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New car buying conundrum for my GF...
She, like everyone else in the UK seemingly, needs an economical small/mid sized estate car that doesn't run on diesel... I've ruled out plug-in hybrids and full electric as too expensive/complicated/, too much hassle for the moment. I know they won't be at some point in the future, but not there for us yet.
I had been looking to spend up to £10k on something like a Golf/Focus sized estate with a smallish petrol engine. Seemingly £10k doesn't get much at all these days, probably 7yrs old or more, upwards of 80k on the clock, and most likely not much more than 40mpg real world economy. Another £5k seems to lift that to 4yr old cars with half the mileage, slightly newer and more economical engines, albeit of course the Govt changed the tax rule in early 2017 so anything that was £20 or £30 up to that point is lumbered into the same £165pa category as everything else! Doh!
Anyway... Looking around, upping the budget another £5k again, and seemingly I can make a proper step up to something like the Corolla Touring Sport hybrid or the Suzuki Swace (same car, different badge), and score an 18month to 2yr old car with low miles for about £20k... Suggestions of 60mpg real world economy are promising, I've had a sit in one they seem very well put together (you'd hope so being a Toyota!), the size seems spot on, specs are good, residuals should hold up much better longer term being a hybrid compared to non-hybrids (I'd be looking at this as a purchase for her to run til it was 10yrs/100k old more than likely, and 10yr old Auris hybrids with 100k on the clock currently still going for around £13k or so!!!)...
Am I oversimplifying this? Is there too much man maths (to justify an ostensibly boring car ironically!) being applied? It just doesn't seem worth spending only £10k on a car any more, I'm shocked that mostly in this price bracket it's 7yr old cars with 100k miles on that were barely £20k when they were brand new anyway, which is the thing I'm struggling with.
My GF is more than happy with her 15yr old BMW (in the classifieds right now), but great car as its been, a big diesel doesn't suit her requirements any more so I'm being proactive about changing it whilst I've got the capital spare (shelved house move due to interest rate rises)...
Any feedback on either the Toyota or the Suzuki from a subjective point of view would be useful too, as well as any objective opinions...
Or any other suggestions you can think that I might not have thought about... Musts are...
-Small/mid sized family estate (absolutely no SUV's, I hate them, besides our 10yr old Labrador needs a hand sometimes getting into the back of an estate car, I'm not picking a near 40kg dog up to put him in the back of a bloody Chelsea tractor!)
-Not diesel
-Cheap to run and ideally going to be so for the next 7-8yrs or so.
-£20k absolute max realistic limit (plus whatever her BMW sells for I guess, so maybe £22,500)... I don't want to have to finance anything.
Cheers in advance.
I had the Auris estate for 4 years/80k miles for my previous co car. Solid, dependable, 60+mpg unless driven silly style (which is completely inappropriate for them anyway). Nice enough place to sit as it was the top model. Never going to set the world alight, but perfectly respectable.
Room for all the kit and two dogs in the rear, a mate and I also slept in it one night at Bridge of Orchy.
Corolla Estate is essentially the same thing as the Auris.
Would have gone for another quite happily 4 yrs ago, but the extra 10mpg of a Prius swayed me (plus a decent sound system). As you can tell, I actually know next to Jack about cars, so take from that what you will. Just a tool to get from A to B for me.
Got a bigger Toyota with the hybrid. It’s excellent. Had a Corolla courtesy the other day, fresh from the factory, did 60mpg without being careful.
I’d say it’s a good choice.
I had one with the 1.8l engine as a company car for two years. Only changed it as moved to a job without a car. We really liked it and looked to get one to buy but couldn’t find one I was happy with at the time (last year when prices were mental).
Real world 50+ mpg minimum. Better on steady / longer runs. Massive boot and good passenger space and with the right model well spec’s too.
If you’ve not driven one, the CVT gearbox can take some getting used to as the devs never seem to match the road speed - but does encourage a chilled driving style which also helps the mpg.
Had the best headlights of any car I’ve driven too. It came originally with eco tyres on, and don’t realise how poor they were until work made me get STW approved cross climates fitted, which just made it better with no reduction in mpg.
The 1.8 boot is a bit bigger than the 2l, as it also has underfloor storage. Also discovered (after several months of ownership) that it had a pull up net behind the rear seats to allow loading up to the ceiling with passengers in too.
