New job... Car change... Any recommendations?

[Steve_God]

Evening org! :)

So... I got myself a new job! (Wooo!) And will be changing from a 44 mile round trip commute from one side of Manchester to the other, to being out on the road average 3/5 days a week, munching up crazy miles from one end of the country to the other. And however much I love my Yaris Sport, it's pushing 10 years old, and just isn't quite going to cut the mustard day in, day out for that kinda mileage.

In short, got two questions:
- Is a 'typical businessman's car' actually needed? (Ie, Does it need to have a long wheelbase to be comfy? Is a bigger engine really needed these days?)
- What would you recommend?

In an ideal world, I'd like something that can be economical / comfy when cruising on the motorway, (which I'm assuming means a diesel, but please correct me if this isn't as true as it used to be), and doesn't have boat like handling.
Ideally something that is slightly practical in terms of potential to fold seats down/away/etc too as I've seen some 'Exec' type cars where the rear seats don't even fold!
Also not precious about the usual high brow brands either, as I'd like to pay as little as I can get away with for a 2/3 year old model that'll do what I need it too.

TL;DR: Recommend me a motorway munching car! :)

[DJ123]

by the sounds of it you'll be doing lots of miles. So I would look at cars with long service intervals. You want your creature comforts as well as decent build quality. Personally, I would be looking towards the Skoda (Octavia), VW Passat direction in terms of bang for buck.

[Jackie_Black]

Anything from the VAG group with the 2.0 tdi motor in it will do between 40-60 mpg. My SEAT Altea for example manages mid fifties trundling round the doors and between 40 - 50 on long journeys depending on application of right foot. My mate has a passat with the same motor but its much more sluggish in the VW and you can't drop the seats and make it into a little van.

[savage86]

320d

[joshwalker094]

Astra

[Phoenix22]

Hate to say it but you'll be hard pushed to find better than a Mondeo if you are a bit stuck for cash.

Have a little more to spend then anything from Germany (Not Merc) is always a nice place to sit.

[Paul the 6th]

test drive a mondeo diesel 140bhp, look at the titanium's if you want all the toys

[Bibio]

if i were doing mega miles i would look for something with an auto box and cruse control. much more relaxed to drive and a lot less fuss in busy town/city centres. you want to get to your destination feeling refresed not like you have just done a marathon. keep away from cars with noisy cabins, if you have to turn the music up to drown the road noise out it's no good.

i hate to say it but the mondeo is a fantastic car to drive and in my opinion is only one of two cars that ford actually make that are good. the other is the big galaxy.

depending on your budget i would plumb for a Jag diesel which is a dressed up mondeo and is surprisingly good on fuel.

good luck on whatever you decide.

[pinpoint_uk]

Well I have done 58k in a 61 reg passat estate and its really good. Not missed a beat and very comfortable a and lots of space.

Agree with everything said - Mondeo is a great car for the money and the Insignia's are nice to sit in but not sure on mechanical aspect. Any German car (or affiliates of eg Skoda, Seat etc) would be good shouts and should be reliable.

How come you don't get a company car if you have to do mega miles?

Rich

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[Ch00]

Who is paying for it? Who is paying for the running costs?

If its you then cheap as chips is needed.

[andrewsmith]

Anything from VAG.

Insignia; they're meant to not that good. Friend had one as a courtesy car and it like a recording of Bonanza under the bonnet (petrol Auto), and it liked a drink

[Luckypants]

Before going for a VAG group diesel, check out their turbo problems. They have a particular issue with the turbo on their 2.0 TDi engines, so much so that the local main dealer keeps 3-6 turbos on the shelf in their parts department! These can fail at a young age and low miles, under 50K miles and around 3 years old.

[Steve_God]

How come you don't get a company car if you have to do mega miles?
It's a relatively small company, but instead of a company car they're happy to pay 45p per mile for the first 10,000 miles, and then 25p per mile thereafter.
If I'm aiming for an average of 50mpg, I'd be looking at around 12p a mile, and assuming I hit the 10k mark, that'd be approx £3,300 (over and above the fuel cost) towards car expenses, which isn't too bad.
(They will also pay for rail fare as an alternative too if it makes sense for a particular journey)

Who is paying for it? Who is paying for the running costs?
If its you then cheap as chips is needed.
Again, me - but I've been looking (and saving) to swap my car for a while now, so my budget for a car swap is healthy. It's just with the new job, it's made the change maybe a year or two sooner than I was planning on swapping, and changed the type of car I would've gone for.

