Possible big commute on the cards... need 50mpg!! Thoughts?!

[AndyCowman]

So I may have a couple of months of commuting about 120miles 4 days a week. Not ideal I know but would mean I can move and not have to change jobs at the same time which would be handy.

This may not happen but if it does I would need something cheap to commute along the M4 in. My immediate thoughts were mk3 Polo 1.9TDI which should be able to do the job for very little cash however there must be some big old barges that could manage 50mpg at a sedate pace. I just went for a ride in a mates 'new' E43 525i and whilst that is to thirsty set me thinking....

E36 318TDS
E36 325TDS
AUDI 80 TDI

Both have people claiming they get between 35mpg hooning and 50mpg cruising along the motorway at 65mph.

Any one got any knowledge on the matter? I don't need speed in it, just comfort and frugalness!!

Edited by AndyCowman on Tuesday 7th September 23:07

[CDP]

AndyCowman said:

So I may have a couple of months of commuting about 120miles 4 days a week. Not ideal I know but would mean I can move and not have to change jobs at the same time which would be handy.

This may not happen but if it does I would need something cheap to commute along the M4 in. My immediate thoughts were mk3 Polo 1.9TDI which should be able to do the job for very little cash however there must be some big old barges that could manage 50mpg at a sedate pace. I just went for a ride in a mates 'new' E43 525i and whilst that is to thirsty set me thinking....

E36 318TDS
E36 325TDS

Both have people claiming they get between 35mpg hooning and 50mpg cruising along the motorway at 65mph.

Any one got any knowledge on the matter? I don't need speed in it, just comfort and frugalness!!

I would have thought most manual diesel cars should do 50mpg on a motorway cruise. Certainly in the 2.0 bracket. The Vectra DTI does it easily but my MR2 managed 37 on that sort of commute.

How about X type, C Class and Omegas?

[chimtvr]

typical I scrapped a perfectly good 1.9 tdi audi 80 last week nobody seemed in the slightest bit interested in it

[chimtvr]

one of my customers used to commute 200 miles a day he reckoned the cheapest option was a gas converted 2litre vectra, his criteria was auto (for traffic), cruise control and aircon. he used to have 2 tanks and could do 600 miles between fills.

[AndyCowman]

Go and get the audi back!!

It needs to be cheap to acquire which rules out the x type but a vectra diesel would be on the cards I expect. Will look in the classifieds.

My girlfriends mk3 golf gti can get to 38 on a motorway cruise so it must be do able.

[CDP]

Yes once a running diesel was enough to get fairly good money second hand. Now there are so many of them about they're worth no more than petrol as bangers.

[FourstarGTR]

I used Vauxhall 1.9 CDTi power to rack up over 40K in just over a year not so long back. I was commuting from Staines to Bristol every day (and was not always doing a sedate 65mph!) I averages 43mpg over the entire 40K (included town driving) which i though was pretty good, i could get above 50mpg if i drive in grandad mode on the motorway. One peice of advice i will give you is no matter what the mileage make sure you buy a comfy car - you will be spending a lot of time in it.

[AndyCowman]

Vectra sounds like an option, I won't be hooning in it. Granddad driving all the way!! Need to hit that magical 50 mpg on the commute to make it all work.

[CDP]

Or you could spend a bit more and get a Polo 1.4 TDI (Skoda Fabia or A2) and achieve between 60 and 70mpg. You need to do the arithmetic on that one.

[LordBretSinclair]

CDP said:

Or you could spend a bit more and get a Polo 1.4 TDI (Skoda Fabia or A2) and achieve between 60 and 70mpg. You need to do the arithmetic on that one.

I agree with Carl. Lady S has a Polo 1.4TDI - sounds awful on paper but the little blighter goes plenty quick enough (the car that is) and in day to day driving it does 56 mpg, mostly motorway work would get that figure way up into the 60s. Dead cheap insurance and road tax too.

[RVVUNM]

I have a Polo Tdi 1.9 100hp and it gives me 55 mpg on an 36 mile daily round trip using 2/3 motorway. Quick little thing that holds its own and goes round corners very well.

