The car purchase decision. In the worst case scenario, you need one thing, you want another and can only afford something you neither want or need. At the other end of the financial scale you can afford most things, you want certain things but you still need something you don't want !
I need a large tax and fuel efficient diesel loadlugger, I want an expensive petrol coupe.
I drive a small / medium sized not-very-tax-efficient SUV.
Now there are reasons for that but it started me thinking about whether others here are driving the cars they need or the ones they want or just compromising somewhere?
Have some of you found your automotive Shangri-La?
|
ive just downsized to a small car seeing as my last large one never got used
i still run a transit though for everyday lugging and frightening small birds
and big boys
|
I have the C5 because I saw it at the motorshow and liked it, but in reality its bigger than I need as its almost always only got me in it.
If I had more money then I would probably have got a higher spec / bigger engined C5, but in reality if money was no limit then the C5 would not have featured on my want list!
|
I kind of think I have achieved the sum of want need and compromise.
On the verge of retiring, I had a sum of money I knew I could spend (5.5k). The Lancer was the newest, lowest mileage, right sized and configured vehicle I could get.
It is *just* satisfying enough to drive, Its *just* comfortable enough not to make a drive a burden, its *just* good looking enough not to be embarrassing, its *just* big enough for dog/family/rubbish to tip, its *just* cheap enough to run, it *just* has the right toys.
In short, it excels at nothing, but does not annoy or disappoint in any area. I never look outside and tut, or ever think, "Oh gawd I have to do 150 miles in the lancer today".
I lie, it excels in one area. Its a joy to self service, and I think will be as reliable as you can get.
|
I can just about remember reading an article decades ago written by a representative of the AA (or RAC maybe) in which the author argued fairly convincingly that for an average mileage / usage motorist it was more or less the same cost to run a ten year old top spec Jag as it was to run a then new Mini. His theory being that if one had a positive attitude to risk it was possible to have cake and eat it.
Of course there may have been and indeed still may be a grain of truth in that.
On a scale of 1-10, 1 being heart and 10 being head, I wonder where you would put your last car purchase decision?
|
>> On a scale of 1-10, 1 being heart and 10 being head, I wonder where
>> you would put your last car purchase decision?
10.
Its the most sensible, boring thing I have done in 55 years. Funnily enough I am ashamed to say I am quite happy about it.
|
>> >> On a scale of 1-10, 1 being heart and 10 being head, I wonder
>> where
>> >> you would put your last car purchase decision?
>>
5, because I wanted a sublime straight six, but I knew the maintenance would be containable.
Next time I will probably gravitate torwards the higher numbers :)
|
>> I can just about remember reading an article decades ago written by a representative of
>> the AA (or RAC maybe) in which the author argued fairly convincingly that for an
>> average mileage / usage motorist it was more or less the same cost to run
>> a ten year old top spec Jag as it was to run a then new
>> Mini. His theory being that if one had a positive attitude to risk it was
>> possible to have cake and eat it.
>>
Sounds possible to me, as a bangernomics driver I'll always take the risk of possible bills on an old luxobarge rather than the certainty of depreciation on a new eurobox.
|
I have the car I have always wanted. Luckily it is also a fairly practical hatchback apart from the fuel economy or lack therein.
Just get a trailer for the petrol coupe!
|
>> Have some of you found your automotive Shangri-La?
Well, almost, but the fly in the ointment is the price of fuel! I've been looking at changing for something more economical like a Focus, Golf but my budget of £4000 isn't enough to get anything decent unless you're lucky. And apart from the fact I would like a change, there is nothing wrong with my current car, everything works, it goes and handles like stink. And a small estate is perfect for me. I did try an old shape (hatchback) Accord (no more economical) but despite it being a good car, it was nothing like as nice as mine - I couldn't believe the road noise at the back, and the dealer offered a paltry £350 for mine (didn't look at it, it was parked way up the road). It's worth more to me than that. So I'll continue saving up and raise the budget. I'm not going down the personal loan route - done that and hated every month of it.
As others have said on here, the cheapest car to run is the one on your drive.
As for wants and needs I suppose a diesel estate for the mundane stuff and something like a Lotus Exige for weekend fun. But there are so many car's I'd like to drive - there's too much choice!
|
"Have some of you found your automotive Shangri-La?"
I reckon I've come quite close.
I've got the pimpmobile that I wanted which is the ideal family car that I need. I paid considerably less for it than Rattle paid for his Panda and it uses £30 of LPG a month. It is less to insure annually than I spend on lap dancers and has something to keep the wife/kids happy (fridge/tv). The sound system is outstanding.
