Changing Car

foggy4ever

foggy4ever

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Does anyone else get a headache thinking about changing their car?

I've had the old girl since sept 07, a mk8 Civic. The sensible option is the mk10 Civic 1.5 sport, would love a Type R but too impractical and I also haven't really looked at any other similar cars.

What has thrown a spanner in the works is my daugher had her 3rd child last year and she and her partner don't drive so I've been looking at 7 seaters with the Skoda Kodiaq the front runner.

The 7 seats might get used less than a dozen times a year and the Kodiaq being much larger will be more expensive to buy and run but as a dad and a grandad I feel it's what I need to buy.

I'm not planning on changing till later in the year so I'm in no immediate rush but the dread of dealing with a salesperson doesn't make me look forward to it.
 
Might be cheaper to buy the daughter driving lessons :)

There is a totally online car retailer called cazoo I think it is. Worth checking them out as they'll deliver to your door. No salespeople to deal with.
 
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srichards said:
Might be cheaper to buy the daughter driving lessons :)

There is a totally online car retailer called cazoo I think it is. Worth checking them out as they'll deliver to your door. No salespeople to deal with.
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They had 2 at cazoo and both diesel.

Petrol 2.0 180ps auto 7 seats kind of cuts the options down a little as most are diesels. My Civic is a diesel but I won't be having another one.

It doesn't help with my brother sending me links to Focus RS, TypeR, M140I etc all the time :love:
 
I was thinking of a seven seater myself not so long ago but my main concern with some seven seaters is the safety of the rear most seats, especially some of these people carriers where there's almost no crush zone.
 
You need something massive to have the 6th and 7th seats inside the vehicle enough. The same problem exists with small superminis as with most of them there isn't much rear crumple space either.
 
Hi Scott,

Hope all OK with you.

I share your dread of changing car probably because, like you, I change them infrequently. Previous car I had for 8 years, current one for 7 years and am planning a few more. My changes have been prompted by friendly salesman at my local dealer telling me he has a car that he thinks I would like. He never tries to sell me the car. Unfortunately, he has retired from dealership now - not sure how I will deal with next change.

Current car is Volvo XC90. A 7 seater that's useful when Daughter comes over from Australia with all her family. It also has space for luggage and a crumple zone behind back seats. Often exercises my mind that 99.9% of the time I only need one seat! But I love the car and refer to it as my boy's toy.

Whatever you do make sure your choice provides you with the right boy's toy.

Ken
 
If you aren't going to use the 7 seats very often, simply get an everyday car and hire a larger car when needed.

We went through the same dilemma a few years ago, and just rent a Volvo estate or similar for those few weekends a year that we actually need all the space. Book ahead in advance and the costs can be surprisingly cheap (use travelsupermarket.com or another comparison site to get good deals near where you live).

With massively reduced running costs, depreciation etc., you can treat your grandchildren to treats or even a holiday each year.
 
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The key advantage for me of a seven seater is very huge boot space (the rear seats have only been used a couple of times in 4 years). As you will be having an addition to the family soon, do not underestimate the space that is needed for something so small. Our Galaxy boot swallowed the double pushchair without needing to be collapsed, and now takes bikes, scooters etc. And when going on holidays with a young child, the amount of extra stuff you need is incredible. The boot was filled top to bottom for a week long UK stay with two young kids (double pushchair, potties, travel cot, bikes, bath etc. For a family car, something like a Galaxy is difficult to beat. In fact next time i may consider something even larger such as a VW transporter. But not sure if my wife will be up for that...!
Also, another thing to consider is if you need three child seats in the rear. That may rule out many cars as three seats will not fit in the rear of many cars, in fact many cars advise against having a child seat in the middle of the rear.
 
gman said:
I was thinking of a seven seater myself not so long ago but my main concern with some seven seaters is the safety of the rear most seats, especially some of these people carriers where there's almost no crush zone.
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srichards said:
You need something massive to have the 6th and 7th seats inside the vehicle enough. The same problem exists with small superminis as with most of them there isn't much rear crumple space either.
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The rear seats when up are good for upto early teens and still has a reasonable boot space/crumple zone.
Nikon Ken said:
Hi Scott,

Hope all OK with you.

I share your dread of changing car probably because, like you, I change them infrequently. Previous car I had for 8 years, current one for 7 years and am planning a few more. My changes have been prompted by friendly salesman at my local dealer telling me he has a car that he thinks I would like. He never tries to sell me the car. Unfortunately, he has retired from dealership now - not sure how I will deal with next change.

Current car is Volvo XC90. A 7 seater that's useful when Daughter comes over from Australia with all her family. It also has space for luggage and a crumple zone behind back seats. Often exercises my mind that 99.9% of the time I only need one seat! But I love the car and refer to it as my boy's toy.

