Car replacement ideas Hi all, So current car is up for replacement end of year/early next year depending when I decide. Car is on a PCP which ends early next year but I...

[kev2021]

Hi all,

So current car is up for replacement end of year/early next year depending when I decide.  Car is on a PCP which ends early next year but I can get rid early if need be.

Things is – I can’t decide what to replace it with……

Current card (Ford Focus) is ok, does the job but certainly not ideal on long runs, not quiet enough go and is only a 1.0 so don’t think engine is a fan of sitting at 70 for long periods.

Currently thinking is:-

A) Get another focus but a used one maybe 1 year old as cost of new ones is climbing and getting silly tbh as are other cars brand new.

B) Change to a Golf but I’m not keen on the gen 8 as it has touch buttons on steering wheels and read lots of complaints, new version 8.5 has gone back to normal buttons which would be great BUT it has only come out this month and not sure will be any used ones around in a few months time.

C) something else but not sure what….

Would need to be petrol as I believe they will hit diesel drivers, I have heard they are now charging diesel drivers more to park the car in car parks than petrol in some areas! Shame as Diesel is ideal for my longer journeys on motorways but its not ideal for my short commute to work.

Power wise looking for around 150+, current one is around 125, auto.

Any suggestions welcomed.  Keep looking and just can’t decide… Price wise cheaper the better but not looking for anything older than 1 year and certainly not a car worth over 40k new to avoid the £500+ road tax etc…

In terms of buying the used car, I have couple of options…

1. Give existing one back and then buy the used car via finance/deposit
2. Buy car from dealer & then trade in against used car
3. Sell car via Motorway or similar and hopefully get back more than dealer will give. Advantage here is motorway or whoever will settle outstanding finance and give me back the difference ready as a deposit on used car. Downside is I’m likely to have a period with no car, not sure how that affects insurance? as I doubt I can line up replacement to arrive same day as existing one is taken away.

Thanks

Kev

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• This topic was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by kev2021.

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[UK Sentinel]

Cars and Driving is all about the experience (my view), what’s your ideal / dream car, you know the one you look at on the motorways every time it passes you buy.

If your self employed, maybe a few additional options could be available, Or the company you work for may have car options ?

Then you can start working your way back from there, costs, options etc  ;)

 

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[kev2021]

Thanks, ideal/dream car is way too expensive (like over 50k) so can still dream but unlikely to become a reality for the foreseeable future. With work still being up and down and no real certainty for the future, it makes things difficult hence looking at a used car as opposed to a brand new car on PCP to try and keep the cost down but also get into something else and hopefully get a little bit of money back out of the current car to go towards replacement if I sell it separately.

I was considering the new Golf 8.5 which has just come out but I can’t really see many being available on the used car market in say 5-6 months and if they are, I doubt they will be that cheap so I’m looking at one of those as maybe as the car to buy after my next one but will see.  new golf has area view so would be nice to have camera all round the car, would help was dad drives it for parking etc. I believe the Golf 8.5 is going to be the last petrol/diesel car made, after that it will be elec only so I’m guessing they will make the 8.5 for 4 or 5 years maybe before phasing them out for full electric, unless things change in the car market.  Personally I don’t thin we are really for full electric as not enough infrastructure in place to accommodate it.

Alternatively is another Focus to get me over 3 years or so, I just seen one, little higher price than I was hoping but it isn’t too bad spec and its virtually brand new as very low mileage so is a option maybe, but I don’t think they have all round cameras on the focus, it is on the new Kuga but again much higher prices. But still means having to sell within 3 years ideally to get something back as I hear lots of issues with these ecoboost engines at higher mileages as I’m certainly not paying out for all that. I hear the wet belt needs changing at 50 or 80k miles at a cost of £1k – no chance, car wouldn’t be worth it at that mileage. Also heard of sump issues at around 50k so ideally need to get rid of the car between 20-30k to give reasonable mileage left in it before costs to new owner etc.

So looking along the hatch back 5dr root at the moment but these only 2 cars that like the look of so far. Did look at some saloon’s but the ones I like again – way out of my price range as all prices on cars gone up so quickly moved away from those.

Kev

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[UK Sentinel]

Golf 8.5, very nice machine.

I have a buddy who used to work for British Gas and he was offered and choice of VW (Polo/Golf) I think it was or a higher spec Seat.

He opted for the Seat as the spec was so much better and in essence, they do share a lot of components/drive train etc.

If you like the Golf 8.5 but are looking for a good deal, the new Seat Leon 2024 maybe an option.

I am sure the Seat also have a quicker depreciation value, so buying second hand will again prove favourable for the Seat.

 

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[kev2021]

Thanks, i’ll take a look

Kev

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[kev2021]

Hi,

So coming back to this, I’m now in 2 minds…..

Firstly, car went in for MOT in Jan…… failed….. due to Battery leaking…… no mention of this the previous year when it had its service, seems they have seen it before but not a lot.

