Forumite Members › General Topics › Motoring › New & Used Car Buying Advice › Used car buying advice
- This topic has 459 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 9 months ago by
Bob Williams.
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September 8, 2017 at 2:17 pm #11518
I doubt it will factor in electric prices per watt a long with fuel price. There maybe an app out there. If not, there may be a whole in the market for one.
You would have to get the total pence per mile figure, then add on the price of you electric fill ups. The add that to your pence per mile figure, For a true reading.
If you have a smart meter, it would be as easy as seeing how much extra the car ‘sucks’ from the wall over the time it’s plugged in.
Though I bet it doesn’t charge at a steady rate, It will likly slow down for the last 20%. so it may be a hard one to trully monitor, and gain an exact figure.
You’d be better forgetting the electric cost, and just use the standard mpg. Though an mpg figure and electric cost figure, both separate and combined would be Interesting reading.
September 9, 2017 at 6:06 pm #11557There are so many variables for electricity prices that I don’t think an app would do it. I could live next door to you, have electricity with the same supplier, and the same meter type, but be on a different tariff. Once you factor in different suppliers, economy 7, solar panels, price changes etc., I can’t see an app being accurate without a huge amount of data.
September 10, 2017 at 4:44 pm #11569Good point Ryan: one of my neighbours changed supplier 3 times in the last 5 years, while I have been with EDF. I check EDF tariffs regularly and when they make a better offer I take a close look and usually change, but stay with them. Their CS and website are so good that I would not like to leave. While my neighbours start off with a lower tariff than me, within a couple of months it goes up. Happens every time, the husband gets annoyed, stays angry and changes after a year, sometimes sooner. He always winds up paying more than me and cannot understand how it happens. I got tired of telling him, you cannot educate the ones who refuse to learn.
All the meters in 6 bungalows on our side are the same, all changed when the landlord had GCH fitted in March 2015. Switching is OK for some, I prefer to stay with a good company and develop a good consumer relationship. If that ever changes, I’m off.
EDIT: just realised we’ve gone from car buying to electric meters: where to next? ?
When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.September 13, 2017 at 7:34 pm #11703The first fill up from buying the car was yesterday, fuel light came on so brimmed the tank. 39.42 litres. Which apparently means there was 2.58 litres in the tank. If that’s right then the mpg over 365 miles has been 39.51. I’m happy with that as about 75% has been short trip urban journeys. The other 25% has been going the long way or just for the sake of it.
There are some great roads near me but you need to pick the time very carefully, about 7am on a Saturday or Sunday is mostly right apart from if there’s a big game on.
September 13, 2017 at 10:40 pm #11708This sub 40mpg figure is something me and the FiL discussed alot in about 2008. I went with a 1.9l d laguna, with all the bells, decent power, comfy if not dynamic drive
In the same month, he opted for the entry level for ka, no comforts, no central locking, now e windows, no sound insulation, a missing seat (or 3 compared to his previous Zafira), and an around crap drive, with now chassis.
He bought his with the same goal as me, mpg, I argued a big engine that isn’t on a dynamic chassis, is made to lumber around and basically be next to idling the majority of the time.
He reckoned the ka’s small engine and light car, would wipe the floor with my hugh heavy (semi) luxury dirty DIESEL.
The results didn’t take long to come in. Over the life of my car (7 years) it never dipped below 50, averaged 55 most months, and on my foreign trips would do 65mpg @ 90mph. It would do almost 80mpg if you done 45mph in 6th lol. But I don’t have time for that.
Also my 04plate laguna was £4k with 46k on the clock from a Renault dealer, the ka came in around £8k new.
The only good economic city car is an electric one.
Unless you have a relatively highly strung engine, any 2l d tuned to 110bhp is going to out preform a 1-1.6l petrol city car.
Though I’m going I’m petrol next and would love a fiesta st2/150/200 (any would do. Sadly i will be going petrol but not the fiesta, to small for the incoming phase of my live. So will be a saloon/estate/maybe a rav4 hybrid, at a real world 44mpg, and the equivalent of 200bhp on tap, would Mané a great city car. May be not, but would make a good outer urban fambo car.
