It is a second car, but touch wood so far SWMBO loves it, in all honesty it's not quite as economical as I thought it would be but on the plus side it's only £30 per year road tax .

 

[FunkyMunky]

I've just replaced the daily shed with a 2007 Golf GT Sport. Cost me 6k exactly. 5 door, 140bhp and giving me 60mpg on my 35 mile each way commute. My initial impression is it's looking like a keeper. Drives like new, has a bit of poke and feels good on the road.

£140 tax as well....have to pay £490 to tax the ///M tomorrow :thumbsdown:

You do just feel like one of the crowd though. Was driving home the other day and had 2 Golfs in front of me, 1 behind me and 2 that I was overtaking

60mpg on a VAG 140 tdi ? our 2006 GT 140 wouldnt break through 50 ! top work

Ditto - I had a 140hp A4 Avant and it was awful, usually got around 38-40mpg.

Mk6 TDi 140 we have is doing 53-55 week in week out, 65 on a run. The MK6 is a lot more efficient than the 5.

Our old A3 170 TDi wouldn't do more than 43mpg though.

Our 10 plate GT TDi with circa 65k on it is worth the £9-10k mark. Good spec as standard, cannot really knock it tbh. That'd be my choice tbh!