Only negatives I can think of were that the seats could have been a bit wider, and that it sits really low to the ground and the long wheelbase can mean it may ground.
If going over a car park speed bump too fast it could catch the underneath, and I managed to ground it on a deeply potholed road to a remote beach (but it didn’t get stuck and is smooth underneath for better aero).
You can probably tell I really liked it!
In May I managed to find a 17 plate (£20 tax...) Leon estate, auto in 1.4tsi (150bhp).
Leon and Octavia and golf had a bigger boot and back seat than the Corolla, by quite a bit. I didn't get on with a hire car Toyota CVT. I also found that age of Toyota touchscreen being the most annoying and distracting thing to use.
The final nail was the Leon was '17 / 60k miles / one owner / FSH and although sporting a fresh small dink on the bodywork, it was in a lot better condition than the Golf, Octavia and Corrolla we also considered - and £1k less.
Imo, buying second hand cars has become even more about condition - they've become white goods, and some people could not care less about maintaining or being sympathetic with them I would buy on condition, not a fixed model.
I was sure that a Kia Ceed or Hyundai i40 estate was what we needed - until I saw the utter sh*t boxes that the local dealers served up. Filthy, dents, ripped seats(!), missing or cracked trim, no history etc - and all priced £2k above every thing else similar.
In the true tradition of STW I'm going to recommend the car I've got; buy a SEAT Leon estate.
buy a SEAT Leon estate.
Is exactly what I was looking at until I thought about upping the budget slightly and entering the realms of hybrids etc. In fact, I've already test driven two.
In May I managed to find a 17 plate (£20 tax…) Leon estate, auto in 1.4tsi (150bhp).
Annoyingly the only pre tax hike car I can find in good condition is a 1.2tsi manual. It's in great condition mind! Have found a couple of 1.4tsi FR's in good nick, but both in the £165 tax bracket and the closest one is manual, the DSG is bloody miles away.
This said... These cars are well north of £10k for 5/6yr old cars with up to 70k on the clock, real world mid 40's mpg etc... My mate has a 2L TDI FR with DSG box which is a really nice car to drive, the 1.4tsi FR impressed me, the 1.2tsi was slow but was pleasant enough. I just can't get my head around paying 60-65% of the new RRP for a 5/6yr old car with that many miles on the clock, it doesn't sit well to be honest!
If you’ve not driven one, the CVT gearbox can take some getting used to as the devs never seem to match the road speed – but does encourage a chilled driving style which also helps the mpg.
So far, the only negative I can really see with the car... Albeit I'd drive it maybe once in a blue moon, my GF would use it daily. She's not a fan of autos anyway, and she rushes her gearchanges in a manual (usually trying to accelerate too hard but then artificially shifting up too early). A change of approach with a CVT that encourages more forward planning will probably help her be a smoother driver!
Had a Corolla courtesy the other day, fresh from the factory, did 60mpg without being careful.
Good to know. I know depreciation still outweighs fuel costs on newer cars, but when comparing 40mpg to 60mpg it's likely to save her £50-60 a month in fuel which goes some way to justifying the extra purchase cost (as long as we kept it long enough, and it retained more residual value).
I get a new one every year through work. I'd say I know this model very well.
The underboot storage on the 1.8 is able to fit two wheels in. It's wheel shaped. Quite handy when carrying a bike inside the car.
Most models come with flush roof rails as standard. Tow bars are rare, due to low towing limit. Suction racks and boot racks can be a problem due to the design of the back door. Consider this if you're going to be carrying bikes.
Touchscreen has been upgraded to be Google/apple system compatible. Big improvement over the previous system, which was available until 2021 iirc. You'll know if it's the new system because it has only one button.
Skoda Fabia estate? 1ltr petrol, get the higher power 110hp one which also has a 6 speed gear box. Enough space for dog. They hold their value well but are a bit niche.
I have the hatch version and love it. Took 2 of us, dog and canoe to Scotland last year, never felt under powered. Ok not a hybrid but then it doesn’t have to drag around all the weight of batteries and motors.
Agree with condition. Driving wise, it’s quite hard to be unsympathetic with the cvt hybrid system - I think you’d get fed up with it revving all the time! It doesn’t really need more planning, it’s just re learning how it works.
The hybrid system gives an extra shove from standing, but maybe not quite as much as desired when overtaking. Living in a rural area this want much of an issue for me, and suits the cruise at 50 plus mph style of the backroads, with the rewards of great economy.
