Just to save the Auris thread from drifting any further off course, we can bring the Volvo / Skoda discussion in here.
I keep turning this one over because I have
- a Volvo for which the family got too big, made an excellent commute car but is now getting old, and...
- a 2008 Toyota Verso that was supposed to be our family car for six years, but which we've not taken to as we hoped.
I also have a bit of a thing about interiors; I like to get into the car at the end of a working day and feel its designer was thinking of me and how to make me comfortable. I looked at Mondeos and found them unbearably cheesy inside - couldn't imagine Volvo comforts for that. I like unfussy, functional, human-centred and preferably not all-black. I bought a plain LS Astra in 1993 and got a choice of interior colour, but that's become the exception these days.
Those here who subscribe to the petrol-head tendency are probably shaking their heads sadly at the idea that anyone would worry about a little thing like soft furnishings (and that's before Pat has her say) when there are noisier bits to focus on, but my car takes me where I have to go, rather than where (or how) I want to, so I might as well be comfortable on the way. And when we do get to choose where we go, the right car with the right ambiance gives us what Corax rightly called 'sense of occasion'.
So who does a good one? Saab is out of the running for the foreseeable; I know Volvo and I'm learning Skoda (haven't tried one yet but will.) The Mondeo is cheesy, the Avensis is soulless, the Insignia is a Vauxhall. The big Germans are in a price band too high for me, so what else should I try?
And, in broader terms, what do you like? (Those of you unmanly enough to admit that you even look inside before you buy.) What makes you feel good about being in your car? Pat likes her heated seats (and I like mine). Fenlander seems to like his C5, RTJ's Passat CC must be partly about the interior. And we need to hear from Zero and Dog about the life-enhancing ergonomic wonders of the Lancer estate.
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>> RTJ's Passat CC must be partly about the interior.
My Passat CC is still sitting in the dealer compound until October. But it is partly the interior I liked. And I admit to liking the exterior.
When I see the interior of various cars I think Audi is my favourite. But when I sat in an A4 to 'play' with the central controls including the MMI... I decided it was not for me. Hence wanting the VW.
When I had an Insignia earlier this month in SRi 160PS CDTi trim I was actually liking the car to drive. Didn't like the controls for the nav package though.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Sun 28 Aug 11 at 23:17
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Ive always had a soft spot for Lexus interiors, whenever I clean one I take a moment and just enjoy the thought gone into it. Everything is just so and the build is as good as they say, it feels like the people who built it cared about getting it right, which makes me smile.
I remember my Volvo 460 was just perfect. Sure the plastics werent like todays soft touch stuff, but the way it was designed, the way the controls worked, the comfort of the seats, the eccentric choice of heated seats over elec windows, it was always a car that made sense somehow. It made me want another Volvo someday.
I clean a late Jag X-Type which has a pretty nice interior.
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I would disagree on Lexus interiors. A bit naff to me I am afraid. I could have had a Lexus many times before now and didn't like the interior. Closest I came to wanting a Lexus was when the IS200 first came out.
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Interior look and feel matters, its where you spend all your driving time. Jaguar does do it well, in the S and the XJ.
Noise Vibration and Harshness matters just as much tho. Any of those is tiring.
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But if your car looked like a Skoda Superb on the outside you couldn't totally forget about it :-) Ugly cars.
I actually discounted a Superb Estate on (a) looks, (b) wife didn't like them and (c) high emissions.
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Start an Ugly Cars thread if you want to, RTJ. We're talking interiors here.
}:---)
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If purely interiors then VAG cars are high in my list.
But for a feel good factor, the outside counts for me too. I didn't want a Skoda. I'd have had a lot of money left over per month if I went for say an Octavia.
Try out a current 5-series BMW though. That felt good in the drivers seat. Very nice car.
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330d Touring, always made me feel good - whether it was 45+mpg or 0-62 in 6.2s (mutually exclusive of course) it always made me feel good, it handled brilliantly and rode well (SE spec, no pointless M-Sport bling). It towed my camping / bikes or a boat effortlessly too. I particularly liked out accelerating the blinged-up M-Sport 4-cylinder tax-dodger versions beloved by so many who give the brand a bad name (reprehensible of me I know).
