Hi all,
I am having a right problem trying to find a used car to buy - yeah, sounds ridiculous doesn't it. My last car was a 1.6 Fiat Bravo and I really do not wish to buy a car bigger than a 1.6 engine, mainly for VED and fuel economy issues.
Problem is, all the cars I look at in the Bravo class I am unable to get comfortable in the driving seat or, in some case, unable to fit in at all - can't get my legs under the steering wheel. This includes the Golf, the C4, the Focus, Corolla/Auris, the new Bravo, etc, etc. Super-minis such as the Yaris, Jazz, etc, I have also tried and I can't even get into most of them. As I say, I didn't want to go up to a bigger car but now I find myself looking at 1.8 engine sized cars as they are usually 1.8 engines on bigger models.
I am trying desperately to avoid a diesel so, between a petrol engine and cars of sufficient size, the best bet I have found so far is the Toyota Verso - problem is, as a single 42 year old I kind think that I should also have a wife and two kids if I have a Verso. (Will women ever sleep with me again if I buy one or will they all assume I DO have the wife and kids at home?).
In other words, I would buy to something with some kind of street cred or, rather, being a single man I want something that does not say "married with kids". Similarly, no matter how well built the Avensis is I cannot bring myself to buy one as I ain't got a flat cap and a bus pass yet yet.
The other car is the Honda CRV but that too is a diesel and about 5K more for a 2007 model than the 10K I wish to spend on a car - plus it has higher insurance and presumably higher servicing/running costs?
So here I am, 6 foot 2 inches tall with long legs and have now been carless for 6 months. I need to buy a car sometime in the next month so I would be grateful, if the above makes any sense, for recommendations and advice.
Preferably Japanese, preferably 1.6 an not 1.8, preferably petrol not diesel. Oh, and I surf so I need to be able to carry a surfboard on the roof - kind of rules our a Smart car or that electric thing they have in London.
Thanks all.
One last thing, I have been ill for the last few years and I now suffer from occasional panic attacks so I need something that feels safe on the road.
Edited by tawse on 02/12/2008 at 14:14
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something that does not say "married with kids
A 2-door coupé then?
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A friend with the same build as you has a 3 door Audi A3. Have you tried one of them?
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Thanks, should have added the A3 to the list of cars I can't fit in.
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>> something that does not say "married with kids A 2-door coupé then?
Sorry, should have added that I would like it to be a 4 door car so that I can have friends in the car. It is lonely enough being a single guy - cue violins - and quite a few friends over the years have commented that 2 seaters/coupes have been 'lonely' cars which I can quite understand.
Oh, and I would prefer a hatch or some kind of lift-up tail-gate so I can getting my surfing gear in and out easily.
Thanks though.
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You're single. You have no kids. You only live once.
Why are you worried about the difference in the cost of running a 1.8 instead of a 1.6?
Go out and buy something with a bit of oomph, hang the cost, and put a smile on your face.
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You're single. You have no kids. You only live once. Why are you worried about the difference in the cost of running a 1.8 instead of a 1.6? Go out and buy something with a bit of oomph hang the cost and put a smile on your face.
That is a very good point. I have had 5 or 6 years of illness and me just coming out of it now, God willing, so perhaps it is my mindset I need to change first. Thanks.
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That is a very good point. ..
In which case choose one from here:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/topten/index.htm?sector=CE
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Tawse - For what it's worth I wouldn't worry too much about the subliminal messages your car choice may or may not send. I much enjoyed and indeed have benefitted from your wise words on seating positions etc. I would simply buy something that you feel comfortable in and which fits your lifestyle and budget.
I have some friends who are keen surfers and they all seem to use some kind of estate car because of the practicality. I and some of my cronies are keen skiers and many of them use estates/mpvs for similar reasons. The single ones don't appear to be held back by the shape of their cars.........
;-)
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Thanks and glad I was of help.
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How's about a Seat Toledo? or an Altea? Doesn't necessarily scream "Dadmobile". Bigger than your standard small family hatch, and there are plenty of 1.6s about too. I'd recommend the 2.0 FSI if you're stuck on petrol though, the 1.6 is only economical if you drive like a nun (in my experience - I had a 1.6 54 plate Toledo for about a year recently - could get 40mpg out of it but as soon as I felt like using the right pedal a bit more heavily we were down in the high 20s-low 30s around town). I presume this is down to the weight of the car.
A Golf Plus? Skoda Octavia? Or, wait for it......Fiat Croma - if you decide to go up to 1.8 that is. I think you'd love the Croma given that you're a former Fiat driver. Loads of room in one of those.
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Hmm, the Altea was something I looked at a few years back - plenty of space for me in the cockpit - but I was put-off by reviews that said the ride quality was below par. I went back to look at the Altea a few months ago and, um, my local Seat dealership had closed down :-(
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How about a Nissan Qashqai, they are available with a 1.6 petrol engine and seem to be a substantial vehicle.
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Get a 1.8. If you're going for a small family hatch of the focus type, then 1.8 gives you that extra oomph uphills (As fellow keen surfer I'd also bear in that mind - think fully loaded, down in Devon, Cornwall, long slogs to the North East). I've got a 1.8 Almera, takes all the gear and is fine - I even sleep in it. I had a rented 1.8 Astra today for work incedentally. Usually they give me a 1.6, this felt loads better.
