Advice on choice: reliability and economy will be doing 45,000 per year(+) miles

[WayneyS]

Hi new here and grateful for some advice please: i I need to get my own car as opposed to continuing with a company car. I clock up 45k miles (+) per year, about 75% motorway / dual carriageway My budget is around £12,000- looking to borrow £10,000 over 3 years which allowance and fuel gaining should cover ok (including routine maintenance / insurance.) I will need to average as much over 50 mpg as possible for this to work for me- my high mileage makes leasing unrealistic. Mpg is a major factor for me. I will be almost always on my own in the car. Looking to keep the car for 3-4 years. Recommendations please- I like Superbs but don't need anything that big, I really like octavia's and think my best choice though not sure whether 1.6 or 2.0 tdi would cope best or as a wild card would it be realistic / sustainable to do this in a diesel fabia? Looking for something 2-3 years old with quite low miles and Octavia's are out there within budget. What would be your preferred option in my circumstances. Thanks so much in advance, Wayne

[robt100]

Do similar mileage myself with the same needs..........just 1/3 the budget! I'd say go for octy over fabia. Found fabia does give better mpg, but once you've got the comfort of the Octavia its worth the slight financial loss over the stress and fatigue of a "small" car for long periods.
Used to have a mk1 fabia estate then moved on to the octavia. Mpg dropped by about 5mpg, (same engine in both), but comfort went up 10x. As its mainly motorway driving and just you in the car, a 1.6tdi is probably better suited, probably more-so the greenline with its longer gear ratios to help with the motorway runs.

Although its probably got it as standard on newer models, id recommend trying to get cruise control, bluetooth and wheel controls on the model you buy. Much easier to do with an Octavia than a Fabia!

Admittedly sometimes I do miss the fabia for its mpg and chuckability. But then I remember ive got Cruise control, lumber support, 6cd changer and a comfy ride and it soon passes!

[WayneyS]

Thanks for the quick reply, what you say does back my own thought, good to hear from someone in a similar position. I will be maxing out my budget - the debt level does concern me a bit- the trade off is my perception on the likelihood of increased reliability by going for something newer and looking to reduce the risk of a major failure by finding a low mileage buy, I need this to make it work. I might anticipate a clutch I guess being needed after 100k or so, any other likely' s you can think of that may cost a fair wack? I know everything is a gamble. My old vw t4 is now on 175k with no gearbox /engine issues ever, DMF changed at 120K. Like the idea of 1.6tdi is it as strong a workhorse as the 2.0? Thanks Wayne

[robt100]

1.6 engine is almost square compared to the 2.0 which is undersquare (or in other words, less up/down movement in the 1.6 so less wear...in theory!) Guess standard "wear and tear" nowdays is DMF, DPF and turbo.

I assume you're getting a monthly allowance plus pence per mile? 5mpg less is around £300 a year more fuel cost for you I believe, may be something to factor into purchase price.

Also, sometimes low mileage isnt always better. My Fabia was a 100,000 mile special, used from the off to travel motorways by 1st owner. Haven't felt a car with such a tight and strong engine since! Also, would you rather say 75k of easy motorway miles or 30k of city, clogging up, clutch using, brake wearing town miles? It really is a balancing act on what to go for! (PS: Fabia did 172k on original clutch and still worked! though it was a SMF from factory so that may have helped.)

[lucasgar]

If you're doing that many miles I'd recommend going for the Octavia over the Fabia just because it gives more space so feels a more relaxed place to be for so much time.

I had a Fabia mk1 which had 150k miles when I bought it and 280k when it was time to say goodbye so no problems with the miles. After the Fabia had an A3 which was great, but a bit disappointed I only got to 207k miles. Now got an Octavia I picked up recently and feels like a step up from the Audi.

Again, purely for comfort I'd suggest you look at a Laurin & Klement spec model as they are fully loaded. I recently picked up a 2010 2.0 140 model with 71k miles for £8600 so reasonably priced, and a lot of car for the money, but there are not many out there as they are quite pricey brand new. Currently I'm averaging about 53mpg with mixed city and motorway driving (about 50:50).

The only bad experience I've had is the alternator wheel going at about 200k miles on both the Fabia and A3. Needed a new alternator. Other than that, fairly reliable motoring with regular servicing.

[WayneyS]

Lucascar: many thanks, useful info.

[WayneyS]

Hi All,

Long time on, but spent a long time searching. finally narrowing it down to 3 cars priced similarly:

1. 63 plate Superb cr s greenline (with 14K miles)

2. 14 plate Octy 1.6tdi cr s (11K miles)

3. 13 plate Octy 1.6tdi Elegance (done 35K miles)

....................and the winner was the 13 plate elegance, deposit placed on it yesterday.