Cheers for the rec's and info so far - keep them coming! :)

[phil24_7]

BMW 118D or 320D. Will eat the miles whilst being quiet and comfortable. Get an m sport if you can for better suspension, seats and spec.

[phil24_7]

by the sounds of it you'll be doing lots of miles. So I would look at cars with long service intervals. You want your creature comforts as well as decent build quality. Personally, I would be looking towards the Skoda (Octavia), VW Passat direction in terms of bang for buck.

I don't believe in long service intervals. These are just ways car manufacturers bamboozal you into buying their wares. BMW's for example have gearbox and diff oil that should last the life of the car but if you've ever changed the oil, say at 75000 miles, then you'll see how much crap is in the oil. Change the oils and see how much better the gear change etc is!

Simple oil and filter changes at half the recommended mileage will increase the life and feel of the engine.

[phil24_7]

if i were doing mega miles i would look for something with an auto box and cruse control. much more relaxed to drive and a lot less fuss in busy town/city centres. you want to get to your destination feeling refresed not like you have just done a marathon. keep away from cars with noisy cabins, if you have to turn the music up to drown the road noise out it's no good.

i hate to say it but the mondeo is a fantastic car to drive and in my opinion is only one of two cars that ford actually make that are good. the other is the big galaxy.

depending on your budget i would plumb for a Jag diesel which is a dressed up mondeo and is surprisingly good on fuel.

good luck on whatever you decide.

Gonna argue with ya Bibio, just to give the other side!

Auto boxes tire me out as I'm not doing anything so I don't engage with the vehicle/drive/journey. Cruise control has a similar effect. All of this lessens my attention to the road.

Music invigorates me and if I'm in a car on my own it is up loud anyway so cabin noise is not a primary concern for me and wasn't, even when I was covering large distances every year.

I will however concede that the Mondeo is a good motorway car.

[ClunkintheUK]

I would vote +1 to any German Car. Its not a vote against the Mondeo or anything like that cos I have not driven one.

Having done lots of days mountain biking/surfing/hiking, where I have driven 2+ hours to get there, ridden all day and driven home my Golf GT diesel was great all round very little driving related tiredness, about 48-50 mpg, no hanging around, I could get it up to about 57mpg if I drove with less right foot.

First car was a Montego estate diesel. Which was amazing at eating up the miles due to a very long gearing meaning it ticked over at 2000 rpm at 75, longer wheelbase made it very easy and predictable on the motorway.

Also done similar days using my dad's W reg petrol A4. It was a more comfortable drive on the motorway, but the higher/busier engine note is annoying in comparison to the diesel. With the same engine from the golf, I'd love to have my dad's A4 for long miles.

For reliability, My bro bought the golf at 85k miles, I sold it at 102k and my mate who has it now has it at 140k miles, hasn't skipped a beat, no out of the ordinary servicing (cambelt done at 95k, oil change regularly and brake pads). My dad had a couple of issues with his A4 in warrenty, but that was solved by 15k miles, now at 85k and been fine since then, though obviously not used that much. I think he gets it services each year, but could get it done every two years.

I would also say there is a reason why sales reps, execs and other high milers use 3 series, mondeos, A4's and other small* exec saloons. They are designed to drive long miles, and are pretty good at it. Better then the smaller GT cars like the golfs.

[yorkie_chris]

Auto box... I wouldn't like the fuel economy hit there at all! What does it matter when you just boot it up the ramp into 6th gear and leave it there anyway?

Got to be a diesel but if you're looking at slightly older ones beware of the high pressure pumps going, this seems to be 175k or so for the mondeos and the resulting glitter bomb destroys the injectors as well.


Got a new ish astra at work that does fine, not the absolute quietest but no complaints. Small side windows but all modern cars feel like they've got tank slits compared to my van.

[Luckypants]

Get an m sport if you can for better suspension, seats and spec.
Depends on your view of 'better' suspension. I think the 3-series to be a hard ride on the road - especially with run-flat tyres - and the M-sport suspension makes it worse. The improved handling is not of much benefit while mile-munching but can make the trip more tiring. Personally I'd avoid 'sports' suspension and ultra-low profile tyres to improve comfort, but I do live in an area with bumpy roads.

[phil24_7]

The real problem is run flats. Remove them and then you find the sports suspension much more supple. Can of tyre weld in the boot and your sorted!