My dad had a 20 plate Corolla from new albeit briefly, I had a go and as said it's easy to get decent MPG. There was nothing wrong with the car, it just no longer had an owner.
What sort of driving is she doing? A hybrid will easily outperform a petrol engine in town, on a motorway theres basically nothing to it as there's no regeneration happening.
Otherwise, Prius verso? Or a euro6 diesel, plenty around for cheap. The astra 1.6 does 70mpg, and can be had for well under £10k. No tax either. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211272045698?advertising-location=at_cars&maximum-badge-engine-size=1.6&annual-tax-cars=EQ_0&maximum-mileage=70000&postcode=bt817yj&body-type=Estate&sort=price-asc&price-from=500&include-delivery-option=on&minimum-badge-engine-size=1.6&model=Astra&page=1&make=Vauxhall&percentVehiclePriceDeposit=true
Skoda Fabia estate?
Had a look, but a bit small Polo based platform (all 4 of us are "adult" sized in this household, my stepchildren are 17 and 19, my stepson is a BIG lad, and the dog isn't small either). Also they're barely any cheaper than a Leon like for like, almost the same weight believe it or not and hence no better on fuel either really...
Driving wise, it’s quite hard to be unsympathetic with the cvt hybrid system – I think you’d get fed up with it revving all the time! It doesn’t really need more planning, it’s just re learning how it works.
My GF doesn't really drive quickly, she's just a bit haphazard at forward planning. I think a hybrid system with a CVT box will be far better for her than a diesel with a powerband where she often ends up trying to leave a corner 2 gears too high, loses all speed then has to drop 3 gears to get some momentum again!
As for me... I don't need it to be any fun to drive... I'll barely use it, got my work van, an MX5, my bikes etc...
The hybrid system gives an extra shove from standing, but maybe not quite as much as desired when overtaking. Living in a rural area this want much of an issue for me, and suits the cruise at 50 plus mph style of the backroads, with the rewards of great economy.
That'll be fine... Don't think I've ever witnessed my GF make an overtake on a single carriageway road! She rigidly won't exceed 70 on a motorway either so...
The underboot storage on the 1.8 is able to fit two wheels in. It’s wheel shaped. Quite handy when carrying a bike inside the car.
Yeah I think if I'm gonna go that route, it'll be the Suzuki rather than Toyota... A little cheaper, only comes in the 1.8 version too, but not only that, the Sales Manager at the local dealership used to be my Saturday lad when I had my shop, much more likely to get a better deal. I also think it looks a little better.
Most models come with flush roof rails as standard. Tow bars are rare, due to low towing limit. Suction racks and boot racks can be a problem due to the design of the back door. Consider this if you’re going to be carrying bikes.
Bikes only ever carried inside, not really an issue.
Touchscreen has been upgraded to be Google/apple system compatible. Big improvement over the previous system, which was available until 2021 iirc. You’ll know if it’s the new system because it has only one button.
From what I can glean, a Toyota only problem and the Suzuki has had the Apple Carplay ready screen from the beginning...
What sort of driving is she doing? A hybrid will easily outperform a petrol engine in town, on a motorway theres basically nothing to it as there’s no regeneration happening.
More urban and B roads than A roads and motorway, albeit needs to be capable cruiser on motorway as and when required on the occasional trip. Hence thinking might be worthwhile jumping to a hybrid now whilst we have the chance.
Otherwise, Prius verso?
Massive and heavy... A lot more car than is required.
Or a euro6 diesel, plenty around for cheap.
We bought her BMW when she was expected to do 15k work miles a year. It still does 60mpg on a run to be fair. Things changed... She now works from home full 98% of the time, has to go to an office maybe once a month, but does lots of urban and suburban ferrying of her kids, seeing friends etc. with only occasional longer trips. Diesels clog up badly on short journeys. I notice it even in my van (Euro6 2L diesel Caddy) if I've done 2 or 3 short journeys in a row, the DPF regen works overtime and economy drops as a result of it chucking a load more fuel through whilst it does said regen to burn all the residual off... When I say "no diesels" I mean it for a reason... If a diesel suited her usage now, we'd probably just keep her 15yr old BMW, as it's still brilliant on a run, it's just not so good at short journeys and around town.
There's a reason even the most modern diesels are cheap... And it's not just that diesel is now 15-20% more expensive than petrol at the pumps either!