Ford Mondeo III Estate, just good at its job, looked dowdy but was incredibly cheap to run, massively spacious, great to punt around and a comfortable ride, always had the 'cognoscenti feeling of smugness too - 'you may look down on me and my Ford but I know something you don't'.....'
Golf VI 1.4TSi SE, nice spec, nice to drive, well made, economical, good ride, surprising performance.
Audi A4 B5 - first 'premium brand' car, the B7 never lived up to this though and when I tested the B8 I thought the interior felt cheap.
So, my summary would be #1 Ford, #2 VAG (probably VW and Skoda), #3 BMW (pick the right car though).
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 29 Aug 11 at 19:52
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At my age and stage of decrepitude and er indoors even more so, ease of entry - and even more exit - is vital.
Many cars are so low you gotta swing your hips and bend your knees... I get enough of that running and with yoga.
Seriously, many cars are seriously difficult to exit if you have any lower back problems or hip mobility issues.. I can happily write off most cars as a result....
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It's funny how different cars make you feel (and act), when I had the old English white XJ6 with red leather interior, I felt like the bee's knees driving it, although I lived on the 11th floor of a giant council estate in s.e. London :)
When I had the Toyota supra, I had to drive everywhere like hunt the shunt!
So yes, a feel-good factor in a car, would make you feel good, and I'm thinking along the lines of burr walnut & connolly leather with a touch of grace, pace and space,
And the Lancer estate?
Well, HJ sums it it up nicely by saying "Cheap and cheerless fascia, designed to appeal to UK customers looking for an affordable, practical and well-equipped family car with sharp, clean, modern lines".
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Funny isn't it how with such a significant purchase ( well to most people anyway ) the "want" factors hold so much more sway than the "need" ones. In particular, the "what my wife wants me to want" factor ! What most married guys with children actually need is a large estate car but many of them are just not allowed to want one. You see them everyday, sitting there emasculated in some dreadful MPV or faux off roader because the boss thinks they're trendier and the will to resist has been nagged out of them... I am not immune myself but I can feel just the slightest stiffening of my backbone beginning once again. Hope it's not just arthritis setting in...
:-)
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I chose a Skoda for the cost of getting the engine (& gearbox) i wanted so maybe not best placed to comment, but i'd describe the Skoda interiors as "upper middle". Its strongest point is the interior stays out of your way, but you would be forgiven for completely forgetting what it looked like 5mins after stepping out.
No innovative styling, no truly great design, no great tactility. Equally it couldn't fairly be called bad on any of those points either.
No intrusive design, plenty of space & storage (apparently a key metric in cheap cars), no daft ideas like blindingly reflective, finger print laden black gloss on the dash (VW polo).
It's not a cheap way of getting an Audi interior but it is perhaps a cheap way of getting a VW interior.
Things they do have going for them: unoffensive, unobtrusive, feels higher quality than the price tag suggests.
If you're a fan of Germanic seats (i gather you're not WDB!) then they're great, but if you're a fan of Swedish seats i doubt there's much outside of Sweden competes?
An example: picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DOQxRi877rRytL0O0Fcb1w?feat=directlink
picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/B4tqWsOGDNUd_G2ilk2Z3w?feat=directlink
Last edited by: Skoda on Mon 29 Aug 11 at 10:11
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Haven't driven far enough on German seats to have an informed opinion, although the seats were part of the reason for rejecting a capacious Passat estate in favour of the S60. (No regrets either, even when rummaging in the darkest depths of the boot.)
I don't quite buy Humph's want-over-need argument either. Our midi-MPV was chosen (mainly by me) for its ability to seat three (boosted and/or adult) across the back seat. It does that very well, and is well put together - so the Need side is satisfied - but I've written plenty of times about its lack of human appeal. Fortunately we chose it before we moved to postcode XC90, so a 4x4 was never a consideration.
It's partly the passing of the booster seat stage that's prompting a rethink on the Need side. I'm also questioning the orthodoxy that a family needs an estate - although a big hatch had undoubted benefits, which is how I came to look at the Mondeo and discussion here turned to the Superb.