My 118D M Sport is a little bouncy on the rear end (so is the standard) but other than that the suspensions is absolutely fine on the motorway and is amazing once you hit A and B roads! With the run flats removed the M Sport suspension is much better than standard, don't presume Sport means stiff, they are much better Bilstein units that perform better over a greater range of conditions.

[Tim in Belgium]

A Jag XJ of some sort, very comfy, mine only pulls ~2200 rpm at 70mph, I'd consider a diesel X350 version, you may be surprised wrt the amount of bang for your buck. What's your rough budget?

[fizzwheel]

I'd be looking for something that you can put rocket miles on and it wont depreciate anymore.

Play my favourite game. Set a £1000 limit on auto trader and then see what comes up close to you.

If you are doing alot of miles, you want something comfortable an with a quiet cabin, auto box helps, but I'm not convinced the hit on the fuel economy is outweighed by the more relaxed driving experience.

I'd probably be looking at ( and have been ) in no order of preference

Passat
Mondeo
Octavia
Audi A6 / A4 ( but avoid the 6 pot diesels in the older models and the economy isnt that good and also they dont have a good rep mechanic wise, from what I have read anyway ) our A6 is the ultiimate mile muncher, I've driven to Manchester and back in one day and felt as fresh as a daisy when I got home.
3 Series BMW Touring

I've also been looking at

Saab 9-3
Volvo V70 & V40's as well.

Volvo's seem like a stupid amount of car for not much money...

Avoid anything with drug dealer alloys and low profile tyres.

[Steve_God]

A Jag XJ of some sort, very comfy, mine only pulls ~2200 rpm at 70mph, I'd consider a diesel X350 version, you may be surprised wrt the amount of bang for your buck. What's your rough budget?
I'd 'like' to spend around £7-8k for something around 2-3 years old, but my actual budget is a fair amount more as I realise it might be a bit unrealistic to get what I'm after for that much.

[Steve_God]

Ok, I've got a decent list of cars to try now - cheers peeps!
The one thing I've noticed though (as a current owner) is a lack of any mention for Toyota... (or Honda for that matter)

Has anyone had any experience of either the Corolla or Avensis for longer distance driving?

[Roberrrrt]

May be a tad small, but how about the 2.2 diesel honda civic? Chain cam engines I believe & japanese build quality to rival the common german shouts.

Pal of mine had one as a company car, went well enough and felt solid to sit in.

5 stars on honest john too http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/honda/civic-2006/

[Roberrrrt]

Sorry, just seen your mention of Japanese marques...

[yorkie_chris]

Toyota avensis... spot on... boss had one, smooth, quiet, went well.

and 2 million taxi drivers can't all be wrong

[Luckypants]

I've heard that the Avensis can be uncomfortable to sit in for long periods. My ex-wife had one and suffered a bad back from long days in the drivers seat. Honda Accord would be a good shout, but they seem to keep their value very well, so possibly expensive.

[rowdy]

Before going for a VAG group diesel, check out their turbo problems. They have a particular issue with the turbo on their 2.0 TDi engines, so much so that the local main dealer keeps 3-6 turbos on the shelf in their parts department! These can fail at a young age and low miles, under 50K miles and around 3 years old.
This. Why do a lot of people believe the hype that german cars are so reliable.
They used to be. A Merc 190E or W124, bullet proof. Nowadays, german cars just aren't any more reliable than any other.

Not just the turbo problems on the VAG 2.0TDi engines, that's pretty limited to the 170bhp versions. The 140bhp versions use different turbo but the fuel injectors fail (vag cars also suffer from traction control module, abs module, climate control condenser failures as well as a few electrical faults, windows and the like).

The trouble with any modern diesel is dual mass flywheel and diesel particulate filters.

If it were my money, I would look at a Volvo V70 (or S60) D5. Trouble is earlier cars (pre 06MY) had weak intercoolers, 5 speed gearbox (stay away from auto on these) and 'only' 163bhp.
I very, very nearly bought myself a 56 plate one. 6 speed gearbox and 185bhp. Pulled like a train, and the most comfortable car I have ever driven. Trouble is the post 06 have the dreaded DPF. These clog up, put the car in to limp mode, dealer charges a couple of hundred quid to leave a brick on the accelerator for half an hour then clear fault codes, blah blah etc etc. And they also leak diesel in to the sump, causing the oil level to rise, thinning the oil, and guess what . . . yep, putting the car in to limp mode.
These can have the dpf removed, exhaust section replaced, and remapped to run without dpf for around £500.

