Reply With QuoteAudi A6 perhaps
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I had a thought this morning, and I'm not sure how best to answer my own hypothetical question.
Imagine that, maybe once a month or so, I needed to go on a long journey - for sake of argument, Midlands to the Chunnel, then out the other side and on to The Netherlands.
I would need something comfortable, first off. Somewhere that's a nice space to occupy for eight hours or so, and something that's comfortable at about 80mph - a good cruising speed. But I'd also need something with decent range and economy. I think I'd find it annoying to stop every 300 miles to spend another £100 on petrol. And by economy, I'll include purchase price!
It would also be nice to have something that was reliable. Something I could trust.
So, if I could magically make it reliable, a diesel Renault Vel Satis! Maybe an older 320D BMW? Diesel VW Touran? Hit cruise control at 80, and off you go?
(No Mazda MX-5, please!)
My current two-car garage is great for everything apart from the kind of trip I've described!
The Kia is slot #1 - reliable and economical, but not that comfortable, and certainly not a long-distance cruiser.
The C63 is slot #2 - a lovely place to spend time, but thirsty, of course! And perfectly reliable.
A hypothetical #3 would be the Citroen Ami (something I genuinely considered before I bought the Kia!)
Is there anything that would fit in the middle, there by the question mark, and still cost less than the arbitrary figure of £7500 that I've just plucked out of thin air?
There's your problem - have at it!
Ooh, an old Pergoot 460 Coupé? Hmm, maybe not reliable.
Audi A6 perhaps
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When faced with the same issue (600 mile round trip every other weekend), I went with a Mercedes E220 estate (because I like estates)..
You therefore already have the right car albeit with the wrong engine!
Or on a similar vein, a mk2 CLS220/250 just about available at £7.5k
Last edited by Dave+63; 8th April 2022 at 13:32.
Skoda Octavia vRS diesel (or maybe a Superb if you want to learn towards comfort)?
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Lexus LS or GS would be my choice for such journeys
Sell that white car and get a simular car but that does high MPG.
Getting a 3rd car is insanity to me unless you won the lottery or something.
Oh, sure, it's hypothetical at the moment. If I ever ended up in the position I described, the C63, wonderful as it is!, would go, and a well spec'd Superb estate is an excellent suggestion, especially if I have things to move around!Originally Posted by xellos99
4x the price but a used Model S with free lifetime supercharging and autopilot (2014-2016 I think).
Would probably mean the sacrificing the AMG
I think you may have answered you own Question sir
320D they are plentiful comfortable with 'right' seats cruise well at higher speeds, economical, parts are now available from multiple sources, pretty reliable, lots of indy's to repair & service, theres a good reason the Police use them on Motorways.
Or a 330d. you don’t sacrifice that much in economy but probably have greater reliability and add a 4th dimension - fun to drive!
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As above, Mercedes E Class with the 2.0L diesel engine, is a great car with a great engine.
At least double your budget I guess for a first of shape c. 2016 but you could opt for estate and move on the fun car if you really wanted to.
Alternatively, if I was you - would just sacrfice the economy circle and take the AMG on these trips. Bit of man maths: the fuel you would need to spend would probably be cheaper than £7500 purchase price of your third car over how long I don't know, but that is the point of man maths is it not?
Personally would go with a BMW 520d estate (an F10 or better still a G30). Or if you're willing to sacrifice a few mpg for extra ooomfph , the 530d version. The former is surprisingly, almost astonishingly frugal and certainly not slow by any measure. The 530d is as fast as a real world car needs to be.
Why not look at a 5 series? You’ll get something decent for that price,The last I had was a 62 plate 525d, I’ve had a few over the years and got them because they are comfortable mile eaters !! A typical example, I would go to work and do a 425 mile 11 hour shift in a wagon then get out of it have a brew then do a 220 mile drive in the Bmw to my sons and get out with no aches or pains, it was a monthly trip.
The other option might be is to chop the 63 in for a C300d est, it’s the same engine I have in mine and though no where near as brutal as the 63 but it’s fun to drive. Real world figures I’ve got 38mpg over the last 8000 miles and I use all the rev range.
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Some interesting replies, thank you all, and I do like 5-series wagons! My car before this white whale was a 530i, and it was great.
On the motorway, and behaving myself, I get an honest 28mpg from Moby Dick. Man Maths might be the way forward!
We have had a Superb Estate as our family load lugger for a few years now.
It is hard to fault.