In short, Need does come first, for us at least - and let's remember it's a privilege to have a car at all; but once those boxes are ticked, it'll be Want that's the tiebreaker. And Humph does the same, or he'd be resplendent in Crocs and Crimplene.
};---)
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I have found myself firmly in the "need" class. Every part of the choice of my current car was based on a series of needs, with very few "wants"
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No need for obscenities WDB. Using "C" words for example!
Dear Lord!
:-))
Estates are essential to the very core of married male existance. One always needs lengths of wood, to move lawnmowers, to transport bikes, to chuck a dog in the back, to fetch flatpacked furniture, to go to the tip, etc etc etc....Stands to reason. Badge of office. MPVs are for the oppressed and downtrodden. They just shout. Look at me, I've filled this, I'm not allowed a decent car anymore and what's more, she's booked me in for the snip...
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Very much so, Humph: I wouldn't be without an estate even though the children are grown up. Many of them (estates, not children....) are little longer than the corresponding hatch or saloon, and have better visibility to the back.
'Feelgood' does seem to come to perhaps an inordinate extent from seats and dashboard, because you need to be comfortable in the first and spend your time in the car looking at the second. For me personally that wouldn't be enough without a bit of zing from the mechanical parts - but for a lot of Brits and Germans in particular, the interior sells the car.
Skoda and Ford both get this balance about right - although I wish Ford would stop trying to make their dashboards look like mobile phones. No doubt you'll try a Superb and a Mondeo, WdB, and let us know what you think. If I remember right you're 6'5" and presumably your children are growing tall too. The Superb has in its favour a huge amount of rear legroom, both hatch and estate. To my eyes the estate is much better to look at than the hatch, but a hatch will be good value nearly-new as it'll depreciate faster and has been around for longer.
The only thing that might count against those two is their length (much greater than a Verso) - if Mrs de Beest is the one who's going to drive it every day, is she happy with that or is she secretly pining for a Mini or Fiat 500?
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I'm waiting to see the i40 and Optima meself, i've been of the mind that Hyundai/Kia have latched onto whats missing in many modern cars and i hope they haven't joined the everything must be electronically controlled fad, they seemed to me to have slotted in nicely to the void left when everything including the handbrake must be electric on almost all else.
I really hope they haven't joined the electric handbrake circus with these promising new models.
Feelgood means different things to different people, i like comfort and wood and leather, old fashioned simple instruments and controls and proper smooth autos with seamless changes, i also like simplicity, but that's now gone forever except the wood and leather if you have very deep pockets.
However if a vehicle is designed well and the technology used benefits overall costs and makes the driving experience smoother and quieter, eg Hybrid then i'm all for it, but it must be totally reliable for a long time.
If i can save enough i'll replace the MB with a used Lexus GS 450h unless something else like Optima lures enough....proper saloon though, non of this posh van malarkey.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Mon 29 Aug 11 at 12:25
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>> Skoda and Ford both get this balance about right
I don't think Ford do - why do they insist on addorning the interior of their cars with bits of silver plastic? If it's supposed to jazz it up, it doesn't. It just makes it look tacky and cheap. Especially silver inserts on the steering wheel. And this may be only a small detail, but I think the elliptical shape air inlets look naff on the Focus - it smacks of trying too hard.They need to be rectangular, or best of all, round eyeball type. Functional shapes that also look good.
I think the current Volvo V70 interior is superb to look at - never sat in one or used the controls, but it just looks like a very nice place to be. Not such a fan of the smaller S40/V50. The buttons in the centre console look too small and hence fiddly to use.
I find it harder to choose cars these days though. They don't have the individuality they used to. The shapes may be more efficient and aerodynamic, but they don't stand out like the older designs.
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I don't actually use it much, but I really like the interior of my late 2004 Mercedes C Class (facelift W203 model).
I like the light coloured interior (light grey leather, with aluminium, not wood, trim as it's the Avantgarde model) so it's bright and not a dowdy place and there's no doubt the built-in sat nav "raises" the interior.
