Will the current climate affect your next purchase?

[jon.k]

I've spent ages trying to write a coherent response to this but all I've proved to myself is that, as much as I love them, for me owning/driving a car has become a moral minefield. I tend to cycle where I can instead, it's simpler!

 

[HMC]

This all sounds rational- and none of my purchases ever are, so I suppose the answer is “no” from me.

[SiC]

On 11/6/2021 at 8:49 PM, Bren said:

Will the high cost of a gallon and concerns about the environment affect your next choice of car?

Yes. Last time this happened the roads went lovely and quiet. Big expensive to run engined cars went for much cheaper. I'm hoping classics will do too.

Along with the other economic climate conditions, like rising interest rates, stag/inflation, etc I think luxuries will fall.

So I'm hoping for some bargains...

At the same time it's made me stay with my £400 Fabia runaround than change that to another R53 Bini Cooper S which it's much higher fuel consumption. But running that as a runaround should allow man maths to budget another older classic "toy".

[motorpunk]

It’s still too expensive to be green, for many of us, and on a personal note I think the Chinese/Indians/Yanks/Russians spew out so much shit I doubt my choice of wheels makes much difference anyway.

14 year old 3 litre diesel for me, don’t care what fuel costs, it’s still cheaper than shelling out £££ to replace it. If big old diesels take a price hit I might just buy another one with fewer miles on.

Toys are 18 and 49 years old. I cycle a bit. I fly a lot. Meh.

[UltraWomble]

On 11/6/2021 at 8:49 PM, Bren said:

Will the high cost of a gallon and concerns about the environment affect your next choice of car?

 

Will it fuck.

[GMcD]

No. I can only drive one car at a time. Thanks to Covid I've reduced my annual mileage from 18k per year to probably way less than 5k this year. I can't say I'm liking the current trend with fuel prices but I'll pay.  Not against electric but my current circumstances don't particularly merit me getting one (except perhaps for curiousity). 

 

 

[Split_Pin]

No because my annual mileage is less than 5k so the rising cost of fuel isn't too much of a concern at the moment.

 

[captain_70s]

15 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

No because my annual mileage is less than 5k so the rising cost of fuel isn't too much of a concern at the moment.

 

This.

I have a works van for daily work, which is currently eating £110-180 worth of diesel a week (especially at motorway service station prices!), but it goes on a fuel card so I'm not caring. There is no viable alternative at the moment, an electric van doesn't have the range and takes too long to charge.

My personal fleet is all ancient but used so sparingly fuel costs no longer bother me. In an ironic twist everything I own is exempt from the new Glasgow ULEZ by merit of being so old...

Admittedly if I was going to be commuting any real distance in a personal vehicle I'd buy a modern car I reckon. More due to ease of use than anything else.

[dozeydustman]

I'd rather keep something older going than buy new every 3-4 years. Most (more modern) cars with proper care will rack up 2-300,000 miles quite easily and many are scrapped for want of a simple but often ludicrously priced component.

Exceptions to this are change of personal circumstances - i.e. a sprog comes along/you lose a limb.

As an aside, I'm not anti electric vehicle in the future, I'm more anti lithium battery. I'd rather we bring back trolley lines in the bigger cities from which lorries and larger vans can power cleanly (as hybrids) and buses on urban-only routes are exclusively powered by volts.

Incidentally I have just got a voucher through for cycle to work, so once I have learned to ride a bike again, I'll be on a man-powered vehicle.

[beko1987]

I tick the boxes for an eV in almost every area bar being able to charge the thing and being able to afford it... 

I don't really NEED a diesel really, my commute is 50/50 fine for all bar a 1l/1.2 vehicle of any race creed or fuelling. I'll be living the shitter lifestyle of cheap motoring for a while longer I think, but the next car change when it happens might have the eyes out for a petrol... 

I'm in the camp mentioned above a few times of being happy with keeping older cars who have already paid back their debt to the climate rather than keep making new ones. And I've had some conversations with eV nutters before and they never really have an answer for the charging or affordable answer (but their Jaws usually open when I tell them my car cost £150 etc, their usually the people who come round the office a few times a year/get nabbed by one in town and selling the stuff) 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

1 hour ago, beko1987 said:

... eV nutters ...

eV, or eVil?

[sierraman]

I much prefer diesel, possibly a more/equally reliable choice than a low capacity DI petrol as they’ve got all the bollocks that goes tits up like high pressure injectors, Turbo, DMF, PPF need I go on... plus you aren’t pussy footing about trying to get 30mpg from them. I did ponder the likelihood of being disallowed from going into a town centre but then you think ‘why on earth would I want to drive into a city centre?’ and decided I’d have another diesel.

I guess my attitude might be different if I had to travel vast distances to go to work and I was forced at gunpoint by an employer into one of those car schemes where they pay me a pittance, I finance and take care of the repairs and then they stipulate what I should be driving under the bullshit banner of Health and Safety. But I just simply won’t do this, I’d work for less closer to home rather than being one of those that lives on the M1 and survives on a diet of Greggs pasties. I digress. 

