# £5k - 25k Miles a year - What would you choose?



## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

I'm stuck with this, and I'm tired of so many dodgy looking dealers and sellers locally, is anyone actually legit these days?!

Ideally, I'd like to give a VW CC a shot, but they seem really hard to find in Essex in my price range, and I don't really fancy traveling at the moment.

Reliability and mpg are key, I'm going to be a LOT of dull as hell motorway driving, and I just want something that is gonna get me there, but fun on the (very) occasional twisties is obviously a bonus.

Any advice or recommendations are much appreciated.

Here's my current shortlist, in this order:

VW CC 2.0 TDI









Skoda Octavia vRS 2.0 TDI









VW Passat 2.0 TDI









Honda Civic 2.2 CTDI









Honda Accord 2.2 CTDI









Mazda 6 2.0D


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## ianrobbo1 (Feb 13, 2007)

Personally, the ŠKODA, followed by one or other of the hondas.


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

ianrobbo1 said:


> Personally, the ŠKODA, followed by one or other of the hondas.


Thanks for your opinion.

It seems that the Honda's offer a lot of value for money.

I've had an Octavia vRS, but the TFSI. I did quite like it, but I had a few issues, which are making me a bit cautious.

I'm actually going to look at a TDI vRS tomorrow, but I'm not entirely sold on it just yet.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

You'll get a decent Vauxhall Insignia for £5k. 

At that money cars like the VW CC have big miles.


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## fullhauser (Aug 6, 2020)

I’d second the octavia, great car and would be my first choice!

Always been pleasantly surprised by Mazdas as well and the people I know with them haven’t had any major reliability issues.


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

Kerr said:


> You'll get a decent Vauxhall Insignia for £5k.
> 
> At that money cars like the VW CC have big miles.


I'm not a badge snob, but I do find it hard to think about an Insignia.

Are they really that good?


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

bildo said:


> I'm not a badge snob, but I do find it hard to think about an Insignia.
> 
> Are they really that good?


Perfectly decent cars. I hired a couple a few years ago and they were fine.

Your dilemma is quite a leggy big brand car, or a fresher lesser brand for £5k.

The Citroen C5 is also a good mile muncher.


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## BrummyPete (Jun 10, 2010)

Insignia is a great outsider, the diesel engines are seriously frugal, I had a 160bhp 66 plate for a few months and its probably the best car for mpg ive had and trust me ive had a few


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## straight6hatch (Jul 17, 2020)

Not a big fan of the Insignia, ill admit. I wouldn't own one personally.

I take what others have said about an outside brand representing better value for money.

What about a 320d? Maybe im a BMW fanboy but at a stretch a 330d would be a lovely cruiser!


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## AndyN01 (Feb 16, 2016)

Hi,

I'd avoid the older Mazda diesels. They have a reputation for lunching their engines. And that's from a guy who absolutely loved his 626 and his current Mazda 2.

Do your homework on the 2 litre VAG diesel. Some early ones are dreadfully unreliable and the "diesel gate" ones can be horrible if they've had the "rectification" map. My neighbour had one - it was lovely until VAG "corrected" it then it just didn't drive nicely and the mpg got worse. I believe they can be remapped if you want to get it to how it should be and want to spend the £££'s.

My choice from the list would be the Accord. Drive a few 'cus I find them a bit firm and that might not suit you if you're sat on a Motorway for hours.

Have you thought about an Avensis?

Or, if reliability is paramount, a Lexus?

Good Luck with your search.

Andy.


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

Accord every day of the week (but i am big Hondafanboy).

Best looking out of those, probably the most reliable, and Accords handle like a much a smaller car, yet are solid on long cruises.


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## President Swirl (Oct 23, 2011)

How about a 320cdi e-class? Should get one in budget.


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## packard (Jun 8, 2009)

You have some good choice, friend a rep purchased his own Skoda Octavia, did moon miles on it nothing went wrong and a very comfy car


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## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

For £5k I'd be looking at a Mondeo - perfectly comfortable for the motorways but has a better chassis than all previously mentioned for the A/B road elements.

Titanium X spec gives you a better spec than the others mentioned also.

Happy shopping.

Cheers,

Chris


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## Lexus-is250 (Feb 4, 2017)

The mazdas can be a bit noisy and if you get a good one will do those miles with ease. Get a bad one and as mentioned, will be awful. Probably the best to drive out of that lot. 

The accord will be a lovely cruiser and the engines are superb and it's very well built. 

Never had a vag or any German car, I'm a Japanese car fan. 

Why diesel? And are you travelling into any cities with it? Only ask due to low pollution zones everywhere being put in and none of them are exempt. 

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## Lexus-is250 (Feb 4, 2017)

Forgot to mention the civic. They have problems with their clutches on the manuals. The autos are dreadful. 

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## packard (Jun 8, 2009)

No mention of Avensis, will munch the miles with no issues ?


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## Cookeh (Apr 27, 2017)

Accord, for sure. I'd rather hang myself than drive a Passat, a slow death by boredom and soul-sucking does not appeal.

