Car advice

[hk blues]

15 minutes ago, GTG_03 said:

My drivers side airbag(in the seat) deployed when I had a minor crash recently. My MOT is due soon, is this an automatic fail?

More than likely -

[GTG_03]

1 minute ago, Arthur daley said:

Is the airbag light on in the dash ? 

Aye, I'm sensing this isn't good news.

[Arthur daley]

1 minute ago, GTG_03 said:

Aye, I'm sensing this isn't good news.

Unless it’s a “friendly “ garage they will fail it for the that  unfortunately,have you replaced the seat that has had the airbags deployed on it ? 

[GTG_03]

1 minute ago, Arthur daley said:

Unless it’s a “friendly “ garage they will fail it for the that  unfortunately,have you replaced the seat that has had the airbags deployed on it ? 

They're sound lads so I might get away with it. I've not replaced the seat  but I'll do some scrapyard searching to see if I can get one.

[Arthur daley]

10 minutes ago, GTG_03 said:

They're sound lads so I might get away with it. I've not replaced the seat  but I'll do some scrapyard searching to see if I can get one.

You can get company’s that can turn the airbag light  off and add a resistor so it won’t come back on , I know you can pass a mot with a airbag removed and no light on the dash but Iam not 100% sure would they still pass it with the airbags deployed on a seat (could be summit to do with the structure of the seat for safety but I would only be guessing on that )if you could get it turned off I personally would stick a seat cover on the seat and risk it,if it wasn’t the drivers seat I would have stuck a child car seat on the seat as they can’t remove that for a mot not that would be much good on the drivers seat

[jimbaxters]

43 minutes ago, Arthur daley said:

You can get company’s that can turn the airbag light  off and add a resistor so it won’t come back on , I know you can pass a mot with a airbag removed and no light on the dash but Iam not 100% sure would they still pass it with the airbags deployed on a seat (could be summit to do with the structure of the seat for safety but I would only be guessing on that )if you could get it turned off I personally would stick a seat cover on the seat and risk it,if it wasn’t the drivers seat I would have stuck a child car seat on the seat as they can’t remove that for a mot not that would be much good on the drivers seat

Surely you've got a nice little runaround you can give them a sweet deal on, should it blob the MOT?

[Ross.]

I’m too lazy to check the thread but what are the general thoughts on Corollas these days? There’s a 22 model hybrid going that I might take a look at, seems a decent car but a bit too “sensible”(By which of course I mean absolutely fucking boring)?

[die hard doonhamer]

4 hours ago, Ross. said:

I’m too lazy to check the thread but what are the general thoughts on Corollas these days? There’s a 22 model hybrid going that I might take a look at, seems a decent car but a bit too “sensible”(By which of course I mean absolutely fucking boring)?

They seem to be a popular choice amongst taxi drivers these days. My father-in-law drives one for that purpose and doesn’t seem to grumble about it. 

Edited March 3, 2023 by die hard doonhamer

[TxRover]

6 hours ago, Ross. said:

I’m too lazy to check the thread but what are the general thoughts on Corollas these days? There’s a 22 model hybrid going that I might take a look at, seems a decent car but a bit too “sensible”(By which of course I mean absolutely fucking boring)?

Damn near any Toyota will be bulletproof IF you maintain it. Toyota says 10,000 mile oil changes, do 5k. Toyota doesn’t push CVT fluid changes earlier than 60k, but do it at 30k (and the Toyota specific trans fluid is not cheap, but pay it!). Everything else they recommend is OK at their schedule, and there’s a fair chance it could last 200k+ miles.

[alta-pete]

9 hours ago, Ross. said:

I’m too lazy to check the thread but what are the general thoughts on Corollas these days? There’s a 22 model hybrid going that I might take a look at, seems a decent car but a bit too “sensible”(By which of course I mean absolutely fucking boring)?

If you don’t like cars but simply want an appliance to transport you from A to B with zero fuss, total reliability and minimal cost, that’s your pick.

Not for me. But I’m an idiot. 

[Ross.]

