[spidermonkey09]

Same thing happening in Sheffield back end of 2022.

I kind of agree with it in principal, but at the end of the day, Sheffield CC couldn't organise a piss up at the Abbeydale brewery and thus it will be a total clusterfuck.  By including the ring road in the zone, it will force a shit ton of traffic into the suburbs (where the vast majority of residents and schools are) as they find rat runs to avoid the charge.  I foresee carnage.

Meanwhile, the minging black taxis, with their 50 year old, held together by bailing twine exhausts will presumably still be aloud to queue up at the train station by the dozen, idling their engines and belching black soot all the way up the ring road as they depart.

 

Yeah, this is the thing. Manchester's roads are really bad already and I can't see this will actually make a difference. I also agree with it in principle, something has to be done, although its pretty annoying it extends so far out to Bury area. Having just had a look at the map, at this stage the area covered is so massive almost everybody will get caught. Maybe this is a better policy than just the city centre to prevent new rat runs becoming popular?

How wide is it planned to be in Sheffield? Thats going to fuck over a lot of climbers with vans there.

[mrjonathanr]

Yeah i gathered that but seems daft i have to now pick the car that is the biggest polluter to drive into town in to avoid paying charges on the other.

You'll look like every other commuter on Kingsway/ the Parkway then 

[Paul B]

No, I haven't but this isn't solely my decision (and it's taking an absolute age). When I switched the Octavia 18M or so ago for the A6 Allroad we test drove an ST at the same garage and I'd have gone home with it then and there but I was told it
(PS - if anyone is in the market for a 12 plate Mini Cooper D then let me know; London 12 special edition with 85k miles. I'm happy to be pretty open about the pros and cons of the car).

Sold!

[Fiend]

Same issue in Glasgow; however, fairly geographically limited (city centre only) so won't really affect us as we have no need to ever go there. If they widen it though......

I don't think even the most fanatical St Greta acolyte could accuse the Manchester zone of being fairly geographically limited....



I wonder if they've done any calculations on the environmental damage caused by the need to manufacture all those extra vehicles to replace chargeable pre-2016 diesels....

[spidermonkey09]

Noticed the first few signs around ours the other day. I can't see how a scheme that massive will be even approaching ready to go by Jun 23. Bet there's an extension of at least a year.

[Paul B]

If anyone is daft enough to buy a Fiat group car be aware that the modern head units rely on their uConnect app system for a lot of the functionality.

If this is linked to a previous owner, there's nothing you can do about it without providing a fair amount of documentation to uConnect/a dealership to prove ownership which will then allow them to reset the account (after allowing some time for the previous owner to respond/stake claim).

Thankfully for me, the previous owner's details (i.e. before the garage I bought from) were left in the service history and he was happy enough to sort it out for me.

[cowboyhat]

You bought one then, which is it?

Which colourway?

[Paul B]

I (well, more accurately, we) went for a 66' plate 595 Competizione with a list of factory extras that make it fairly rare (pan-roof, 7" touch plus upgraded stereo system, 17" alloys, Xenons, Sabelt half-leather carbon backed seats). It's very yellow and black (think of the old Cinq. sporting type vibes).

EDIT: this is pretty similar (minus the pan-roof):
https://www.aspinallcars.co.uk/cars-for-sale-dorking/abarth-595-competizione-t-jet-3dr-1-4-2016/

I'm well aware of its flaws when compared to other similar vehicles (mainly handline) but things like the insurance only going up £120 compared with a 12' plate Mini with little residual value is one of the major plus points, Michelin Pilot Sport 3s being <£100 ea. etc; (relatively) cheap thrills.

Ultimately I don't think we could risk an ST living where we do. OK, I could have had a Ghost fitted but I don't particularly want to live with the angst of the car getting unwanted attention.

[peewee]

but I don't particularly want to live with the angst of the car getting unwanted attention.

So  you got a "subtle" yellow car instead   

[Paul B]

With an in-built tracker, yes.

[James Malloch]

We’re going to be away for 9 months and would prefer not to sell our car (not a fancy one but been super reliable for us).

We have some friends who would probably benefit from using it whilst we are away but before I ask them anyone is there anything I should carefully think about before offering?

My thinking was that I would get it serviced and MOT’d before leaving and ask them to do the same (depending on usage) before giving it back, or pay for it when it’s due. I assume they could get insurance as a non-registered owner, and they could pay for 9m of the tax.

If it has a fault then I would pay to get it repaired (assuming they’ve not crashed it or something) as it would have broken anyway whilst I was driving it. But perhaps ask for a contribution towards wear and tear things / depreciation (some monthly fixed amount).

It’s a 2009 Berlingo with 110k miles. Never had an issue other than standard wear and tear in the 70k miles we’ve put on it.

If it died whilst we were away I’d not be that bothered and it’s not worth enough to be overly precious about it - they would probably look after it better than me!

Is there anything I should consider before asking them? The alternative would be to leave it on the street outside our house.

[User deactivated.]

I'm getting ever more frustrated by owning a saloon, especially as an owner of the big alpkit pad, which demands a wrestling match every time it needs loading! Shame as it's been a great car (mazda 6).

I can't decide whether to go for a large estate, or whether a standard hatchback (e.g. focus) would suffice.

Although i tend to like big cars more, the smallest car that does the job is probably the better idea considering running costs and it being a 2nd car. How big do I need to go to get 3 to 4 pads in the boot as well as people in the back seats? Will a big pad even fit in a standard hatchback without the seats down?