My investment in a car is relatively small, I don’t know maybe £1,000-£1,500 which means it’s a couple of years motoring at best, like a lot of things you could sit there worrying about whether the wet belt will snap or if you should change the oil at 6 monthly intervals when in reality most in the real world will not give a moments thought to this, a DIY service once a year or so and leave it at that. Do enough to keep it safe and reliable but don’t go mad. I’ve given time to think about this lately, not whittling about what might happen, don’t pay too much and run the bastard till it packs in and repeat whilst being glad you have a car where you’ve nothing to lose. It’s seems to be what most people who can’t afford a new/lease do and they seem to survive. 

[EyesWeldedShut]

Since COVID my wife & I are both working from home and hope to continue. Last year did 2,500 miles in the Mini and 8,000 in the van. Sold the zero miles Subaru Outback as I couldn't really justify taxing/insuring it as £££ coming in also went down. Miss the beast though. 

So price of fuel unlikely to affect next purchase due to low mileage. If the Mini eventually dies then something small/cheap to run would be the first choice. Not fussed on petrol/diesel/lpg either - just something that I can spanner and not pay a garage to.

EV? No - current models do not have the range needed to live here or are too expensive.

[Andyrew]

Not in the slightest. My car choice is always decided by wether i can/cannot afford to buy and maintain it. 

[beko1987]

I did just under 3000 miles between my last mots, I could in theory afford* to run something really fun... 

 

*I still couldn't... 

[Toe]

In the sense of cost of fuel yes, my partner uses my Mazda 323f which has a 2litre V6 and according to Fuelly is running around 25mpg, she uses it for work and not much else so  not many miles and I subsidise her petrol,  pay for parts, repairs etc and sort the MoT out as I convinced her to get rid of her horrible Fiesta for this so had to sweeten her up but she's just got back from filling it up, just under 45 litres for 70 quid, this is E5 stuff as it's over 20 years old, but 70 quid to fill the tank up on a ordinary hatchback, never had to do that, dread now how much it'll cost me to fill my Saab 900 which has a 10litre bigger tank, then again I only need to fill it up about every 3 months but now the prices are getting so high I'm looking at Daihatsu Copen's again for her or maybe even her favourite an original Beetle, gotta be cheaper to run around town surely.

But electric, no way, can't justify paying the price of them against how often either of us would use it, I walk to work most of the time and she has around a 3-4 mile commute at odd hours where even if there was a bus the times would be no good

[Schaefft]

Fuel prices at this moment only seem to be temporarily as high as they are because of built up demand in the economy. Long term it might indeed be completely uneconomical to own a fuel guzzler though. But this would never have an impact on my buying decisions. Not only does fuel economy hardly matter with home office (which at least to some degree will stay this way). I also wouldn't mind actually owning a very capable electric car in the future anyway (there's some fantastic stuff coming out right now) while still maintaining the cars I got now. As long as I'm not taxed to hell and back (see ULEZ) the government can hardly do anything to change my mind. This might not be the case for others though.

Also people buy desirable used cars right now because build up of cash, lack of new car supplies and the feeling that this could be their last chance. I'm actually glad this is happening, used car prices in the UK were so low for such a long time that people took cheap cars for granted, resulting in epic proportions of waste. At least stuff is less likely to end up in the scrapper now.

[Leyland Worldmaster]

On 11/6/2021 at 8:49 PM, Bren said:

Will the high cost of a gallon and concerns about the environment affect your next choice of car?

I will move my 545 on next year - by then it will be 18 years old. I have to run it on super now which means either looking for a shell or tesco - not good.

I really wanted another bent eight - maybe a mustang ( used) or something similar but the cost of fuel tax and astronomical secondhand prices mean the likelihood of another V8 is diminishing.

I am not fussy at the thought of a diesel as I can see a time when they will not be allowed in town and city centres. Plus a used diesel has a potential to be a PITA.

I am not prepared to spend hundreds a month on an EV just to ease my conscience.

For the first time in my car buying history I am non plussed at the thought of replacing my car - it is as if all the fun has been taken out of owning a car.

I prefer something a bit old  but nice - to me a car is an experience and not like buying white goods. If I am going in hock for a motor it needs to be a nice experience rather thsn how many cup holders it has.

Discuss.

I arrived at this conclusion in 2014 and bought an Audi A2 1.4TDI.  I enjoyed my time running 'large' cars like 2xE32 BMW 7 Series, an E34 525ix and a normal 525 and a Rover 75 2.0V6.

I still have a car that I believe is technically interesting. It is interesting also to compare the difference in condition between my first RWD car- an E32 735 SE and my present car. 

The 7 was 18 and totally fucked even with less than half the mileage that my A2 has at 18 years old... 

[hennabm]

No

So long as fuel is available then I will continue to buy what I want. Saint Greta and the likes will not dictate to me what I drive.

For all the cities that ban older vehicles - their loss as I won’t visit them. I’ll go bc elsewhere. 

