The Car thread

[FoyleFox]

13 hours ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

Having lived for far too long with a car where the alarm went off randomly in the summer months, especially at night, with no way of deactivating it, guess what the brand new vehicle I'm now driving has started doing?

 

My neighbours are going to love me more than ever

If it's brand new I'd be straight back to the dealership. Don't attempt to fix anything yourself or touch anything. Straight back as it's faulty. 

[Bellend Sebastian]

30 minutes ago, FoyleFox said:

If it's brand new I'd be straight back to the dealership. Don't attempt to fix anything yourself or touch anything. Straight back as it's faulty. 

Even that's a pain in the arse though, isn't it? I'm cautiously optimistic that an arachnid is to blame. Alarm problems seem to be rare on this model, unlike on my last one which were hilariously commonplace

[oxford blue]

If this development can be scaled up, this is the breakthrough electric vehicles need:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jul/04/toyota-claims-battery-breakthrough-electric-cars

 

Hopefully the wheels won't drop off these cars! 

[Tommy G]

1 hour ago, oxford blue said:

If this development can be scaled up, this is the breakthrough electric vehicles need:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jul/04/toyota-claims-battery-breakthrough-electric-cars

 

Hopefully the wheels won't drop off these cars! 

On sticking point is you'd have to drive a Toyota

[Wycombe Fox]

I’m after some advise please.

 

My partner needs to buy a small used car.

 

Budget is £3000 - £3500; 90% of journeys will be under 10 miles; 4 seats; 3 or 5 door; preferably 2010 to 2013; max mileage 80k; low tax; petrol

 

So far she’s narrowed it down to either a Ford Ka or Fiat 500.

 

Does anyone have any experience of either of these please or any alternative?

 

Many thanks.

[Bellend Sebastian]

57 minutes ago, Wycombe Fox said:

I’m after some advise please.

 

My partner needs to buy a small used car.

 

Budget is £3000 - £3500; 90% of journeys will be under 10 miles; 4 seats; 3 or 5 door; preferably 2010 to 2013; max mileage 80k; low tax; petrol

 

So far she’s narrowed it down to either a Ford Ka or Fiat 500.

 

Does anyone have any experience of either of these please or any alternative?

 

Many thanks.

Despite Tommy's disparaging remarks about Toyota above, for reliability in my experience I'd go Japanese every time. Toyota Yaris and Honda Jazz may not be sexy but they're pretty much bullet proof and should be some relatively low mileage ones about. Not sure about prices, but my friend has been driving a '58 plate Jazz for ages with no problems, and I think my brother's 63 reg Yaris has had nothing done to it beyond routine servicing since he bought it new.

 

I know next to nothing about Fiat 500s beyond reading something ages ago about them not being nearly as fuel efficient as you'd think for such a small car

 

 

[The Bear]

My mum has a Ford Ka and it's shite. I mean it's reliable and the inside is fine, but the suspension is so soft it's like driving a bouncy castle. And there is bugger all power in them. Plus they don't look very good IMO. 

 

Personally I'd go for the Fiat, but she really needs to drive both and see which one she prefers. No good buying one blind then have her saying she doesn't like it. 

[FoxesDeb]

3 hours ago, Wycombe Fox said:

I’m after some advise please.

 

My partner needs to buy a small used car.

 

Budget is £3000 - £3500; 90% of journeys will be under 10 miles; 4 seats; 3 or 5 door; preferably 2010 to 2013; max mileage 80k; low tax; petrol

 

So far she’s narrowed it down to either a Ford Ka or Fiat 500.

 

Does anyone have any experience of either of these please or any alternative?

 

Many thanks.

If I was in the market for a small car I would buy an Alfa Romeo Mito. But then I absolutely love Alfas 

[FoyleFox]

20 minutes ago, FoxesDeb said:

If I was in the market for a small car I would buy an Alfa Romeo Mito. But then I absolutely love Alfas 

Do they actually work these days? Alfa have always made a nice looking car but they were horribly unreliable. My mate had one and 90% of the time it was off the road. 

[FoxesDeb]

3 minutes ago, FoyleFox said:

Do they actually work these days? Alfa have always made a nice looking car but they were horribly unreliable. My mate had one and 90% of the time it was off the road. 

Yes they're completely different now, part of the Fiat Chrysler group.

[The Bear]

Alfas are nice looking, but I'm also of that age where I don't trust them! 

[tom27111]

I'd steer clear of a Mito to be honest.

 

Alfa are now amongst the most reliable manufacturers, in the last few years they merged into the Stellantis group, which owns so many manufacturers...Peugeot, Jeep,Vauxhall, Citroën, DS...

 

But the Mito was before this.

 

@Wycombe Fox definitely go for a petrol engine doing short runs.

 

Just some ideas:

 

Toyota Aygo

Renault Clio

Seat Ibiza

Seat Mii

 

On the cars you suggested, I don't have much experience with the Ka, but I used to work for a Fiat dealer.