A hybrid will easily outperform a petrol engine in town, on a motorway theres basically nothing to it as there’s no regeneration happening.
Yes but that's not the reason why.
Toyota hybrids are good.
Regarding prices, after I bought the Merc and went on holiday in it I looked at changing for something cheaper. Anything that was cheap enough to be worth the bother of changing was much older, anything new enough to be worth the bother was much more expensive.
I looked at buying a cheaper car to replace the EV at the end of its lease to tide us over until Mrs Grips changes jobs, but same story. Nothing worth having. There were Priuses with 250k or even 300k miles for three grand! Insurance company only gave us £1800 for ours with 140k on, but to be fair that was just before the world went mad.
Diesels clog up badly on short journeys.
It's not necessarily as bad as all that. Doing short journeys isn't bad, it's ONLY doing short journeys. As long as it can complete the regen it's fine and it should warn you if it hasn't. To have issues you have to only be doing really short trips like 1-2 miles to the shops, never drive it far, and ignore the warning lights whilst not reading the manual. Assuming it's working properly. Many tales of woe are because something else has gone wrong that leads to smoking (e.g. split boost pipe) and the DPF traps all the smoke so people don't realise.
To have issues you have to only be doing really short trips like 1-2 miles to the shops, never drive it far, and ignore the warning lights whilst not reading the manual.
Not really no.
Several examples of BMW's in particular taking a dump on their dpf with no warning lights previous with people doing 50mile+ each way fast A road commutes..... Our sales managers and our WS sales A/C managers both snuck in under warranty/goodwill.
We had a hybrid CHR hybrid in France on holiday as a free upgrade from a fiat 500. It was impressive. Quite enjoyed the CVT transmission relaxing to drive.
1.8 petrol gave enough grunt for entering the French motorway but did about 60mpg combined.......- or about 25 on petrol engine.
The worst thing about it was the infotainment. - that controlled everything very irritating. - oh and the fact it was a 35grand car in the UK - and was tiny inside.
Looking at that car it makes no sense to be getting rid of it unless you know something is going wrong with it or you live in a ULEZ area?
A smaller car will not be necessarily get any better mpg.
I would have said go full electric but I can see why you wouldn’t want to.
Just keep it until it dies
A smaller car will not be necessarily get any better mpg.
Be pretty hard for one not to to be honest... Whilst 60mpg is a possibility on long motorway runs, it averaged 32mpg for my GF's normal usage! It was big and heavy and being diesel, wouldn't warm up enough or have regened recently enough for stop/start to ever kick in and actually meaningfully improve urban economy at all. Most hybrids will deliver 60+mpg regardless of urban or highway driving. Even a normal petrol without hybrid will do better than her BMW was doing in town. I used to get high 20's from my old M2, and that had a 3L turbocharged petrol engine in!
I would have said go full electric but I can see why you wouldn’t want to.
Lots of reasons not to, biggest one being cost, but inconvenience of charging, lack of suitability for longer journeys etc. all factor in...
Just keep it until it dies
It has gone now so academic... I spent the last 18 months saying this, then realised we were skirting some big bills that could have almost economically written the car off. The car is fine doing big mileages, but it scared me a number of times with shorter journeys.
I just think that whilst it was still worth the best part of £3k to someone who's going to benefit from doing decent daily mileage in it and happy to look after it themselves rather than paying a garage to do the work if/when it needs work doing, then we were better off long term... If the turbo had gone, or worse the engine cos of increased wear from continual short journeys, it would have had to be scrapped!
It’s not necessarily as bad as all that. Doing short journeys isn’t bad, it’s ONLY doing short journeys. As long as it can complete the regen it’s fine and it should warn you if it hasn’t. To have issues you have to only be doing really short trips like 1-2 miles to the shops, never drive it far, and ignore the warning lights whilst not reading the manual. Assuming it’s working properly. Many tales of woe are because something else has gone wrong that leads to smoking (e.g. split boost pipe) and the DPF traps all the smoke so people don’t realise.
Even diesels that only do big mileages and are serviced regularly still clog up... Modern environmental systems on diesel engines are by their very design, particularly detrimental to the long term health of the engines they are fitted to. I don't disagree with their fitment, what it tells me is that diesel really isn't the wonder fuel it was sold to us as 20 odd years ago, and despite the problems that it fixed it created many more problems along the way, which is why everyone has switched back to petrol...
Honda civic touring?
