What car should I buy? Post Reply

[sconesplease]

I know this is a question only I can decide on but we want to buy a car, preferably one that isn't in high demand for being stolen (Iv'e heard it is v expensive to insurer rangerovers now)  We previously have had a Mini Cooper outlander which we worked well. We have two children and our street is on the narrow side. We had a big family 7 seater Mitsubishi outlander prior to moving to London in New Zealand but we drove to school and would often drive our childrens friends to sports games etc, now we walk to school we probably don't need a 7 seater. Any recommendations? We won't be driving a huge amount but will use it for weekends away

[ronangel]

Forget the the hype,The charging infrastructure outside of London for longer trips will not support electric vehicles for many years,which is why the prices are coming right down.DO NOT buy electric the batteries will cost more than a new car in a few years. Look on websites and Facebook about this. Take no notice of what dealers say they cannot get rid of them and are losing money hand over fist and will tell you anything to sell you one. Tesla have had their prices drop by half in the last year or so,and after warranty expires spare parts and battery prices are horrendous.Forget the "Green" hype they are not green to build.Do your research very carefully NOT from Government or dealer sources. You have been warned. Good luck.

[chorister]

If you are not driving much why not try a car club (eg Zip Cars) for a while?  If it  doesn't work out then you can always change your mind.

[Jj1985]

Hi - sorry I can’t help with your car question but the misinformation spread by nonangle about electric cars which he/she is reading about on Facebook etc is a classic example of how social media algorithms are feeding our confirmation biases.

I doubt anyone would take the post seriously but it’s an interesting topic and something we should be mindful of for our kids / smartphones.

[delsh]

I have a VW Golf which gets through all the narrow local roads and into tight spaces no problem, but still feels spacious enough for two children. It also has a huge boot, is efficient to run and is nondescript enough to have never been broken into!

[ronangel]

Hi - sorry I can’t help with your car question but the misinformation spread by nonangle about electric cars which he/she is reading about on Facebook etc is a classic example of how social media algorithms are feeding our confirmation biases.

I doubt anyone would take the post seriously but it’s an interesting topic and something we should be mindful of for our kids / smartphones.

     As an Retired electrical engineer I do know a little bit about these things and suggest you look on the car    clubs pages on Facebook not ones with lots of dealers pretending to be normal writers on them or dealer and government sponsored ones.Then look on auto trade and others car  selling sites to compare New car prices with electric cars of same models second hand or one year old and judge for yourself on facts.
Then of course there is a slight problem with spontaneous  battery fires!

 

[HelenSWmum]

Partly repeating a previous reply, but I would consider not buying a car. We are in a similar position in not using a car much during the week, rather using one more for weekends away. We decided at the start of the year to do without our own car. Instead we use Zip cars, other local hire car companies (including one that delivers and picks up for a small additional charge), public transport and the occasional taxi. It does take a little more planning but has worked well for us. I think it is saving us money (not much and not the main reason for us) but more importantly feels like the right thing to do for the environment both in terms of bigger global challenges and more local pollution/traffic issues.

[dimelda]

Why buy a car at all?  You & the children walk to school, you live in London with a myriad of public transport, & at the weekends you can use the train.   For the odd occasion when you might genuinely need a car, you could hire one, or take an Uber.  Unless you're disabled, you don't need to own a car in London.  And it's far far better for the environment.

[Red5]

Ronangel genuine question what would you recommend? I keep seeing these Eco Tec cars but only have a 1.0 engines, going to struggle getting up a hill in that with a heavy load surely? I heard the early Ford Focus' were exploding after a certain mileage. I'm hoping things have improved. I wouldn't buy an electric as the whole range anxiety would be worrisome on long journeys.