[fizzwheel]

Isnt the issue with DPF caused by the car doing short journeys and the exhaust not getting hot enough to burn / clear out the detritus from the filter ?

[yorkie_chris]

Isnt the issue with DPF caused by the car doing short journeys and the exhaust not getting hot enough to burn / clear out the detritus from the filter ?

I have heard problems with them on vans which are obviously only ever driven absolutely flat out, so I think they can be troublesome any time :(

[phil24_7]

Isnt the issue with DPF caused by the car doing short journeys and the exhaust not getting hot enough to burn / clear out the detritus from the filter ?

This is correct. A way to avoid it is to take you vehicle for a 30 minute motorway (don't use 6th gear so the revs remain slightly higher than normal) drive every month or 2, this will get the DPF up to temp and clear it.

[rowdy]

Isnt the issue with DPF caused by the car doing short journeys and the exhaust not getting hot enough to burn / clear out the detritus from the filter ?

This is true, but it is not uncommon for it to happen to vehicles that spend enough time running up and down motorways for this supposedly not to happen.

Just stay away from a Mazda diesel, as they are renowned for this.

[maviczap]

Ok, I've got a decent list of cars to try now - cheers peeps!
The one thing I've noticed though (as a current owner) is a lack of any mention for Toyota... (or Honda for that matter)

Has anyone had any experience of either the Corolla or Avensis for longer distance driving?

We'll now you mention it, I'm going to suggest a Honda Accord, Luckypants had also suggested it.

We've got several turbo diesels at work, which get lots of abuse and generally mistreated, but they still keep going

I've driven from Felixstowe to Liverpool in one shot, no stops (267 miles) and still arrived relatively ache free

They go like the stuff off a shovel & handle well for a diesel. They are also quiet inside whilst driving which does help with fatigue.

Ours came with all the bells and whistles, cruise control etc etc.

In all the polls, the VAG group aren't anywhere near as reliable as the Jap cars.

If not how about a Mazda 6? Get a diesel one for long journeys, but if its short trips don't.

My next car will be a Toyota, Honda or a Mazda

[andrewsmith]

This is true, but it is not uncommon for it to happen to vehicles that spend enough time running up and down motorways for this supposedly not to happen.

Just stay away from a Mazda diesel, as they are renowned for this.

I know of that happening with the Mazda 6, it will happen to the similar age mondeo's too. They require the italian tune after a oil change.

One to note with the Ford and Jag diesels from a couple of years ago (2.0l lump) its well known for the Dual mass flywheel parting company and wrecking the gearbox after 100k

[maviczap]

Yes, my former bosses Mazda 6 diesel had big problems with the DPF as it was only doing short journey's

Supposedly if it does lots of motorway miles it shouldn't happen?

[Ben.tattooer]

I got a focus cmax 2.0tdi, for what it is its amazing. Decent mpg, comfy, practical family wagon and great on the motorway. They do a 1.6, 1.8 and a 2.0 turbo diesel. Well worth checking out.

[rowdy]

As I said, Mazda diesel are renowned for it, stay away.
Not sure if the Mondeo suffers as much to be honest, the thing to remember is the Jag, Ford, Volvo (2.0d) and Mazda (?) all use the same basic PSA Hdi/Ford Tdci engine but with their own components (well, bought in components).
The Mazda seems to suffer dpf issue more than most.

In the end I bought a V50 2.0d. There are many of these that don't have a dpf fitted, which is the main reason I bought the one I did and not the V70 (D5 Volvo own engine).
I would recommend giving any diesel an Italian tune up every now and then, regardless if its got a dpf or not, to clear the egr valve.

[a_monkey_hint]

On a budget, I'd be getting a mondy.

Had a 2.0 petrol a few years back, very very comfy and great cars!

[Bibio]

I got a focus cmax 2.0tdi, for what it is its amazing. Decent mpg, comfy, practical family wagon and great on the motorway. They do a 1.6, 1.8 and a 2.0 turbo diesel. Well worth checking out.
stay away from the 1.6. utter carp 30mpg. lovely car to be in and drive though. forgot to say it's a grand c-max family pack.

[Dabteacake]

I have a octavia Vrs diesel. Gets 50mpg on the wife's daily 25 mile commute is fast as F (lived in Germany so maxed on autobahn at about 145) had its first service at 19200 miles due to the variable service schedule

Brother in law has the Fabia diesel greenline and says it is brill and get around 60+ on the motorway commute to work