Dear Alex,
I’ve been made redundant and will lose my company car, a Skoda Octavia iV Estate. Its replacement should make less than a five-figure dent in my redundancy settlement, be cheap to run and have enough boot space for university pick-ups and family holidays. It needs to be happy to be driven only once or twice a month, primarily for motorway journeys. Speed and tech are low on my list of needs and I’d prefer to avoid a saloon. What do you suggest?
- JR
Dear JR,
The sort of driving you do is ideal for a diesel and it will be much cheaper for motorway use than a petrol engine.
There’s sound reasoning in sticking with what you know. While for less than £10,000 you’ll have to live with an older Octavia than the one you’re used to, you should still recognise plenty about the comfortable way it drives, the sensible way the interior is laid out and the huge amount of space.
Hatchbacks tend to cost less than estates, so you get more for your money. I found a 2017 2.0 TDI SE L with 67,000 miles and a full service history for £9,595. Avoid the 1.6-litre diesel; it might seem a more economical choice on paper, but it needs working hard and so struggles to achieve the efficiency you’d expect.
Even better value is a Ford Mondeo. It isn’t going to grace anyone’s bedroom wall, but it’s a good, solid cruiser and drives really nicely, particularly with the 2.0-litre diesel. A 2.0 TDCI Titanium hatchback with 72,000 miles and a fully stamped service book can be yours for £8,995.
But I would plump for a Mazda 6 estate. I used to run one as a long-termer and loved it – it was a great motorway car and felt much plusher inside than you’d expect. The only downside is that the ride won’t be as cushioned as you’re used to, but if you can live with that, £9,200 gets you a 2017 2.2 Skyactiv-D Sport Nav estate with 68,000 miles and an exemplary history.
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