I ran the 1.6 diesel from new to 60,000 miles over 3 years.aveage of 60 mpg, but that was mostly motor way and a roads. In That time it had tyres and regular services. Everything else was absolutely fine.
Work had a fleet of civics- we worked with/ for honda-. Other than a crash, no one had any trouble. 5 cars run for 50,000 to 100,000. Not one moan. The petrol ones won't do 60mpg.
Not diesel -tick.
-Cheap to run and ideally going to be so for the next 7-8yrs or so. -Tick
-£20k absolute max realistic limit (plus whatever her BMW sells for I guess, so maybe £22,500)… I don’t want to have to finance anything.-tick.
£10,000 buys a lot of fuel.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211091514036?include-delivery-option=on&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&make=MG&radius=1500&advertising-location=at_cars&model=MG5&postcode=hd33nn&year-to=2022&sort=relevance&page=3&percentVehiclePriceDeposit=true
You could actually go electric,price very near your limit. It gets very good reviews.
£10,000 buys a lot of fuel.
I understand what you're saying, but if I was planning on wasting £10k on fuel, I'd buy something a lot more interesting than a 7yr old Honda Civic 1.8 SR to do it in!!!
There is no guarantee of course, but the idea behind putting an extra £10k into the purchase price of the vehicle is not just cheaper running costs, but also increased residuals too... I see 10yr old Toyota hybrids still selling for £13k+ which is encouraging from the point of view than a 2yr old equivalent is only a little over £20k now...
You could actually go electric,price very near your limit. It gets very good reviews.
I saw those MG's... I just don't think I could! Not least for my GF... They look god awful, but then there's the range... Which 98% of the time wouldn't be an issue, but she wouldn't get to her parents and back on a charge (and nowhere to charge there when she goes to see them), so just not realistic. She is also going to have to go to Leeds once every 2 months for work, 150 miles each way, which means a guaranteed overnighter and that's assuming it made it there on a full charge even... Which brings me back to proper hybrids... Of which the only estates on the market are the Corolla Touring Sport and the Swace! 🤷🏻♂️
-£20k absolute max realistic limit (plus whatever her BMW sells for I guess, so maybe £22,500)…
Buyer didn't haggle over the asking price, so got the full £2850 there... So realistically £22.5k once taken the £100 it cost me to get it properly cleaned, advertised etc, paid for a years tax and any insurance adjustments...
I'll recommend what I have which is a Dacia Jogger. Might not do 60mpg but can be had new for your budget so has the peace of mind of warranty. Take the two rearmost seats out and you have a cavernous boot.
Not sure if it’s been said already but sounds like you’ve decided not to buy a house because interest rates are no longer atypically low so you’re going to blow £20k deposit on a newer car. Might be worth talking this through with someone. I know you need a crystal ball but I’d have thought long term getting on housing ladder sooner rather than later might best option (even if you only have an older car to put on YOUR drive).
Several examples of BMW’s in particular taking a dump on their dpf with no warning lights previous with people doing 50mile+ each way fast A road commutes
To me that just shows it's not the short trips that are the problem. As I said, if you have some other fuelling/air issue that is making it smoke but you never notice until the DPF clogs beyond repair.
A Prius verso isn't much bigger than an astra or similar.. in the us they are only sold as 5 seaters. If you want a marginally smaller car auris estates start at 10k with the same drivetrain
To me that just shows it’s not the short trips that are the problem. As I said, if you have some other fuelling/air issue that is making it smoke but you never notice until the DPF clogs beyond repair.
So in short you need to be clairvoyant to own a car?
I've got a 22 plate swace, and it's boringly, comfortably excellent. CVT took a bit of getting used to, and don't forget to use the braking mode going down a big hill as otherwise it can overrun a bit.
Toe only issue I have is that the basic model (£500 less up front on motability) only has a reverse camera rather than a beeper. It's not quite as luxurious inside as the previous BMW x1 X-line, but does 20mpg more, is comfier, lower (so easier to get the bike and/or tandem on the roof) and generally a really nice vehicle for a long road trip and day-to-day use
You only go round once. Live a little
I'll be honest, the thought had more than crossed my mind...
Thing is I will literally never drive it. My GF is a very safe and boring driver... It would be money wasted.
I’ll recommend what I have which is a Dacia Jogger.