Avensis is a good shout, but basically is an uglier (subjective, of course) and less dynamic Accord - unfortunately.


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## muzzer (Feb 13, 2011)

If it was my money, i'd go Octavia. I had a bottom of the range 1.9 tdi, it did 50mpg plus during "spirited" driving and if driven sensibly, could get close to 800 miles to a tank of diesel. I used to do 70 miles a day in mine and it went on for ever and was frugal but most importantly, it was reliable.


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

Kerr said:


> Perfectly decent cars. I hired a couple a few years ago and they were fine.
> 
> Your dilemma is quite a leggy big brand car, or a fresher lesser brand for £5k.
> 
> The Citroen C5 is also a good mile muncher.


I agree to a certain extent, however, most of the cars I've mentioned have been quoted by their enthusiasts as being pretty much bulletproof, hence my consideration.



BrummyPete said:


> Insignia is a great outsider, the diesel engines are seriously frugal, I had a 160bhp 66 plate for a few months and its probably the best car for mpg ive had and trust me ive had a few


I'll take a look at these, thank you.



straight6hatch said:


> Not a big fan of the Insignia, ill admit. I wouldn't own one personally.
> 
> I take what others have said about an outside brand representing better value for money.
> 
> What about a 320d? Maybe im a BMW fanboy but at a stretch a 330d would be a lovely cruiser!


I love a BMW, but I just find the maintenance costs a bit awful compared to some of the competitors. I'd be in E9X range, and I just haven't had good feedback about them, and it seems very expensive when it goes wrong.

I've had an E46 M3, and needless to say, it left me scarred.



AndyN01 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'd avoid the older Mazda diesels. They have a reputation for lunching their engines. And that's from a guy who absolutely loved his 626 and his current Mazda 2.
> 
> ...


I appreciate your feedback, thank you.

Would you opt for the 2.2 CDTI Accord?

Avensis, I did look at in the past, but their track record didn't seem as good as some others, nor did the MPG if I remember rightly? I'm a big Toyota fan and a Yaris T-Sport I had previously was one of the most reliable cars I've ever owned.

IS220's were a consideration, but the MPG seems pretty crap. For what they provide, I could be looking at a simpler petrol, like the apparently bulletproof 1.8 VTEC.



Shiny said:


> Accord every day of the week (but i am big Hondafanboy).
> 
> Best looking out of those, probably the most reliable, and Accords handle like a much a smaller car, yet are solid on long cruises.


Good feedback, thank you. Any models you'd lean towards/avoid, being a fanboy? Genuine question!

The 2.2 I-DTEC seems to fall in budget. Is it much better?



President Swirl said:


> How about a 320cdi e-class? Should get one in budget.


Merc's do nothing for me, I'm afraid, and I feel like I'd be paying the premium for the badge when the mileage starts racking up.

I always appreciate alternative suggestions, but my brain is saying no to that one.



packard said:


> You have some good choice, friend a rep purchased his own Skoda Octavia, did moon miles on it nothing went wrong and a very comfy car


Went to view a VRS today but it had a few too many things that needed doing to seal the deal. I am thinking of looking at the stock ones.

My brain keeps telling me that a Passat will provide more for similar money, though.



Summit Detailing said:


> For £5k I'd be looking at a Mondeo - perfectly comfortable for the motorways but has a better chassis than all previously mentioned for the A/B road elements.
> 
> Titanium X spec gives you a better spec than the others mentioned also.
> 
> ...


Interesting. I don't mind the Mondeo, but it's the first time I've heard them rated quite that highly. I appreciate your feedback, thanks.



Lexus-is250 said:


> The mazdas can be a bit noisy and if you get a good one will do those miles with ease. Get a bad one and as mentioned, will be awful. Probably the best to drive out of that lot.
> 
> The accord will be a lovely cruiser and the engines are superb and it's very well built.
> 
> ...


I think I've pretty much ruled out the Mazda's, they seem to be a bit too hit or miss.

I love Jap, too. I've had a lot of Toyota's and Nissan's, they've been fantastic. My German (VAG/BMW) experience has been woeful, so far.

Not really going into cities, travelling from Southend, Essex, to Midlands, and beyond. Mostly to mountains/rural areas. I will be doing a lot of hiking and weekends away.



Lexus-is250 said:


> Forgot to mention the civic. They have problems with their clutches on the manuals. The autos are dreadful.
> 
> Sent from my SM-A505FN using Tapatalk


Interesting. Thank you. Was the Accord not affected?



packard said:


> No mention of Avensis, will munch the miles with no issues ?


It did come up, but does seem to be an unpopular opinion. Which engine should I be looking at?



Cookeh said:


> Accord, for sure. I'd rather hang myself than drive a Passat, a slow death by boredom and soul-sucking does not appeal.
> 
> Avensis is a good shout, but basically is an uglier (subjective, of course) and less dynamic Accord - unfortunately.