Whatever you do make sure your choice provides you with the right boy's toy.

Ken
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Hi Ken, all's well here and hope the same with you.

I'll have a look at a Kodiaq soon to see how much of a monster it is in the flesh. It's probably the most practical choice of the 2 and still leaves me to have more fun in the MX5.

Picking the Civic all them years ago was easy.

JohnStewart said:
If you aren't going to use the 7 seats very often, simply get an everyday car and hire a larger car when needed.

We went through the same dilemma a few years ago, and just rent a Volvo estate or similar for those few weekends a year that we actually need all the space. Book ahead in advance and the costs can be surprisingly cheap (use travelsupermarket.com or another comparison site to get good deals near where you live).

With massively reduced running costs, depreciation etc., you can treat your grandchildren to treats or even a holiday each year.
Click to expand...

Most of the journeys will be short, local and mostly short notice so renting isn't really an option. I don't really do a lot of mileage and have an NC MX5 for fun so it will have an easy life and won't get changed for many years to come.

Rapscallion said:
The key advantage for me of a seven seater is very huge boot space (the rear seats have only been used a couple of times in 4 years). As you will be having an addition to the family soon, do not underestimate the space that is needed for something so small. Our Galaxy boot swallowed the double pushchair without needing to be collapsed, and now takes bikes, scooters etc. And when going on holidays with a young child, the amount of extra stuff you need is incredible. The boot was filled top to bottom for a week long UK stay with two young kids (double pushchair, potties, travel cot, bikes, bath etc. For a family car, something like a Galaxy is difficult to beat. In fact next time i may consider something even larger such as a VW transporter. But not sure if my wife will be up for that...!
Also, another thing to consider is if you need three child seats in the rear. That may rule out many cars as three seats will not fit in the rear of many cars, in fact many cars advise against having a child seat in the middle of the rear.
Click to expand...

My 2 grandsons are using booster seats(6&5) so the 2 rear seats in the Kodiaq look perfect, the loading space looks great, my Civic is surprisingly good at swallowing large loads too just not long stuff.

It will just be a case of finding the right model as most are diesel or the smaller 1.4t/1.5t petrol engines.




Thanks all for the input.
 
foggy4ever said:
Hi Ken, all's well here and hope the same with you.
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My normal answer would be I'm surviving, but I'm fine.

Just struggling in my mind with situation with my Wife, Val. She passed away peacefully in July, 12 years after her diagnoses with Alzheimer's. It has been a difficult time but at least she is at peace now. Just trying to motivate myself to move forward.
 
Nikon Ken said:
My normal answer would be I'm surviving, but I'm fine.

Just struggling in my mind with situation with my Wife, Val. She passed away peacefully in July, 12 years after her diagnoses with Alzheimer's. It has been a difficult time but at least she is at peace now. Just trying to motivate myself to move forward.
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Sorry for you loss Ken.

I still keep an eye on the meeting section but it seems to be a lot quieter now compared to when I first joined, the Yorkshire Wildlife Park stops me getting rusty with the gear plus a bit of garden macro and grand children too.

Take care
 
Thanks Scott.

I need to get out with the camera more - that will come.

I think the Leeds based group have developed a What's App group and probably still do meet up. I'm afraid I have lost contact.

As you say gand children are a good distraction.

Take care.
 
foggy4ever said:
The 7 seats might get used less than a dozen times a year and the Kodiaq being much larger will be more expensive to buy and run but as a dad and a grandad I feel it's what I need to buy.
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Great choice. That's probably what I'd go for I was lucky enough to buy new. I strongly suggest 4x4, DSG box and one of the more powerful diesels, but maybe skip BiTDI in case they still have reliability issues. Alternatives are Touareg (more ££££) and Amarok. Both fine cars.
 
LongLensPhotography said:
Great choice. That's probably what I'd go for I was lucky enough to buy new. I strongly suggest 4x4, DSG box and one of the more powerful diesels, but maybe skip BiTDI in case they still have reliability issues. Alternatives are Touareg (more ££££) and Amarok. Both fine cars.
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It wont be new, probably 18 months old will be ideal. My commute to work is fairly short so a diesel is not an option as the dpf wont like it, my civic diesel(mk8) never had one.

I have a Skoda dealer very close so will pop in aoon to have a nosey.
 
I am contemplating something new.. or I was until the back end of last year. My car, which is a 2010 Vauxhall astra just hit 150k and I've decided to keep it going until it blows up if ever, apart from the cam belt (recommenced on the diesel auto one allegedly) it is running everything as original.. beyond new oil in the transmission and a few front light bulbs!