But I had to compromise on luggage space vs spare wheel or LPG tank and it had to be six years old to come in on budget. Cruise control leaves a lot to be desired.
And unfortunately, it isn't a Jaguar XJ.
|
|
I heard about you when I went to Spearmint Rhino. Tight Dave you were called.
|
|
I have a Royal Box at Spearmint Rhino.
|
For me the big compromise was equipment, I really wish I had bought the Dynamic spec as that had a remote fob and aircon etc. However the insurance is so cheap on the Panda compared with other cars such as a Focus it costs me a hell of a lot less to run than pretty much any other £6k car.
I could have got a banger but again the insurance is actually more but only slightly.
For me I just wanted a new car I knew the history of more than anything else, because I just didn't have the heart to buy another used one, I have had so much bad luck with cars, in fact the last used car nearly ended up with me having a nervious breakdown.
Driving it round the city though nothing is comprimised it really is perfect for what I need, I wish the boot was a bit bigger and I wish it was a higher spec version. The real compromise though is I can no longer afford to keep going down to London or have trips to Cornwall because the car costs so much, I am much happier though not having to get strsssed about car faults although the Corsa went wrong so much I couldn't afford it then either!
Some people are just suited to the less hassle of newer cars, others are suited to bangers. My dad for example gets nervious driving new cars (he has never driven mine) so always prefers older cars.
My next car will be another unpowered car but with more equipment.
If insurance wasn't such a big issue then I may have bought something more powerful which was a couple of years old if it had a decent warranty. My requirements meant a small car is much more suited to me, and they keep their value too well to mean that nearly new small cars are not good value for money.
|
>> >> On a scale of 1-10, 1 being heart and 10 being head, I wonder
>> where
>> >> you would put your last car purchase decision
Guess I would give the C5 a staright down the middle 5 - does 50+MPG, cheap to run in other areas and fairly pleasing on the eye. Nice spec to.
To be fair though I have had a few other cars that would score closer to 1
|
Is it even possible to get everything you want in one car?
I want to add a smallish jeep to the fleet this year and a 2 seater sports next year. Then, I think I'm covered.
Edit: and get rid of the wee golf :-)
Last edited by: Skoda on Wed 9 Feb 11 at 22:55
|
We were very happy with the 2000 Scenic 1.6 Auto, but it wasn't just man enough to handle the 17ft Elddis caravan we bought.
So, it was a cheap towcar for me and a newer auto for her. I ended up with the LWB Vitara TD auto and she with a sensodrive C3 which we both hated after a few months. The '06 Auto Note soon replaced it with very little loss on the trade-in.
We're pretty well set up now but I see the Vit needing a change, maybe later in the year.
I'd get another, a Grand Vitara with the same PSA engine and autobox. If we didn't tow, I'd be very happy with a smallish van, maybe a Blingo. I ran my Renault 4 van alongside the Scenic and it was reet useful.
The classic and the bikes will stay as they are, for the duration. So, 10 out of 10 atm.
Ted
|
I need a car big enough to carry me and children / bikes / washing machine. I need a car that will get me to work and to visit family reliably, sometimes returning late at night. I need a car that doesn't guzzle fuel like it's going out of fashion.
I want a car with a heated front screen for the winter and aircon for the summer. I want a car with a bit of wellie for the motorway. I want a car that's not embarassing to be seen in.
Win/win for the Escort then, at least until MoT time in May...
|
I really loved my old 1990's Primera, but when it needed replacing Nissan didn't make a similar car any more. :-(
I need a hatchback, because I often carry stuff that would never fit into a conventional boot. However, I don't need, like, or want an estate car (or "Sports Tourer" or whatever they are called these days).
So my ideal is a hatchback with a diesel engine and automatic transmission. It should also be comfortable, reliable, and reasonably handsome. I don't care about high performance, good handling, mpg, insurance, CO2 emissions, space for kids, lots of toys, off-road ability or a prestigious badge.
I don't think that I am asking for too much really.
A Ford Mondeo almost fits the bill - but its just too big!
Last edited by: VxFan on Sun 13 Feb 11 at 03:03
|
Fenlander, thanks for trying to help. I like Skoda as a brand, and hope that VAG don't start getting funny about the fact that Skoda are doing so well in providing a better-value alternative to near identical Volkswagens and Audis!