September 14, 2017 at 11:45 am #11716It’s a Given that a larger capacity engine in a medium size or small car, is more economical than a smaller capacity engine would be, driven over mixed terrain and same mixed – duration journeys. Both cars must be in same states of tune and regularly maintained, same fuel. (No additives)
The larger engine is not working as hard as the smaller in the same body, same load. Smaller engine will be making higher RPM under same load. Higher RPM = more fuel consumption. There is no escaping that. Which is why I cannot believe all the claims from Ford about those “eco” 1 litre engines.
Choice of car/engine really depends upon your motoring requirements. Get it right, you get the best combination of MPG/performance/journey comfort. Get it wrong, you will be wishing to part-ex if you can. Sounds like you made a good choice, Nolan.?
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I'm out.September 14, 2017 at 12:20 pm #11717I just realized that I made a mistake when calculating the MPG, it’s actually 42.09.
on the whole engine debate the Ford ecoboost engines are great but if you cane them watch the fuel gauge drop quickly, same with the 2 cylinder turbo that goes in Fiat group cars, drive like a nutter and pay dearly at the pumps.
I’ve said it before but for mostly around town a smallish petrol is the way to go, mega miles a large-ish diesel. In between is where it gets tricky but I’d go for a 1.5/1.6 odd petrol.
The other problem is people being sold the wrong car for the wrong type of driving. One of my mothers neighbours saw her Captur when she got, liked it and went and bought a diesel one on the recommendation of the sales staff. They do mostly town driving so the diesel was the wrong option and the Captur was too small as they have a fair size dog crate. After about 3 months they realized the mistake and complained to Renault and after a threat of legal action (not sure how that would work myself,nobody held a gun against their heads, maybe miss-selling?) they managed to reject the Captur and get a petrol Kadjar which is way better for them.
September 14, 2017 at 4:16 pm #11718I looked at the Kadjar 1.5 diesel, but the Motability deposit was way above the limit I set as affordable: lowest spec 1.5 was £1,295. That’s almost £400 more than I paid for a 1.7 Tucson with more PS and easier access/exit. Renault would not give me any extras (which admittedly, most Motability dealers won’t) Hyundai gave me genuine Tucson model boot liner, rubber and carpet mats. Boot liner came in handy last week when a grandbrat spilled something in there.
The Tucson diesel is not Turbo, but the Hyundai very high compression diesel engine. It certainly accelerates very well and I cannot tell any difference from the 2.0 Turbo C-Max I used to have. I only boot it when needed to accelerate for tractors, bike racers or B****y caravans, usually just use the massive torque to gradually pull away: good for mpg. Getting between 45 and 55 mpg, depending on journey. I can drive 500 miles in one week, never less than 150 in others. Problem now is that SWMBO’s hip has just completely fell apart since we bought it: just a couple of months ago, she could get in and out easily. Now I have had to buy a step to get her in. If my spine & legs were OK I would consider throwing her in! ?? She is waiting for a new hip, consultant says 3 months.
When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.October 9, 2017 at 4:51 pm #12486Since Friday I’ve put about 400 miles on the little Suzuki, 2 return trips to Bristol airport and lots of pottering about. That’s roughly 4 weeks worth of normal driving. It hasn’t missed a beat, fuel economy is up to 48 mpg (motorway driving helps a lot).
On the odd occasion I had to really nail the throttle on the motorway, the major one being the Renault Scenic towing a caravan about to jacknife in the inside lane when I was in the middle lane overtaking it (I did pull over at the next SOS point and report it), it responded far better than I expected.
It is of course it’s now stinking dirty. 2 young kids in the back and horrible weather mixed in with soot from lorries means I’ll be cleaning it either tomorrow or at mum’s place on Wednesday.
Still love it though.