[CDP]

LordBretSinclair said:

CDP said:

Or you could spend a bit more and get a Polo 1.4 TDI (Skoda Fabia or A2) and achieve between 60 and 70mpg. You need to do the arithmetic on that one.

I agree with Carl. Lady S has a Polo 1.4TDI - sounds awful on paper but the little blighter goes plenty quick enough (the car that is) and in day to day driving it does 56 mpg, mostly motorway work would get that figure way up into the 60s. Dead cheap insurance and road tax too.

Me and a friend drove upto the north of Scotland and did 1500 miles in three days just for the mountain roads. We were going to take the MG but he didn't fit (6'7"). The Polo TDI was perfectly comfortable and fast enough for a thrash around the mountains to still be fun. It could have been a bit more agile on the twists but then that's not what it was built for and would have spoilt the decent ride which probably matters more day to day in England.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUe6ef9IIsU

The three cylinder engine even sounds quite good for a diesel.

The boot's a little small but it will take four adults.

It is quite a lot more expensive used than a Vectra or Mondeo though but £35 road tax is a saving and we averaged more than 60mpg on that trip.

[JontyR]

I had a Peugeot 406 2.2HDI

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...

Great car, used to return between 50 and 60 on a run! Pick them up dead cheap too!!

[Allanv]

I do 100 mile round trip everyday and get roughly if you belive the computer 650 to a tank.

At the end of the week I normally have 1/4 tank left but that gets eaten very quickly around town.

E46 320D

[rudecherub]

chimtvr said:

one of my customers used to commute 200 miles a day he reckoned the cheapest option was a gas converted 2litre vectra, his criteria was auto (for traffic), cruise control and aircon. he used to have 2 tanks and could do 600 miles between fills.

This was my first thought, any car that is averaging around 30mpg converted to LPG ( especially if already done for you ) is going to give you the cost equivalent of 50mpg easily.

Bonus is you'll get more car ie more go, comfort and toys this way.

[CDP]

rudecherub said:

chimtvr said:

one of my customers used to commute 200 miles a day he reckoned the cheapest option was a gas converted 2litre vectra, his criteria was auto (for traffic), cruise control and aircon. he used to have 2 tanks and could do 600 miles between fills.

This was my first thought, any car that is averaging around 30mpg converted to LPG ( especially if already done for you ) is going to give you the cost equivalent of 50mpg easily.

Bonus is you'll get more car ie more go, comfort and toys this way.

Are you sure? LPG's not that cheap these days.

[rudecherub]

CDP said:

rudecherub said:

chimtvr said:

one of my customers used to commute 200 miles a day he reckoned the cheapest option was a gas converted 2litre vectra, his criteria was auto (for traffic), cruise control and aircon. he used to have 2 tanks and could do 600 miles between fills.

This was my first thought, any car that is averaging around 30mpg converted to LPG ( especially if already done for you ) is going to give you the cost equivalent of 50mpg easily.

Bonus is you'll get more car ie more go, comfort and toys this way.

Are you sure? LPG's not that cheap these days.

quick google shows price low of 58.9, high of 67.9 p vs 115 / 129 p unleaded.

So it's still pretty much half price, take into account the fact lpg-mpg is marginally worse than petrol, and I think a petrol car that averages around 30 mpg is easily going to top the 50mpg cost on lpg.

[Salad]

I think the Vectra/Astra idea is a good shout.

How about a Laguna? Anyone know if those old Renault diesel engines were any good?

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2035378.htm

[AndyCowman]

Some good ideas, the Polo appeals but the 1.4TDI will cost me more to buy since it is a fair bit newer (?!) and since I have to stump up cash upfront I really don't have much!! Especially since I have no intention of doing anything other than sorning and hiding away the porker and landy

Up to 800 will be a goer but preferably something I can sell on without being hit in the pocket to much.

E46 320d would be epic but they command a high price anyone know much about old merc / bmw diesels and running them on veg oil!? Then I could even turn a profit on this move!!!

[AndyCowman]

Ok how about....

Rover 75 CDTi (or the older one!) which are a BMW engine. Any experience of them!? I could buy a pipe to

Or Mercedes 190D running on a mix of veg oil and diesel to really save cash!