I keep thinking about changing it but it's not worth a lot now and I'd never get anything like what it's worth to me.
My daughter has a new Golf - a fairly basic model - and that seems beautifully clean and simple. I don't know how VW do it, but we looked at everything else and Golf does just somehow feel better.
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Our family fleet always included an estate car until we retired and dropped to one car, realizing we only used one car at a time, and bought a Focus. Bad move, we now have an estate again. The flat pack, runs to the tip, adult kids who think a hatchback is all they need, and now long distance pensioner roaming. Estate car every time, practicality beats pose every time. :-)
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>>For me personally that wouldn't be enough without a bit of zing from the mechanical parts - but for a lot of Brits and Germans in particular, the interior sells the car<<
I'm the other way (if you'll excuse the expression), I put the oily bits before considering the interior, that's why I went for the Mitsubishi - I've owned 4 of them over the years, and they've all been 100% reliable, I don't really notice the cars interior while I'm driving TBH, except maybe one windscreen wiper and the top of the dashboard :)
Obviously how it drives/handles enters into the equation as well, or I'd have bought a Proton,
and the Lancer estate does what it says on the tin, in that respect.
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>>but for a lot of Brits and Germans in particular, the interior sells
>> the car<<
>>
>>
You can't see the outside when you are driving it, and you have to live with the interior. When I see the inside of some cars I wonder what the drivers house is like, wipe your feet on the way out!
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A car has the feelgood factor for me if it's a good all-rounder, i.e
- smart-looking inside and out,
- comfortable,
- well equipped,
- adequate space and carrying capacity,
- adequate (no more than that needed) performance.
- good cruiser & easy to drive
Luckily for me there are some very good cars around which qualify - otherwise something would have to give - although I do wish that I had had the option of trying an automatic gearbox with the Mazda 6 diesel when I changed cars earlier this year.
I can't join the estate car fan club that seems to be in full swing in this thread. Maybe if I needed more than a hatchback then I'd feel differently - but I don't. Estates fall down for me on their hearsey looks, plus the fact that so many manufacturers force you into an estate car by not providing a hatchback alternative to a saloon, and then charge you a hefty premium for it.
Agreed, "You can't see the outside when you are driving it", but I can't feel good driving an ugly car, when I know that I can get something presentable! Why drive a car that doesn't tick all the boxes, when there are cars which do?
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Wilfully ugly in a Ssangyong or Cayenne sort of way would be a problem, I agree. But I rather like quirky in a form-follows-function way; the Saab 900 was like that, as was the first 9-3 (I had one of each), and I can see similar traits in the Superb hatch. It says 'I've thought about what I want and need, and not just bought a badge like the bloke next door'.
Perhaps it's something to do with hardly being heart-throb material myself; the superfices won't sell themselves, so I need to project the impression of hidden depths. Discuss.
}8---0
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The Superb saloon/hatch is not that good looking - the estate is better. But why the silly name? And why have it on the headlights too?
If I got a Superb, it would have to be the estate - and I don't need an estate. Well plainly not as I am getting a saloon in October.
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I think Skoda resurrected the Superb name from a 1930s model - granted that doesn't make it a better name! I agree the Superb estate is better proportioned than the saloon / hatch: I trust Will de B is being unduly modest about his own proportions!
Last edited by: Avant on Mon 29 Aug 11 at 23:58
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>> Estates are essential to the very core of married male existance. One always needs lengths
>> of wood, to move lawnmowers, to transport bikes, to chuck a dog in the back,
>> to fetch flatpacked furniture, to go to the tip, etc etc etc....Stands to reason. Badge
>> of office. MPVs are for the oppressed and downtrodden. They just shout. Look at me,
>> I've filled this, I'm not allowed a decent car anymore and what's more, she's booked
>> me in for the snip...
>>
Humph, as an MPV driver, I utterly resemble those comments. :-)
Sigh. I do try to like the Galaxy, and in a way I appreciate its practicality, but I'm so far in your estate car camp it's untrue. I want an estate again. Fancy a Mondeo, actually........but I occasionally need 7 seats!!! A.R.G.H.
