Forum Replies Created
- Replies
£3K is very steep for a small car. On the flip side, £3K for small, very nippy car with all the bells and whistles is quite reasonable.
I like the VW Golf Mk1 styling. Range is dire. Less than 1 lap of the M25 before needing a charge is unacceptable from something so small although unsurprising for 1.5 tonnes of bleeding edge technology. It weighs more than my Skoda Octavia 2.0 diesel with the same power output.
I’d have one if I had a drive but I don’t like the idea of a trailing charge cable winding across the pavement.
The latest information I got from Motability – admittedly just before the lockdown – was:
Any customer can extend the lease of any three-year-car now by up to two years and irrespective of AP.
The Good condition bonus increases too.
£600 after three years.
£700 after four years.
£900 after five years.After five years, no dice unless the replacement vehicle has been ordered.
If one decides to terminate a lease extension, the GCB is paid out on whole years only.
A quick search of the Motability web shows different information.
I would call and get MOp to email the options.
Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi are all part of the same group.
It makes sense to rationalise production and markets around the globe. It’ll be a big kick in the nads for the Sunderland plant if the powers that be shut it down.
However, don’t forget that although a relatively small area geographically, the UK is outside of Europe and there will still be a market for compact, right-hand-drive cars. The same cars that can be driven in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and so on. None of which are in Europe either.
Mine has LED headlights/tail lights but antique bulbs for stop/indicator.
The current Skoda Octavia (Mk3FL) is similar.
LEDs everywhere except the front fogs, reversing lights and rear indicators.
To make things worse, they’re all a bugger to change.
Q1 of every year sees a cull, although this year has been particularly bad.
The net reduction from Q4 2019 is still over 200.
Adding 200 cars in a month would be unprecedented.
Personally, I think the problem is that all of the manufacturers are falling over themselves to add hybrids to their existing ranges. The 48V systems seem to be very popular but it will still take time to filter down to Motability level.
There’s a lot of contradiction taking place in the media that isn’t helping. Petrol and diesels will, allegedly disappearing. No they won’t. Petrol and diesels will just have 48V micro-hybrids installed.
The hybrids bring a secondary problem. Engine size reduction. In order to install a simple, under-the-bonnet system, internal combustion engines will be smaller and have to work harder to keep the hybrid batteries charged.
Most recently, the press have also started having a go at diesel cars (again) over the ineffectiveness of particulate filters and asking why petrol engines shouldn’t also be fitted with similar systems. Also, the press have found a study that the next major hazard to the environment is brake dust from vehicles.
Advance payments have been creeping up and up over the last couple of years, some by ridiculous amounts. The Citroen Berlingo and Peugeot Partner (now Rifter) automatics had APs of just £495 and £499 and a couple of years ago, now both are now well over £1000.
The Audi A4 is only on the scheme as there is probably a lot of RHD stock to get of. (Brexit effect anyone) On top of that 150BHP from a modern 2.0 petrol is a joke.
If anyone is due to change cars this quarter, be brave and wait. Call Motability and tell them you’re struggling to find the extra money for an advance payment. Particularly if you have a larger car. I’ve done it more than once.
My current lease is up in September this year so I’m quite fortunate. I will get my letter in June. I’ll be able to order a car on 30th June and, if necessary, cancel it on 1st July in the event that something spectacular happens to the AP. Last time I saved over £1000 on the AP by not cancelling but still had the reassurance that it was possible.
The only other thing we can “hope” for is another Daily Mail exposé and Motability are forced to reign in the APs. It’s not that long ago that the maximum AP was £2000 for a manual and £2500 for an auto. The number of cars on the scheme reduced but not by much. It was the manufacturers that were forced to reconsider their pricing structure. The last thing we want again is a repeat of when APs could reach just shy of £20,000 – yes, twenty thousand pounds – for a car.
Ordinarily I wait until the warning comes on the infotainment screen and fill up within a day or two.
I’ve been very good over the last 2 1/2 years and used fuelly. I only missed the first two tank fulls.
My Octy is also a caravan puller (see June/July 2018 for towing figures when I covered more than 4,500 miles).
Today she cracked 40,000 miles and there’s another set of touring figures to add.
Officially my best mpg is 54.5 for a tank full. However, I managed 69.9 for a drive from Cornwall to Teesside.
The amount spent on fuel is inaccurate due to the inability to enter local currency conversions. In Hungary it was 330HUF for a litre – about the same per litre in Sterling.
http://www.fuelly.com/car/skoda/octavia/2017/blueclouduk/689154
Ordered from a dealership in Durham, serviced by a different dealership in Darlington.
Sales team in Durham were great, service team not so.
Reverse order for dealership in Darlington.