You can sit someone 6ft 4 in the front seat, and another one directly behind them in the back, both in perfect comfort. That is almost unheard of.
The boot is immense.
The seat are comfy, the sound system very nice and the dual climate perfectly good. It is also quite quiet at speed.
Ours is a pretty bog standard petrol Tsi, and it is not fast in an exciting way, but it is fine. It will easily (on the motorway) do 400 miles on a £75 tank (ie a £60 tank before the current unpleasantness).
We will get another when this one has been moved on, perhaps one with a bit more oomph. The V6 4wd looks like a nice sleeper option.
Another vote for the 5-touring and Superb, I’ve had both, now on my 3rd 5-series. both are great at soaking up the miles. I get 65+ mpg but then I drive within the law and frugally.
Last edited by jukeboxs; 7th April 2022 at 18:33. Reason: typo
I took this photo years ago. It’s what I got coming back to Wales from Heathrow in my 2.0L 170bhp diesel Superb.
It was phenomenal on a motorway run. Albeit this was at a steady 60-65mph cruise.
I was going to say 2.0tdi Superb. I'm really impressed with mine. Did a 460 mile round trip one day last week and it is quick enough when required but very efficient if you sit at sensible speeds. high 50 mpg - high 60 mpgs is easily achievable if you take it easy. It has space, all the tech you could possibly want and will seat 4 giants in comfort.
I took this photo years ago. It’s what I got coming back to Wales from Heathrow in my 2.0L 170bhp diesel Superb.
It was phenomenal on a motorway run. Albeit this was at a steady 60-65mph cruise.
Far more engaging that my previous E-class estate diesel. Don't get me wrong, the E-class was very competent but I never connected with the car and the kids used to moan about rear leg room.
Let me know if you want to swap the E63 ;-)
I ran a diesel Superb for 6 years and 90,000 miles , it died at about 10 years of age and 147,000 miles (According to the mot checker)
The fuel displays cant be trusted though, I went through a stage logging all my fuel use, low 50's are easily achievable on a decent run though, I used to get a genuine 49mpg fill to fill driving at 80-90 on the continent, day to day commute in the SE gave 42mpg in the Winter and 44mpg in the summer fill to fill , still solid figures for a large comfy car
Great cars, plenty of pace, space and grace to nick Jags line.
FWIW I also went from a E Class to the Superb and never looked back
My routine was usually start with a full tank, do the journey and then refill again at the same petrol stations and work it out that way.
I’ll agree that the display is usually a bit optimistic but on this particular car it was pretty accurate and the real world MPG was only ever so slightly less than the displayed figure.
What about a Toyota hybrid? Easily 50 mpg class and petrol so cheap at the pumps
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Tesla Model 3 by some distance. Maybe the LR version
I drive a petrol superb estate that’s either full of kit or full of dogs, it’s fast enough, and very very economical. It’s extremely comfortable, and reliable. I’ve been doing a lot of miles in it this year and it’s a nice place to be.
Nothing economic about buying a Tesla.
Owning? Sure. But buying? No chance
This seems to be a dilemma shared by lots of people, myself included. Those who espouse the merits of EVs seem to forget the significantly higher outlay for the car itself and concentrate on the post-purchase running costs.
As to the OPs question, I’d favour an E-class 220d. I had one as a hire car and thanks to EasyJet, had to drive from Essex to Glasgow, which was accomplished with no discomfort at all.
I would spend the money on fuel for the 63 instead of another car!
I took my c63s wagon to the south of france last year and it did nearly 30/gallon and just under 400 miles on a tank when cruising.
If you really must get another car, 535d touring would be my choice.
LR is a waste of money.
https://youtu.be/xEuLK9GrnyA
5series
I wouldn’t touch the Mercs at that price point.
We’ve run lots of E class and they all cost a huge amount to maintain, especially if anything goes wrong - which l happens far too often for my liking.
It's just a matter of time...
I guess I’ve been lucky then as I’ve owned an E220 diesel estate for the last 6 years. I bought it new in 2016 and it’s covered 145K. It’s had 2 nox sensors, 1 sensor for the rear air suspension and a ball joint.
Obviously it’s had the wear and tear items like discs, pads and tyres.
Oh and I’ve replaced the battery.
And of that 145K, over 120K of it was as a taxi, so it’s had a hard life.
Mazda 6 2.2 diesel in Sport Nav spec - I bought one myself a couple of months back with comfort, reliability and running costs in mind.