[tommytwotone]

I would say don't discount an MPV - Nai (of this province) had an excellent Mazda 5 thing which swallowed pads. Price-wise, MPVs tend to be cheap as they normally have a hard life and only get kept till the kids grow out of needing the space.

RE: saloon vs. estate, from experience of owning what I thought would be a great estate car for climbing use (E30 BMW Touring), the issue with estates is the degree to which the wheel arches intrude on your boot space. I couldn't even fit an old-skool Franklin Drop Zone across the boot folded as the arches took too much width out.

That said, I currently have a Saab 9-3 saloon - the only compromise when I got it was that I couldn't find a similarly decent estate - the boot is massive on it, and I can imagine the estate version is even massive-er.

[SA Chris]

I'd say a Focus hatch boot space isn't big enough for your needs, the estate isn't much bigger overall or much pricier, but the boot is considerably bigger. The heated front windscreen is a bonus if you can find one with it.

[SamT]

Estates wise, Ford Mondeo, or Skoda Superb for massive boot space.

[James Malloch]

I'm getting ever more frustrated by owning a saloon, especially as an owner of the big alpkit pad, which demands a wrestling match every time it needs loading! Shame as it's been a great car (mazda 6).

I can't decide whether to go for a large estate, or whether a standard hatchback (e.g. focus) would suffice.

Although i tend to like big cars more, the smallest car that does the job is probably the better idea considering running costs and it being a 2nd car. How big do I need to go to get 3 to 4 pads in the boot as well as people in the back seats? Will a big pad even fit in a standard hatchback without the seats down?

Not very exciting but I get 52 mpg on average from our Berlingo. Had up to 6 pads in it without much effort without taking any seats down. I love the huge boot, makes life so much easier.

[Paul B]

I've recently been hiring the likes of the Berlingo (Rifter has been the favourite so far) abroad and each time I come home thinking they'd be a good choice. Although the newest shape are outrageous money currently.

[teestub]

Any decent size estate with a split seat in the back will allow 4 adults plus 2 big pads and 2-3 normal size pads (big pads longways upright with the 1/3 seat down). I don’t know if even a Superb is big enough for a big pad without the seat down, but Bradders will know.

[User deactivated.]

Thanks for all the views. Reading with interest.

Any decent size estate with a split seat in the back will allow 4 adults plus 2 big pads and 2-3 normal size pads (big pads longways upright with the 1/3 seat down). I don’t know if even a Superb is big enough for a big pad without the seat down, but Bradders will know.

It's partly seeing Bradders' car filled with an assortment of pads and ladders that's got me looking! I'd love a Superb but just trying to figure out whether I need to spend that much.

I'm not overly concerned by high mileage or age, with the exception that the creature comforts of newer cars are nice. Good seats with adjustable lumbar support etc are also something I really like in my Mazda, and this is rarely seen in lower spec cars, otherwise i'd be happy getting a banger!

[sdm]

Any decent size estate with a split seat in the back and seats that fold flat will allow 4 adults plus 2 big pads and 2-3 normal size pads

Before buying my Mondeo, I tested an A6, Exeo and i40 estate. All decent sized estates and all totally useless for transporting pads plus passengers as the seats didn't fold beyond about 45 degrees.

I also tested an A6 of a similar age where the seats did fold pretty flat. Always check the seats on the specific car/model, don't assume that a big car is capable of carrying pads plus passengers.

I considered a Superb before buying the Mondeo. The same money bought a much higher spec or a newer, lower mileage Mondeo than a Superb.

[teestub]

Any decent size estate with a split seat in the back and seats that fold flat will allow 4 adults plus 2 big pads and 2-3 normal size pads

Before buying my Mondeo, I tested an A6, Exeo and i40 estate. All decent sized estates and all totally useless for transporting pads plus passengers as the seats didn't fold beyond about 45 degrees.

Had 2 i40's for company cars, and did a large amount of miles to N Wales etc with this set up, it's only the cushions and not anything hard that stops it folding down more, so you can squish them flat. Sounds like Mondeo is better designed for the purpose though, which is not surprising as the rep mobile of choice! Normally a decent amount of ex fleet Modeos knocking about which should fit your criteria re: creature comforts Liam.

[SamT]

I had a Mondeo Mk4 Titanium X for a long time and it was fantastic.  No Kudos, but all the gizmos for much less money than your Audi's/Skoda/Bimmers.

Thus, replaced it with a the newer Mk5 shape Titanium estate, but to be honest, I've been a little disappointed by it.  Drive is less lively, and more sluggish. Less Gizmos (no heated seats).  The boot seems smaller.  Seats dont fold as flat as before.  On the older version - you flipped the bench seat bit forward, then the back rest folded much flatter.

However, since I got the e-Niro, its been sat collecting pigeon shit on the road, and will only really be dusted off for longer, and load carrying journeys.

[SA Chris]

does the new one have the eco-boost engine?

[Bradders]

I don’t know if even a Superb is big enough for a big pad without the seat down, but Bradders will know.

It isn't 

It's really annoying actually, an Organic big pad is so close to just fitting in the boot with the seats up that I've tried to squeeze the boot closed with it like that on more than one occasion haha

Best I've managed was 3 people, assorted baggage for a week in Font, 3 big pads and 4 or 5 medium pads.

[Paul B]

My A6 seats fold totally flat (just pull the levers in the boot and crush whatever you forgot was on the back seats) but it's completely toss for pads (and the dog TBH) because of the shape (and the 4WD). My Octavia estate was far better for moving stuff. I miss it if I'm honest.