[maxxo]

keeping the C5 for as long as possible, might get another car for fleet (something else old and end of life)

but, for a C5 replacement

i very much doubt it will be some old shite, probably a new prius or something, efficient and stupid reliable

[AxWomble]

We rather conveniently bought a 106 diesel just before the fuel ‘crisis’ - range of >600 miles meant we never needed to worry about where we’d fill up next and the 65mpg average has been very helpful in light of rising fuel costs. (Old 1.0 AX did 47mpg everywhere) 

That said, fuel is still expensive and a large part of our outgoings each month, even with a highly efficient car. I’ll be commuting 45 miles a day (round trip)  from next week which is the best part of £110/month just for commuting 5 days/week, nothing social involved. Sadly with the work we do and the place we live, there’s no alternative but to drive. 
 

Environmentally, it’s one of those awkward things where I want to drive less but am cornered in terms of the industry I work in - commuting is the norm and you won’t always get a job round the corner. In 5 years I can definitely see us living somewhere where I can cycle more - I used to do 3500 miles a year at uni and hardly spent a penny on fuel! Certainly for now, I won’t be changing cars - but mainly because we can’t possibly get any cheaper to run/more fully depreciated than our £500 Pug. 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

4 hours ago, hennabm said:

....For all the cities that ban older vehicles - their loss as I won’t visit them....

There's not a great deal to see in that London anyway, apart from TfL-generated traffic jams.

[sierraman]

6 minutes ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

There's not a great deal to see in that London anyway, apart from TfL-generated traffic jams.

The wife is desperate to take the kids to London. Currently I’m doing everything in my power to avoid me going with them, no ambition whatsoever to go there. 

[captain_70s]

Me and Girlfriend_70s did a long weekend in that there London a few years ago. Did the museums and sights, was alright.

Got the train down, went everywhere on the tube/light rail once there. Dead easy to get about on public transport, wouldn't fancy driving there.

Not sure what's in it for kids mind you...

[sierraman]

55 minutes ago, captain_70s said:

Me and Girlfriend_70s did a long weekend in that there London a few years ago. Did the museums and sights, was alright.

Got the train down, went everywhere on the tube/light rail once there. Dead easy to get about on public transport, wouldn't fancy driving there.

Not sure what's in it for kids mind you...

Sounds like everything I can’t stand. Crowded, expensive and full of people trying to rob your eyes out. 

[Tartan58]

With my own money, probably not but at work we were given the chance to give up our monthly car allowance and take a fully electric company car instead (with free - for now - charging at the office). To be honest my motivations for taking them up on this had little to do with saving the planet and much to do with calculating that I'd be around £250 a month better off by doing so.

I've had it a week now and to be fair it does give me a warm glow of superiority over all those peasants in their dirty IC's (or maybe that's the lithium radiation talking).

To tell you the truth even though I've only had it a week I'd struggle to go back to a 'normal' car, it's such a lovely and relaxing thing to drive - yes it embodies everything I used to hate (believing cars should be fully analogue) but for daily driving on todays congested roads it really is the future*, and if I can feel good about saving the planet too (don't start...) then all the better.

[straightSix]

It'll affect at least my next two purchases I reckon. It'll affect my next car choice because my commute is a 90 mile round trip and even if it's only a few days a week, it still costs me £16 a throw at today's prices. And I am genuinely starting to feel bad about the pollution I'm causing with such big miles. So if I have to get something boring as a daily then I'll need something exciting for the weekends. Impreza STI will do nicely

[Angrydicky]

No. I refuse to buy a modern blob and intend to keep my Rover 600 going as long as possible.

However, it costs £70 to fill up currently, and with more and more people going to electric cars, the price is only going one way which is incredibly frustrating.

I can see classic cars in the future being a hobby for the rich man only, as most of us peasants with ordinary classic family cars won’t be able to afford to run them anymore.

Which pisses me off greatly.

 

[loserone]

5 hours ago, sierraman said:

Sounds like everything I can’t stand. Crowded, expensive and full of people trying to rob your eyes out. 

Crowded certainly, but if you plan ahead you can get some amazing food at very reasonable prices.

There's loads of free museums and sights to see, you don't need to spend much to fill a few days with stuff.  

 I'd definitely do it on public transport mind, fuck driving.  We did a weekend in Glasgow the other week and it was pretty good but would have been even better had COP26 not been the weekend after so half the museums shut.  

My view is probably skewed a bit because I don't have to deal with traffic or crowds unless I first drive for an hour, so I have a degree of tolerance for it for the sake of stuff which exists in cities, for a short burst.  

 

As for the climate, it already does.  The Partner was bought with the intention of it being a long lasting and economical car.  If I ended up with a commute I'm pretty sure I'd be buying a long range electric car PDQ.

[bogeyhead]

I have a driveway and garage, but it is situated opposite my house and doesn't have electricity. To get an electricity supply connected plus a charger unit would cost about £5,000. The cost of electric cars are still expensive, so the whole exercise would be very costly and not really worth it for me..