hi guys just want to ask if anyone has any good idea’s for a car that needs to do 40k miles a year, I’ve thought about bmw 1 series, Audi a1 and a3 and couple options, needs be good for motorway driving and max 10 to 15 grand
Forget used German cars for high mile use. Get a Corolla.
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Follow the maintenance schedule outlined in the owners manual. From 2000 through 2014 I was averaging about 40k/yr. Then from 2014 to Covid I dropped to 25k/year.
I also concur with @Texases - Think about buying a more reliable vehicle.
First off, don’t know where you are but we don’t get Audi A1’s in the USA so that 10K might be Euros, might be Pounds. I’ll speak to it in Dollars…
The problem with all those German choices is the maintenance costs associated with a car that is going to be about 8 years old with 80K miles on it already. In 3 years you’ll have 200K on it and another 7k IN it!
For the same money, you could own a 2 year old Toyota Camry with 35-75K miles on it with about half the maintenance costs over 3 years.
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You’re asking for an awful lot by wanting a cheap luxury car that is going to accrue a lot of miles. That kind of mileage means a lot of upkeep no matter who makes the car. Ignoring that upkeep pretty much guarantees there will be problems.
Per the old saying “There’s nothing more expensive than a used luxury car”. If you can do your own maintenance and repairs that is a plus. Having to pay someone is going to add up. A lot.
I used to commute a 170 miles a day round trip to work; near 200 on days when it rained hard and the highway flooded which then caused me to take the long way around. Every weekend saw me doing maintenance on either my Subaru, Chevy, or Harley.
That implies a used vehicle.
Trust me (and most of the other regulars in this forum)… a used Audi is not a good idea if you want to avoid extremely high maintenance and repair expenses.
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When you drive that many miles per year, I assume that downtime for your car is just as bad as repair costs. I would buy the most reliable car available. I would choose the Camry over the Corolla, since you spend so many hours in the car.
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How do you define “good”? Do you prioritize comfort, low cost of ownership, reliability, performance and driving enjoyment, fuel economy, cargo space, maneuverability, or something else? You can’t have all of that at once.
Never buy German cars after the warranty ends.
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What do the Germans do with their cars after the warranty expires?
It seems you are not in the US which most of the regular posters are. Using motorway term means you probably have low cost new vehicles we have never heard of . You really need to find something new which will also have lower loan rates.
Just for fun I looked at Audi web site for the United Kingdom and a new Audi A1 does not appear to be much higher than your 15000.00 figure . Plus zero miles and full warranty at 40000 ( miles or kilometers ) why even consider used ?
I suggest that you look at the newest cars that you can find in that price range. At 40,000 miles per year, gas mileage is extremely important. Also have a mechanic you trust provide a pre-purchase inspection. It will probably cast about $125 or so. This car has to work well straight out, and continue providing reliable service for several years. Reliability is generally acceptable for most makes now, and I wouldn’t be too concerned about brand. If you have access to Consumer Reports, anything but a full black dot should be reliable enough.
I bet most don’t drive 40,000 miles per year. The average in England is about 7,000 miles/year.
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Cost of fuel is very expensive in Europe compare to North America. They buy smaller cars over there.
^This +1. That or a Civic. If you really want a bit of luxury maybe an Avalon but you’ll probably be looking at something with fairly high mileage already.
Here’s data from 2008. Drivers in the USA go twice as far or more than anyone else, with the exception of Australia. We drive 40% farther than they do. The Rand Corp number for the UK is 7000 km/yr in 2008. Until recently, they couldn’t go far without getting on a boat.
My sister in law lives in Germany. They use public transportation and trains for the most part. They have a 2012 Peugeot for the weekends/fun and occasional travel. It has less than 10K Kilometers on it. I always joke about it because I put more miles on my car in 6 months.
Reminds me of life on the Riviera, I mean in the Riviera, but I only did 30K a year but got it up to 500K and still comfortable. Like a guy told me 50 years ago, if you are going to be on the road get something as big and comfortable as you can afford. Your back will thank you. But for your budget, you are looking at ten year old cars or econo boxes.
They must live near a big city. Mrs JTs cousins live in German farm country for the most part, and they can’t use public transportation because it isn’t available.
And they have lots more public transit than we do.
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