Motorway car

[louiseybobs]

John has a new job and to get there he'll be on the motorway about 50 minutes (he thinks 40 miles) each way.

Can anyone recommend a car for around £12,000?

[123]

Any 3 year old BMW 3 series would fit the bill, similarly and Audi A4

If it's just him you could also look at something like a mini (again 3 year old)

You could also look at something like a ford focus (again used)

Incidentally your post reads a little like a GCSE maths question...

[louiseybobs]

Hahaha that's very true I did think when I was writing it *I hope he's right* lol

Thank you, he's googling.

We could do with something with a bit of space as well to be honest as I have a twingo x

[123]

As you are going to be doing a fair amount of miles in it (approx 20k a year before weekend driving) you should also consider mpg and aim for as high as possible

Assuming a litre of petrol stays at about £1.15 a litre then for every 10mpg more your car can do you will save £850

Example

20k miles in a car doing 30mpg
Uses 666 gallons
(4.5l to a gallon) 4.5 * £1.15 = £5.18 per gallon

Total fuel cost = £3,450

Same again in a 40 mpg car
Uses 500 gallons

Total fuel cost = £2,600


Obviously the actual mpg will vary on how heavy his foot is and the amount of time you are in stop start traffic. However you get the idea I hope that if you have set your heart on a car that does 30mpg, it will cost you double in petrol than one that does 60mpg

[400ixl]

Will he have to go into city centres or any likely congestion zones?

If not a diesel make most sense.

When you say space, to you just mean a larger car, or something like an SUV?

[RachaelC]

I like a high driving position for motorway driving.

I used to drive a VW Tiguan and now I have a Touran. Both are great to drive. Something like a Kia Sportage would be good and give you decent space too

[123]

Originally Posted by 400ixl

Will he have to go into city centres or any likely congestion zones?

If not a diesel make most sense.

When you say space, to you just mean a larger car, or something like an SUV?

See more...

If he's buying new and not going into central London (or the LEZ area of london) I'd agree that a diesel could be an option.

However at £12k and wanting space you are only going to get diesels that have done 60k+ miles and so they will start to be hit with large servicing and replacement bills within a year or two of their 20k+ miles

Also the gov is likely to keep up it's war on diesel cars so expect diesel fuel and car tax to continue to rise faster than regular unleaded

[Lostbrain]

My commute is slightly shorter than that and I love my Fiat 500X. I was rear ended in one by a hatchback on the dual carriageway and my car barely moved, i feel really safe in it, it's got enough acceleration to overtake when I need to and is good on all the country lanes I have to do either side of the motorway.

[Mr Tom Morrow]

Diesel Mondo all day long. Great cabin space, awesome hatch space for runs to the tip etc and economical.

Otherwise a 3 series BMW diesel 320.

But above all else loads of metal around you for Motorway runs where higher speed is the norm, safety first.

[Melanie R]

I have a similar commute (pre pandemic) and love my Peugeot 3008