Secondly, they advised the car was a little below minimum on the oil and had put a bit in.

So this makes me wonder – car went 2 year to first service, no oil added to the car and no mention of low oil when they changed the oil during the service.  Only this year when it went in for MOT and convenience check.  So this makes me think, if the car managed 2 years on the oil that was in it, why has it suddenly used it in the last year? Or was the oil never actually changed hence it has continued to use it hence bit below minimum? Car does approx. 7-7.5k a year as I only have 9k limit per year.

So I’ve just checked the car on Sunday, approx. 1 month after MOT and the oil is a little above minimum mark so now I’m going to have to get some oil for the car to put it back to max to then see how much it is using as I stupidly assumed they would of put it back up to max but maybe not or its used most of it in 1 month.

In all my previous cars (excluding the first one as it have 100k on it when I got it as my first cheap run around), I’ve never checked the oil ever and it has always been fine, no reports of low oil etc, they have all barely used any oil but it seems new engines now use oil as my mates SQ7 used oil and needed top ups, guy in work as a VW Tiguan, that uses oil too.  I previous had some petrol and then moved to Diesels as encouraged to do so by government etc as apparently better, but now they want petrol or electric now so I moved to petrol as I thought they were going to hit diesel drivers with increased charges etc.

I’m now considering if worth replacing it with a diesel as on my previous car, i could go 4-6 weeks between fill ups, with my current one its ever 1.5-2 weeks and economy is poor but that’s mainly city driving.

Been looking, buying new is tempting as 0% interest but higher price for the car, used car is appearing but higher interest and likely to cost me 5k due to the interest so whilst prices look good for a used car, adding on the 5k, makes it look less appearing.

Does anyone know if the newer diesel engines also use oil or is it just the newer petrol engines? I always though if a car used oil, that was a bad sign… clearly times have changed lol.

Kev

 

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[UK Sentinel]

Modern cars do tend to use a little more oil, for petrol at least the engine oils are thinner than they used to be, low friction piston rings and wet belts all contribute to oil usage.

That said, the car should have sufficient capacity to last as per service manual recommendations even though in recent years this guidance has caused a lot of engine failures due to the use of wet belt engines and extended service intervals.

If you are averaging only 7000 miles then the option for Diesel compared to Petrol is not strong, also make sure you are checking your cars engine oil on a level area, not on a slope etc. a service may have topped up your engine oil level but an MoT will not

 

 

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[kev2021]

Thanks, well my car went in for MOT and convenience check and they noticed it and “put a bit in” was there words…. I’ve checked it 1 moth later and its a little above minimum so I’ve now bought some, I added about 400mil the other day and going to check it again today or tomorrow and add a bit more to get it nearer max and then once i know where it is, I’ll check it monthly at first, see if it is using any, if not, then I’ll checking every 2 months, 6 months and if in a years time, it still hasn’t reached minimum, then I’ll know that at year 2 (service) they couldn’t of done the oil change as would be no way it used 1 litre in 12 moths only which is what I’m kind of hoping is the case as opposed to the car using more oil that it should be which would then mean there is a issue somewhere (no idea what), others have said on a different forum that sparkplugs & filters are due at year 4 (next year) so that may also be contributing and will be better once changed.

I’m just dubious as every car I’ve owned prior to this hasn’t had a wet belt and has not used any oil so newer engines, apparently use more I just hoping mine isn’t using more than normal, which it looks like it is at the moment but can’t confirm till I top it up myself and then keep an eye on it.

Interesting, went to Gates to get some, they provided Titan oil (never heard of it, was expecting Castrol) so will see how it goes.

I had Diesel before doing similar mileage and had no issue at all, even bigger engines than my current one (1.5/2ltr) never had dpf issue or anything, just worked fine and never used oil and bonus was trip to garage every 6 weeks to full up, albeit more costly (at the time) but wasn’t too bad, got more expensive as diesel prices went up. But thankfully, I managed to get through the fuel crisis of no fuel at stations etc due to the Diesel being able to go approx. 6 weeks, thankfully. If it happens now, I’m stuffed as car will only do *maybe* 2 weeks tops if traffic not too bad, or its every 1.5 weeks.

Kev

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[UK Sentinel]

Checking every month sounds a good option to see how much oil is used, if any

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[kev2021]

Forgot to update this, traded car in July this year, went for another focus in the end as the golf was just too expensive, prices were similar but golf was higher interest hence costing a lot more so went with the Focus. It appears as Fords are stopping the Focus, they have started to cut back on what they offer in the cars BUT haven’t told the dealers…. For instance I was gonna get the leather & elec seats but was told they no longer do leather and Elec seats, its cloth & manual now.  So I went with a new car in stock they had at a different location, then told day before collection that its turned up but it’s cloth seats so wont have elec seats… by this time, we’ve sorted the finance, checks all done etc so I ended up going with it as otherwise would be awkward to back out and then look for something else as the finance was done and its 0% interest which no where else was offering on any new cars.  So anyway went down to collect and it did have Elec seats but cloth….  so not as bad but still didn’t have other features I’d of licked like parking pack etc as was an existing car in stock and no rear camera but they have a contact who could fit one (they use him for some of there cars) so had to do that so I got a rear camera.