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>> Fancy a Mondeo, actually........but I occasionally need 7 seats!!! A.R.G.H
Then get the S-MAX?
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Yeah, it's on the list to try next year, but I still really just want a normal estate car. I think it'll end up being a V70 to be frank.
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>> Yeah, it's on the list to try next year, but I still really just want
>> a normal estate car. I think it'll end up being a V70 to be frank.
Franks dont drive Volvos, franks drive Mondeos. You would need to be a Gerry
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>> Franks dont drive Volvos, franks drive Mondeos. You would need to be a Gerry
>>
I'm a Steve. Much more a Mondeo name, frankly. ;-)
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There's some subtle reasons why geezers buy proper 4x4's as 7/8 seaters.
Must admit i hadn't factored in Humph's under the thumb observation before, food for thought indeed.
Could be one of the subconcious reasons why fully liberated fellers buy saloons, coupe's and pick ups, still intact below, phew.
:-)
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I have never considered what "er indoors" might say about any of my car choices. I find it extrordinary that someone* can even consider the though of being"under the thumb" when it comes to car choice. I can only assume it because its based on someones* actual emasculated experience.
* You know who I mean you smoker you... ;)
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>> * You know who I mean you smoker you... ;)
>>
And he's got two of them. (Squashqais). :-)
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Can't think who you mean. I don't smoke...
:-)
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I now have to get permission to get another car, I have to wait until the wife is pregnant, then im allowed to change it in anticipation but with the proviso that it must be auto so my wife can ( attempt ) to drive it.
She also is hinting strongly about another Forester, but seems unlikely with petrol as it is, otherwise id agree.
I dont mind though, having a foot trapped under her thumb means I can wriggle about when something takes my fancy, but I cant get so close as to buy it unless she wants me to :-p
Beautiful thing marriage!
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How about the ole New Citroën DS4?
Could it have the Dr. Feel-Good factor?
Has it got the feel-good factor?
tinyurl.com/428fptx (Telegraph)
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Accountants and librarians buy saloons. Ageing Lotharios buy coupes ( they can't have convertibles because the wind would get under the comb-over ) and part time bouncers buy pick-ups. Gentlemen, however, buy estates.
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Tue 30 Aug 11 at 17:56
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>>Gentlemen,
>> however, buy estates.
>>
Ah, that explains my preference. :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Tue 30 Aug 11 at 18:04
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>>Gentlemen, however, buy estates<<
And prefer Blondes?
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Not fushy, sho long as the collarsh and cuffs match.
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>> Gentlemen,
>> however, buy estates.
I think you'll find gentlemen buy shooting brakes.
And who, pray, buys large hatchbacks?
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Blokes whose wives want one and other blokes whose employers give them to them when they start new jobs but who intend to ask for a proper estate car in due course.
:-)
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You rang, m'lord?
I'd have one. My Saabs were brilliant to live with and travel in, and would swallow a huge load when required - a sideboard on one occasion. The hatchback body put off the BMW try-hards - so I didn't get mistaken for one - and the dashboard, with its big, orange speedometer needle, was simply the best and clearest I've ever used.
Test driving a V70 recently, after years of picturing it as my ideal family car, I found myself oddly ambivalent about its back end. Yes, the sheer space would occasionally be useful, but we've not needed to move a large piece of furniture since that sideboard in 1996. And years of driving the S60 to work have led me to value a boot that's completely out of view, whereas the pull-out blinds of estate cars are fiddly and give the impression there's something there worth breaking in for. A hatchback gives just about as much usable space with more discretion.
So maybe the answer is: those of us with mild corduroy jacket tendencies but who have managed not to become geography teachers (indeed, gave it up in the third form, as would you if you'd met the muppets who taught it at my school.) When pricked we bleed oxyhaemoglobin, not oxbow lakes - and if the big hatch also has a nice - but discreet - turn of speed, that's no bad thing either.
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My dad almost always had an estate car, starting off with a Morris Traveller, Triump Herald, Simca 1501, Hillman Hunter(s), Avenger and finally a pair of Passats..the first of which he bought unseen before launch (PKY 888M) because our next door neighbour was a VW salesman, followed by another Passat, RWX 567R.
