Are there any simpler cars around now?

[icowden]

You need to be comfortable at 70mph to get up up larger hills.

Or just drive behind (or in front of) a big HGV...

 

[CXRAndy]

Apart from the turbos?

Why avoid turbos anyway? It's very reliable tech., has been for many donkeys.

It is if a vehicle is well maintained, still an expensive item when they go wrong. He's wanting simple, can't get much simpler engine than NA.

Id also avoid GDI engines too, they are prone to give emission issues as they age. Nothing better than a bit of petrol wash through the valve inlet to keep it nice a clean mechanically

 

[Time Waster]

It is if a vehicle is well maintained, still an expensive item when they go wrong. He's wanting simple, can't get much simpler engine than NA.

Id also avoid GDI engines too, they are prone to give emission issues as they age. Nothing better than a bit of petrol wash through the valve inlet to keep it nice a clean mechanically

An engine is even more expensive when it goes wrong, should we do without engines too? Not serious but if you wanted to do that I am sure someone will stick a Fred Flintstones style hole in the bottom for you!!

More seriously, are turbos more likely to go wrong than other parts in a car? Alternators are parts that are effectively consumable. My van turbo cost about the same as my van alternator. I know that because they both went wrong (the alternator twice in 6 years but the first was fixed by the dealership as it was in warranty).

 

[cyberknight]

Which Dacia? The Duster reviews well but from what I read about the Jogger (a stretch sandero stepway or is it partly a Logan too) is not promising for a car IMHO.

stepway

 

[Bonefish Blues]

I do not have a problem with the Jogger being a simple car I just think it is a not very good car. Is there not a better simple car out there? Reading reviews the Duster seems a decent car, is that not a simple car?

You expressed a preference for a simple estate car, that's why the Jogger came to mind. I've test driven a Duster with a view to using it as our bigger family car, but decided to run our existing estate for slightly longer - it's just more refined than the Dacia, despite being much older. When we change, we'll be going EV for that one because it's reached the tipping point IMHO.

In the meantime 90% of our miles are done in a diesel Fiat Panda 4x4 (lest you think I'm afraid of a bit of noise and rattle!) - soon to be replaced by an EV, I'm hoping.

 

[Jameshow]

It is if a vehicle is well maintained, still an expensive item when they go wrong. He's wanting simple, can't get much simpler engine than NA.

Id also avoid GDI engines too, they are prone to give emission issues as they age. Nothing better than a bit of petrol wash through the valve inlet to keep it nice a clean mechanically

Mechanical pump diesel then...

 

[vickster]

They do petrols, but that is not what they are particularly known for with the Octavia sized cars that we would need to look at. Certainly I have not seen any Octavias in petrol sold anywhere in my neck of the woods. You can only buy what is there and we really do not want to go right down the country to get a car.

Friend of mine has an Octavia VRS, it's definitely petrol

 

[CXRAndy]

More seriously, are turbos more likely to go wrong than other parts in a car?

Yes, if you don't regularly change the oil and filter and let the turbo cool down from a spirited drive or extended motorway journey. They spin over 100,000 rpm at full chat and require a high pressure oil and sometimes water cooled supply to keep the bearings from cooking.

Poor service intervals can severely reduce the life of a turbocharger.

If you are buying second hand vehicle, you be best to get one with full service history and hope the previous owners were mechanically sympathetic to their car

 

[Fastpedaller]

I haven't read all the previous, so apologies if the following has already been mentioned...
Some of the latest cars have 'touchscreen' control of simple functions eg turning on lights, adjusting the heater. Some owners have said their car needs 5 touchscreen actions to turn on lights, and are therefore dangerous to use! If I was buying a car I'd see if anything posed this sort of problem, and if it was the case I'd walk away ........ Reliability, running costs, gadgets etc don't matter a jot if it's inherently dangerous! Go for an 'extended' test drive, try everything out, and don't trust the salesman who says 'it's easy to turn on the lights, don't worry... this is a very safe car'

 

[CXRAndy]

Mechanical pump diesel then...

Diesels are filthy engines with all the egr stuff, clogging up all the pipework. Plus a commuter diesel is going to be a candidate for dpf cleans early than a motorway driven one

 

[icowden]

Some owners have said their car needs 5 touchscreen actions to turn on lights, and are therefore dangerous to use!

Those people are lying.

If I was buying a car I'd see if anything posed this sort of problem, and if it was the case I'd walk away ........ Reliability, running costs, gadgets etc don't matter a jot if it's inherently dangerous! Go for an 'extended' test drive, try everything out, and don't trust the salesman who says 'it's easy to turn on the lights, don't worry... this is a very safe car'

Lights are usually on a stick, a touch panel or are automatic. But yes, it's always worth a test drive to ensure you like the way that the car runs and is set up. I always remember going to test drive an S-MAX quite a few years ago. I liked it but my wife vetoed it immediately. It had the heating mesh in the front windscreen. To me it was pretty much invisible. To her, it was like looking through a grid. Purely an eyesight thing.

 

[MichaelW2]

The car club had a few Hyundai I110 or some i varient model.
Very basic, simple featureless car like your grandad used to drive.

 

[Time Waster]

I haven't read all the previous, so apologies if the following has already been mentioned...
Some of the latest cars have 'touchscreen' control of simple functions eg turning on lights, adjusting the heater. Some owners have said their car needs 5 touchscreen actions to turn on lights, and are therefore dangerous to use! If I was buying a car I'd see if anything posed this sort of problem, and if it was the case I'd walk away ........ Reliability, running costs, gadgets etc don't matter a jot if it's inherently dangerous! Go for an 'extended' test drive, try everything out, and don't trust the salesman who says 'it's easy to turn on the lights, don't worry... this is a very safe car'

More likely they have not learnt how to set the auto headlight option on. We have a pug 208 as the other car and we have never had to turn the lights on. An old08 plate Seat had auto headlights too. A sensor on the windscreen that also detected rain. No touchscreen though.

 

[Fastpedaller]

More likely they have not learnt how to set the auto headlight option on. We have a pug 208 as the other car and we have never had to turn the lights on. An old08 plate Seat had auto headlights too. A sensor on the windscreen that also detected rain. No touchscreen though.

I've seen press reports (maybe avalable online?) where auto-headlights have been a big problem.... How is that you might ask?
At a T-junction where there are trees, cars travelling along the main road approaching the junction have been involved in collisions because their headlight have turned on under the trees - Motorists about to join the main road have pulled out because they thought the drivers were flashing their lights to let them out! Yes, I agree it's driver error and drivers shouldn't take 'instruction' from others, but they sometimes do. Without the automation, the incidents most probably wouldn't have happened (apparently there were many) . Maybe icowden will say these people were also lying

 

[Fastpedaller]

A sensor on the windscreen that also detected rain.

My Daughter learnt in a Ford Focus that put the wipers on whenever a leaf fell on the screen - She wanted (and bought) a Ford, but it's a Ka + (the lesser-known 5 door) that doesn't have such auto features.... a good car (we also have one)