However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I can't say that I am a fan of the looks of the current Octavia. ("It should also be comfortable, reliable, and reasonably handsome.") It just looks like a box that has had its corners rounded-off, IMHO.
But .... there will be a new version of the Octavia out relatively soon, so I can hope that the new car will be a bit more to my taste in terms of looks.
Just one other point. The fact that Skoda fit the DSG gearbox to their diesels is a big plus. Audi foist that awful Multitronic rubbish onto you if you want a 2 litre diesel auto.
|
Our Verso was almost pure head. It holds five comfortably - a key criterion - and occasionally two more. It's a better size for us than the S-Max; I couldn't fit behind the wheel of the Touran, and neither of us could live with the misplaced instruments of a Picasso.
Our Toyota dealer has been excellent, but it's hard to find any heart appeal in the car - it really is a mobility appliance.
The Volvo has a more complicated story. I chose it as a company car, and built myself a costing sheet based on lease rates and BIK.
After two petrol Saabs - and with one small child and another on the way - we were hoping to save some expense, but a Golf estate just wasn't comfortable enough. A Passat estate ticked all the boxes on paper but I drove one a long way and just didn't like it.
That's when the Volvo came in. I've always liked Swedish seats and ergonomics, but the budget wouldn't stretch to a V70 so I had to convince Mrs dB that we could fit pushchair and baby gubbins in a saloon. It wasn't easy but she had liked the Saabs as much as I did, so another Swedish car had some appeal.
Eight years on, the Volvo still has the heart appeal that first won me over and has worked well in head terms too. It retired from family bus duty when the Verso arrived but has done more than 40,000 miles as my motorway commuting car, for which it's perfect. I've even come to appreciate the security of a separate boot. But my heart still loves the human-centred design of the thing - the feeling that someone was thinking about me when they put it together. You don't get that from a mobility appliance.
|
>>My next car will be another unpowered (sic) car but with more equipment.
I'm driving a Citroen C1 which could also be described as 'unpowered'. At least a Panda doesn't sound like a lawn mower.
The 2005 CRV is in the body shop having been run into in a car park. It's 5 years old with 92,000 miles and I've still got it because I can't find anything even remotely sensible that I like any better, including its successor.
|
Difficult question.
"Want" is easy enough to define, but "need" is difficult.
We need a car. Any car with four wheels that seats four people and has a boot would do. A 12 year old Nissan Micra would probably fit the bill. However, it is very, very useful to have two cars. And it is very, very useful to have something bigger than a Micra. In fact, it is sometimes useful to have something with a really big boot. So, we have two cars, and one of them has a really big boot.
Do we have what I want?
And here, I think that Skoda's comment ("Is it even possible to get everything you want in one car?") sums up my thoughts. The Berlingo is great, but I'd really like it with a bit more oomph and a panoramic sunroof. But they don't make Berlingos like that. And as a second car, the Ka is good - drives nicely, fits into parking places, etc. But I'd quite like it if my second car was actually a big, fast, estate. Or if we had a third car in addition to the first two! So, there is a bit of compromise there.
"On a scale of 1-10, 1 being heart and 10 being head, I wonder where you would put your last car purchase decision?"
The recent Berlingo purchase wasn't really a compromise between heart and head. It actually got pretty much 10/10 for both heart and head.
|
I went down the "practical" route back in 2001 when we downsized from a Vectra Estate to the Fabia Estate... The strange part was that I didn't end up missing the larger car, the Fabia ticked most of the boxes at the time, I'd score it at 8 on the list...
Now if money were no object then I'd like a modernized (rustproofed, rewired, etc) Jag XJC... that would score as close to 10 as I'd want.... but....
With SWMBO disabled then other considerations need to be made, so wants and needs are pretty similar... Compromises, I suppose the size of the car... but even then, when I look at a bigger car I just end up thinking that it would be harder to park and the smaller one is easier to drive therefore is getting a smaller one actually a compromise? I'm not sure either way...
The Roomie comes in at the same as the Fabia, 8, its only real compromise is the higher roofline and therefore worse fuel consumption at higher speed as mentioned on another thread... so I may return to the Fabia next time...
I suppose I'm unusual in one respect in that I'm not swayed by looks and the manufacturers white lies (sorry brochures!) about their cars, I just go to a dealership knowing exactly what I need and if it doesn't fit the bill I walk away... compromises and disabilities don't mix! Its one reason I'm disappointed when its clear that the magazine reviewer of a car has just quoted the manufacturer's spiel instead of giving a proper review of the car based on what they've experienced, I may as well just get the brochure and not bother buying the magazine...
