[Spruce]

I leased my diesel car on a 2 year contract (that ends in March) as I foresaw the resale value being uncertain. I got a great deal and don’t have to worry about what it’s worth, I may do the same again with a petrol car or even a hybrid.

The problem with electric is that the technology is changing so fast, what’s ‘cutting edge’ today is obsolete in a year and so depreciation is crazy.

Aluminium ion batteries are set to overtake lithium ion in a year or two, and no doubt that technology will change and develop rapidly too.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7592485/Father-eight-invents-electric-car-battery-drivers-1-500-miles-without-charging-it.html

I know of a guy in London who has an electric small van. He has built a housing for a diesel generator (with exhaust port in the roof) that he runs all the time to keep the batteries topped up. This is classed as a zero-emissions vehicle and so exempt from all the crazy charges that Sadiq Khan has imposed.

And then there’s things like this:



Yes it’s a car charging point powered by a diesel generator.

I love it.    Ingenuity in action. Lets find a work around.

Never heard of Aluminum ion batteries. Will have to inform myself because I thought Lithium Ion was the future of batteries - apart from their negatives - cold and mineral availability.

[Spruce]

So should I have a quick re think as in an hours time I should be handing 4K over for a TDI  Touran   ?

I wouldn't concern myself too much about it. I would still buy a replacement diesel car.
If emission zone charges become too much then go elsewhere.

[P @ F]

Well that was an eye opener !
The VW was shall we say not as described in the advert , mould on seatbelts , light cluster full of water , wing mirror shattered , and to top it off it had grown a tow hitch !
Drove down the road and ended up in Vauxhall main dealer used vehicles , came away with a Petrol Zafira 4 years newer fully loaded spec , brand new tyres, discs , pads , even heated seats ( Daz ) 35K less on the clock with a fully comprehensive 2 year warranty, and all for £600 more 

[Spruce]

Well that was an eye opener !
The VW was shall we say not as described in the advert , mould on seatbelts , light cluster full of water , wing mirror shattered , and to top it off it had grown a tow hitch !
Drove down the road and ended up in Vauxhall main dealer used vehicles , came away with a Petrol Zafira 4 years newer fully loaded spec , brand new tyres, discs , pads , even heated seats ( Daz ) 35K less on the clock with a fully comprehensive 2 year warranty, and all for £600 more 

Did they include a fire extinguisher? I'm just asking.

[P @ F]

I knew that would come up   

What do you know that I have not read Spruce  ?

[P @ F]

Gotta laugh.   

[dazmond]

My missus had a zafira it got recalled twice.....my brothers wife had one and it caught fire when she was driving it with the kids in the car(19k on the clock).....luckily she managed to get them out before it exploded and totally burned out...this was on a slip road going up to the motorway......

I used to drive my missus one sometimes....I hated it....the gearbox was crap......shes just sold it to a neighbour for £700.......and got a grand tourneo transit connect(same as mine but the car version)........

[P @ F]

Just seen that the one we are waiting on is only in the last recall as it has auto air con !
Dealer just rang and I told him I don’t want it until it’s been in for a new cabin filter , blower motor , resistor pack and upgraded connectors.

See what happens now  !

[dd]

Whenever I have looked at car reliability surveys, Vauxhall have always been bottom or close.

[P @ F]

That’s why I got the extra 2 year warranty that covers everything electrical and mechanical

[Spruce]

I knew that would come up   

What do you know that I have not read Spruce  ?

Sorry Rich, I was just being facetious. I shouldn't have made the comment. I didn't mean to cause alarm.

As with all these things a few issues become magnified due to media coverage. If the press is to be taken literately then every single Zafira ever made has caught fire or will catch fire in the next few days. You might find that this has happened to 0.005% of all Zafiras ever made.

Unfortunately the motor industry does nothing to give people any confidence about how they handle potential issues.

Would I buy a Zafira? Yes, if it ticked all the boxes. Like you I would run it into the ground so resale value won't be a key consideration after I bought it.
You got it at a good price for 2 reasons - firstly people haven't got a very good perception of Zafiras and this effects the value, and, secondly, its petrol so its going to be more expensive to run on fuel.
If its not going to do mega miles a month then petrol is fine. You just have to plaster the back around the fuel filler with reminders to yourselves its petrol not diesel.

You know what you are getting and if the car did catch fire, then Vauxhall can't looked shocked when the car is recovered. At least you can prepare for an eventuality and have fire drills. 

In 1988 I bought a brand new Ford Sierra 2.0 GLE in South Africa. Even before I bought it I knew that that car had a major safety floor. If it was involved in a head on crash and the impact centered on the drivers side, the driver had no hope of getting out alive. I still bought it. I knew what I was getting into. I did just on 220,000 kilometers with that car with no incident, but I was conscious of the design fault.

Would I have bought a Rover 100 some 20 years ago after the NCAP cash test report was released? Would I buy a Fiat Panda now? No to both questions.  But people are still buying Fiat Pandas because they are cheap and a serious accident isn't going to happen to them.