When I get to 200k I'll consider my options. ;)
 
I’m doing the same. My Toyota Rav 4 is 15 years old (automatic petrol) and I’ve visited VW, Honda and Toyota showrooms.
its boring as hell, takes ages as the sales people like to slow everything down.
I like Vw but they are behind the other 2 as regards hybrid SUV.
At the moment I am edging towards another Toyota RAV4, hybrid as I think this is the way forward. 5 year guarantee.
I‘m holding off for now as I want to look at the Rav 4 PHEV which is coming in a few months.
I currently only have one grandchild, so 7 seater not a necessity.

P.S. I refuse to give the salesperson my telephone number. Email only. It stops them pestering me.
 
We have been lucky in the past with buying pre-registered cars, 3-6 months old, delivery mileage on them and £5k to £10k off. The only downside is you may be restricted with choice/colour/specifications . Also you can often negotiate a better finance deal on a new car as they often have manufacturer incentives to play with.

My advice is remember the salesman is after your money; he/she is not your friend, resist their attempts to be 'best' friends with you. Be vague with them about your budget (but make sure you have set yourself a firm limit) and don't show too much enthusiasm for whatever they offer. Make them aware you are looking at other brands/models/dealerships. Keep them guessing.....

Be prepared for the sales staff to play their usual games & go off to speak to the salesmanager to get you a better price etc etc

Above all, be prepared to walk away if you are not 100% happy, and never accept their first offer/price/discount. Push them for free/cheap servicing deals, carpet mats, tank of fuel.

Watch out for the 'bundling' of GAP insurance, wheel/tyre insurance, chip & scrape insurance, paint & trim protection offers which can quickly crank the price up. Remember the salesman generally gets commission for selling these, if you want them be prepared to negotiate on price & see if they will bundle them for free (in other words get extra discount off the car price).

I got 4 years servicing & 'free' GAP insurance on my current car as well as paint protection which they did on the car during PDI without asking me . Needless to say I declined to pay for it.
 
foggy4ever said:
It wont be new, probably 18 months old will be ideal. My commute to work is fairly short so a diesel is not an option as the dpf wont like it, my civic diesel(mk8) never had one.

I have a Skoda dealer very close so will pop in aoon to have a nosey.
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If you make a few longer photography trips in the evening or weekends it will be just fine, otherwise petrol or petrol hybrid may be a better bet.
If you get a VAG I strongly recommend ordering VCDS cable. It is a great help despite the initial outlay.
 
Peter123 said:
I’m doing the same. My Toyota Rav 4 is 15 years old (automatic petrol) and I’ve visited VW, Honda and Toyota showrooms.
its boring as hell, takes ages as the sales people like to slow everything down.
I like Vw but they are behind the other 2 as regards hybrid SUV.
At the moment I am edging towards another Toyota RAV4, hybrid as I think this is the way forward. 5 year guarantee.
I‘m holding off for now as I want to look at the Rav 4 PHEV which is coming in a few months.
I currently only have one grandchild, so 7 seater not a necessity.

P.S. I refuse to give the salesperson my telephone number. Email only. It stops them pestering me.
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Yes we will probably get a hybrid, the current favorite is one of the Lexus RX400 hopefully. Probably the older one at around 2010 as prices are much better!

In my dreams I want an Expedition or Escalade such a shame they're not made shipped easily over here!
 
foggy4ever said:
It wont be new, probably 18 months old will be ideal. My commute to work is fairly short so a diesel is not an option as the dpf wont like it, my civic diesel(mk8) never had one.

I have a Skoda dealer very close so will pop in aoon to have a nosey.
Click to expand...
As already mentioned by others some manufacturers offer deposit allowances if you are using their finance on new cars. Also some of them are still running their own scrappage schemes. If your civic has no dpf it must be at least 13yrs old, so probably not worth much, you could possibly get £2k for it on trade in. Some manufacturers are also offering 0% or very low interest on their new cars, you could end up with a new car for less money than buying an older 2nd hand model.
 
nilagin said:
As already mentioned by others some manufacturers offer deposit allowances if you are using their finance on new cars. Also some of them are still running their own scrappage schemes. If your civic has no dpf it must be at least 13yrs old, so probably not worth much, you could possibly get £2k for it on trade in. Some manufacturers are also offering 0% or very low interest on their new cars, you could end up with a new car for less money than buying an older 2nd hand model.
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Until the test drive the reviews of the Kodiaq are very good so I'm not looking at other manufacturers.
Having a look at new compared to an 18 month used one is about 10k so it would have to be a very good scrapped offer.
I'll pay cash with savings and a small loan with current deals around 2.9% which no dealer is going to match.
No mk8 2.2 I-ctdi had a dpf, the body shape ran till around 2011 ish but not sure when my engine was phased out but it was still going strong in 2010.
 