Last edited by: hobby on Thu 10 Feb 11 at 09:12
|
|
Like Tyro I'm a 10/10 with my current C5. On one hand I fancied running one and on the other hand it met all our needs in space & economy.
|
We want something [say a car]
We also want many other things like a new smartphone, good education for child(ren), a bigger house, a nice outfit for spouse, a foreign holiday etc.
We often have a limited budget (e.g. monthly income) for all of the things combined.
So compromise is how we allocate more money into one purchase and deduct the equivalent from something else.
Being a motoring forum, we tend to think that our need evolves around cars, but in reality for 95% people, a car is least priority in life.
I have seen several rich people who spent only a pittance on cars just because their priorities are different. I have also seen people who don't earn that much yet rides luxury cars. So everything is very person specific.
|
Humph, I have only scanned the replies so far so it may have been said though what you want is a ... Mondeo Ghia X TDCi estate ...
|
Latest purchase (E220 estate) is a bit of a heart. We have an S60 that I still like an awful lot, but is a bit small, although that's more of an excuse to change than a reason.
I have realised and will now admit that I like to change car every 2 years or so (am I a caraholic? Are we all??).
This time, we've gone for an estate because I've convinced Mrs APM that we need the extra space. We could manage with the S60 really, but it is often handy to have extra space (esp holiday in France with trikes and toys for son). We did compromise on not having the fully electric memory seats and parktronic (that's coming aftermarket) and colour- it's silver with black interior rather than dark with cream. Otherwise ticks all boxes. It's probably a 5 on the head-heart scale- it should be lower because we don't need to change, but also higher as it is a really practical car. So an average of 7 and 3!
Alex.
|
|
I'm surprised DP hasn't been on here yet waxing lyrical about his AWX engine :)
|
I am currently driving a Hyundai i10. Its 18 months old, has 8k miles on the clock, is the top spec so has lots of kit. I was taking the train until Christmas at which point I changed job and had a 25-40 minute drive to work instead.
I am 6'4 and get either a sore neck or bad back driving it for more than 15 minutes. I have to drive on fast A roads and the car is gutless over 40MPH. I am sure this is why I am only getting 44 mpg on a brim to brim calculation even though I sit at 60 for 3/5s of the journey.
After 3 weeks of this I decided to change. I test drove a VRS Fabia which was nice but the Mrs said looked like a grannies car. We have a RAV4 that she uses and is the "family" car. As such the 2nd car can be a little more interesting and we have decided to push the boat out and the i10 will become a 2 litre TFSI A3 cabriolet next week. It is faster and flasher than anything I have owned before and is difficult to justify from a simple £ point of view.
Can't wait though.
|
"I test drove a VRS Fabia which was nice but the Mrs said looked like a grannies car."
What can one say?
Last edited by: tyro on Thu 10 Feb 11 at 20:38
|
Wanted a Xantia HDi 110 since they came out. Had mine 3.5 years and 65k - definitely hoping it will do at least the same again. Estate probably a bit big for day to day commuting but the right tool for the job for DIY / Camping / Firewood hauling. It's only real shortcoming is that is doesn't have cruise control - oh, and it doesn't have the later twin turbo 2.2 HDi 173!
I am easily pleased though
|
I still have a huge amount of respect for the Xantia... an HDi estate in particular. A few years back I was looking for a low mileage minter and the fact I couldn't find one led me to give a Mondeo estate a go for 18mths. When I wanted to get back to a Citroen it was something of an accident I ended up with the C5 but I did look again for the mythical 30k mls Xantia HDi but none about.
The Xantia is often overlooked by Citroen haters but it was well built, didn't rust, super ride, roomy estate and good economy with the HDi.
|
|
I know what my ideal car is, the one which meets 95% of my wishes and thats the Merc A180 CDi Elegance auto. If I could afford to buy it, id be a happy man and Im sure one day I may be able to afford one, so ill keep the dream alive.
|
I test drove a VRS Fabia
>> which was nice but the Mrs said looked like a grannies car.
A woman of good taste, doesn't matter how many badges, sexy wheels or spoilers are bolted on it, the shell is dumpy and the lights don't look as if they were destined for it.
|
>> doesn't matter how many badges, sexy wheels or spoilers are
>> bolted on it, the shell is dumpy and the lights don't look as if they
>> were destined for it.
>>
I have to say that I agree.
|
Wants, needs and compromises - Bellboy