My estate ownership is more limited...aeons ago a Volvo 240GL, an Avenger & a pair of Legacy's, which were brilliant for driving to the Alps 4 up loaded to the gunwhales with ski gear. A Saab 9000CS 5dr could almost be considered an estate.
Nowadays I prefer a trailer to contain my stuff...pressure washers for the odd small commercial job, petrol Honda mower for neighbours lawns and stone & cement for the odd walling job.
I get some strange looks pootling along with the roof down, pulling half a ton of soil or stone, sometimes with the mixer strapped down on top!
Current car excluded, the Saab was definitely the best feelgood car, with very comfy Bridge of Weir leather chairs and a walnut dash. Less feelgood was its prodigious thirst from the 2.3 turbo.
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>> And who, pray, buys large hatchbacks?
>>
It's Geezers, innit? No higher tribute is possible.
e.g. Ford Mondeo - a Geezers car if ever there was one.
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Mondeo estates for discerning geezers mind.
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>>>Fenlander seems to like his C5.
Very much so... self and Mrs F were chatting on the return from our 1500mls Scottish holiday last week saying the C5 is a pleasure either to drive or ride in. The most capable vehicle to carry 4 folks and a weeks kit (+ boat and outboard motor) we've ever owned. I'm going to do a 25k review when I have a moment.
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Sounds like Fenlander will miss the C5 when it goes back. Unless he buys it of course.
Hope I remembered the right member who got a car via the Chinese lady.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Fri 2 Sep 11 at 11:24
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Yep source correctly remembered.
You're right but we are just in the process or changing houses and quite a bit of our life priorities which will see my personal mileage reduced and the need for a larger car removed apart from the couple of holidays a year. In no time it'll be Christmas and only a year to go before a swap so, as you do, I'm already casting my eye around for a slightly smaller car that still has a good ride and will take our deflated boat in the hatch area... hmm perhaps I'll buy the C5.
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Loadspace will be the issue. A major need is that we must be able to carry a deflated Zodiac and that needs 1.15m between the loadspace wheelarches. The C5 just meets that and usefully is 1.1m front to rear, that square space suits our packing needs perfectly.
Must admit I've not actually put a tape on other cars yet when they look smaller.
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You did mention a slightly smaller car though :-)
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That's the problem... feel I should have a slightly smaller car that's just as big on the inside... but I do watch Dr Who with the kids.
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I think the DS4 is just a bit too small - 1027mm across the boot between the arches.
Don't think you'd get the boat in the back of my new car either! The boot opening would be too small for a start.
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Don't want to vere off too much in a boaty direction but the deflated Zodiac folds into an outer bag that measures 1.2m wide (just squeezes down to 1.15 to slide in the C5), 0.65m deep and 0.4m high off the floor. The outboard and other kit just fits between the inflatable and the tailgate. I then put a blanket over this lot and our normal luggage goes on top with us having *lost* the bottom 400mm of the loadspace area.
I will have to walk around other vehicles with a tape in hand when it gets closer to being serious.
Also don't really want to drop under the excellent fuel consumption I've got used to... 51mpg briskly driven with load, 56mpg on a light throttle.
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Coming back to interiors, the latest face-lift Mondeo and S-Max interiors have toned down a bit, and the metal trim on the doors and dash is actually metal. The overall design remains not exactly inspiring though.
One of the newer developments in car interiors is ambient lighting, and this does lift interiors (although only at night, obviously).
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Clever lighting makes a huge difference. The Volvo brings up the lights when I take the key out of the ignition - the perfect time, since even if I've been sitting in the car with the engine off to listen to the end of the news, the moment I take the key out is when I need ambient light to find my house keys, coat or whatever before I open the door.
In fact, I hardly ever operate the Volvo's interior lights manually, which I take as an indication of how cleverly they've been programmed.
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>> Clever lighting makes a huge difference. The Volvo brings up the lights when I take
>> the key out of the ignition - the perfect time, since even if I've been
>> sitting in the car with the engine off to listen to the end of the
>> news, the moment I take the key out is when I need ambient light to
>> find my house keys, coat or whatever before I open the door.
