Next car options/suggestions

CasualBagger

noclaf said:

CasualBagger said:

noclaf said:

Mazda 3/I30/Ceed/Civic/Jazz are all on my radar. One of the other challenges when it comes to auto petrols and especially auto combined with n/a petrol is that the performance really drops off a cliff, granted I am not looking for a performance car but would be nice to have a bit of go when you need it. This seems to be where the VAG group cars with DSG tend to excel with decent performance figures over the Jap/Korean cars.
I tend to nitpick and overthink potential issues with cars so need to probably just accept that there is an element of luck along with the standard maintenance required for cars rather than worry about what could go wrong!
Any thoughts on using a main dealer Vs a car supermarket or is it all much the same give or take and assuming you get the spec you want and do all the due diligence and checks etc?
Car giant, Car supermarket, Arnold Clark..and the rest..any that would be recommended and any that I should stay well away from?

I'd say don't trust the performance "figures" - test drive a lot of cars and get a feel for them yourself. I think we recently learned from the VAG and Daimler diesel emissions scandals that figures can sometimes be false.

I think it is exactly as you have said - it doesn't really matter who you buy from. Get someone independent with good car knowledge to check over any car - looking at brakes, suspension, tyres, engine, etc. Personally, I don't trust anyone - especially not Arnold Clark, who are the shadiest of them all. That being said, they are who I bought my last car from in full confidence it was a good deal. 

Whilst the market has changed given the pent up demand for cars after easing of lockdown and shortage of some models driving prices up, did Arnold Clark give much leeway for negotiating the price down or throwing in extras when you purchased you car?

It wasn't during lockdown, it was a few years ago now. They did not negotiate - but it was a unique situation in that case. It was September, there was an oversupply of cars, and the dealership I bought it from was about to be closed up and liquidated. The price was already very low.

noclaf

cymruchris said:

Definitely avoid the Volvo - they don't make them like they used to. I had an S40 that was a bundle of trouble, and cost an arm and a leg to keep on the road. I'd be looking at the likes of Honda/Toyota/Mazda for the type of car you're looking for.

I always thought the older S40/V50 models were the reliable ones!! I do like the V40, plush interior and not too big but conversely the boot space isn't great, they are rare in petrol auto versions(relatively speaking Vs golfs and A3's) and quite pricey possibly due to the scarcity.

Grumpy_chap

noclaf said:

Grumpy_chap said:

You could do far worse than another Focus.  The estate has good boot size

Ah so I should of mentioned one other requirement....we will be chopping in wife's car as a p/X (likely IL sell my focus privately as doubt a main dealer will give me much), wife cannot drive anything bigger than a hatchback...hence no estates unfortunately but good suggestion. I like the Mazda 6 estates but alas, the boss says no

The  Skoda Octavia probably has the most generous interior and boot space of "Focus" sized cars.

I have also recently seen good offers on the Honda Civic, as a new shape just came out so deals on the old shape. The deals I saw may be out of your budget indicated in your OP.

noclaf

CasualBagger said:

noclaf said:

CasualBagger said:

noclaf said:

Mazda 3/I30/Ceed/Civic/Jazz are all on my radar. One of the other challenges when it comes to auto petrols and especially auto combined with n/a petrol is that the performance really drops off a cliff, granted I am not looking for a performance car but would be nice to have a bit of go when you need it. This seems to be where the VAG group cars with DSG tend to excel with decent performance figures over the Jap/Korean cars.
I tend to nitpick and overthink potential issues with cars so need to probably just accept that there is an element of luck along with the standard maintenance required for cars rather than worry about what could go wrong!
Any thoughts on using a main dealer Vs a car supermarket or is it all much the same give or take and assuming you get the spec you want and do all the due diligence and checks etc?
Car giant, Car supermarket, Arnold Clark..and the rest..any that would be recommended and any that I should stay well away from?

I'd say don't trust the performance "figures" - test drive a lot of cars and get a feel for them yourself. I think we recently learned from the VAG and Daimler diesel emissions scandals that figures can sometimes be false.

I think it is exactly as you have said - it doesn't really matter who you buy from. Get someone independent with good car knowledge to check over any car - looking at brakes, suspension, tyres, engine, etc. Personally, I don't trust anyone - especially not Arnold Clark, who are the shadiest of them all. That being said, they are who I bought my last car from in full confidence it was a good deal. 

