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Accordingly, I’m trying not to compound the ego bruising that would come with having to drive around in a cheaply constructed shopping car. Again, it’s not the brand, but the impression of quality the car gives to me. Hence my trying to find something with a few toys like heated leather etc.
The Kia I looked at yesterday was nice enough but it was like tools from Lidl... They look the part from a distance but on closer examination, you see they’re poorly cast from cheap materials. I don’t want to drive a car that feels like that. I want a car that makes me feel I’m still doing OK, even if I’m on my way to a no-status job for less money.
Chips are "Plant-based" no matter how you cook them
Donald Trump needs kicking out of a helicopter
I'm personally responsible for all global warming
If you want to buy the best car you can afford, and your budget isn't high enough to be really picky, but you *are* being picky about things like mileage and service history, then you should probably stop worrying about brand perception. The 'cheap' far-east brands mostly have a better reputation for build quality and reliability than most of the supposedly desirable European brands.
It's like the old adage: "Better, quicker, cheaper... pick any two."
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I still love MX5s, though I can confirm my back hurt after the first 2 days of getting in and out of the one we rented. You quickly get the hang of it though, and it's totally worth it.
I was driving it last week and I could easily list a dozen things I hated about it.
-the pedal position is terrible
-the biting point on the clutch is vague and too far on the pedal travel
-the optical clarity of the rear window is terrible
-the rear view mirror magnifies things like a shaving mirror
-the gearbox has no feel whatsoever, you just sort of vaguely shove it into what you thing the right gear is and hope for the best
-the doors feel very tinny when you open and close them
-the armrest is made out of hard plastic and isn't adjustable
-the engine is gutless
-the car tends to tramline a lot
-the steering is vague and the wheel doesn't return to near centre by itself when cornering
-not a soft touch plastic in sight
-the rear parcel shelf is unbelievably awkward to put in and out
However, it's still under warranty and has given no mechanical trouble whatsoever, it returns over 50mpg, costs £30 a year in VED and is cheap to insure.
If I wanted to have a similar amount of money in a car I'd buy a Mk6 Golf because it's so much better to drive, but I'd have to live without the warranty
I mean this in no way as a criticism because I've been there and I sincerely applaud your honesty, but when you give up that shallow, pointless, expensive fight and re-prioritise what makes you happy life suddenly gets much simpler.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201902255282645?advertising-location=at_cars&exclude-writeoff-categories=on&year-from=1970&maximum-mileage=200000&price-to=6000&postcode=kt172lz&body-type=Saloon&price-from=500&fuel-type=Petrol&colour=Blue&colour=Unlisted&transmission=Automatic&page=1&make=ROLLS-ROYCE&year-to=2000&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used
It's pretty much the top spec for the model and was the equivalent of at least £25K new. It was in excellent condition and cost me £4K because people don't think Renaults are any good. I still don't care...
And if it doesn't make me attractive to younger women I'm not married to, that wasn't even the smallest factor in the decision .
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I went from company cars, albeit vanilla models (e.g. Mondeo, Insignia), to my mother-in-law's 15 year old Astra which had been passed round the family. Couldn't have cared less to be honest, although I missed Bluetooth.
Now I have a newish car again, I really miss the zero fucks I use to give when ditching that Astra wherever it landed.
Didn't even lock, but nobody wanted to steal it anyway.
Whilst a nice BMW undoubtedly makes you feel good to drive and motoring journalists enthuse about the quality of the interior trim, the point at which the car becomes part of you might be the time it's good to rough it for a while in a Kia anyway
It's quite humbling really, the minute you get a shitter car as well, the more people you see from your past, when your ego would like to say 'look how good I'm doing' you're forced to deal with the fact you are more than your car, because not many people drive 2004 Astra's around thinking they have made it
I think I'd have got an MX5, had it not for my wife asking where the kids were supposed to sit. 'In you car?' was my suggestion.
Probably not what the OP is going for...but... have you tried a Civic? .. you can remap the 2.2 CTDi to 198 bhp with standard parts.. so that's fun and it has tonnes of space...
Another thing worth mentioning is resale values on 'good' beemers. They hold their value extremely well even into their older years.
So considering all the money that I was putting into the fuel and the value coming out the car due to the commute mileage, I decided it was silly trying to keep it as a daily driver.
After looking for a couple of weeks and struggling with the ego, I spotted a good offer for a brand new Suzuki Swift. It's petrol (didn't want a diesel) but the economy figures looked good.
Now my friends laugh at my car, but fuel is costing me £10 per 100 miles and it's a chuckable car that feels fun at far lower speeds. My bank balance after a month put the smile back on my face.
Ultimately I didn't like the thought of not being able to handle something as trivial as downgrading my car.
Another factor is that for the past 25 years, I haven’t had any say in what car I drive. More recently we were given choices but even then, it was a choice of maybe five cars - all of which were largely crap and with no extras. Now I have complete freedom for the first time to pick anything I want.... and like a ex-con on parole looking at a restaurant menu, I have so many choices, it’s mind-boggling.
Chips are "Plant-based" no matter how you cook them
Donald Trump needs kicking out of a helicopter
I'm personally responsible for all global warming
I don't think I've ever laboured over any decision this much.
One of us is clearly doing something wrong.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
It doesn't need to be a keeper, you can chop and change every 12 months if you want to.
Chips are "Plant-based" no matter how you cook them
Donald Trump needs kicking out of a helicopter
I'm personally responsible for all global warming
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com