Bailes1992

So I suspect in the summer I will be working in Aberystwyth for 12 months.
It's 100mile drive from Bridgend and will take around 2.5hrs.

I'd get £35 a night lodge but I didn't just buy a house with the missus to work away so driving back and fore will be the way forward.

I don't want to use the Mondeo as I've put enough miles on it in the past 12 months working in Trowbridge in Wiltshire. Also once you get off the M4 you have about 40miles of windy A roads and lanes so I'd like something with an Autobox.

So...
I need something for less than £1500 on diesel or LPG. I'd like a bit of grunt and more than 4 cylinders.

I was thinking an old BMW. Maybe an E39 525tds or 525i on gas?

Any suggestions or advice?

Bailes.

bigluke200

iTrader: (3)

Volvo s80 D5.. (SE-lux if you can.)
Mine has done 300,000miles and still returns 46mpg. Super comfortable, reliable and safe.

fuzzy

fuck that drive every morning and night. id stay in digs and go home at the weekend.
that plan works out better. your away during the week so she'll need to decorate your new house whilst doing nothing at the weekend but hammering each other.

Rax

iTrader: (1)

chettle

Omega V6 estate

stu20004x4

you can pick up some of the old mercs pretty cheap now, e300 etc

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Go and road test some and make your own mind up matey. Someone might rate the bmw and you might hate it.

luke19790_3

Depends how long your working day is but I wouldn't be driving home every day

Oranoco

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...ge/2?logcode=p

Comfy and usually pretty darn reliable. My petrol A4 despite having 170k on it has less squeaks and rattles than my mrs 61 plate Pug

studabear

Use your mondeo, sod what miles your gonna put on it, its not exactly a rare exotic vehicle.

bazzal

Lexus is200, can pick one up in your budget, I have one, smooth effortless drive, comfy, no squeaks, perfect for your needs.

BIL N KEL

Lexus gs300 on gas! My oldman has one and is a lovely cruiser and will drift in sport mode he doesn't know that though lol

user 628729

Audi A8.
4.2 diesel if you can find one (probably not at that price) though the 3.0 is plenty quick enough.
The older 4.0 diesel is also bloody fast but there can be issues with intake manifold flaps getting sucked into the engine - terminally!

Csm

Just go home at weekends....... more sex no doubt

RS Grant

iTrader: (1)

S80 D5 SE Lux... my dad fancies a change so he is away to trade his 2006 model in, 147k, full Volvo history and its as good as it was when he bought it at 20k miles!! 45-46mpg on cruise at 80-85. He's getting 2500 trade value which I think makes it HUGE value for money for someone.


Cheers,
Grant

gingeRS

e39 530d

wont be an msport for that mondey but you could get a ropey 530d se for that

mileage isn't great around town but do 44mpg on the motorway

slammedorion

I'd say a Vauxhall Omega too...
V6 or with the BMW diesel in...

stevieturbo

Go for the Volvo.

I had an older E34 525tds auto. It was the biggest piece of shit Ive ever owned, with the worst possible auto box you could ever have
BMW claimed some whopping amount of torque at 1900rpm with that engine....except mated to the auto box it was physically impossible to actually drive anywhere near 1900rpm, and it only went into top gear a little over 70mph. And if you dared to even touch the accelerator...it kicked down and revved the crap out of the engine again.

I'd say it struggled to do 20mpg !! Complete bag of shit !

hitchwest

iTrader: (2)

As fuzzy says stay away all week as you will be knackered at weekends and get nothing done apart from resting ready for the next week of 5 hrs driving every day

st220kyle

Just out of interest, what do your workmates do with regard to travelling? Doesn't your company supply you with a van, what do you do with your tools etc?

MikeyRobbo

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Saab-9-3-2...item258cc00293

Used to love wafting about in my Saab! 2.0 Turbos are very tunable too a remap on the 175BHP engine will see 225BHP!

Comfortable with extras too including cruise control

Bailes1992

Omega seems to be on the top of the list at the moment. I think I'd go for the 2.5TD though as LPG ones seem like hens teeth! They seem to have hovered around the £1000-£2000 mark now for years! At least I'd be likely to get all my money back once I finished with it.
Once im satisfied the new car is up for the job then the Mondeo will have to go. I'll stick the money in an ISA and when I'm working closer to home I'll use it to buy something newer. I'd love to keep it but it's hard work on tight windy roads as you're up and down the box all the time as it has a very small usable power band.
Great on fast A roads or the Motorway but hard work through tight lanes or around town.

It may not even happen but currently it's the only place left for me to go this summer unless another job crops up.

Most of them will lodge. We have two vans, neither of which are accessible to me and I could be asked to work anywhere in the country at the drop of a hat. I don't feel it would be fair on the other half and I'm not paying £900 a month in upkeep for a house to go live away!

I was working in Trowbridge in Wiltshire between January and December last year. 90 mile each way and a 2 hour drive. The extra 10 miles/half hour shouldn't be an issue.

stevieturbo

Omega still uses that shitty BMW engine though !

RS Grant

iTrader: (1)

I didn't realise Omegas still cost so much, I thought they'd be a few hundred quid by now... I like them, owned an Elite Estate a few years back, but they're not even remotely in the same league as an S80 D5 if you're looking for ultra comfy, reliable, economical cruising for around 2k.


Cheers,
Grant

It's Czech Mate

Fuck doing 1000 miles a week for 12 months and good luck finding a £1500 snotter to do 52,000 miles a year of trouble free motoring

The mondeo is only 'hard work on the twisties' if you're trying to wrings its bloody neck, its more than adequate for driving in wales

luke19790_3

I work away a lot now, 2.5hrs travelling each way plus a days work is asking for trouble.

Bailes1992

I know but I managed Trowbridge for 12 months doing 12 hour shifts. I'll only be doing 8 in Aberystwyth.

Mondeo is hard work full stop on anything other than motorways or fast A roads. If you let it drop under 1700rpm you have nothing, you end up trying to drive it at 2500-3000rpm all the time which is tiring and noisy.
It goes well yes, but you need to work the gears all the time.

And I managed 25k in 6 months in a £370 Peugeot 406, I managed 30k in 12 months in my Mothers beaten Focus and prior to that I managed 25k in 10 months in a £500 Peugeot 406.
Obviously money will need to be spent every couple of weeks but I quite enjoy that!

fuzzy

im vaguely remembering you having trouble with your missus a while ago.....? or am I thinking about someone else?
that would influence my decision about working away or not.....