Changing my car, what should I go for?

[Jody]

That looks really nice, but that is a LOT of money for a 5 year old car, maybe I'm just losing the grasp of inflation

The second hand market is crazy at the minute. Everything fetching way above what it should/was

 

[Bonefish Blues]

That looks really nice, but that is a LOT of money for a 5 year old car, maybe I'm just losing the grasp of inflation

That's absolutely top of the market for sure, a few more miles and it gets more sensible, but SH cars are still daft money.

 

[Drago]

Dig deep and behind the money grabbing front line there is still a lot of reasonably priced stuff about. My one private owner 32000 mile Pug 2008 was 4 grand cheaper than higher mileage ex lease models at a nearby car supermarket.

Behind the bigger businesses riding the tide and cashing in there is still plenty of well priced stuff about if you're prepared to ignore the white noise and put in the leg work.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

There’s an electric MG estate, but much bigger than the Fabia (I have the VRS) and you need to get past the China state ownership thing

Yes, I’ve seen that and mentioned it as one of my considerations in my opening post.

What’s made me cool slightly on it is reading the MG EV forum where owners are using their cars without heating or air-con just to eke out enough miles to do a longer (>100 mile) journey. If the car can’t do that sort of distance with giving up the use of the equipment I paid for to make those journeys comfortable then I don’t see the point.

 

[vickster]

Yes, I’ve seen that and mentioned it as one of my considerations in my opening post.

What’s made me cool slightly on it is reading the MG EV forum where owners are using their cars without heating or air-con just to eke out enough miles to do a longer (>100 mile) journey. If the car can’t do that sort of distance with giving up the use of the equipment I paid for to make those journeys comfortable then I don’t see the point.

I think there are different battery options. I rarely do that sort of distance and not without stopping so ultimately it’s not likely an issue for me

 

[vickster]

That's absolutely top of the market for sure, a few more miles and it gets more sensible, but SH cars are still daft money.

Lots used as taxis so could be high mileage options (no idea if Toyota hybrids are receptive to doing massive miles)

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Lots used as taxis so could be high mileage options (no idea if Toyota hybrids are receptive to doing massive miles)

Yes they take miles well, but I don't think OP should go near a 6-figure one - may as well keep the Skoda

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Of course unless that 'I want a change' mindset has already worked it's way in,

I’ll confess that there is an element of that. The reason for that is that my car was at the dealer recently for some warranty work and they gave me a courtesy car which was a 72 plate Fabia 1.0 TSI DSG with a retail price of £23,000 and that didn’t even come with cruise control, only a speed limiter. What I really enjoyed was going back to an automatic gearbox. So that got me thinking; how long do I keep my car going for, now that things are starting to go on it?

As I said before, I like value for money and my Fabia was only £11,000 new, via Drive the Deal, when the dealers wanted £14,000 and that came with cruise, air-con, electric windows and alloy wheels as standard.

But you’re right, if I look at it coldly, there’s no reason not to continue running my Fabia until something major goes wrong and, oddly, that’s exactly what the service manager at my dealer said the other week when I took back the courtesy car. The question is, how big a repair bill do I accept before changing it? 50% of its current value? (which is under £2000).

This thread is just speculative, looking towards what I might replace it with when it does become inevitable.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I’ll confess that there is an element of that. The reason for that is that my car was at the dealer recently for some warranty work and they gave me a courtesy car which was a 72 plate Fabia 1.0 TSI DSG with a retail price of £23,000 and that didn’t even come with cruise control, only a speed limiter. What I really enjoyed was going back to an automatic gearbox. So that got me thinking; how long do I keep my car going for, now that things are starting to go on it?

As I said before, I like value for money and my Fabia was only £11,000 new, via Drive the Deal, when the dealers wanted £14,000 and that came with cruise, air-con, electric windows and alloy wheels as standard.

But you’re right, if I look at it coldly, there’s no reason not to continue running my Fabia until something major goes wrong and, oddly, that’s exactly what the service manager at my dealer said the other week when I took back the courtesy car. The question is, how big a repair bill do I accept before changing it? 50% of its current value? (which is under £2000).

This thread is just speculative, looking towards what I might replace it with when it does become inevitable.

To your final question - there's another way of looking at it - the value of your current car is actually how much it'll cost to replace it with something that provides the same utility....

 

[Drago]

Perhaps more, because finding another that has been maintained and driven to the same exacting standards is very difficult. Unless you know the seller personally you never really get an assurance that a high miler has been treated well no matter how comprehensive the paperwork.

 

[Jody]

But you’re right, if I look at it coldly, there’s no reason not to continue running my Fabia until something major goes wrong and, oddly, that’s exactly what the service manager at my dealer said the other week when I took back the courtesy car. The question is, how big a repair bill do I accept before changing it? 50% of its current value? (which is under £2000).

This thread is just speculative, looking towards what I might replace it with when it does become inevitable.

A 10/12 plate Fabia estate with 80k on the clock is worth a lot more than £2K

 

[Drago]

A 10/12 plate Fabia estate with 80k on the clock is worth a lot more than £2K

Not GC's. He's been farting in it for over a decade.

 

[Jody]

Depends what engine/gearbox your running and how you've looked after it in the last 10 years as to what the repair bill is likely to be

 

[fossyant]

Sod it, nice Boxter for £15k !

 

[glasgowcyclist]

A 10/12 plate Fabia estate with 80k on the clock is worth a lot more than £2K

Really? In a private sale?

I’ve seen higher prices in dealers certainly.

Mine is one owner, full Skoda dealer service history, no damage (aside from the odd very minor stone chip). The only rust it had came from the area around the number plate lights but I’ve just had that resprayed by Skoda under warranty. It’s never been driven hard as I’m forever trying to exploit its frugality. 🙂