 

The 500's are a cool little car. If you aren't bothered about boot space, then you can't really go wrong.

 

As long as you buy one with a service history and maintain that, it should be all good. If anything does go wrong, parts will be plentiful and fairly cheap.

 

Also a car with a bit of character, which is a rarity nowadays. 

 

Edit...and your road tax should be around 20 quid a year on a small engine petrol car around that age.

Edited 7 July 2023 by tom27111

[Red Squirrel]

5 hours ago, Wycombe Fox said:

I’m after some advise please.

 

My partner needs to buy a small used car.

 

Budget is £3000 - £3500; 90% of journeys will be under 10 miles; 4 seats; 3 or 5 door; preferably 2010 to 2013; max mileage 80k; low tax; petrol

 

So far she’s narrowed it down to either a Ford Ka or Fiat 500.

 

Does anyone have any experience of either of these please or any alternative?

 

Many thanks.

We've had a DS3, family owned since new. Totally reliable, Its a diesel and zero road tax. Cheap to service, Good looking, nippy and economical, leather seats, nicely appointed interior.

I'd recommend these to anyone based on my experience. Petrol versions as well of course.

 

 

[The Bear]

2 hours ago, Red Squirrel said:

We've had a DS3, family owned since new. Totally reliable, Its a diesel and zero road tax. Cheap to service, Good looking, nippy and economical, leather seats, nicely appointed interior.

I'd recommend these to anyone based on my experience. Petrol versions as well of course.

 

 

I looked at DS3s before I got my Audi. Nice cars. 

[tom27111]

33 minutes ago, The Bear said:

I looked at DS3s before I got my Audi. Nice cars. 

Yeah, decent motors. A premium Citroën really. I think they started life out under the Citroën badge, much like Cupra was a line made by Seat, before going it alone.

 

Definitely a good option. My mate had a DS3 and loved it.

 

Looking at cars of the age and budget @Wycombe Fox is after, a DS would be a good option.

 

So would anything in the VAG (Volkswagen Audi Group, not a euphemism ) A small VW (polo or Up), Skoda (Fabia) or Seat (Mii or Ibiza) would tick all the boxes in reliability. 

[tom27111]

Hyundai i10 and i20 worth a look too

[Wycombe Fox]

Many thanks for the replies everyone - much appreciated.

 

Looks like we've got a busy weekend ahead of us.

 

I'll let you know what my partner decides.

 

Thanks again!

[HEGGSY]

I've got a 2012 BMW 1 series, I'm hoping someone will know before I fork out a small fortune, but basically my clutch pedal has been vibrating like a bastard for a few weeks, then today I started it up and the clutch just stayed on the floor. No pressure in it, can move it up and and down with my hand, it's slack, push it down it just stays on the floor.

 

So I've done my bit of Googling, because when the clutch pedal was vibrating, was told it probably neeeded a new clutch and Flywheel, at the cost of about a grand. 
 

Now I've read something about the brake/clutch fluid, can cause these issues, so I've checked it and it's completely ****ing empty?!?! Don't ask me how.

 

so my question is, if it's been empty for a while, have I caused expensive damage to my clutch or is it just a case of topping the fluid back up?

 

Cheers all.

[fox_favourite]

So. My PCP is coming to an end soon, and I was thinking of my next car. Anyone with experience of EV's I'd be interested in your views. Is it worth it? Is cost saving per month? Insurance more expensive? Charging v combustion engine? How practical are they for when you take long trips? Eg go to Norfolk on holiday and charging etc...is it a pain in the rear?

 

I've got a diesel at the mo, so looking at options. pHEV, HEV and EV is kinda what I'm looking at. More swinging to PHEV as it the best of both? 

 

Not worried by brand, just the experience of an EV.

Edited 9 July 2023 by fox_favourite

[The Bear]

If you do lots of short journeys and also go on regular long trips, then hybrid is your best bet currently. 

[FoyleFox]

18 hours ago, fox_favourite said:

So. My PCP is coming to an end soon, and I was thinking of my next car. Anyone with experience of EV's I'd be interested in your views. Is it worth it? Is cost saving per month? Insurance more expensive? Charging v combustion engine? How practical are they for when you take long trips? Eg go to Norfolk on holiday and charging etc...is it a pain in the rear?

 

I've got a diesel at the mo, so looking at options. pHEV, HEV and EV is kinda what I'm looking at. More swinging to PHEV as it the best of both? 

 

Not worried by brand, just the experience of an EV.

I'm just investigating the costs as considering the car to be an EV. The servicing and charging costs v petrol should be lower but looked at insurance, and it's double what I pay now for the car I'm looking at.

 

If you're doing a long trip you need to be more aware of your limits/range, but I'm of the opinion that as I'd only do 100 or so miles without a break, stopping to top up wouldn't be that onerous. There is an app which is very good for charging point info - zapmap. I think you'd soon get used to planning and if you're doing a certain route regular, just factor it in.