foggy4ever said:
Until the test drive the reviews of the Kodiaq are very good so I'm not looking at other manufacturers.
Having a look at new compared to an 18 month used one is about 10k so it would have to be a very good scrapped offer.
I'll pay cash with savings and a small loan with current deals around 2.9% which no dealer is going to match.
No mk8 2.2 I-ctdi had a dpf, the body shape ran till around 2011 ish but not sure when my engine was phased out but it was still going strong in 2010.
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All diesels had dpf's from 2007 they were mandatory.
 
foggy4ever said:
Not on any uk mk8 2.2 ictdi. Ive been around civic groups for over 10 years.
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Sorry it wasn't 2007 that's when most manufacturers started fitting them in preparation for the next euro emissions regulations, they were made mandatory in 2009.
 
nilagin said:
Sorry it wasn't 2007 that's when most manufacturers started fitting them in preparation for the next euro emissions regulations, they were made mandatory in 2009.
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I wonder how Honda got around that with the 3rd gen CRV because the Euro 4 2.2 CDTi engine wasn't replaced until 2010 with the Euro 5 2.2 iDTEC engine? Could there be a sizable gap between production date and registration date?
 
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gman said:
I wonder how Honda got around that with the 3rd gen CRV because the Euro 4 2.2 CDTi engine wasn't replaced until 2010 with the Euro 5 2.2 iDTEC engine? Could there be a sizable gap between production date and registration date?
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There can be, when a model is about to be changed and manufacturers start getting orders for the new model, their are generally deals on the older model to clear the stock, but there can always be old models left unsold. If the dealerships don't pre-register them it's not unheard of for cars to remain unsold for a couple of years. When the WLTP emissions came into force, that is the only time where legislation stated that all new cars sold after that date had to meet the new regulations and dealerships had to pre register any stock they had, that wouldn't have met it.
 
My headache was actually finding a car on Autotrader or on a VW configurator, find one only to find it was sold, when I did pin down a car and arranged a test drive it was sold before I turned up to test it (actually 2)....

I was after a Golf 7 1.4 TSI ACT 150PS auto in GT trim - with nav and pano roof - pre-facelift (I HATE FAKE EXHAUSTS!!!). VW also do a R-Line variant which resembles GTi/R - with a bit more body kit and diamond cute wheels (and nicer seats). Given that the more recent diamond-cut alloys on Golfs can only be described as grim I wanted the standard silver painted finish 17" or 18" wheels.

Anyway we arrive at the dealer to test a grey (GT) one with the silver wheels or a white (also GT) with diamond cut wheels. They were already gone. We have this R-Line in black. SWMBO said she did not fancy the black one. Even though we were going halfs on the car, it would be her car but I would be driving it mostly - it was bought for her to become more mobile since her 2000 model Golf 4 had been unreliable. Seeing that I was happy driving it ( it is a rather nice driving environment) she said yet. Given how fast the 1.4 TSi ACTs were selling I was sure there was no discount for cash, but we still got a reasonable deal...

Got used to the diamond cut wheels now, without the detailing you get on GTis it does resemble a GTi from the side....

Replacing my own car will be a headache of magnificent proportions.. to get one from the same brand would go along the lines of "How much is this Gripen?"
 
Donnie said:
@foggy4ever sorry for dragging up an old thread, did you ever get another car?
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Nope, all this Covid really put a spanner in the plans. No point in a 7 seater when you can't socialise, I'm just topping up the savings and will see what happens next year.
 
I'm not advertising these, but more of a fun look into the alternative side of motoring. This garage near me always has a good selection of "different" vehicles for all tastes...

Showroom

Find out more about the cars we offer at The Car Warehouse on our showroom page. High-quality imported cars with a difference.
www.thecarwarehouse.co.uk www.thecarwarehouse.co.uk
 
foggy4ever said:
Nope, all this Covid really put a spanner in the plans. No point in a 7 seater when you can't socialise, I'm just topping up the savings and will see what happens next year.
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Aye probably, I've ended up going for a 2 year old Kodiaq this week and pick up on Thursday, even though there's only me the wife and 2 Border collies, daughter has own car and sons rarely in it. Looking forward to it.

jpgreenwood said:
I'm not advertising these, but more of a fun look into the alternative side of motoring. This garage near me always has a good selection of "different" vehicles for all tastes...

Showroom

Find out more about the cars we offer at The Car Warehouse on our showroom page. High-quality imported cars with a difference.
www.thecarwarehouse.co.uk www.thecarwarehouse.co.uk
Click to expand...

Some pretty cool vehicles there!
 
Donnie said:
Aye probably, I've ended up going for a 2 year old Kodiaq this week and pick up on Thursday, even though there's only me the wife and 2 Border collies, daughter has own car and sons rarely in it. Looking forward to it.
Click to expand...
Keep us updated on it, what model/engine did you get?
 
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