Did look at these, a bit bigger than ideal, the Logan estate would make more sense if going that route. They seem pretty decent, there's even an LPG option on the Sandero which I like, as we're not too far from an LPG centre to be fair and it's less than 1/2 the price of unleaded again... They don't put that option on the Logan estate though annoyingly, only the hatchback or the stepway SUV... Also, whilst perfectly functional as a car, they're just a bit low rent. I'd rather spend a little more for something that's a more premium experience and will retain more value over the same period of time to be honest.
Not sure if it’s been said already but sounds like you’ve decided not to buy a house because interest rates are no longer atypically low so you’re going to blow £20k deposit on a newer car. Might be worth talking this through with someone. I know you need a crystal ball but I’d have thought long term getting on housing ladder sooner rather than later might best option (even if you only have an older car to put on YOUR drive).
You've wildly missed the mark...
We own a house... We were saving towards a house move. In the time I had saved approx £35k, house prices have gone up 35% and then just as we had come to terms with that, interest rates rose sharply! So we're sitting put, paying off our mortgage @ 1.6% (fixed for another 3 and a bit years) for now, rather than blowing my savings and a further £800 a month on the mortgage (would have only been another £300, but that's what interest rates have done to mortgage prices!)...
Both of us (at least when we're both working, which I am again from 3rd Jan) have a good salary, and can easily afford to put £500 a month each into savings once all is paid for, without having to be too careful. Ergo, in 2yrs time, we would have around £25k again towards a potential house move, hopefully when prices and interest rates have settled down again, and we would have paid off an additional £16k off our existing mortgage in that time. Of course, my GF could easily finance a car if she wanted, but the interest rates on car finance right now are terrible. I've done the sums, she'd be paying a minimum of £100 per month in interest over 3-4yrs for the privilege of buying a £20k car on finance right now. As you can appreciate, this would more than wipe out any running cost savings, and compound any depreciation losses! I have the cash right now, it's earning very little interest (it's actually losing value in real terms due to inflation vastly outpacing the banks interest rates), so it doesn't seem stupid (to me at least) to use the cash now whilst I have it and don't need it... I've already spent £10k of it on myself in the last 3 months as it is, I don't need any more toys myself!
There is the added sobriety that is my own mortality to add to my reasons too... I am back to work soon, but have been off for almost 3 months due to cancer. I have had an op to remove the lump, and am now into ongoing care, but I feel like I should be doing something directly to help my GF right now considering what she's done for me, and this is the best way I can think of... Provide her with reliable, economical and suitable transport for the next 7-8yrs or so, or at least until the govt has binned off the sale of i/c engined vehicles and a viable alternative (full electric isn't viable for a lot of consumers and never will be) such as hydrogen fuel cells are in full swing...
I certainly wouldn't advocate renting and blowing a house deposit on a car to anyone, don't worry... You've gotta start sometime, even if the interest rates are shit. Our first mortgage was 4.2% when base rate was 0.75%, but then we remortgaged after 2yrs at 1.6% and we are in real terms, now paying the bank less money back than we have borrowed... So it doesn't make sense to overpay it either... The only time having the extra cash would make sense is for a house move, that would necessitate an expensive top up mortgage @ 5.5% or so, hence minimising the impact of this potentially... So don't worry!
Why are you discounting diesel ? Had my Gtd estate almost 4 years now. Sailed every mot and had a set of front pads in almost 30k 🤷♂️
Stage one tune still get 50mpg with spirited driving !!
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So in short you need to be clairvoyant to own a car?
PMSL
It would certainly help... Especially given molgrips' tales of car ownership woe on this forum over the years!
I’ve got a 22 plate swace, and it’s boringly, comfortably excellent. CVT took a bit of getting used to, and don’t forget to use the braking mode going down a big hill as otherwise it can overrun a bit.
Excellent... Good to hear...
Toe only issue I have is that the basic model (£500 less up front on motability) only has a reverse camera rather than a beeper.
Yeah seems an odd spec choice. Think I'd spend the extra on the SZ5 version just for the parking sensors alone to be honest... Would be money well invested considering any reversing accidents on our driveway would result in damage to my car as well as hers!
Why are you discounting diesel ?
I give up!
Seriously...