Accord really does seem to be the popular choice. Thanks.



muzzer said:


> If it was my money, i'd go Octavia. I had a bottom of the range 1.9 tdi, it did 50mpg plus during "spirited" driving and if driven sensibly, could get close to 800 miles to a tank of diesel. I used to do 70 miles a day in mine and it went on for ever and was frugal but most importantly, it was reliable.


Excellent, thank you.

Guessing that would be the PD engine?


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

bildo said:


> Good feedback, thank you. Any models you'd lean towards/avoid, being a fanboy? Genuine question!
> 
> The 2.2 I-DTEC seems to fall in budget. Is it much better?


The 2.2 is reportedly a really good engine. Personally I'd go for the 2.4 petrol as I'm not keen on diesels, but petrol Hondas are always a bit thirsty.

If I was after a motorway mile cruncher, I'd be getting a 3.5v6 Honda Legend, great place to be from inside, powerful, comfortable, reliable and more toys than Hamleys. A little bit of unique affordable luxury in a bland sea of Audis, BMWs and Mercs. Petrol consumption not so good though!


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## Lexus-is250 (Feb 4, 2017)

If your used to diesel then any of the vtec petrols will be hard work, the offset is they will run forever and not give any issues. Personally I'd go petrol. 

The accords didnt suffer the same clutch issues as the civics but bare in mind you may be into the kind of mileage that on the diesels you may need to consider clutches / dual mass flywheel. 

It's always that balance between mpg and reliability. Avoid Lexus diesel at all costs they are a nightmare. Beautiful cars though. 

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## Cookeh (Apr 27, 2017)

For your miles diesel actually makes sense. The Honda 2.2 is perfectly fine for this purpose.

IS200d is lovely to look at and be in, the diesel lump does not provide Lexus' usual reliability.


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## bildo (Mar 29, 2008)

Lexus-is250 said:


> If your used to diesel then any of the vtec petrols will be hard work, the offset is they will run forever and not give any issues. Personally I'd go petrol.
> 
> The accords didnt suffer the same clutch issues as the civics but bare in mind you may be into the kind of mileage that on the diesels you may need to consider clutches / dual mass flywheel.
> 
> ...


This is pretty much my exact observation after a lot of research today.

I worked out that with current fuel prices, doing a 350 mile trip (as an example) between the 1.8 VTEC and 2.2CDTI (genuine mpg figures from real-world use) and the 2.2 would be £6.40.

That's without considering the fact that those real-world figures are likely to be from people more frequently doing big miles with the diesel, and around town with the petrol.

Given the clutch/flywheel issues (£900), and manifold with the diesel (£1,500), it's going to take a LOT of miles for it to be worthwhile if it did potentially go wrong.


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## percymon (Jun 27, 2007)

Most of the above are medium sized saloons, but for 2 hour drives a family hatchback would be equally comfy, and might be better on narrower b roads if you want to 'press on' somewhat.

Balancing brand and budget could yield you newer cars - no experience of them but plenty of Pug 308s around at 5k (2013 typically, 50-65k miles) - probably won't set the world on fire, but should be comfy & economical. Ditto VX Astra, which these days loses a lot more money than the likes of a Seat Leon


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

Volvo S60 D5, just get all of the belts changed, then Mondeo/Insignia are perfectly good cars, avens is in2.2 formis good, some of the 2.0 toyotas are BMW’s N47 engine, if going for a Honda stick to a petrol, personally I would avoid any form of vw unless it was the old 1.9, 

Comfort is going to be the most important thing.

E Class 220 will moon miles too.


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## ollienoclue (Jan 30, 2017)

SteveTDCi said:


> Volvo S60 D5, just get all of the belts changed, then Mondeo/Insignia are perfectly good cars, avens is in2.2 formis good, some of the 2.0 toyotas are BMW's N47 engine, if going for a Honda stick to a petrol, personally I would avoid any form of vw unless it was the old 1.9,
> 
> Comfort is going to be the most important thing.
> 
> E Class 220 will moon miles too.


Was going to suggest a Volvo. Aux belt change is very important, sometimes neglected.

Toyota worth a look too.


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## packard (Jun 8, 2009)

Always helps when planning mpg use https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/real-mpg/


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## SuperchargedLlama (Apr 25, 2008)

Aesthetically it's the Mazda for me all day long. But if I wanted something super reliable I'd also go for the Accord I think, I'm not talking from experience though.

I did have a Fabia VRS MK1 and can comment on the PD1.9 engine. Loved it and if I could get something with that in or the 2.0 I would, personally.


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## roscopervis (Aug 22, 2006)

With your journeys, the DPF doesn't really come into it, but they still are there and they are still a thing that can fail and be a pain.

The 2.2 diesel engine in the Lexus IS220 is also used in other Toyota's - the Avensis, the Rav 4, the Auris. This engine isn't as good as Toyota's reputation as it suffers from head gasket issues and 5th injector problems. I don't think it's as bad as the Mazda 2.2 diesel, but it isn't great. 

The 2.2 CDTi is a good all round engine and doesn't have a DPF either. So the Accord or a Volvo S60 D5 are what I would pick.


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