Possibly moving up to a larger car..

[gaz_l]

Greetings, Citizens.

I've jacked my job in and am currently working out my notice. As yet I have no job to go to, I've been lucky enough to work locally (i.e. within 5 miles) for the last 20+ years but realise that given the state of the economy I may well have to work further afield going forward and may have to face up to that ugly thing - "the commute".

Nothing in the current fleet really meets the spec. for this, the SLK is a garage queen and ruinously expensive to run, the Panda is fine for town driving but not really suited to longer runs and if I had to commute on A roads in it I wouldn't have a spine left in a matter of weeks as the suspension is so hard. The Barchetta, although surprisingly reliable for a 17 year old Italian car, isn't really a practical proposition as a commuter and I'm resigned to selling it anyway, although I will miss the little thing .

So, I'm thinking that I may want to go up to something bigger if I'm going to be spending a reasonable amount of time in the car. I'm not looking to spend a fortune, but it seems there's a lot of cars out there with plenty of life left in them. W211 E classes, (whisper it - E39 BMWs) etc. 10-12 years old, with sub 100K on - should be good for a few years yet if looked after properly. Budget is probably <£5K, although the less I spend on the car means more in the maintenance pot.

I've even seen a couple of W220 320CDI's looking like they are within budget, what are the views of the committee? Possibly a lot to go wrong with air suspension etc. but if I'm doing motorway miles they should be pretty good in terms of fuel consumption?

Opinions invited..

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[Charles Morgan]

Gaz

My W210 E320 cdi estate is averaging a shade under 40mpg, and that includes a recent trip to Germany which combined hideous traffic jams with pedal to the metal 135mph runs (where allowed by law!). The best I achieved was 52 mpg (admittedly on a flat clear motorway through Flanders at an average 56mph) but mid-high 40s are perfectly achievable with a gentle right foot, and I had the aircon on full blast. Apart from a mildly tractor like sound on start up, the straight six is a very refined engine, integrated beautifully with the gearbox to produce one very easily enjoyable car. Nothing to say on W220 S class, but don't be afraid of a high mileage well looked after 320cdi - I am extremely happy with mine.

You are of course most welcome to a run in my car to see if you get on with the engine. I recall having a rather short but fast lift in your SLK!

 

[trapperjohn]

Daughter FiL having all sorts of issues with this S320 Diesel. Lets start with the ECU!!

E Class is where my money would go.

From your intro C Class would just not cut it for the "commute"

 

[John]

E39 is a cracking car.

OK, the only one I had was a fruity one but they are good all rounders.

540 is fantastic but shocking on the juice.

For a commute, I probably would skip over all but maybe the 525/530 petrols and diesels - although the petrol will be a bit less frugal (but are very reliable), the oil burners are not Earth-shattering economy so would be worth calcuting the cost of petrol vs. diesel equivalent.

525d is the most frugal.

Early oil burners can be a bit shyte but buy a late 2003 example would be wise.

 

[st4]

W211 E classes are great, but older ones have SBC pumps and these aren't getting fully covered by the dealers and are dear. Shame as a 211 270cdi would be nice for you

 

[wemorgan]

I'd wait and see what your commute is before deciding. If it's a long commute then fuel efficiency will be more important.

E-class and 5-series are big cars and not especially efficient by modern standards. By comparison the 1.6 diesel Mondeo gives 65mpg.

 

[LTD]

Diesel Golf.

 

[gaz_l]

I'd wait and see what your commute is before deciding. If it's a long commute then fuel efficiency will be more important.

E-class and 5-series are big cars and not especially efficient by modern standards. By comparison the 1.6 diesel Mondeo gives 65mpg.

I do need to find another job first! Who knows, I may be lucky and get something up the road. I'm just thinking ahead, I've decided I don't want to do more than an hour's drive either way so 45/50 miles tops.

I suspect that you'd have to get the latest model Mondeo to get that sort of economy, but having said that an older one would probably still be reasonable. The trouble is, I hate Mondeos with a passion - we have an 03 plate estate at work as a hack and it's the most uncomfortable thing I've ever driven - any more than 30 minutes behind the wheel & I get back ache. So I'm aiming for something big and comfy - if I could drive my sofa to work that'd do the trick! Economy will be a consideration but it depends on the distance I end up having to travel.

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[trapperjohn]

Saab diesels are cheap enough now. Lovely seats too.

 

[gaz_l]

Diesel Golf.

I wouldn't mind another Golf, I had a Mk4 V5 for a couple of years and it was a good car, thirsty mind.

I had a quick search on the trader and found a nice Mk4 TDI auto with only 55K miles, looked like new! I was beginning to think that'd do nicely till I looked at the performance figures, 15.5 seconds 0-60!!! My old 1993 Panda 1000 used to do it in 16 and you took your life in your hands on slip roads in that..

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[gaz_l]

Saab diesels are cheap enough now. Lovely seats too.

They are a bit tainted by the GM connection in my mind, altogether a little too much of the Vectra about them. Having said that, I've got a mate with a 9-3 diesel with intergalactic mileage and it's given him little trouble. He has all kinds of back problems too so it would have to be comfortable.

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[wemorgan]

I suspect that you'd have to get the latest model Mondeo to get that sort of economy, but having said that an older one would probably still be reasonable. The trouble is, I hate Mondeos with a passion

It was just an example to highlight how inefficient premium cars can be compared to some more mainstream ones

I had a quick search on the trader and found a nice Mk4 TDI auto with only 55K miles, looked like new! I was beginning to think that'd do nicely till I looked at the performance figures, 15.5 seconds 0-60!!!

I think you found a SDI rather than a TDI. SDI being non-turbo charged.

If you're after performance and efficiency then a Honda Civic 2.2 diesel might suit. 140bhp, 0-60 8.5s, 55mpg. £5k will get a sensible mileage one.

 

[gaz_l]

I think you found a SDI rather than a TDI. SDI being non-turbo charged.

It was a TDI in the photos, albeit only the 90 BHP version. Knowing the traders' general vagueness when it comes to performance figures you could be right about them being for an SDI, they're well known for being a rolling roadblock. 54 BHP or something? Shocking.

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[Clivefa]

I get an average 29mpg from my S320 cdi 05 model on very short (ie 2 mile) runs mixed with 15 mile runs, which for a big comfy car I think is good. When I visit daughter in Cornwall (a 325 mile run) I get 39 mpg.
The seat is ideal for me.