10 hours ago, TxRover said:

Damn near any Toyota will be bulletproof IF you maintain it. Toyota says 10,000 mile oil changes, do 5k. Toyota doesn’t push CVT fluid changes earlier than 60k, but do it at 30k (and the Toyota specific trans fluid is not cheap, but pay it!). Everything else they recommend is OK at their schedule, and there’s a fair chance it could last 200k+ miles.

I’d be looking to get 7 or 8 years out the next one, this makes it relatively appealing.

12 hours ago, die hard doonhamer said:

They seem to be a popular choice amongst taxi drivers these days. My father-in-law drives one for that purpose and doesn’t seem to grumble about it. 

I assume the 10 year/185k km warranty applies in the UK as well? Usually those deals tend to attract the taxi drivers, for obvious reasons.

7 hours ago, alta-pete said:

If you don’t like cars but simply want an appliance to transport you from A to B with zero fuss, total reliability and minimal cost, that’s your pick.

Not for me. But I’m an idiot. 

Back in the office 3 days a week which means I am driving about 500km a week. The office commute is 95% of the usage. I basically just want something that will run hassle free, has relatively decent fuel consumption, and is comfortable enough to sit in for an hour at a time.

[pub car king]

Gap insurance, educate me. 

For the first time I am buying a half decent car as opposed to the hand me downs, trade ins and shite from the auction. 

To be a bit more precise I'm spending £21,000 on a 2 year old car from a dealership because its a lot of money and I need to part ex etc. 

Now I'm paying cash effectively to finance this. The salesman as per was trying to punt me their Gap insurance (along with other shite)at a cost of about £450. I said gtf as I've seen polices independently for less than half that. 

Now my questions are. 

Do I need this or will the car hold its price well enough for the first couple of years? 

Which one do I need, return to invoice, vehicle replacement or something else. 

Any recommendations of companies.

It's a 21 plate seat leon for reference. 

[madmitch]

On 04/03/2023 at 19:25, Ross. said:

I’d be looking to get 7 or 8 years out the next one, this makes it relatively appealing.

I assume the 10 year/185k km warranty applies in the UK as well? Usually those deals tend to attract the taxi drivers, for obvious reasons.

Back in the office 3 days a week which means I am driving about 500km a week. The office commute is 95% of the usage. I basically just want something that will run hassle free, has relatively decent fuel consumption, and is comfortable enough to sit in for an hour at a time.

Have you considered  a Yaris Cross hybrid? Phenomenal fuel consumption on them and the white one looks like star wars stormtrooper from the front. 

[alta-pete]

32 minutes ago, pub car king said:

Gap insurance, educate me. 

For the first time I am buying a half decent car as opposed to the hand me downs, trade ins and shite from the auction. 

To be a bit more precise I'm spending £21,000 on a 2 year old car from a dealership because its a lot of money and I need to part ex etc. 

Now I'm paying cash effectively to finance this. The salesman as per was trying to punt me their Gap insurance (along with other shite)at a cost of about £450. I said gtf as I've seen polices independently for less than half that. 

Now my questions are. 

Do I need this or will the car hold its price well enough for the first couple of years? 

Which one do I need, return to invoice, vehicle replacement or something else. 

Any recommendations of companies.

It's a 21 plate seat leon for reference. 

Personally, I take GAP insurance. A car is a big purchase and the minute it is off the forecourt the trade price  (insurance value) is £5/6k down. Then you’ve got depreciation every month. Having to go back and fund another one in 12/18 months would be a real sore one.

I go independent (GAP-123, but I think they’ve changed their name) and the last one was the wife’s car. Less than £200 iirc. Return to invoice is the option we take. If you like the Leon, use it to buy another one; or if it has been wearing on you, your choice to go get something different. YMMV. 
 

ETA: thankfully have never yet had to claim so have zero experience that side of the transaction. But it seems a fairly binary decision with little room for debate. Car written off = payout. 

Edited March 6, 2023 by alta-pete

[Ross.]

31 minutes ago, madmitch said:

Have you considered  a Yaris Cross hybrid? Phenomenal fuel consumption on them and the white one looks like star wars stormtrooper from the front. 

