I need your opinion

Apjs87

Is now a good time to purchase an electric vehicle?

I've been thinking of purchasing an EV for a while now and don't know whether I should wait. I currently own a 2013 VW Golf GTD (diesel), it's all paid for but I barely do 5000 miles a year and owning it feels like a waste. My work journey takes around 8 minutes and the car isn't even warm when I get there. I do the odd 50 mile round journey every now and then. It was purchased as the tax is £20 a year and the economy is brilliant however I know these short journeys aren't good.

I have my eye on a VW iD3 and have been in touch with a dealer near me to enquire. The current deal is 9k part ex for my car, they have 9k off stock cars only but the thing I see as a downside is a purchase on PCP and a 5.4% APR. Is that a good rate for PCP? Can this be negotiated? I begrudge paying interest on anything but the pluses are high due to no fuel costs, zero tax and the other benefits of a new vehicle. The dealer have mentioned that in the new year prices will rise greatly due to brexit etc and highlight that now is the time to buy. A sales tactic indeed but I feel this is the truth.

What would you do? Any advice?

TimSynths

Keep what you have until it wont go any further then look to replace, anything else is just p1ssing money down the drain.

daveyjp

VW spent billions on the ID3, but they still must have forgotten it needed a screen for satnav etc so stuck one on the dash and then they decided swapping the wipers for RHD was a step too far, so you get LHD set up.  Sounds minor, but having had a vehicle with that set up the wipers don't clear the screen properly.

This is worth a watch.  https://youtu.be/4dOEsSVEawc

Supersonos

Apjs87 said:I currently own a 2013 VW Golf GTD,

I'm guessing the GTD is a diesel?  Awful choice for an 8 min journey and only 5k miles per year.  

For so few miles per year, the last thing I'd do is spend that much on a car, and electric cars are more expensive than an equivalent petrol/diesel version.  Why are you considering an electric car anyway?

If it were me, I'd buy a small petrol car.  Probably something like a Mini as they hold their value very well.

Apjs87

Supersonos said:

Apjs87 said:I currently own a 2013 VW Golf GTD,

I'm guessing the GTD is a diesel?  Awful choice for an 8 min journey and only 5k miles per year.  

For so few miles per year, the last thing I'd do is spend that much on a car, and electric cars are more expensive than an equivalent petrol/diesel version.  Why are you considering an electric car anyway?

If it were me, I'd buy a small petrol car.  Probably something like a Mini as they hold their value very well.

Absolutely correct. At the time of buying I was doing more mileage, still not enough to warrant a diesel though. As a bit of a tight git, the running costs were attractive.

Looking at an EV as I like the idea of the low running costs again, good for environment and I need something on the larger size as starting a family.

I have thought of petrol but the rising yearly tax costs put me off big time.

Apjs87

TimSynths said:

Keep what you have until it wont go any further then look to replace, anything else is just p1ssing money down the drain.

Fair point well made!

Supersonos

Apjs87 said:

Supersonos said:

Apjs87 said:I currently own a 2013 VW Golf GTD,

I'm guessing the GTD is a diesel?  Awful choice for an 8 min journey and only 5k miles per year.  

For so few miles per year, the last thing I'd do is spend that much on a car, and electric cars are more expensive than an equivalent petrol/diesel version.  Why are you considering an electric car anyway?

If it were me, I'd buy a small petrol car.  Probably something like a Mini as they hold their value very well.

Absolutely correct. At the time of buying I was doing more mileage, still not enough to warrant a diesel though. As a bit of a tight git, the running costs were attractive.

Looking at an EV as I like the idea of the low running costs again, good for environment and I need something on the larger size as starting a family.

I have thought of petrol but the rising yearly tax costs put me off big time.

Electric cars are definitely not good for the environment.  There's an argument that, after a number of miles, they become less bad than a ICE car.

Having a whole new car built and shipped to you from Germany is going to greatly outweigh any benefits of it not burning fossil fuels for the 5k miles each year - and that's assuming you'd also sign-up to a more expensive green electricity provider.  Not to mention the mining of the metals for the batteries.

The small increases in tax for a second hand petrol car will be nothing compared to the cost of a new ID3, the depreciation, the need to install a charger etc.

Mickey666

TimSynths said:

Keep what you have until it wont go any further then look to replace, anything else is just p1ssing money down the drain.

That would my approach.  In fact it IS my approach.

A diesel is certainly not ideal for an 8 mile daily commute, but you have to start from where you are not where you'd like to be.  Besides, it's not really a problem for the engine if you can regularly give it a good run.  Just go for a 30-40 minute drive at the weekend, preferably on a motorway and it'll be fine.  Could be considered a waste of fuel but will be a lot cheaper than buying a whole new car!

EVs are certainly looking inevitable but I'm happy to let others rush into them first to really iron out the inevitable glitches in any new tech as well as waiting for a more widespread charging network.  My diesel car has only done about 6k in this covid year but I'm not about to rush into an EV as a result.  I expect to get another 5 years from my car, by which time I'm sure the EV landscape will be very different.

Apjs87

Mickey666 said:

TimSynths said:

Keep what you have until it wont go any further then look to replace, anything else is just p1ssing money down the drain.

That would my approach.  In fact it IS my approach.

A diesel is certainly not ideal for an 8 mile daily commute, but you have to start from where you are not where you'd like to be.  Besides, it's not really a problem for the engine if you can regularly give it a good run.  Just go for a 30-40 minute drive at the weekend, preferably on a motorway and it'll be fine.  Could be considered a waste of fuel but will be a lot cheaper than buying a whole new car!

EVs are certainly looking inevitable but I'm happy to let others rush into them first to really iron out the inevitable glitches in any new tech as well as waiting for a more widespread charging network.  My diesel car has only done about 6k in this covid year but I'm not about to rush into an EV as a result.  I expect to get another 5 years from my car, by which time I'm sure the EV landscape will be very different.

Another brilliant take on it. Thanks you all for the great responses! 

I'll take a look at EV's in a few years and save myself another debt!

mark1959

I'd walk/cycle to work if it's only a few miles away.

Norman_Castle

In my opinion you should put some thought and effort into your thread titles.