CheeseMaster
Member
I just read this in another thread:
I'm at the cusp of a similar decision myself. My nearly 10 years old Marea has got under 70k miles on the clock, its an ELX Auto and apart from a couple of problems over the years the only thing that is grating on me is the running costs.
1. Combined 38mpg that I'm getting up the M20 and into Bromley each day and back sticking to 75mph on the motorway. So I'm giving it one last chance to eke over 40 by sticking to 68mph.
2. Insurance is absolutely ridiculous fully comp.
I solved 2 when I realised that the car which I paid over 12k for new is now worth just under 1k. If I make it third party fire and theft, then replacing it with another Marea is less than a years insurance (and no, I'm not a big risk, its a complicated situation to do with transfer of no claims bonuses and english insurance companies).
1 is harder on me. When I drive the Panda back and forth to work, not only is it a pleasanter drive, but it gets far better MPG. Obvious you say. Yep. But the interior is a nicer place to be.
So I looked at extremely fuel efficient vehicles. I've heard there is a new Panda with a 2 cylinder engine on the way that delivers good fuel economy, but frankly I don't want to waste too much money on new cars anymore and it irks me returning to the UK where the attitude is you are judged on your car. What else is there? Smart Diesel with 56bhp and 84mpg? The Panda Diesel?
No matter how you do the maths, a second hand car is a risk. The Marea is big, comfortable, attractive to look at and I know every inch of what has gone wrong with it. But at the moment, I'm finding it hard to justify when the rest of the office at my level have BMWs and Mercedes and Toymotors and even they are claiming better fuel economy AND comparatively similar insurance costs.
Perhaps I should be getting MPG? I have a feeling that as soon as I ditch the Marea I'll be saying "I wish I'd kept the Marea."
I'm at the cusp of a similar decision myself. My nearly 10 years old Marea has got under 70k miles on the clock, its an ELX Auto and apart from a couple of problems over the years the only thing that is grating on me is the running costs.
1. Combined 38mpg that I'm getting up the M20 and into Bromley each day and back sticking to 75mph on the motorway. So I'm giving it one last chance to eke over 40 by sticking to 68mph.
2. Insurance is absolutely ridiculous fully comp.
I solved 2 when I realised that the car which I paid over 12k for new is now worth just under 1k. If I make it third party fire and theft, then replacing it with another Marea is less than a years insurance (and no, I'm not a big risk, its a complicated situation to do with transfer of no claims bonuses and english insurance companies).
1 is harder on me. When I drive the Panda back and forth to work, not only is it a pleasanter drive, but it gets far better MPG. Obvious you say. Yep. But the interior is a nicer place to be.
So I looked at extremely fuel efficient vehicles. I've heard there is a new Panda with a 2 cylinder engine on the way that delivers good fuel economy, but frankly I don't want to waste too much money on new cars anymore and it irks me returning to the UK where the attitude is you are judged on your car. What else is there? Smart Diesel with 56bhp and 84mpg? The Panda Diesel?
No matter how you do the maths, a second hand car is a risk. The Marea is big, comfortable, attractive to look at and I know every inch of what has gone wrong with it. But at the moment, I'm finding it hard to justify when the rest of the office at my level have BMWs and Mercedes and Toymotors and even they are claiming better fuel economy AND comparatively similar insurance costs.
Perhaps I should be getting MPG? I have a feeling that as soon as I ditch the Marea I'll be saying "I wish I'd kept the Marea."
