Kurt Barlow Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 I'm moving to London this month with wife and sprog to follow in January. Thinking about what car to buy. It won't be used for commuting. Most usage will be shopping trips and occasional trips up to Cambridge or Sheffield / Leeds to see Mrs. Barlows family. I decided this rules out a diesel. However i want a reasonable sized car, either a large hatch or estate. I'm tempted by a Hybrid but don't think I'll do the mileage to justify one. Not bothered by image crap either. I would prefer to limit expenditure to no more than 11K So far, options I have considered are: Vauxhall Insignia1.4T (with start/ stop function) hatch or estate. I like the economy of S/S Toyota Avensis 1.8 estate (Manual or Automatic) Skoda Octavia Hatch 1.2 / 1.4 with DSG gearbox. Hired one of these and was impressed with economy (50mpg on Sheffield - Cambridge run) As usual valid HPC advice on the above or other possible choices gratefully received! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
long time lurking Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 If your set on petrol Ford focus/fiesta eco boost would be my choice as its a cheaper option than the Skoda/Toyota that you mentioned but similar performance /mpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inactionman Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 Depends where you are in London, but having a car can actually be a disadvantage. Have you thought about using a car club and renting for the longer trips? May work out more cost effective and none of the hassle of insurance costs/parking costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sukuinage Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 10 minutes ago, inactionman said: Depends where you are in London, but having a car can actually be a disadvantage. Have you thought about using a car club and renting for the longer trips? May work out more cost effective and none of the hassle of insurance costs/parking costs. I'd go for the above. I bought a 2yo Avensis and had 12 years of trouble free motoring. One of the wife's friends bought it from me and has had another 4 years out of it so far - fits as a HPCers car I think if you want to buy a car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
council dweller Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 Have a look at `motorpoint` website . Peterborough but all over. Skoda Fabia (estate ?) for 8 or 9 thousand less than one year old. Good reliable motors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t1234 Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 I dont agree with you don't need a car in London, I've lived here for many years and always had one and so do most people I know. Especially if you have a small child. Just make sure you consider parking when you get your accommodation sorted. Except for journeys through central London driving can be quickest and certainly the most convenient. You can look at cargiant in willesden junction they always have a massive selection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted December 1, 2016 Author Share Posted December 1, 2016 52 minutes ago, inactionman said: Depends where you are in London, but having a car can actually be a disadvantage. Have you thought about using a car club and renting for the longer trips? May work out more cost effective and none of the hassle of insurance costs/parking costs. Enfield will be my home locality as I have lots of relatives there. I will however be making regular trips up to Cambridge. my Mum died in September so trying to support my Dad as best as we can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted December 1, 2016 Author Share Posted December 1, 2016 28 minutes ago, t1234 said: I dont agree with you don't need a car in London, I've lived here for many years and always had one and so do most people I know. Especially if you have a small child. Just make sure you consider parking when you get your accommodation sorted. Except for journeys through central London driving can be quickest and certainly the most convenient. You can look at cargiant in willesden junction they always have a massive selection. I agree. I plan to rent a decent new apartment near my Aunties in Enfield with allocated parking. That way we have a new apartment to live in close to the Stations and Aunties 1/4 acre garden to use without the maintenance hassle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted December 1, 2016 Author Share Posted December 1, 2016 42 minutes ago, sukuinage said: I'd go for the above. I bought a 2yo Avensis and had 12 years of trouble free motoring. One of the wife's friends bought it from me and has had another 4 years out of it so far - fits as a HPCers car I think if you want to buy a car. I had one from early 2006 to late 2010. I sold it to my Dad, who subsequently sold it to my brother, who then sold it to a friend. 2005 plate and never had anything go wrong - just replacement tyres and batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgul Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 If you've got a small child having a car will be very useful -- it is a bit sad, but that is reality these days. But I also see the advantage of just hiring a car for longer journeys. So perhaps a compromise would be getting a cheap small thing for day to day, then hiring something larger for those trips away (actually, the journey to Cambridge would probably be fine in a city car, but I'd agree that Sheffield would be a stretch too far). I don't know how the finances would work with this, but might be worth going over the numbers (cw having a larger car and not having to hire one for longer trips). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inactionman Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 52 minutes ago, Kurt Barlow said: Enfield will be my home locality as I have lots of relatives there. I will however be making regular trips up to Cambridge. my Mum died in September so trying to support my Dad as best as we can. Ok, so the outskirts then. Having your own car would make sense, as the public transport out in Enfield isn't the greatest, plus parking would be more reasonable. What dgul suggests probably makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted December 1, 2016 Author Share Posted December 1, 2016 24 minutes ago, dgul said: If you've got a small child having a car will be very useful -- it is a bit sad, but that is reality these days. But I also see the advantage of just hiring a car for longer journeys. So perhaps a compromise would be getting a cheap small thing for day to day, then hiring something larger for those trips away (actually, the journey to Cambridge would probably be fine in a city car, but I'd agree that Sheffield would be a stretch too far). I don't know how the finances would work with this, but might be worth going over the numbers (cw having a larger car and not having to hire one for longer trips). Finances not a problem. 