Whilst the market has changed given the pent up demand for cars after easing of lockdown and shortage of some models driving prices up, did Arnold Clark give much leeway for negotiating the price down or throwing in extras when you purchased you car?

It wasn't during lockdown, it was a few years ago now. They did not negotiate - but it was a unique situation in that case. It was September, there was an oversupply of cars, and the dealership I bought it from was about to be closed up and liquidated. The price was already very low.

I will be buying next month funny enough but I guess there is an element of luck about getting a good deal and any potential negotiation on price. I think the current market doesn't bode well for getting a good deal, possibly end of year or next year maybe.

noclaf

DrEskimo said:

In predictable fashion...i'm going to suggest an EV! Can you accommodate charging one at home?

The way they drive and the fact they have no gearbox makes them great around town. Honestly better than any auto I've ever driven, largely as it doesn't have one! Relative to other small engine automatic hatchbacks, the likes of the Zoe and Leaf will provide a much superior drive.

For your budget you are looking at second-hand 30kWh Leafs, or if you could stretch to £15k, you could get a similar used 41kWh Zoe to mine (without the battery lease). The former will give you about 80-100miles, whilst the latter will do 130-150miles. Depending on your driving pattern and charging availability, this may or may not work.

The fact you are in and around London may be advantageous too? I think for the next year they do not incur CC charges (still £10 per year to register though).

Eventually will have to go ev...that I accept but £15k is stretching it...£12k was likely my absolute max but the less the better! Also not sure I could accomadate an ev right now in terms of the charging etc Hybrid is another option.

cymruchris

noclaf said:

cymruchris said:

Definitely avoid the Volvo - they don't make them like they used to. I had an S40 that was a bundle of trouble, and cost an arm and a leg to keep on the road. I'd be looking at the likes of Honda/Toyota/Mazda for the type of car you're looking for.

I always thought the older S40/V50 models were the reliable ones!! I do like the V40, plush interior and not too big but conversely the boot space isn't great, they are rare in petrol auto versions(relatively speaking Vs golfs and A3's) and quite pricey possibly due to the scarcity.

Mine was a petrol auto. It had a full dealer history - was on about 50,000 miles and the gearbox began clunking between changes. The suspension wore out prematurely, and had to have all four corners replaced. The engine leaked oil like it was going out of fashion. It had plenty of consumables changed that you'd expect - pads/discs/tyres - I never complain at spending money on those. It looked nice, it was comfortable, it had all the mod-cons, but it was a PITA to keep on the road. I sold it for a considerable loss. (Not just the depreciation) I should point out that it wasn't in the UK, so the dealer support and legal framework to get things claimed for or done under warranty were much more limited. I bought it with the thought that it would be a Swedish workhorse, and it turned out to be a chocolate teapot.

DrEskimo

noclaf said:

DrEskimo said:

In predictable fashion...i'm going to suggest an EV! Can you accommodate charging one at home?

The way they drive and the fact they have no gearbox makes them great around town. Honestly better than any auto I've ever driven, largely as it doesn't have one! Relative to other small engine automatic hatchbacks, the likes of the Zoe and Leaf will provide a much superior drive.

For your budget you are looking at second-hand 30kWh Leafs, or if you could stretch to £15k, you could get a similar used 41kWh Zoe to mine (without the battery lease). The former will give you about 80-100miles, whilst the latter will do 130-150miles. Depending on your driving pattern and charging availability, this may or may not work.

The fact you are in and around London may be advantageous too? I think for the next year they do not incur CC charges (still £10 per year to register though).

Eventually will have to go ev...that I accept but £15k is stretching it...£12k was likely my absolute max but the less the better! Also not sure I could accomadate an ev right now in terms of the charging etc Hybrid is another option.

You're looking at Zoe's with the battery lease if you want 150miles for around £10k, or you could get an older 22kWh Zoe with the battery for the same price, but will only do around 80miles. Leaf is similar.

If you can't charge reliably then that rules them out really. I don't have home charging but have managed due to having charger at my parents and having chargers at my office (not that I go there anymore!). Most of the time I just need a couple of hours at my parents on the weekend though when I visit the family. I can happily go a couple of weeks without a charge, which is what the bigger battery affords.

Wouldn't bother with hybrids. Not likely to get much gain in MPG on a standard hybrid, and you would need to charge very regularly with a plug-in hybrid as they typically only do around 20miles. Otherwise you are just dragging around a heavy battery for no reason...