Seems to be a relative f**k load of them on the market over here right now. Haven’t clicked on any of the ads, because I always thought the Yaris was incredibly small? Possibly I am just confusing it with some other Toyota. If it’s bigger than my Polo then I would probably consider.

[madmitch]

1 hour ago, Ross. said:

Seems to be a relative f**k load of them on the market over here right now. Haven’t clicked on any of the ads, because I always thought the Yaris was incredibly small? Possibly I am just confusing it with some other Toyota. If it’s bigger than my Polo then I would probably consider.

2022 Polo is 1751 mm wide. Length 4050 -4080 mm. 2022 Yaris Cross 1765 wide.  Length 4185.

[madmitch]

1 hour ago, Ross. said:

Seems to be a relative f**k load of them on the market over here right now. Haven’t clicked on any of the ads, because I always thought the Yaris was incredibly small? Possibly I am just confusing it with some other Toyota. If it’s bigger than my Polo then I would probably consider.

If it was me I would buy a Mazda 3 over a Corolla every time. Depends on how you view cars. I like them to be fun or at least engaging to drive.  That's where the Corolla falls down for me it's as dull as dishwater to drive. All Mazdas seem to be better driver's cars. Also, nowadays Mazda are just as reliable as Toyota and often cheaper to repair.  The clincher for me is the quality of the interior of the Mazda. If you are going to be spending a lot of time per day in your car. The Mazda is a far nicer place to be. With some notable exceptions, Toyota are the masters of mediocrity for me.

[coprolite]

2 hours ago, Ross. said:

Seems to be a relative f**k load of them on the market over here right now. Haven’t clicked on any of the ads, because I always thought the Yaris was incredibly small? Possibly I am just confusing it with some other Toyota. If it’s bigger than my Polo then I would probably consider.

It's not as small as the Ayo but I'm just under 6ft with short legs and struggle to fit my legs under the steering wheel and need to crane my neck to look higher than 10% below horizontal out the front of the wife's Yaris. 

[Ross.]

1 hour ago, madmitch said:

2022 Polo is 1751 mm wide. Length 4050 -4080 mm. 2022 Yaris Cross 1765 wide.  Length 4185.

Quoted the wrong reply but can’t be fucked fixing it. I have the Mazda 3 on a watchlist on one of the car sites over here. Also the Kia Nero, though the number of them that are available seems a bit worrying. Will hopefully be replacing the Polo in the next 3 to 6 months, would rather something a little bigger, I can definitely feel a few additional aches and pains after the commute to work 2 days in a row. Comfort will definitely play a fair part in the decision!

16 minutes ago, coprolite said:

It's not as small as the Ayo but I'm just under 6ft with short legs and struggle to fit my legs under the steering wheel and need to crane my neck to look higher than 10% below horizontal out the front of the wife's Yaris. 

Was the Aygo I was thinking of when the Yaris was mentioned earlier. I can just about manage with the current car but it is a bit of a squeeze at times, and I am relatively svelte these days…

Edited March 6, 2023 by Ross.

[Loonytoons]

4 hours ago, alta-pete said:

Personally, I take GAP insurance. A car is a big purchase and the minute it is off the forecourt the trade price  (insurance value) is £5/6k down. Then you’ve got depreciation every month. Having to go back and fund another one in 12/18 months would be a real sore one.

I go independent (GAP-123, but I think they’ve changed their name) and the last one was the wife’s car. Less than £200 iirc. Return to invoice is the option we take. If you like the Leon, use it to buy another one; or if it has been wearing on you, your choice to go get something different. YMMV. 
 

ETA: thankfully have never yet had to claim so have zero experience that side of the transaction. But it seems a fairly binary decision with little room for debate. Car written off = payout. 

Will a used car at £21k depreciate by £5/6k taking it off the forecourt?  I'd be surprised.

As for buying new, check your house insurance.  My one covered the first year of a new car, a tad strange but there you go.  Didn't bother with GAP the last couple of years as the car hasn't depreciated too much because of the current second hand car market.