Considering a new car

Gers

I own a Vauxhall Meriva 2011 plate 1.7CDTI SE which has been great for trekking up and down the M1 between Newcastle and Loughborough when I was working full time. I love the speed, the torque, the panoramic glass roof and the feel, I really enjoy this car. VED is £130.00 per year.

Alas, now has come the time to change - we've moved back north, no longer working :j and only a twice a month trip down to Glasgow to keep the engine performing well. The trips into the 'town' eight miles away are not a good use of a diesel car. Think it's time to move away from diesel and get a less 'powerful' car.

I've spent a long time this morning looking at various options - Ford C-Max, less powerful Merivas etc and have been intrigued by the new Citroen C4 CACTUS Hatchback 1.2 PureTech [110] Flair 5dr.

If anyone already has this car I'd be grateful for an honest opinion / review of it. Online reviews are all well, however I'd really appreciate one from a user.

Thanks.

forgotmyname

Something less powerful than the Meriva? A pushbike?

wba31

These pages any use?

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/citroen/c4-cactus-2014/

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/new-cars/2015-05/most-popular-small-family-car-title-awarded-to-the-citroen-c4-cactus-at-2015-honest-john-awards/

Gers

forgotmyname wrote: »

Something less powerful than the Meriva? A pushbike?

Don't get that! My car is extremely powerful, older Merivas perhaps weren't that good but this model is a cracker.

Gers

wba31 wrote: »

These pages any use?

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/citroen/c4-cactus-2014/

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/new-cars/2015-05/most-popular-small-family-car-title-awarded-to-the-citroen-c4-cactus-at-2015-honest-john-awards/

Thanks for those. Still would really appreciate a 'live' user.

I realise it's a weird car and perhaps not yet widely used. My nearest dealer is about 90 miles away (most main dealers are) so I wanted some views before trekking down to Glasgow

Amy.B_3

I personally think it's actually really good to drive, like REALLY good!

It’s got lots of cool things on the inside, but all the controls are operated via the touchscreen which i find a bit tricky to use to be honest.

We got around 74.3mpg when we had the car in. So if you want something that’s good to drive and cheap to run then go for it!

Gers

Amy.B wrote: »

I personally think it's actually really good to drive, like REALLY good!

It’s got lots of cool things on the inside, but all the controls are operated via the touchscreen which i find a bit tricky to use to be honest.

We got around 74.3mpg when we had the car in. So if you want something that’s good to drive and cheap to run then go for it!

Thanks for that - really appreciate it.

We decided against it in the end, for many reasons. Now found an excellent bargain of a March '15 car of the same make / model as the current one but with many extras on and 352 miles done. No, sorry, it's not a 1.7CDTi but the new 1.6CDTi which brings VED down to £30.00 pa. :j

DominicH

I don't see why you have any reason to replace your current car, especially considering that you like it. Short trips, or, to be more accurate, cold starts, may not be optimal for a diesel, but it doesn't mean that the engine is going to conk out immediately if you never take it on to a motorway. If you're worried about the DPF and so forth, just take it on a quick 70mph blast once a week or so. That would seem a lot cheaper than replacing the entire car.

AdrianC

Gers wrote: »

and only a twice a month trip down to Glasgow

And that's a 180 mile round trip...?

Stop worrying!

Gers

DominicH wrote: »

I don't see why you have any reason to replace your current car, especially considering that you like it. Short trips, or, to be more accurate, cold starts, may not be optimal for a diesel, but it doesn't mean that the engine is going to conk out immediately if you never take it on to a motorway. If you're worried about the DPF and so forth, just take it on a quick 70mph blast once a week or so. That would seem a lot cheaper than replacing the entire car.

I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

Despite the current vehicle only being four years old I've done 87,000 miles. I know it's like a tank and could roll on for ever, however I will feel happier 'starting again'.

The diesel thing worried me for a while, especially as I read that the UK is not self sufficient in diesel production, however the chance of this bargain is too good to overlook.

Roads here are 60mph but a dual carriageway is the last leg to Glasgow so I am glad that you said about the once a week drive Adrian C. Thanks.

:j

AdrianC

Gers wrote: »

The diesel thing worried me for a while, especially as I read that the UK is not self sufficient in diesel production

Petrol and diesel both come from the same crude oil.