£20 pa to tax and easy 60mpg on a motorway cruise, dead comfy, decent spec, huge boot.
Yep fair enough.
OP get someone to gift you a Tesla model 3 and then we have a winner
Just to add that you may not get 60mpg at 80mph though you may not be too far off. As for range I filled my tank a couple of days ago and the trip computer was showing 730 miles for £90 of diesel.
The Mazda 6 estate ticks a lot of boxes - it's very nice car. However I'd be a bit wary of the 2.2d engine, as there are lots of issues reported, albeit at higher mileages, mostly with issues related to carbon build up and DPF clogging etc. If you're doing long runs, might not be such an issue.
Last edited by vagabond; 7th April 2022 at 21:25.
Saab 9-5, comfortable (especially on 15" rims) cheap, quick enough. We drove ours from Hampshire to Alicante and back.
I’m very pleased you’ve avoided big bills.
Ours are run asTaxi/private hire. All but one has been horrendous for bills and faults. - father’s business.
I wouldn’t have one! We have had mercs for as long as I can remember, but since around 2007/2008 they’ve been problematic ime.
It's just a matter of time...
This. I realise it’s hypothetical but it would be madness to buy another car when you have a C63.I would spend the money on fuel for the 63 instead of another car!
A good friend of mine bought a 2016 E class estate a couple of years ago (can't remember the exact model but its the warp speed diesel with twin turbo)...lovely place to be and covers vast distances in comfort...but..she's had nothing but trouble with the air suspension and been back to Merc dealer on at least 3 occasions and resulting horrendous bills (her favoured independent can't help)...she has no confidence in it moving forward but feels obliged to keep it given the moneypit its been so far...maybe she's been unlucky
Really dull to drive though. We ran a Prius for 5 years and a Lexus hybrid for the last 3 and uber reliable, amazing on fuel but the cvt robs the fun out them , as a cruiser they are effortless and relaxing though
I find Tesla ownership a bit strange, the cars cost a lot of money and then the owners then go and blag free electric from Tescos which kind of feels like going to a food bank but in car terms, just feels a bit disjointed ownership to me..
I’ve heard (not seen on websites myself) that lots of Tesla owners complain about built-quality. Some are ‘lemons’ (Is that the correct phrase?).
I would opt for a hybrid version of a BMW or Mercedes. (Although I am a big Honda fan).
Diesel is on its way out.
Not sure many of these suggestions are within the £7.5k budget.
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For price, reliability, economy and comfort I think you should be looking at Japanese or Korean cars. Toyota Avensis D-4D, Honda Accord CDTi, Hyundai i40, Kia Carens or other diesel automatic cars from the aforementioned makes. Good luck OP, keep us posted on your selection in due course.
My Mrs work mate had this problem with a Freelander always going wrong with big bills but still kept it niaivly hoping the current big bill would be the last one
Here everyone explicitly ignores the stated budget in the original post ,just check out some of the which watch for a £1000 threads
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In case of a 7500 max budget: Honda, Subaru (not economical), Mazda or Toyota. Perhaps a larger Korean car.
The air suspension is a sodding nightmare. The small bore plastic pipe becomes brittle over time and cracks. You'll often see a merc sagging at the back end. The annoying thing is that the replacement pipe and connectors are inexpensive..... it's the £140 p/hr labour charge that kills it. Went twice on mine, once was gradual and a friend who worked for Merc commercial repaired it for nothing and the 2nd time a local garage did it. Whilst the pump will pump up the suspension struts, if the leak gets bad enough and you don't get it sorted the pump burns out and it is silly money!!
It does seem to be a weak point on them. I must've been lucky as that was the only issue I had in 100k
Merc aren't on there own, had a Santa Fe that had a rear strut go and wasn't covered under warranty. some components are mileage specific...... so much for that unlimited mileage warranty. £1200 per strut......... or fit a conversion kit for £300!!
Doesn't matter what you own there'll always be something needs doing unfortunately.
When I had the E class, the struts and compressor each went at about 10,000 mile intervals around the 100k mark. I budgeted £1000 a time for each. It then went on without trouble until I traded it in at 140,000 miles.
If I was doing it again, I’d probably go with coil overs.
A Superb would be superb. Although I can’t see how a third car would be economical in that hypothetic situation. Surely the cost of ownership of a third vehicle with MOT, insurance, maintenance etc. would equal more £££ than the potential savings in fuel.
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