I’m interested in buying a used Volvo - the V60 plug-in hybrid. Thoughts?
A lot of my mileage is very short - school runs, local stuff. The 31 mile range of the plug in battery system is probably a good balance for me: it would do most of the local stuff, and the diesel engine would then work for the longer trips.
While I can’t plug in at home, there are several charging points nearby, and it would be easy enough to leave it at one of these during the day or overnight. It’s £7 per month to sign up with polar, and charging is free. Most of my usage would be covered by this.
I think my main concern is that I don’t like the idea of buying a used car with more than about 30k mileage, but many are at the 100k+ mark. But since it was a fairly expensive car, to get within budget there will be quite a sacrifice on either trim or mileage. I am expecting to pay something over the £20k mark for a new car, although I could get a decent estate for just over £10k, while the V60 would be close to £20k.
So we have a few choices:
Keep the Mazda for a few more years until there is more choice for plug in hybrids
Buy the Volvo, they are well depreciated by now and great value
I have a great idea of something else (see post)
I have something moronic to say about brown seats and legroom
My vote assumes the mazda is running ok and your mileage is low.
Of course if you want a new car thats a different matter, but running an old car is going to save you money.
(We think similar about our 17yr old Micra, change it for something much newer to save on running costs = spending a load of money upfront to do 3000 miles a year)
I’m inclined to agree, the Mazda is 12 years old and we do 10k miles per year. It is entirely adequate.
I sort of want it to stop working so well so I can justify getting something new. I get irritated slightly by having to use petrol for short distances, knowing how inefficient it is. However, I do know that the environmental footprint of any new car is high compared to continuing to run the old one.
Exactly the same thoughts and dilemma with our run about albeit even harder to justify changing as we do 250miles a month in it (70 of which is me driving to work 1 day to give it a run).
9 years and counting…
The right thing to do is keep it going and be gald you went for a petrol engine, a 12yr old diesel for your short journeys would be harder to justify.
My residents parking used to be £300 per year, as I apparently needed a discretionary permit rather than a straight entitlement. I would not be entitled to a second permit.
They have just changed over to a computerised system, and a (presumably accidental) side effect of this is that (1) it now costs £30, and (2) I can get another car.
It might actually make sense to keep the Mazda and get a Leaf. Mazda for the occasional long journey, Leaf for pottering about town.
There is some sense to this - it’s £50 per day to view a Mondeo estate from a local place. Assuming we need this for 30 days per year, that’s £1500, which is not much compared to the depreciation on most cars. Although the Mazda is cheaper than that per year, while it still works.
I might do a review of how often we’d need a larger car
It’s horses for courses, you’d never get me living in the suburbs, or in posh areas with nothing going on! I wouldn’t even house swap with you, even though yours is probably several times the value of mine. There are very few places I’d rather live than exactly where I do.
No it’s urban, which is why it needs a permit system, silly!
I would get a Tesla if I could afford it. The i3 is odd, a friend has one. The range is awful for something of that price. Might take a look actually, since I imagine that would mean the used prices are low!