Used Cars Brand recommendations

[JohnfromUK]

Slightly off topic (for which I apologise), but with some relevance here - in a few years, many 'younger' used cars (3 - 6 year old say) will be hybrids of various makes, models, fuel combinations, battery types, technologies (e.g. plug in, autonomous etc.).  Straight petrol or diesel models will be less common, with a mix of 'all electric', hybrid and internal combustion only around.  The battery based vehicles (electric and hybrid) will be perhaps 50% of the way through the working life of the battery. 

At present the replacement cost for the battery (which is likely to be needed when the vehicle is around 10 years old or 100,000 miles old as I understand the predictions on battery life) is very high.  Well into 4 figures - so when buying a say 6 - 10 year old used car and expecting to keep it for a few years will need to factor in the cost of the likely demise and replacement of the original battery.

I suspect that means that around 10-12 years old, many electrics and hybrids will be in effect 'worthless' as the repair cost of replacing the battery will exceed the value of the car.

My car ownership habits have tended to fall into 2 types;

1. Those that prove a disappointment or prove unsuitable - I move these on quite quickly - maybe after a year of two
2. Those that I like - I tend to keep until the maintenance costs begin to spiral - and that's often been when the cars are 15 years old or more.

A suspect a hybrid or full electric may need a different 'life' plan

Edited May 11 by JohnfromUK

[paul1966]

19 hours ago, Wymondley said:

Having worked for a few Suzuki dealers I can say you'll have few problems.

Watch out for uneven rear tyre wear, they all suffer from it to a greater or lesser extent, many of them had the rear axle beam replaced under warranty, but some did slip through the net.

A much underrated brand, generally very reliable, horrendous range of colours though.

 

 

Thanks I'll keep an eye on the tyre's , at the minute they look ok. I purposely went for the 1.6 engine as it's not a turbo so less to go wrong, along with the basic no frills torque convertor auto box. 

There are a couple of things that are annoying, the auto stop engine feature which I have remember to switch off every time I start the car, plus the fact that the mirrors don't auto fold when you lock the car, although there is a adaptor you can buy to do it. Agree with you about the colours, they are a bit marmite but having had our's for a week you do get used to them.

[London Best]

3 hours ago, paul1966 said:

Thanks I'll keep an eye on the tyre's , at the minute they look ok. I purposely went for the 1.6 engine as it's not a turbo so less to go wrong, along with the basic no frills torque convertor auto box. 

There are a couple of things that are annoying, the auto stop engine feature which I have remember to switch off every time I start the car, plus the fact that the mirrors don't auto fold when you lock the car, although there is a adaptor you can buy to do it. Agree with you about the colours, they are a bit marmite but having had our's for a week you do get used to them.

Surely, auto folding mirrors are just another unnecessary gimmick to go wrong?

[JohnfromUK]

4 hours ago, paul1966 said:

There are a couple of things that are annoying, the auto stop engine feature which I have remember to switch off every time I start the car

I find that is a major irritation with my Toyota.  I asked the dealer to 'switch it off permanently - but they can't/won't.

4 hours ago, paul1966 said:

plus the fact that the mirrors don't auto fold when you lock the car

I can select what mine do, and leave them unfolded, but I park in my drive, not on the road.

What I cannot switch off is the utterly stupid business of the steering wheel 'retracting' when you switch the engine off.  Completely pointless.  I am not so fat that I can't get out of a (big) car with the steering wheel in the driving position.

[London Best]

39 minutes ago, JohnfromUK said:

 

What I cannot switch off is the utterly stupid business of the steering wheel 'retracting' when you switch the engine off.  Completely pointless.  I am not so fat that I can't get out of a (big) car with the steering wheel in the driving position.

Never even heard of that before! 
Another utterly useless gimmick that can only go wrong.

[JohnfromUK]

41 minutes ago, London Best said:

Never even heard of that before! 
Another utterly useless gimmick that can only go wrong.

Yes, when you switch the engine off, the steering wheel retracts and moves up.  When you next fire up the engine, it returns to your chosen preset position.  Not a new idea - a friend's Lexus and my old Mercedes SLK 2 seater had it - which in a small low car like that might have been needed for larger people.  Small people like me could turn it off.

However, the Toyota (which is not a small low slung cramped car) cannot be turned off apparently.

[London Best]

3 hours ago, JohnfromUK said:

 

However, the Toyota (which is not a small low slung cramped car) cannot be turned off apparently.

I would be looking for the correct wire and cut it. A fuse even? 
When I first bought a Discovery I went lamping and the first fox came in from an angle where I had to shoot from the bonnet. When I opened the door the ruddy car went, “gong gong gong” because I had left the key in the ignition. When it cost me a second fox I went home, found the offending wire and cut it. Problem solved. Useless gimmick.

[JohnfromUK]

11 hours ago, London Best said:

I would be looking for the correct wire and cut it. A fuse even?

Life is not that easy any more.  Everything is connected and monitored by "the system" and those things that don't behave 'to the rules expected' throw up errors.

Errors can be anything from irritating messages that can be dismissed though a variety of chimes and alarms to actually preventing you starting the engine (e.g AdBlue level too low).

[London Best]

5 hours ago, JohnfromUK said:

Life is not that easy any more.  Everything is connected and monitored by "the system" and those things that don't behave 'to the rules expected' throw up errors.

Errors can be anything from irritating messages that can be dismissed though a variety of chimes and alarms to actually preventing you starting the engine (e.g AdBlue level too low).

Exactly. It’s called ‘progress’. 
By some!