Okay, so going back to my first post, the same Panda is now down to
£9k.
www.usedcarsni.com
A Lexus CT200h I looked at last August at a local dealer also dropped a grand... However despite being a nice car and a nice upgrade, it's listed as a 'Sport' but missing some of the sport kit: dark windows, front/rear sensors, heated seats (Lexus website had a press statement about the Sport trim in 2015 stating these are standard). That's putting me off that particular car -
however I mention this because in looking at this car, this weekend, I did come to the conclusion that moving on from the Avensis is what I'm going to do for various reasons:
- Every week, posts from owners of 16/17 plate ones owned from new (mostly taxi drivers) between 100-200k, they are going bang (not starting ,metal sounds) or EGR and or turbo needing replaced completely. Multi thousand pound repairs. BMW engine not worth keeping long term, it's a chance to take (at my expense) to persist into older age and hoping the genuine fluids will make a magical difference.
- Putting a lot of diesel into it. A lot. If I want to drive it, I feel it financially. Can't see this improving with age and diesel clogging. Most cars fall short of the stated figure. Not 33%+ short..
- Though I've only 7k left on it, paying that off (likely early) in the next few years, only for it to sprout a random catastrophic failure will leave me
that very 7k plus the rest, out of pocket.
- At this point some relatives are agreeing that I'll likely never be content or happy with this engine situation.
The Lexus CT? Others are around the 15k mark or more... getting into more uncertainty over history and spec and it crossed my mind that going from a low insurance group car (Avensis) to that (high insurance) - THIS year when most people are getting huge increases in their renewals - might also be a bad ideal.
I'm looking at that red Panda in the link because a quick search on 'UsedCarsNI' (basically like AutoTrader including all dealers in NI plus private sellers) - shows not many Panda's for sale. This is the newest, good spec one. Otherwise I'm getting into the likes of an already 6/7 year old car - which won't age like a [true] Toyota / Lexus. I'm happy with the Panda and Fiat quality - and I think I'll only come across the same age related issues I did with the first one, which are very much easy to deal with.
The biggest issue I'm having is the mental step of going back to what I had. And going down from a 'big' car where everything other than the engine is considered a 'don't worry it's fine' aspect. The reason why I am even contemplating the Panda despite being able to keep the Avensis or move on to another safe option like a CT, is that
personally, in my heart / head I like the Panda. Love it, when I see them on the road it makes me laugh and me and anyone I'm with always point em out and joke about how I wish I had that more than this car (and the joke being,
who would possibly think that - but I do!) haha I'm aware of it being a cheaper, less kitted out, and relatively less safe car. But I reckon for the distances I do, the kind of driving I do, it should be fine.
Even the safety concern (this is the big kicker for me because everything else is opinion, this might have a material cost) - surely is more important if I was doing a long commute. But I commute 2-3 days a week, 7 miles. 80% of my driving all year is within the city. When I do 'go far', it's 70 miles to Belfast. That's nothing really compared to you guys on the mainland. I seldom do trips over to England with the car, but even for once a year, even the Panda is more than adequate.
With the Avensis, my trips are pretty much short and as it ages, they'll probably punish any diesel engine and lead to trouble. I think this is karma for how much I slammed diesel engines being stupid in cars on here over the years, to find that I'm now subject to the very things I should have known to avoid.
Many a silly little trip into or around town at night or for no good reason other than to get out and about, have stopped since I bought the Avensis because it's just too thirsty to justify silly trips that aren't need based. The Panda's, I could drive around for no reason at all and rarely feel it on the wallet.
Well, I'm continuing to weigh it up. Everybody thinks the Lexus is a good move (I'm not so sure with those trim differences). I doubt anybody would support me going back to the Panda - though realistically it shouldn't bother them. Granted, I totally get where they come from. And I am a little scared of going back and having disapproval from everybody around me. Before I was given my Panda 169, you'd never have convinced me to want one, or like being in someone else's - you know.
I think I should go for it, and if it's that much of a disaster... well, they seem to be retaining their used values. Surely no odds.
My thoughts aside, now,
at £9k, does this seem reasonable as a used price? In 2020 I believe these would have cost around £11,880 on the road. Any car sold in Northern Ireland is going to be (usually a grand above) what you'd get it in England. It'd cost £400-£500 at current prices to drive my car over, trade it in - if they'd even buy it the same day - and that's assuming the car I go to buy, has no issues in person otherwise I could have wasted time off and travel costs for nothing. That's why, although it might seem stupid, I'm giving this car good thought. I tried selling the Avensis privately, no interest sadly. Few calls from people in England who didn't realise the location.
As in my OP, plastic steering wheel on a Lounge - anybody else had that happen?