Appreciating that this question has been answered several times in this thread (and others) has anyone got fresh advice on a family car to buy with climbing/bouldering trips in mind?From this thread I have Skoda Octavia or Superb in mind, with Berlingo a further possibility (even though I’m not a fan of the aesthetic).Aiming for something for two adults, two young children/babies, plus associated paraphernalia, alongside at least one but hopefully two pads.Goal would be weekend crags with occasional Font trip. Last time I rented a small SUV, think was a Vauxhall Crossland X, seemed to work pretty well with no spare tire.If I only one car then would need to use for commuting as well. Currently using Corsa which seems to be on last legs and just about coping with one child, no climbing stuff, but unlikely to be big enough for two.Given the recent changes in fuel prices etc does anyone have any suggestions/experience with above cars/requirements that might help? Also trying to bear in mind environmental impact and don’t really know how changing to an electric world in the future may effect things now. Any insight much appreciated!
Only other thing I'd consider / look for would be big Volvos. I've searched for them in the past though, and struggled to find ones without big miles on the clock, but I guess that's a sign that they just keep going.Arguably slightly more refined that the others suggested here, most probably better seats (for those long slogs down the Autoroutes to Font), plus the obvious Volvo estate benefits of massive space in the back and ridiculous safety.
Not quite sure what you are getting at wrt your last paragraph but we run an ID3 (electric VW similar to a Golf) alongside the Octavia; the Octavia is only ever used now when we absolutely need the bigger boot space. The ID3 is better at everything else, apart from being environmentally friendly. That's obviously an expensive solution though, unless you have another car to replace. If you just want one big car with a big boot and don't want to shell out for an expensive EV SUV type thing (estate options are still poor at the moment) then the best option is to buy a used estate and save up for an EV in a few years. Don't bother with hybrid as an interim step.On the plus side, used EVs are coming down in price now, especially as more of them get towards 3 years old. I'm hoping to get something bigger to replace the Octy in a year or two.
That was essentially what I was getting at, unsure of any benefit of getting a hybrid and wondering about the gradual phasing out of fossil fuel cars once they ban their production. I guess that will be incredibly gradual.
Quote from: monkoffunk on February 01, 2023, 04:58:29 pmThat was essentially what I was getting at, unsure of any benefit of getting a hybrid and wondering about the gradual phasing out of fossil fuel cars once they ban their production. I guess that will be incredibly gradual.Hybrids are basically marketed as a stepping stone for people nervous about going electric, but for the vast majority of people now, any anxiety is unnecessary (I took my son to Font in ours, it was ok). Full electric is much better than a hybrid and prices aren't much different (everything is expensive!)Used combustion petrol and diesels will still be around for many years, only new ones will be banned. Although by 2030 there will be a decent range of used EVs up to a good few years old, so they'll be available at a better range of prices too.
Quote from: Sidehaas on February 01, 2023, 08:33:08 pmQuote from: monkoffunk on February 01, 2023, 04:58:29 pmThat was essentially what I was getting at, unsure of any benefit of getting a hybrid and wondering about the gradual phasing out of fossil fuel cars once they ban their production. I guess that will be incredibly gradual.Hybrids are basically marketed as a stepping stone for people nervous about going electric, but for the vast majority of people now, any anxiety is unnecessary (I took my son to Font in ours, it was ok). Full electric is much better than a hybrid and prices aren't much different (everything is expensive!)Used combustion petrol and diesels will still be around for many years, only new ones will be banned. Although by 2030 there will be a decent range of used EVs up to a good few years old, so they'll be available at a better range of prices too.If my memory serves me right, you live in the Netherlands? I'm all for getting an EV myself, but I'm under no illusion that the UK is still quite poorly served by charging infrastructure. NL has nearly 30% of all the chargers installed in the entire EU!! https://www.acea.auto/press-release/electric-cars-half-of-all-chargers-in-eu-concentrated-in-just-two-countries/
Have you considered just replacing the engine? Looks like £1300 can get a reconditioned one with 6 months unlimited mileage warranty off eBay. Even with fitting should be a fair bit cheaper than you have been quoted.
Quote from: Sidehaas on February 01, 2023, 08:33:08 pmQuote from: monkoffunk on February 01, 2023, 04:58:29 pmThat was essentially what I was getting at, unsure of any benefit of getting a hybrid and wondering about the gradual phasing out of fossil fuel cars once they ban their production. I guess that will be incredibly gradual.Hybrids are basically marketed as a stepping stone for people nervous about going electric, but for the vast majority of people now, any anxiety is unnecessary (I took my son to Font in ours, it was ok). Full electric is much better than a hybrid and prices aren't much different (everything is expensive!)Used combustion petrol and diesels will still be around for many years, only new ones will be banned. Although by 2030 there will be a decent range of used EVs up to a good few years old, so they'll be available at a better range of prices too.So you drove UK to Font full electric?? Easy to charge in France?
Ha, got to thank TFL for that. Had to get rid of the 50 to get an ULEZ compliant car.
Quote from: Lopez on January 31, 2023, 11:33:34 pmHa, got to thank TFL for that. Had to get rid of the 50 to get an ULEZ compliant car.What make/model did you go for as ULEZ compliant?
Quote from: largeruk on February 03, 2023, 11:46:55 amQuote from: Lopez on January 31, 2023, 11:33:34 pmHa, got to thank TFL for that. Had to get rid of the 50 to get an ULEZ compliant car.What make/model did you go for as ULEZ compliant?I got a Volvo V60 in the D4 flavour. Early VEA engine one as they were euro 6 from 2014 onwards. Seemingly they achieved that by having all the emissions sticking to the inside of the EGR/cooler/manifold/emap pipe/etc instead of coming out the exhaust
Sweet. Any recommendations for cheap (ie. >£5k) ULEZ-compliant estates, preferably petrol?
If you have a 1l ecoboost engine, replace the wet belt at 50,000 miles or 10 yrs! Or else.
It's 10yrs or 150k miles isn't it?