Have to say when I contacted the guy and he turned up and started dismantling the dash – I was starting to have 2nd thoughts as literally glove box, vents, touch screen, gear housing cover other various trims etc is all taken off…. I was just imagining a fault occurring and having no end of problems but fortunately it has been ok to day no issues at all thankfully…

So maybe get a VW Golf next time around, have to see.  Depends if the deals get better but Focus wont be a option and only other possible car I can see myself getting would be a Kuga from Fords current line up but I don’t really *need* a SUV so will likely need to go elsewhere as I certainly don’t fancy a all elec car and I’m not too sure on plugin hybrids, I mean I’m sure they are ok to begin with but after couple of years, I’m not convinced the battery’s are any good.  I believe that’s why there is lots of 3yr old 330e cars for sale as the batteries are not very good now they been used for few years.

Ironically, replacement car is the 155 engine and I’m getting 43-46mpg out of it so filling up every 2 weeks, doing the same journey where by 1.25 was getting 38mpg tops on same journey so needed to fill up once a week, so can only conclude that it was in fact burning fuel.

Kev

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[UK Sentinel]

That’s quite a journey with the Focus! Glad to hear the camera install went smoothly in the end.  I’d have felt the same seeing the dash in bits as when this has happened on my various cars over the years, there’s always a rattle / squeak afterwards.
Out of curiosity, which trim level did you go for in the end? And have you noticed any big differences in build or features and ride compared to your previous Focus ?

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[kev2021]

I went for the ST-Line X, same as my previous car, however my previous car has few options, this one only has driver assistance pack.

The main difference is this carf is mild hybrid so feels heavier, my 1.25 was pure petrol.  This one has the start button in different location and has switched back to a leaver to select the gears as opposed to the round rotary dial i had in the previous one. Apart from that, the screen in this one is bigger and is sync 4 as opposed to smaller screen with sync 3.  Previous one had the rear camera, this one I’ve had to fit myself and advise insurance it has rear camera fitted.

Think this engine seems a bit better than the 1/25, not sure if its a different model of engine etc but certain seems different.  Rest of the car is about the same really, seats are ok, wasn’t too fussed bout leather but wanted Elec seats.

Other than that, its not been too bad so far.  Glad fuel economy is better and not having t fill it up as much, managing to eek out 2 weeks is great.

I got a service plan with this one too, they basically took the money from my existing plan, moved it over to the new plan then calculated what my monthly payments would be. Got this for 4 years. Due to the stopping for new petrol/diesel cars in 2030, I may well change cars before then, have to see how it goes.

Kev

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[UK Sentinel]

Nice, is the engine for the Ford Focus ST-Line X the 1.0-litre EcoBoost Hybrid petrol engine with wet belt, I ask as a while ago they did have the nickname “EcoBoom”.

Hopefully Ford has this all sorted by now.

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[kev2021]

Yes, that’s it albeit Mild-Hybrid (not plugin hybrid).  Yes, I believe the going theory seems to be it affects them about 8 years old although others say best to get it checked/replaced at 50k miles but I believe the cost was about £1k to do hence lots then appear up for sale as car not worth spending £1k on, i believe I’ve heard some people quoted £700 for it to be done but it wasn’t something I wanted to get involved in.  My last one had around 24.5k miles on it at 3 years old so not high mileage and I had the dilemma or do I keep it another year and sell but was bit concerned with the comments that it was burning fuel on the previous MOT plus the battery leakage – I wasn’t overly convinced it was a one off as Ford garage said they had seem a few with this issue but it wasn’t loads so i guess didn’t warrant a recall etc and coupled with the poor fuel economy, i just thought this car could cost me a pretty penny so decided to change it to current car, not exactly what I wanted but as Fords stopping a lot of the options due to them gearing it down due to them stop making the model i think possibly from Nov 2025, I decided to just go with it for now as although I miss some of the options, its predominantly a work car.  95% of the time it is used to go to and from work and that it, with the odd trip out to shops on a weekend or meeting up with a mate.  I’m limited to 9k a year, same as previous car and I was under the 29k mile limit when i traded it in at a little over 3.5years old it was then.

So far this one seems better overall and fuel economy certainly better and I don’t believe the tank is any bigger so hopefully this one will be ok, still planning to change at 3 or 4 years old as they due to stop petrol/diesel cars in 2030 (unless they change there minds yet again) so last option to get a petrol/diesel as certainly don’t want a elec car, not overly keen tbh.  Wouldn’t mind a plugin-hybrid but not rely solely on elec.

Kev

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