6 years in Middle East and Aussie Oil boom (now donald ducked) helped there along with some canny investments. Looking at Autotrader I can get a 2011 Avensis estate for around 7K with 40-50K on the clock. Basically something comfortable and safe and a good load carrier. Barlow Jnr is 15 months old. Cant be bothered with buying a city car and then hiring for longer trips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Knimbies who say No Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 https://www.motorpoint.co.uk/vehicleadvert/ford/mondeo hatchback/660965 bit over budget but maybe worth a look. Focus estate or (Grand) C-Max are maybe other options, many around seem to come with the antediluvian 1.6 petrol though, avoid... The 1 litre comes in 2 guises, 100 or 125 PS. All the manually-geared examples of the higher powered ones have a six-speed manual, the lower powered have a 5 speed. So that should avoid any confusion as to which is which. The reason that's advantageous is the 125PS six-speeders have a poor reputation for clutch longevity, a problem absent in the lower powered 5 speed examples. Edit the Mondeo linked above may have the same issue, worth investigating if of interest, the ad doesn't state if it's a 5 or 6 speeder. The Focus can be had in 100PS form with sub-100g/km emissions. Motor point has some used examples around £9,000 with circa 15k miles on the clock. Expect 50mpg+ if driven carefully, even in traffic. Dunno if they are big enough in standard form for you though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 A Morris Minor would be nice. You could pretend you are a vicar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNACR Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 If you've got some money burning a hole in your pocket you could go nuts and buy something that didn't look like it should live in a taxi rank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyguy Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 London? Get a hire one. Seriously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyguy Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 4 hours ago, Kurt Barlow said: Enfield will be my home locality as I have lots of relatives there. I will however be making regular trips up to Cambridge. my Mum died in September so trying to support my Dad as best as we can. Get him to move down to London. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oracle Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 5 hours ago, inactionman said: Depends where you are in London, but having a car can actually be a disadvantage. Have you thought about using a car club and renting for the longer trips? May work out more cost effective and none of the hassle of insurance costs/parking costs. if you are in central london,then it's hybrid.No brainer. you can avoid congestion charge which is a proper pain in the jacksy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenDevil Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 Aussie dollar at 1,5 you be buying a gas guzzler! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voldemort Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 How about an Auris hybrid? £7k will get you a 2011 model with 40 - 50k on the clock. Its got the same hybrid system as the Prius but you don't have to compete against taxi drivers for them and they reviewed badly when they first came out (because they were so boring) that not many other people want them either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtomsilver Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 I'm happy with my Skoda Citigo £118 a month and comfortably accommodates 4 people - so cheap! Hire a bigger car as and when required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saving For a Space Ship Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 3 hours ago, oracle said: if you are in central london,then it's hybrid.No brainer. you can avoid congestion charge which is a proper pain in the jacksy. 2 hours ago, voldemort said: How about an Auris hybrid? £7k will get you a 2011 model with 40 - 50k on the clock. Its got the same hybrid system as the Prius but you don't have to compete against taxi drivers for them and they reviewed badly when they first came out (because they were so boring) that not many other people want them either. Yes, anything other than hybrid or Ev is madness in london traffic these days Do PHEV's still not have to pay the congestion charge? or is it just Ev's go free now ? "If your vehicle is a 'plug-in hybrid' you will need to supply a conformity certificate as part of your application, unless you are registering a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV." https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/congestion-charge/discounts-and-exemptions Artist Creates A Tank To Deliver Free Books Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted December 2, 2016 Author Share Posted December 2, 2016 8 hours ago, SNACR said: If you've got some money burning a hole in your pocket you could go nuts and buy something that didn't look like it should live in a taxi rank. Longer term I want my STR fund / investments to purchase a nice house away from London. I am still attracted to the North East (see previous thread) however this London job will give me some good CV experience plus its a better place to start with my missus. She is Australian (of Iranian ethnicity) so London is probably a better starting point plus I have lots of family there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted December 2, 2016 Author Share Posted December 2, 2016 7 hours ago, voldemort said: How about an Auris hybrid? £7k will get you a 2011 model with 40 - 50k on the clock. Its got the same hybrid system as the Prius but you don't have to compete against taxi drivers for them and they reviewed badly when they first came out (because they were so boring) that not many other people want them either. I have looked at them. The Hatch is a bit on the small side and the Estates are not so common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted December 2, 2016 Author Share Posted December 2, 2016 8 hours ago, oracle said: if you are in central london,then it's hybrid.No brainer. you can avoid congestion charge which is a proper pain in the jacksy. The car is largely for shopping and family trips on the edge of and outside London. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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