However, like others, I'd suggest an estate. I prefer the estate car shape. The image isn't just "family" but they can give you that outdoor, lifestyle look, especially when dirty - think Alfa, Volvo V40, Octavia estate, Subaru Impreza, Nissan Primera estate - personally I think they are all great looking cars. Remember it's a sportwagon, not an estate!
Can't help you on the height front though - I'm a mere smear 5,9".
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A bigger engine in a particular vehicle (i.e. 1.8 instead of 1.6 in this case) will not have to be worked as hard to maintain progress, so should be as economical if not more so.
I'm 6ft tall and I have no problems with getting my legs under the steering wheel of my VW Bora; it has rake and reach adjustment which makes getting the right position easy.
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How about a Nissan Qashqai they are available with a 1.6 petrol engine and seem to be a substantial vehicle.
Incredibly small in the cabin otherwise it would have been high on my list. I had a salesman, who incidently is actually taller than myself, try to convince me that he drove one every day and had no problem with space... So I asked him to show me.
He got into the driver's seat, moved the seat right back and lowered it as far as he could go and his knees were hunched up against the steering wheel in a most uncomfortable, and unsafe, looking way. Much worse, his head not only touched the ceiling but his neck was bent over about 45 degrees.
From this position he tried to convince me that he had plenty of room. At which point I assumed that he just thought I was stupid and I momentarilly wished that I was an angry person who was prepared to tell him not to try and b*ll me. I hate it when salespeople assume that you are somehow gulliable and talk to you accordingly.
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" I really do not wish to buy a car bigger than a 1.6 engine, mainly for VED and fuel economy issues"
OK - Corolla Verso:
1.6 does 37 mpg
1.8 does 36 mpg
1.6 is band I on the new system
1.8 is band I on the new system
Forget thinking of terms of engine size (a very common mistake even politicians make) and start thinking it terms of estimated fuel economy and actual tax bands if those elements of cost are important to you.
I don't doubt if I looked hard enough I could find a 1.8 with even lower emissions and tax than a comparable 1.6 motor.
Most of all, pick something you like. It's no use trying to save a couple of quid on a small fuel economy saving if the car is rubbish to drive!
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Forget thinking of terms of engine size
True. The Vectra 2.2 litre petrol [direct injection] is band I, 180g/km.
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A single mate of mine is 6'3 and he tried several smallish cars and ended up buying a BMW 1 Series (120d). Perhaps the 116 or 118 would fit the bill for you. Not everyone's taste I know but he loves it.
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left field suggestion - Berlingo.
Cheap, economical, lots of space, quirky.
I'm 6'4" and I find that to be comfortable I need big cars. In your position I would be thinking of passat sized stuff. We had A4s for a while which I managed in, but smaller cars are a pain. If you do a lot of surfing thing of maybe a T4?
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left field suggestion - Berlingo. Cheap economical lots of space quirky.
HJ suggested a Berlingo when I wrote in to his Telegraph column a few months back seeking this very advice. I have to say that I immediately rejected the idea re street cred criteria but since then I have gone and had a look a few times at the Berlingo. I am not so against it now but at the same time I don't think it is really me.
I have a very attractive blonde Swedish female friend who loves her Berlingo but she does not worry about never having sex again after being seen in one :-)
Thanks all for your suggestions, help and advice. I do appreciate it.
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A single mate of mine is 6'3 and he tried several smallish cars and ended up buying a BMW 1 Series (120d). Perhaps the 116 or 118 would fit the bill for you. Not everyone's taste I know but he loves it.
I am half Polish - BMWs are out for historic reasons.
Oddly enough, there is a story in many of the papers today about BMW and its Nazi history:
tinyurl.com/5akbm3
I did go and sit in a BMW 1 when they first came out but, again, I could not fit.
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I am 6'3" and I was just about to suggest a 3series (Touring?) as I have never found a 3 in which I was uncomfortable, and you don't have to drive them like the archetypal BMW drivers. But I can understand your feelings if you have Polish connections - although I have seen a fair few BMWs on Polish plates!
My brother is 6'4", and FWIW is in his 40s and single, and he has a Seat Altea that he is pleased with.
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" I really do not wish to buy a car bigger than a 1.6 engine mainly for VED and fuel economy issues" OK - Corolla Verso: 1.6 does 37 mpg 1.8 does 36 mpg 1.6 is band I on the new system 1.8 is band I on the new system
I was not aware that the Verso is now in band I - I thought it was in G the last time I looked. I need to check the latest bands since the pre-budget stuff.
>Most of all pick something you like. It's no use trying to save a couple of quid on a small fuel economy saving if the car is rubbish to drive!
Yes, good point. I tend to keep my cars for years anyhow so I need something that I enjoy and get pleasure from.
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>I am half Polish - BMWs are out for historic reasons.
Time to put his behind you? This was over 60 years ago.
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Try visiting a Renault showroom and see what you can fit into comfortably. Some cars seem to have more room than others between the steering wheel and the edge of the driver's seat - crucial for people with long legs - and Renaults seem to be good in this respect.
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How about - Alfa 147 1.6 TS or a 156 Sportwagon in 1.8 or indeed 2.0 form. Gives you the practicality with a bit of panache in the styling department. I certainly have not regretted buying my 156 in any way at all. Just be prepared to lift the bonnet and keep an eye on things and you should be OK. Loads of good independents around so maintenance in not costly
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Just a thought - from the car by car 'Massive front seat room for biggest and tallest of drivers' Vectra C. Have you tried one? Fantastic prices at the moment.
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