[Bellend Sebastian]

19 hours ago, fox_favourite said:

So. My PCP is coming to an end soon, and I was thinking of my next car. Anyone with experience of EV's I'd be interested in your views. Is it worth it? Is cost saving per month? Insurance more expensive? Charging v combustion engine? How practical are they for when you take long trips? Eg go to Norfolk on holiday and charging etc...is it a pain in the rear?

 

I've got a diesel at the mo, so looking at options. pHEV, HEV and EV is kinda what I'm looking at. More swinging to PHEV as it the best of both? 

 

Not worried by brand, just the experience of an EV.

I'd have gone for a plug in hybrid given the choice, but as mine's a company car it didn't work for either me or the firm from a tax point of view so it was full EV or nothing.

 

I haven't gone on a long run in it yet, but I've done a bit of motorway driving and the main thing I've learned so far is that the predicted range, in the summer months at least, is pretty accurate, and I should be able to get close to 300 miles of motorway driving without being particularly conservative speed wise.

 

Realistically, how often am I going to go on a round trip, let alone a one way journey when I'm going to do more than that? Not often.

 

The sense I get from more experienced EV users is that it's good to get in the habit of doing partial recharges when you get the chance, rather than banking on doing a big or full recharge at a certain point on your journey. If your car has got the tech and you can find a fast charger you can add quite a lot of range in the time it takes to go to the loo and have a bite to eat, but I'm not sure how common these are.

 

I know someone that's got a very old Nissan Leaf and that will now only go about 60 miles on a full charge, I cannot imagine that's much fun

 

 

[Tommy G]

On 07/07/2023 at 14:16, Bellend Sebastian said:

Despite Tommy's disparaging remarks about Toyota above, for reliability in my experience I'd go Japanese every time. Toyota Yaris and Honda Jazz may not be sexy but they're pretty much bullet proof and should be some relatively low mileage ones about. Not sure about prices, but my friend has been driving a '58 plate Jazz for ages with no problems, and I think my brother's 63 reg Yaris has had nothing done to it beyond routine servicing since he bought it new.

 

I know next to nothing about Fiat 500s beyond reading something ages ago about them not being nearly as fuel efficient as you'd think for such a small car

 

 

I agree it was just tongue in cheek, very reliable cars.

[Tommy G]

23 hours ago, fox_favourite said:

So. My PCP is coming to an end soon, and I was thinking of my next car. Anyone with experience of EV's I'd be interested in your views. Is it worth it? Is cost saving per month? Insurance more expensive? Charging v combustion engine? How practical are they for when you take long trips? Eg go to Norfolk on holiday and charging etc...is it a pain in the rear?

 

I've got a diesel at the mo, so looking at options. pHEV, HEV and EV is kinda what I'm looking at. More swinging to PHEV as it the best of both? 

 

Not worried by brand, just the experience of an EV.

Transition to EV was easy for me, but the charging point is at the office 10 mins away which is where I charge it 95% of the time as FOC. My range is 200 miles, I very rarely drive 200 miles in one go, so I've never had range anxiety as such, there are good apps separatey and built into the car to show you where charging stations are. Cost wise they are expensive to buy, mine is a company car so the tax is really favourable. Insurance is about £1,200 a year and restricted to over 30s, but again this is company paid for. 

 

I'd take the leap but it will be all down to your budget and appetite to change.  

[tom27111]

On 09/07/2023 at 17:17, fox_favourite said:

So. My PCP is coming to an end soon, and I was thinking of my next car. Anyone with experience of EV's I'd be interested in your views. Is it worth it? Is cost saving per month? Insurance more expensive? Charging v combustion engine? How practical are they for when you take long trips? Eg go to Norfolk on holiday and charging etc...is it a pain in the rear?

 

I've got a diesel at the mo, so looking at options. pHEV, HEV and EV is kinda what I'm looking at. More swinging to PHEV as it the best of both? 

 

Not worried by brand, just the experience of an EV.

 

What are your typical journeys like?

 

If you regularly drive distances of over 50 miles, I wouldn't go near a hybrid. Fuel consumption is horrendous. 

 

I've never owned an EV, so can't comment on insurance, but servicing is basically "is the battery still there?" Even some manufacturers I've worked for wouldn't sell service plans as they didn't really know what a service would consist of.

 

I've done a couple of long journeys in EV's and charging is easy. Typically, you'll get to 80% charge in around half an hour, but it isn't cheap on motorway service stations, much like everything else!

 

I think the AA or RAC have come out lately and said charging costs you roughly the same as fuel now anyway.

 

Plus EV's won't be tax exempt soon, can't remember the exact date.

 

The government grants have now stopped as a deposit contribution too. Originally they were 5k! They gradually came down and have now completely stopped. Same with the grant for a home charger, although I believe there's some kind of loophole if you rent your home, rather than owning it.

 

With current car prices, I'd imagine you'll be in a good position regarding your current PCP, hopefully plenty of equity there.

 

@Milo might be able to offer some advice, he's just gone to an EV.