>>
>> In fact, I hardly ever operate the Volvo's interior lights manually, which I take as
>> an indication of how cleverly they've been programmed.
>>
My Vectra, does this as well, as soon as you pull out the keys from the ignition regardless of how long you have been sat in the car, the interior lights at the front and in the middle of the car fade on, providing IMO a very well lit interior.
Simple but effective feature, it all adds to the ownership pleasure.
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>> I keep turning this one over because I have a Volvo for which the family got too big, made an excellent commute car but is now getting old,
How old is it WdB? How many miles? Is it costing you in repairs? I think you'll find it hard to extricate yourself out of that seat and into a lesser model, unless you go for another Volvo.
I've never really noticed the S60 on the road, it's one of those cars that blends in. OK it looks a mite old fashioned now but I'm impressed at how well built and reliable they seem to be and how they still punch their (not inconsiderable) weight in the top 50 lists, impressive for an old design.
Last edited by: VxFan on Sat 3 Sep 11 at 00:13
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Reading Julian Barnes' latest book I am reminded of the Humber Super Snipe, and the precision with which they were associated with a particular class, indeed sub-class.
Do such nice distinctions exist today, and if so, what would be the equivalent modern car?
Anyone here a HSS man?
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>> Anyone here a HSS man?<<
I've tuned a few, bit like the Vauxhall Cresta in many ways, wouldn't mind one now!
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190565675545&clk_rvr_id=261705133938
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More an HSR man myself. It must be the latent hooligan in me.
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How old is it WdB? How many miles? Is it costing you in repairs?
Six weeks short of nine years and a touch over 120,000 miles, all of them in my care. It had needed almost nothing beyond routine consumables until last year, when I had all the brakes except the front discs replaced (I understand these are routine consumables to some };---] ) and a clutch problem took out the DMF. That little lot cost about £2,000.
Now it needs some suspension components replaced, brake hoses are showing signs of cracking, and the intercooler is on its way out, so possibly another £1,000 to spend there. Only the first quarter's depreciation on a newer one, of course, but still enough to make me wonder whether the time is coming.
I'd be thinking less hard about this if the Verso was nicer to travel in. We appreciate it for its versatile and capacious rear seat, but that 'sense of occasion' is conspicuously absent. We spent a rainy July week in Snowdonia, but travelled home through mid-Wales, Shropshire and Worcestershire on a perfect summer day. The traffic was light, the roads interesting, the scenery beautiful, and the England bowlers were working their way through the Indian top order. And yet, somehow, it wasn't quite the occasion it might have been. That's what I'd like our next family car to provide, the way the S60 did when we could all fit in it. And you may well be right that only a Volvo will do!
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>> Now it needs some suspension components replaced, brake hoses are showing signs of cracking, and
>> the intercooler is on its way out, so possibly another £1,000 to spend there. Only
>> the first quarter's depreciation on a newer one, of course, but still enough to make
>> me wonder whether the time is coming.
You've entered that stage where you're wondering whether to repair or sell. Judging by a couple of long threads I've read on PistonHeads, the things you're describing on your car are the things that do need replacing on them. DMF/Clutch, Intercooler (the guy spent £700 on his), occasionally injectors even post 2003 but they're about £100 each and don't all have to be replaced. To be honest 120,000 miles as you should know is nothing on a Volvo. I sold my Beemer at 158,000 miles and it was still running beautifully - I just got fed up of the harsh ride (my fault for modifying it!). It seems a shame to sell after you've just replaced the clutch, but I know what you're thinking, will I be throwing good money after bad?
I know what you mean about the Toyota's. I went the long way home today as it was such a nice sunny day - I just sat there like a corpse waggling the steering wheel occasionally with a finger. No feeling of being 'at one with the machine'. Fine for trundling home after a tired day at work or taking stuff to the tip, but no pizazz whatsoever.
:)
EDIT - Unless it was an MR2 or GT4 but they don't make exciting machines like that anymore
Last edited by: corax on Sat 3 Sep 11 at 18:06
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Feelgood family cars: who still makes them? - rtj70
