Cheapest means of commuting 100miles a day...

[Jakey123]

Hello all!

I'm currently commuting roughly 100miles a day in a 2.4 accord averaging 35ish mpg.
It's comfy, rock solid reliable and a relaxing drive.
commute is 95% motorway (m1 and m25)


Looking to change to something a bit more frugal and looking at the vag engined 1.9 tdi or sdi stuff.

I've stuck with the accord as I know nothing will really break on it and I like driving it. But the fuel bills could be a bit more favourable hence looking into cheap options!

Budget is about £5k tops. This avoids any major depreciation on stuff. Ideally less is better.

Any suggestions?
will I go insane sitting in a little eco box for two hours a day?

Thanks!

[Vacumatic]

I did 100 miles a day - all motorway M62 and M6, I used three cars over 4 years, a Golf 105 bhp, BM118d and a Fiat Punto 1.3D, all did about the same 60-63mpg driven gently, the Fiat cost me a fortune in depreciation and constant repairs, depsite being under 2 years old.

I would do the arithmetic on cost of selling the accord against the cost of buying the VW or the BM if I was going down this route again.

Sorry for the journey you are doing, I hated my journey to and from work in the end, wished I had done a flat share nearer work in the end.

[groundcontrol]

Yes you will go insane in a tiny box. I do 60 miles a day in a 7-series and get about 32mpg, sure I could swap it for something a bit better on fuel but the day I do it'll probably fail catastrophically and cost £££ to repair. The cheapest cars I've ever had have been the reliable ones, not the ones best on fuel.

[economicpygmy]

Toyota Yaris 1.4D

(well you did say cheapest)

[kambites]

Buy a diesel Mondeo.

There's millions of them so they're dirt cheap; they're comfortable; and they're probably as reliable as anything on that sort of trip. You should see at least 55mpg from a 2.0 TDCi on the motorway.

[MissChief]

Motorbike. Even a 600 will easily get more MPG than any diesel. Might not be the driest or warmest though.

[Mastodon2]

125cc bike, 100mpg, done.

[RemaL]

I was going to suggest a bike. my ireblade can give me 50MPG at a smooth 70-80 on the motorway. Many bikes will give you much more

But not going to be fun in the cold

[Jakey123]

Interesting responses.
I own a hornet 900. It will do 50mpg, but sitting in a straight line in the cold at 5am in the morning as I leave for work isn't so appealing!
I do use this through summer more of the time.

But a car that could be averaging 65mpg would be cheaper still....

Also 100miles a day on 125 isn't really that acceptable long term. They don't tend to last very high mileage and require fairly regular maintenance compared to cars. I did heavily look into this and having done the commute on an xr400 single for a period I wouldn't want to be stuck on anything slower!

[Tribal Chestnut]

I'd only commute on the M25 by bike, unless able to be off it before 0630 and set off home again before 1600/1630ish.

Good clothing, heated grips, etc, and decent life insurance, if you have dependants, for peace of mind.

[Jakey123]

Tribal Chestnut said:

I'd only commute on the M25 by bike, unless able to be off it before 0630 and set off home again before 1600/1630ish.

Good clothing, heated grips, etc, and decent life insurance, if you have dependants, for peace of mind.

I start at 6.30 and finish 6.30.
4on4off shifts.
Means over weekends no traffic and I only catch some on the way home on weekday evenings

All options welcome!

I did have a mk1 honda insight for a period but the battery died and it was sold.
That averages 94mpg so was good while it lasted!!

[Willy Nilly]

Keep the Accord until it dies and you can afford something significantly better, it is very unlikely you will save any money overall. You don't have enough money to spend to get a decent diesel car. People will be along shortly to say that they bought a decent diesel of £4.50 off ebay and they are talking bks. You might be lucky, but in all probability a 5 grand diesel could need quite a bit of money spending on it. You are also doing way above average miles so will need a car that works. Your Honda is a known quantity and half worn out diesel isn't.

[Kev T360]

Fit LPG to the car you already know and like.

[McWigglebum4th]

Can you charge an electric car at work

Not that you can buy a electric car for 5K

[Jakey123]

McWigglebum4th said:

Can you charge an electric car at work

Not that you can buy a electric car for 5K

Nope.

The 5k budget is flexible.
but I can't see how spending more will save money. You just get into the territory of buying a car that will be depriciating at a faster rate?

Regarding decent diesels, you could pick up an immaculate polo 1.9tdi for under 5k.
I'm not really after a modern diesel engine as the potential to throw up repair bills soon negates any saving.
Hence why I purchased a 2.4 petrol over the 2.2 diesel option.

[RizzoTheRat]

Bangernomics. I did 100k miles in a ZX TD in 3 years, and as most of them were business miles made about 9p/mile profit. 50mpg, decent reliability (until the radius arm bearings went at 198k miles), and happily ran on veg oil

These days I'd probably be looking at something like a Mondeo or Octavia diesel. Cheap to buy and longer cars are generally a smoother ride.

[kambites]

RizzoTheRat said:

These days I'd probably be looking at something like a Mondeo or Octavia diesel. Cheap to buy and longer cars are generally a smoother ride.

It's the wheelbase that affects the ride rather than overall vehicle length and in that regard, the (mk2, which is what's in budget) Octavia is no longer than the mk5 Golf.

[Tribal Chestnut]

Given the working hours, I'd keep the Accord unless it could be replaced without any additional outlay. You've then got the money that would be put towards something new to cover any unforeseen problems.

Edit: I'd probably just keep the Accord. I expect £5k will cover the excess consumption for a good while.

200 miles per week (55-35mpg) / approx 7.5 mpl x (say) 1.30 = £35 per week.

5000/35=143 weeks

Disclaimer: my maths is probably wrong.

Edited by Tribal Chestnut on Monday 29th December 13:30

[Jabosoc]

If you're looking at spending £5k, you're not really after the cheapest means of commuting.

When I recently had this requirement I spent £220 on a Volvo S40 1.9D, £80 on a cambelt kit and £50 on other servicing bits. I now commute 80 miles a day at 60mpg. I also sold a spare set of headlights that were in the boot for £50.

But for a £5k economical commuter, isn't a BMW 320d the default choice?

[Deerfoot]

groundcontrol said:

Yes you will go insane in a tiny box.

Not necessarily. I did a 50 mile each way commute in a Polo GT TDI 130 for 2 years and it was fine. Comfortable seats, air con and an easy 50 mpg all day long.

Of course it would have been more comfortable in a bigger car but it certainly wasn't a hardship in the Polo and it cost buttons to run.