It was good to hear from Craig, who needed a great big barge to get to work and back. His is a pretty serious commute of 90 miles, and although he doesn’t have to be there every day, his annual mileage is a substantial 30,000. The best bit is that he actually wanted my sort of ‘bargey’ motor.
“I’d like a barge that takes the pain out of the commute,” he said. “I currently have a manual Ford Mondeo estate, which is fine but a little noisy – and you notice all the little things with spending so much time in the car. I need a family barge that makes the miles fly by. Plus I need something which can go from service to service without visiting the garage. I would like the car to last at least five years and ideally I want 30-35mpg at motorway speeds.”
What an absolutely wonderful brief, with a solid budget of £20,000- plus. It also leads us shamelessly down the evil path of diesel. But this is what these big old oil-burners were built for, and the Volkswagen Group has most of the contenders here.
I like the Volkswagen Passats, and they do colossal mileages, too. Our £20k budget puts plenty of 2018 2.0 TDI GTs within touching distance. They will still have a new warranty and around 12,000 miles on the clock, so lots of scope to add more. Big dealer groups have them and it will officially do 49mpg overall. Dial out post-Dieselgate prejudice and I still think Craig will get a solid 40mpg.
Obviously there’s the Audi A6, which you can get with a similar 2.0 TDI, but why not consider a V6 TDI? Stretch to £24,000 and you can get a 2014 3.0 TDI Black, which won’t necessarily be black. It will have around 25,000 miles, which again leaves lots of room to add more. Official economy is 39mpg, so it may be more of a challenge to hit 35mpg, but it will be fun trying.
BMW remains the ultimate driving machine and with £20k you’ll get a 2016 530d M Sport Touring with 30,000 miles. Official economy is 43mpg, so I’d like to think that fits the bill. I worry it may not be quiet enough, though, so I’m also thinking Jaguar. I do worry about the reliability, but being a Jag, an Jaguar XF D V6 3.0 from 2018 with 15,000 miles is around £28,000. There’s that reassuring warranty, too, of course.
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The Passat
... is not a big car.
Get a Telsa model 3. If you
Get a Telsa model 3. If you calculate the money you spend on dinosaur juice and all the servicing the Tesla will be almost free,
If your budget does not go that far E-niro or wait for VW ID.
The advice on this article is a bit like telling you to buy a Blackberry when the I phone has just come out.....
stephen sharp wrote:
ALMOST free?...define almost with facts, as even the Tesla has servicing requirements, maintenance issues...and...wait for it...DEPRECIATION...heard of it?.
depreciation
First of all the a dinosaur car has depreciation too. with more and more cities banning smokey cars I`m not too sure that they will have great resale value in a few years.
i bought a secondhand Nissan Leaf a couple of years ago for 12000 euros,wich had 12000kms on the clock and sold it a couple of weeks ago for 10600, During the two years i saved 100 Euros a month on fuel with negligable servicing costs, I changed the cabin filter for about 20 euros myself, by far the cheapest car I have ever run. I often charge for free.
The money I saved in fuel was more than the depreciation cost, and that was for just local commuting. Calculate the cost of 30000 miles a year in servicing and fuel....
Try standing behind it when it starts before you buy
If your conscience can live with the toxic stench coming out of the exhaust, then you’ve passed the first stage of the test. (That’s what those kids will be breathing when you drive past them.)
The second stage is to stand next to the bonnet when it is idling. If you can stand the clattering death-rattle coming from the engine, then you've passed the second test. ( Yes they all have it, even the “executive” versions.)
The third test is refuelling. If you don’t mind the stink of the fuel, the greasy feel of the filler nozzle, or the slippery slick on the ground where you have to stand, you’ve passed the third test. Oh and don’t forget the smell inside the car when you get back in - that’s from the fuel that’s stuck to your hands and shoes.
If you pass all three tests, you can proceed to purchase.
Diesel
Regarding your biased view of diesel fuelled cars
1. Euro 6 engine which is cleaner than the majority of so called clean petrol cars on the road. There is no odour when I stand behind it.
2. A 3 litre diesel engine doesn't clatter, though saying that neither did the previous 2 litre diesel BMW or the 2 litre SEAT diesel before that.
3. Refuelling wise - just use the handle. No the odour isn't transferred to the cabin.
The economy of a diesel combined with the performance of a 3 litre engine - puts a smile on my face.
Grumpy Old Fart wrote:
To be fair point 3 is quite accurate, well it was when I had a diesel, the pump was always covered in fuel and there always seemed to be a slick on the floor, I don't know why it should be that way but it was at the majority of fuel stations I went to.
Some really do clatter, my mates 730d certainly doesn't.