Not only is diesel now 20% more expensive than petrol (£1.50 here for unleaded, £1.80 minimum for diesel) which means it would need to be 20% more economical to return the same fuel cost, but years and years and years of battling with ageing diesels (I've had plenty myself before my GF's BMW) doing mostly shorter journeys, DPF issues, EGR issues, clogged inlet manifolds, clouds of black smoke on startup (not just embarrassing but a health hazard with my bedroom window directly below where the car is parked!) and the expectation that at any point around the corner a massive bill is on the way... I think you need to be doing 20k+ miles per year and never doing short journeys for a diesel to make sense these days!
I give up!
Seriously…
Aye cause you buying petrol/electric will save what’s left of the planet 🤷♂️
@mboy understood!!! Sounds like you’ve had a time of it and here’s to an awesome 2023. Full disclosure we’re trying to pay down Our mortgage a bit but the plan a little derailed by a beautiful new Giant so who am I to give financial advice 🤣
Aye cause you buying petrol/electric will save what’s left of the planet
Diesel ain't gonna do it either, but that's beside the point... It's not what I asked, and at no point have I mentioned green credentials in this thread! But then clearly you haven't read most of what I posted, you just dwelled on the "no diesels" part and thought you'd interject...
We all know the greenest thing to do is to keep an old car running for as long as possible. But that's the point we had almost reached with her BMW at 15yrs old, and now it's time to re-start the cycle... Driving wise, most of the time I prefer a diesel, loads of torque, decent economy on a run etc... But they're out of date now, and until hybrid tech is commercially available at mainstream prices, we have to deal with what we have available to us.
@mboy understood!!! Sounds like you’ve had a time of it and here’s to an awesome 2023. Full disclosure we’re trying to pay down Our mortgage a bit but the plan a little derailed by a beautiful new Giant so who am I to give financial advice 🤣
Nice one cheers... As long as you've got a decent amount of time on your mortgage left, and you fixed it prior to the current rate rises, you'll never have such a good time to spend any spare cash... Beats borrowing it from a bank! Absolutely no point paying overpaying your mortgage right now, better off even just putting it in a low interest savings account. With inflation currently up over 10% in real world terms we're told, and my mortgage sitting at 1.6% when the BoE base rate is currently 3.5%, i'm currently sitting pretty! I did think about putting the £25k into the mortgage, but seems ludicrous to pay it off early when the money can do better elsewhere in the same time...
But they’re out of date now,
No I fully read your needs but please step away from the internet ffs !!
Every time I think all the mindless idiots that used to frequent this forum just to hijack other peoples threads to cause arguments have disappeared, there’s always somebody new to take their place it seems! 🤦🏻♂️
I don’t know why you feel the need to come into this thread, start an argument, then tell me to step away but that’s on your character, not mine…
Update...
Test drove the Swace... I was very impressed, my GF even more so!
The following day, we went to test drive the Seat Leon I'd found, which my GF said in isolation she'd have been impressed with, but given she'd just tested the Suzuki she was underwhelmed.
So we did the deal on the Suzuki... Couldn't pick it up for about 10 days due to other commitments, but have had it 5 days now, done a couple of journeys in it, and we're both very impressed so far! The only thing I will say is the economy isn't quite as good as a diesel on a motorway run (52ish compared to 55-60), but that's a small price to pay for hugely better economy everywhere else (60-70mpg around town and suburban runs!). Besides it's very rare that it will do many motorway miles, and petrol is 20% cheaper than diesel anyway.
Turns out my only sticking point about it, the colour, was a non starter too anyway... I thought it was a flat white initially, but it's a really lovely pearlescent white it turns out!
So we did the deal on the Suzuki…
Good choice. Will be one for my consideration in future since the engine is essentially the same with Toyota. 1.8 is fine.
Good choice, I’m 3 years in with the Corolla in the same colour as a company car & it’s been faultless, serviced when it needs it (watch out for no service indicator… yes really!), screenwash and 2 punctures.
Generally getting 46-50 mpg in winter, 50-55 in the summer.
The only thing I will say is the economy isn’t quite as good as a diesel on a motorway run (52ish compared to 55-60), but that’s a small price to pay for hugely better economy everywhere else (60-70mpg around town and suburban runs!). Besides it’s very rare that it will do many motorway miles, and petrol is 20% cheaper than diesel anyway.
This is an important point.
So many of us have been sucked into "yeah but diesel bazillion mpg's" - yet around the doors and anything less than a cruise at speed, they are not that big an advantage. I keep saying it, our Leon does the same mpg's on a run and way more around town that the outgoing diesel. Factor in cheaper fuel and cheaper maintenance, it makes a lot of sense.