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Post by qwackingduck on Oct 31, 2016 18:34:34 GMT
So.. I still haven't decided... lol Have spotted a couple of Smart ForTwo deals that look crazy cheap - something like £90 deposit then the same amount for 23 months - but would a 1.0 litre two-seater Smart car, that takes 14 seconds to 60mph and only does 94mph, be a wise choice to do 22000 (mostly motorway) miles a year in??  I'm going to see if I can get a test drive - I think they do Extended Test Drives so I could perhaps do the commute for a couple of days to really test it out properly. The seats look crap, though, completely unsupportive, which would not be ideal when I'm spending 2 hours a day sitting in them. Alternatively, I'm tempted by the 1.0 litre ecoboost Fiestas, ideally the 140bhp(!) ST-Line, or the 1.5 TDCi. The former is pretty nippy, the latter less so, but the latter does have about 10mpg better economy. Having sat in one in a showroom over the weekend, I'm pleased to say that the seats really are excellent, as most sporting Ford seats are, so it is almost the case that I would be willing to pay £100 a month extra just to be comfortable... Either option is £2500-4000 just on rental, though, which is not a small chunk of change. I am just scared about buying a used motor for, say, £2k and then having it break and cost the same again when it is just supposed to be a cheap commuting car! Gnargh, decisions!!  Deals like the Smart are all based on like 8k mileage, as soon as you start to add proper mileage they all go up a fair bit... I went through exactly the same thing, ended up buying a £900 e46 323 that i put 45k on in just around 2 years. I was really horrible to it though and never serviced it, ever. I replaced 1 spark plug as the tip went missing, that was it.. It started overheating, rather then spending any money trying to fix it i sold it honestly, got a few hundred for it (apparently it was a air lock and now still going strong) and just bought a friends 330 and intend to do the same, they are awesome cars with amazing engines! Just to note, I'd never dare to treat the 5 like that! |
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Post by rustywheels on Nov 15, 2016 22:15:46 GMT
I do a 70 mile round trip, but is a mix of country roads, fast A roads, dual carriageway and city driving in my mk1. 24 sets of traffic lights. I'm the alter ego of James Corden - just call me Mr Red Light (actually that doesn't come out right does it?  !). What you spend on an old banger you could spend on rust proofing and suspension. Today I drove back with the roof down. Lots of funny looks, but got me over the rubbish day in the office. I even wake up in the morning looking forward to heading to the office  |
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Post by minty on Nov 16, 2016 15:13:42 GMT
Why not just try it in the 5 for a wee bit, and if it sucks balls then look about - may not be as bad as you think?
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Post by rich5660 on Nov 16, 2016 21:01:46 GMT
I do a 70 mile round trip, but is a mix of country roads, fast A roads, dual carriageway and city driving in my mk1. 24 sets of traffic lights. I'm the alter ego of James Corden - just call me Mr Red Light (actually that doesn't come out right does it? !). What you spend on an old banger you could spend on rust proofing and suspension. Today I drove back with the roof down. Lots of funny looks, but got me over the rubbish day in the office. I even wake up in the morning looking forward to heading to the office Until you get there and you just look out the window at it for 8 hours until you can drive it again |
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Post by wannabe on Nov 18, 2016 10:33:21 GMT
Thanks for everyone's replies
Current situation is that I look to be doing 33mpg in the missus car, so barely better than the 5, but it is at least a comfy cruiser that rarely goes wrong (touches a lot of wood very quickly) and will sit at a ton without any issue (and at about 1000rpm less than the 5 lol). I also fit in it properly, unlike the 5, in which my head touches the roof and bashes against the frame over bumps so it's not much fun when it's raining lol
She is currently driving the 5  but she does like driving it, even if she doesn't have the roof down (booooo). Hopefully I can get the timing checked and get it serviced / get the suspension changed soon - more bloody money but needs doing as it's not right!
Still waiting for ridiculously cheap lease deals to pop up but little around at the moment, so I'm hopeful that something might come up around Xmas. If not, I'm thinking that a TDi Focus or similar is the way forward, although there are a lot of other cool cars that would be ace to smoke around in... Would love a 330 but they look to start about £4k!
EDIT:
A Daihatsu Cuore Avanzato TR-XX R4 would be just awesome!  www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/autosphotos/forgotten-greats-the-best-cars-nobody-remembers/ss-AAkdTYS?ocid=mailsignout#image=17
If MSN is to be believed, 660kg, 4wd, turbo'd... Sounds excellent fun!
EDIT 2:
Maybe not for motorway miles... lol
www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C257651
EDIT 3: Hmmm... the missus could have one of these for her short journey to work and I could have her car... Now just to try and find one!! |
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Post by wannabe on Mar 14, 2021 0:46:40 GMT
Ha, I totally forgot I started this thread  In the end I drove it daily for a year, roof down in all but heavy rain, including through The Beast from the East (although things weren't too bad where I was, but it was freeeeezing on the motorway and I had to change my usual route home due to fear of getting beached...) meaning I did 13,000 miles in a year. The insurance company were not happy  lol Only had one breakdown - the 'cursed water plug' failure at the back of the 1.6 engine - and that was a £5 replacement part fix. (Well, and an hour wait after it went on the motorway....) I did have an issue with a burnt valve, meaning the never-ending head gasket change thread came to be  but I am pretty sure it was on the way out before I started the year of commuting, haha. |
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!). What you spend on an old banger you could spend on rust proofing and suspension. Today I drove back with the roof down. Lots of funny looks, but got me over the rubbish day in the office. I even wake up in the morning looking forward to heading to the office 
but she does like driving it, even if she doesn't have the roof down (booooo). Hopefully I can get the timing checked and get it serviced / get the suspension changed soon - more bloody money but needs doing as it's not right!
lol
but I am pretty sure it was on the way out before I started the year of commuting, haha.