Remember the floods 'oop north 'in and around the Newcastle area a few weeks back around 6th September ?
Long story - hit the water - engine blown - write off.
So a warning to all - Even if it does not look deep - be wary.
It was an expensive mistake but not half as bad as it could have been - my insurance company were very fair with their offer, I was dreading the usual argument but they came up trumps.
So now I have up to £ 10 K to play with for a SH replacement. I want the same EX spec as my Accord, ie leather , satnav, cruise control but something less fuel gulping than the 2.4 engine and without the possible £ 400 tax in the future.
Although I don't mind one way or the other I think a diesel is the best option , I want at least a 2 litre and I prefer Japanese reliability.
I was thinking along the lines of a CR-V or similar but it may not save me that much in running costs.My local Honda agent is good but tends to put £1000 on the top of car supermarket price for similar vehicles.
I do not have to buy at the moment as I can use the company car so I throw it open to you for suggestions. What would you do?
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I'd invest the monies and use the company car...
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Hmmm.
It annoys me enormously that my insurance goes up because people don't realise that their cars are amphibious. You wouldn't land your helicopter on a pond, would you? Or would you?
I really don't see why the ins co paid out my money to Helicopter as there is clear evidence that OP failed to take reasonable care of his motor.
Anyway, in response to his question, why the need for two cars?
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I am quite prepared to do that for a while but my company car is a Vectra.... so you see I want something a bit more luxurious to eat my Werthers in...
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It was not deliberate I assure you Mapmaker..... It is my first claim in over 20 years and and only my third in nearly 40 years of driving. Thats what insurance is for - accidental damage.
It was accidental damage for which I have accepted liability as no one else involved . It has also cost me a fair bit of hassle and a £250 excess.
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Helicopter, exactly, thats what insurance is for! Accidents! Using Map's theory, then all car crashes would only pay out third party as the majority of them are due to neglect on someone's part!
Anyway, I don't think 10k will get you much in the way of CRV diesel and you may find the inside of the CRV less luxurious that you are used to with your Accord.
What about another Accord but a diesel, even a high miler with all the toys might be possible? Find one at a dealer, go in 3 days from the end of the month and offer them a silly price to take it by end of month!
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Its annoys me more that mine goes up because 1.5 million people choose to break the law and not have insurance.....
he paid for his insurance,he made a mistake,he's admitted liability,his action will result in dearer future insurance cover for him..not you ...really cant see what the problem is.
The 2nd biggest mistake is admitting to it on a public forum :-)
(by the way Lexus IS220 diesels are a round 12K for low mileage 06 plates from approved dealers, will be cheaper elsewhere..just a thought )
Edited by doog on 02/10/2008 at 14:29
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How about an Avensis? Bit cheaper than the Honda, so should get a newer example (56 plate or thereabouts). T-spirit spec has lots of toys. You specify no less that 2 litre, but think about the 1.8 VVTi- ours will do 40+ mpg on a run and rarely less that 37 in town. Low emissions mean reasonable VED, too. Quite nippy it is.
Cheers,
Alex.
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Good call Alex - Tell me what toys are on there and I might toddle round to my Toyota dealer and take a look. SWMBO has the Yaris so matching Toyotas might be the way to go.
The 2.2 diesel Accord Tourer might be a better bet than the CR-V I do admit but I've always hankered after a 4 x 4 after my farm upbringing I suppose.
Also SWMBO quite likes them. She was a bit shy of driving the old Accord Tourer because the length made it difficult to park and reverse .
And yes , I did think long and hard before posting , it would be a strange world if we all did everything correctly all the time - perfection is not given to man.....!
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Then again, 10k for a 2 or 3 year lease with an option to buy at the end?
I might/would be looking at the leased car market if I had just been given such a lump of money. Aim would be to lease & buy at end of term.
Some nice Audi's?
tinyurl.com/3t7t6f
or generic?
tinyurl.com/3efw4l
My next car will be procured this way (I have never owned from brand new) as whilst it is on lease, all servicing etc., is covered so you get a 24 or 36 month old car from new with a FSH and you positively know it's background & history.
I would use a percentange of the 10k as deposit, put the cost of the full term of the lease into a high interest current account, set ap a direct debit for the term of the lease and place the remainder in a fix term 24 or 36 month investment.
Hopefully it will earn enough to be able to afford to pay the balance for you to buy the car at the end of lease - or you just do the same again.
So long as you don't start going for the likes of Aston Martin or other top of the range vehicles etc - this is feasable!
Edited by Tron on 02/10/2008 at 16:57
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How about an Avensis? >>
I think I would rather drive the Vectra on offer than spend my own hard-earned on what must be the ultimate wheeled white good.
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There's no such thing as accidents only human error!
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Yeah - like the error of being on the bit of ground the tree happens to fall on.
If we're trying to find something with a bit of feelgood factor for £10,000, I can't see an Avensis doing the job. It won't go wrong and is fundamentally sound, but having thought hard about buying one a couple of years ago, I didn't because I couldn't get excited about it. It may be a bit nicer than a Vectra, but will it make you feel good every time you get in, as I deduce your Honda did? I doubt it.
But I think 10K would get you a good choice of Volvo saloons. Take your pick - I've been thoroughly pleased with my S60, but I like the S40 too, and both can be toyed up with leather and electrics. (Volvo audio systems are especially fine - in stark contrast to Toyota's.)
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>> How about an Avensis? >> I think I would rather drive the Vectra on offer than spend my own hard-earned on what must be the ultimate wheeled white good.
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Ouch!
Acksherly, mine's rather good. I've always liked anonymous cars, for some reason, never having understood the concept of wanting my car (or my watch, or my aftershave, or ...) to "say something about me". Thirstier than I would like (the car as well), but I now average (with cossetting) something around the 46+ mpg mark - which is what the mfr says for combined.
And I managed to drive it into water at the same time as Helicopter, getting in far enough to dislodge the front number-plate, and managed to reverse out with no damage.
So don't let the Porsche wideboys (joke, BB, 80s stereotyping!) dissuade you.
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I would spend a small proportion of the money on something rather more fun. An XJS for a couple of k and a couple more k for the mechanic?
Going back to the insurance point, I think there's a world of difference between a moment's inattention that leads to a crash, and a deliberate act that is clearly going to damage the vehicle. If you park and the carpark floods whilst you are away, then that is your insurer's risk. If you stop the car and the water comes up and floods you, then that is still your insurer's risk. But driving deliberately into something big and wet...
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Steady, MM. If you're on an unfamiliar road, there may be no easy way to judge the depth of the water. Or you may - as I confess I did in the Easter floods ten years ago - find the water suddenly much deeper than the fordable puddle you first entered.
I think what we're talking about here is the spectrum from pure misfortune, through ignorance, carelessness and recklessness, to deliberate destruction. And I think insurers are well aware of that. Most of us can forgive people for making a silly mistake once; it's the ones who know the dangers and do it anyway we should watch out for!
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as the old joke goes "it didn't look deep. It was only up to the top of the ducks legs".
JH
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If you park and the carpark floods whilst you are away then that is your insurer's risk.
There is, in Apt (Provence), a "Submersible Car Park" (that is the translation).
It's by a river which I assume is subject to bursting its banks.
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Keep the company car and buy yourself something nice like a Mazda Bongo camper for fun and happiness. Otherwise, put the money into a high interest earning account.
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