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Change of car

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Well I'm thinking of getting a new car, well a used one, but it will be new to me!


I currently have an 07 plate 1.4 TDI VW Polo, however for those that pay attention to the parenting forums may be able to deduce why I'm looking forward to getting a car with a bigger boot.

In the next couple of months I should be able to pay off my Polo and then have the £6.5k/7k ish value of the Polo to be used against a part exchange. What do people think of VW Passats? Looking at used ones about 08 (possibly 58) and seen the odd one or two with very reasonable mileage and around £12k, if I part ex'd my polo it would roughly be half of the value of the Passat and therefore my monthly payments would be lower than they are now, primarily as I only paid £500 deposit for the Polo.

I know the car tax would go up from £30 a year to £150+, but the insurance oddly is only around £50/£60 a year more expensive. If anything will still be a lot less than it is now for the polo as I plan to pay the insurance off in one go and then save a little a month for next years.

Anyone got any thoughts?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I drive one - 1.9 TDi

    It's the best car I have had for years, plenty of poke and really economical - over 50mpg on average.

    Put it this way, when I next change car I'm sticking to VW and I'd happily go for another Passat (although I'd quite like a Toureg!) and I cannot say that about any other vehicle I've driven.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    MoK wrote: »
    I drive one - 1.9 TDi

    It's the best car I have had for years, plenty of poke and really economical - over 50mpg on average.

    Put it this way, when I next change car I'm sticking to VW and I'd happily go for another Passat (although I'd quite like a Toureg!) and I cannot say that about any other vehicle I've driven.

    The car I have now is my first car, however due to work I have driven an enormous amount of cars so I can say I have effectively test driven a few. I find that I do seem to prefer or be biased towards VW's.

    My Polo currently does rather well on fuel economy when I'm taking it careful and driving in a very economical manner. However when I'm not being careful it uses up as much fuel as say a passat on a good day would.

    PS how does cruise control work, do you set a speed and then just take your foot off the gas and let it do its own thing?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    G-Raffe wrote: »
    PS how does cruise control work, do you set a speed and then just take your foot off the gas and let it do its own thing?

    Yep, that's pretty much it, then just step on the gas/brake to switch it off. It's not the most economical way of driving but it makes motorway runs less wearing on the legs.

    My first car was a Golf, I've since driven Vauxhall, Honda and Ford. The only one which comes close to VW was the Honda - really good engine, so reliable. VW still shaves it for me though, better build and more interesting to drive.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    MoK wrote: »
    Yep, that's pretty much it, then just step on the gas/brake to switch it off. It's not the most economical way of driving but it makes motorway runs less wearing on the legs.

    My first car was a Golf, I've since driven Vauxhall, Honda and Ford. The only one which comes close to VW was the Honda - really good engine, so reliable. VW still shaves it for me though, better build and more interesting to drive.

    Say I set it to go at 65mph constantly or something along those lines, on a motorway which was very clear. Would it use up roughly similar fuel as if I was trying top stick at 65 all on my own?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The key is that it maintains a constant speed and so any time you hit an incline then it will accelerate. When you control the gas yourself you tend to do this slowly over a longer distance.

    It's not a huge difference, which is why I use mine for motorways. Just means I can rest my legs a little and move them about a little.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It also depends how you drive yourself. If you drive with a heavy foot then cruise control will likely be a benefit. I wouldn't use CC as my criteria for buying, though.

    A friend has a passat estate, and it's pretty refined for a diesel.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    passats have a good safety record too i think
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Suzy thats another thing people have mentioned.
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