May 2023
I made this post yesterday: www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/181492/lexus-ls---...0. It got some useful responses, and I figured that my experience might help someone else later if they are in a similar boat.
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In the 7 years I've had my current car I haven't used the front fog lights once. As my car has wide, flat dipped beams (in common with many modern cars!) they serve no purpose at all: When I occasionally flick them on and off on a quiet road, I can hardly see any improvement in the front lighting, although they may provide a tad of early warning for any myopic racc***s in the area.
I've only used the horn once or twice in all this time. (Fellow Toyota Auris drivers will understand why.)
Rear seat passengers never seem interested in the central armrest. Perhaps if would attract more curiosity if it held a drinks chiller or the controls for a rocket launcher rather than two dull cupholders. And I don't think I've ever put cups in the cupholders myself.
I'm not taking aim here at drivers of certain German marques and the hackneyed comments about, ahem, indicators, but what other gadgets, accessories or aftermarket gimmicks are generally under-used by the HJ community these days? Read more
In my case, the cigarette lighter, except to plug in the 12-volt tyre inflater. In the 205 it is always live, so no key needed - not the case with the 207.
And that must be something which will never be incorporated in a touchscreen ?
I'm going to look at one on Thursday.
www.strattoncarsales.co.uk/cars/toyota/estima/-/73.../... Read more
It's about £380 pa. Insurance about £400
As the quantity of used EVs on the market increases, the depreciation is, in certain cases, something to behold. I'd heard that buyers (and dealers) are suspicious of them, but finding good evidence of what owners are experiencing at trade in/private sale time was tricky.
However, a thread on a popular community deals site (the Hot one) has opened a real trove of information. One post really stuck out, from someone who paid £80k for a well optioned Audi Q8 eTron in 2020. Here it is... Read more
Used Evs have the Achilles heel of ‘how much range is left?’ The depreciation quoted is worrying too.
Well after a long battle against swmbo’s demands for an electric car she has finally got one. I threw a Volvo XC60 (turned out to be a bad one) and a Honda HRV at the problem, but to no avail. She has gone and bought a used Nissan Leaf on her own. On the upside I no longer have to pay half the cost of her car, this is her flying solo by electricity.
I’ve flogged the HRV, took a tumble on it but that’s the norm in year one of ownership as you lose the dealers margin and vat and it’s too rich for me to sell from the door so it has gone to a local car buyer I’m friendly with who sells direct to trade for £800 more than WBAC offered. I’ll miss it, I really rate the wee car. It’s practical, lusty, great on fuel, utterly reliable and comfortable. It never put a foot wrong, other than the high level rear brake light mysteriously unplugging itself.
I’m used to stretching out the battery on the electric buses I drive daily, but it won’t suit her leaden right foot driving style. But she is happy and as quiet as her new car… for now. I will say that the Leaf is practical and nice to drive. It’s quiet, it rides well, grips decently and pulls strongly, and she’s managed to get a good deal from Cinch. I’ve never bought a car unseen before (I still haven’t, it’s all hers) but it wasn’t possible to ignore as it was almost £3,000 cheaper than the local Nissan dealer for a near identical car. So cheap I’m a bit suspicious. I’ll see what it’s like when it turns up on Monday.
I wager that I’ll still have old Terrance the Toyota long after the Leaf is history. Read more
582 cars listed on ebay best I can see is a 71 reg for £15700 with 6k miles from Pendragon so plenty to chose from so haggle hard if you want one.
Normally I have no difficulty in finding one that works but for the life of me on this occasion none seem to be operative
Anyone used one recently with success ??... Read more
Yes Camskill prices are often VG. On the Goodyears they were only £3 a tyre less than Halfords and then of course fitting on top. I must have hit a sweet spot deal with my purchase. Which comes back to the OP seeking a discount offer. They are around if you search.
Updating that, the fitter came yesterday at the exact appointment time. He spent just under an hour despite its being his last appointment of the day so he wasn’t rushing it. Tyre pressures all spot on , red spots in right place, 100% satisfied.
How long before we will get a genuine 400 mile range for under £40k in an electric car?
Within the next 5 years?
I am about to change car and wanted electric but realised there are 3 regular journeys I do each month that would require multiple stops to charge.
1 stop to charge for a 45 minute fast charger is tolerable (inconvenient but tolerable), 2 stops is too much.
And the lack of chargers and the even greater lack of working charges makes it impossible to consider electric.
So the question remains, how long until electric cars will get close to the range of a petrol equivalent ? Read more
Having a chat with my old neighbour who is the head technician at a Nissan & Renault/Dacia dealership, he has been told Nissan/Renault will never made a leaf/zoe with a range over 300 miles; any new battery development of range will be pushed to the larger vehicles. Sort of makes sense
It may be that a choice needs to be made by the manufacturer - more range or lighter weight, more passenger/load space and lower cost.
Most Leaf and Zoe owners would typically be local and low to average mileage drivers with few long trips. Taken with the probability of both faster and increased numbers of charging points in the future, the decision makes a lot of sense.
Might look cute but thats about it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPxXbqrX7OA Read more
Yes it is. I parked next to a petrol one the other day. The EV one just looks like it's been inflated a bit more. Same shape but a bit bigger all round. Still a small car .
You can have a LHD version instead.
www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/tesla-cancels-...x Read more
<< Saab did try out joysticks instead of steering wheels on a couple of prototypes. They were in mounted in the centre console rather than where the steering wheel would have been. That would be very weird methinks! >>
Not if you were used to handling a small boat, perhaps ?
Hi all,
Looking for advice. Come across a very low mileage 2013 Citroen DS3 Dsport. But I can't help but feel suspicious. It only has 31k miles on the clock (over the course of 10 years???) and looking at the MOT history there's a year where it barely moved 500 miles. It last passed an MOT in November 2022 but been driven since. After checking the tax status it's been untaxed since April 2022 yet hasn't been declared off road either. Thought it had to be taxed or SORN?... Read more
Thanks for the input guys. I guess I just like cars with some punch so I can have a bit of fun now and then. I shopped around a bit more and decided to go with a 2014 1.6 Fiesta ST-3 that I found near me with full ford service history and good MOT history. Only 47k miles. Was rapid and really fun to drive so I just couldn't resist. Picking it up next week!
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