 
 

[Dave Willis]

Rich, curious ...... what mileage did your Touran die at and why?
Petrol or diesel?

[Jonny Swirljet]

The idea is to smart all motorways and remove the emergency lane and then make them solely for the use of electric vehicles and or driver-less vehicles.
Ye carbon witches will be charged per mile to drive - beware of anything with the prefix "smart"
 

[P @ F]

I knew that would come up   

What do you know that I have not read Spruce  ?

Sorry Rich, I was just being facetious. I shouldn't have made the comment. I didn't mean to cause alarm.

As with all these things a few issues become magnified due to media coverage. If the press is to be taken literately then every single Zafira ever made has caught fire or will catch fire in the next few days. You might find that this has happened to 0.005% of all Zafiras ever made.

Unfortunately the motor industry does nothing to give people any confidence about how they handle potential issues.

Would I buy a Zafira. Yes, if it ticked all the boxes. Like you I would run it into the ground so resale value won't be a key consideration after I bought it.
You got it at a good price for 2 reasons - firstly people haven't got a very good perception of Zafiras and this effects the value, and, secondly, its petrol so its going to be more expensive to run on fuel.
If its not going to do mega miles a month then petrol is fine. You just have to plaster the back around the fuel filler with reminders to yourselves its petrol not diesel.

You know what you are getting and if the car did catch fire, then Vauxhall can't looked shocked when the car is recovered. At least you can prepare for an eventuality and have fire drills. 

In 1988 I bought a brand new Ford Sierra 2.0 GLE in South Africa. Even before I bought it I knew that that car had a major safety floor. If it was involved in a head on crash and the impact centered on the drivers side, the driver had no hope of getting out alive. I still bought it. I knew what I was getting into. I did just on 220,000 kilometers with that car with no incident, but I was conscious of the design fault.

Would I have bought a Rover 100 some 20 years ago after the NCAP cash test report was released? Would I buy a Fiat Panda now? No to both questions.  But people are still buying Fiat Pandas because they are cheap and a serious accident isn't going to happen to them.

 
 

We will still get it I think , it hasn’t gone up in 6 years so far , plus as I said it is only the model that has recently been recalled , as far as I have searched none of the auto air con models have burnt yet , I reckon it’s just Vauxhall being cautious even if a little too late !

[P @ F]

Rich, curious ...... what mileage did your Touran die at and why?
Petrol or diesel?

It was the 1.6 petrol which I never thought was a man enough power plant for the size of the car

It died at 135k , well it’s far from dead but the emissions are way too high to do anything with , it’s had different stop smoke formulas added , new lamda sensors over the past few years , also every time I ever got oil for it the grade was never the same as the previous time , even VW advised me differently twice .
I also had the creamy poop under the oil filler for the last couple of years which pointed to head gasket , as the car never ran any different I didn’t bother with it
We had nearly 10 years and it didn’t really cost anything until the end , 6K was paid for it and we put 55,000 on it .
It did us well I suppose!

[dd]

That’s why I got the extra 2 year warranty that covers everything electrical and mechanical

Problem is after the warranty runs out. It may serve you well but personally I would not want a Vauxhall car.

The Zafira "performs well below average" in What Car reliability index.

[P @ F]

I had the Astra GTE 8v and 16v models back in the day and loved them , but have never thought the quality of Vauxhall’s have been great  when put next to say VW .
But to get the level of spec on this 4.5K Vauxhall on a Touran would cost me at least 10K  !
If it gives me 3 or 4 years then happy days !

[dazmond]

I had the Astra GTE 8v and 16v models back in the day and loved them , but have never thought the quality of Vauxhall’s have been great  when put next to say VW .
But to get the level of spec on this 4.5K Vauxhall on a Touran would cost me at least 10K  !
If it gives me 3 or 4 years then happy days !

im sure itll be fine mate...my missus had hers for 5 years(cost her 4k).....she had a new clutch,reconditioned gearbox,lambda sensor,brake pads and discs,new battery,4  new tyres,2 new rear light fittings(she reversed into a wall!)and a few other little jobs here and there.....she probably spent an extra £4k including 5 mots and 5 years worth of road tax......so around 8k altogether then she sold it for £700.....

itll  cost me at least £18k over 5 years to lease brand new cars,probably closer to 20k including service,scratch repair and deposit(l love the golf GTD/GTIs though!)but i dont have the hassle of breakdowns,mots,garage bills,etc and i love driving the golfs......they are a pleasure to drive.....

[dazmond]

the bass player in our band had a VW touran and had sooooo many problems with it!he was glad to get rid in the end!sometimes its pot luck......

[dd]

the bass player in our band had a VW touran and had sooooo many problems with it!he was glad to get rid in the end!sometimes its pot luck......

VW cars do not come out very well in reliability surveys either. It is something I always look at before buying.