October 9, 2017 at 5:26 pm #12487I’ve never been one to wash my car often, but my current car is a dark matalic gem rod green, like British racing green that looks black when not in sunlight. It’s beautiful BUT, I’ve never owned a car that showed dirt as bad as it. To keep it clean I have to Polish and wax it! Which I hate doing.
Glad your enjoying your new motor.
October 9, 2017 at 5:41 pm #12490If you wash the car properly every month or so you should only need to rinse it and give it a polish in between , I’m almost sure it was you, Steve, that posted about that a while ago.
My car has been treated with Diamondbrite and it does help a lot. I hate a dirty car, drives me nuts. I was always washing my mothers car before i had mine, still do.
October 9, 2017 at 6:42 pm #12501It may of been me, watching after a wash keeps a car cleaner longer. In the summer a good 2 months, just a springs off every no and then. However around mine, mainly country lanes, and in the winter they are full of mud and worse, so your car is dirty the same day you clean it.
Mine was cleaned last week by the dealer, when in for its service. It’s doubtful I’ll clean it again before February.
October 9, 2017 at 9:17 pm #12510Cleaned out and washed mine yesterday, what a waste of time and effort! Had to drive up to Grimsby, trying to stay well behind a Waste truck following a tractor full of the brown and smelly. Then it began to rain. After a couple more miles, an RTC. Stuck behind those two vehicles in a queue of stationary traffic, high wind blowing rain and several kinds of assorted krap all over my previously-shiny motor. We need some dual carriageways on the A16!
Sometimes I get the feeling that life is persecuting me. It takes me ages to wash the car, being not very mobile. High roof and just 5’6″ tall, I have to use a stepstool. Interior is not bad, as I had rubber mats with it, which are fitted to the floor. I had a pressure washer for a long time, a really old bit of generic kit that blew itself to bits last year. Can’t get parts, it hasn’t been made for ages.
When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.October 10, 2017 at 12:38 pm #12525The reasons I give up on the cleaning in the winter. It’s been a week since mine was done, and you’d never believe it was done.
The insides was done to, but we undid all that good work after paintball!
October 10, 2017 at 11:07 pm #12561I hate a dirty car, drives me nuts. I was always washing my mothers car before i had mine, still do.
Remind me what your address is. I’ll get Ellen to ‘accidentally’ leave the car outside on the way to work ?
October 11, 2017 at 12:20 pm #12564Nice try Ryan, the major wash jobs get done at mum’s place, it’s much easier with a hose and a drive.
January 17, 2018 at 5:45 pm #15789Had a major service done today, 54,000 one. I knew it was going to be due soon when I got the car and used that to help haggle.
Got them to put Iridium spark plugs in instead of the standard ones and also went for a new battery, turns out the one in there was OK but not as good as Mr AA thought it was. I’d rather not worry about it for £70, I worry enough about other stuff as it is. Need to check my warranty to see if the battery is covered, I doubt it.
Car feels even better than it did, which is remarkable.
February 21, 2018 at 5:19 pm #17022Had a panic today, went shopping at Aldi, got back in the car and the ignition wouldn’t turn. Had a vague recollection of this happening once in my mother’s Mii but went online to check, it was the steering lock hampering the ignition barrel, a slight jiggle on the wheel and it freed up.
February 21, 2018 at 7:07 pm #17026Had that with my first C-Max – 2007, 2.0 Petrol auto, 145 bhp and the best Ford I ever drove except for my long-gone LHD Capri RS 3.1.
Learned a lesson: every time I park up, I turn the steering wheel straight ahead.
When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.February 21, 2018 at 7:28 pm #17028I try my best to park with the wheels straight, not turn the steering when stationary and all the stuff that people that care about their cars should do. We all mess up from time to time but this will stick in my head.
The boot was directly in the sun and it had frozen food for mum in it, was on the verge of going back in to Aldi and asking if they could put the bag in the freezer while I wait for the AA. Thank whatever deity you believe in for smartphones and 4G connectivity. I believe in none but thanked Tim Berners Lee many times.
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