Best car for the job?

[nicanary]

I was on another thread earlier and a fellow-member suggested that I could ask the advice of the forum on this matter, although a few will probably yawn - not another "which car" question.

I work 6 nights a week as a fast-food delivery driver - it's all above board, taxes and NI paid, and business insurance!I cover about 30k a year on short journeys in one town with poorly-surfaced roads and speed-bumps on every council/private estate.The type of driving required means every 10k miles brings not just a service but new tyres and pads at the front, and every year new tyres/pads at the back, plus new front discs from time to time.

I've used bangers (Metro,Nova ) but they couldn't take the strain.I prefer something bigger than a supermini because I'm 61 and like a bit of comfort.(A Pug 306 had by far the best ride).I went through 2 Pug 306s but the build-quality was poor.I tried a Seat Leon but the mags were so wrong about it being a cheaper answer to the Golf - 12 warranty issues in 2 years.

I've had shiny new cars that attracted the wrong sort of attention - a Golf was car-jacked and an Audi A4 was taken in a "creeper" burglary.I then bought a Honda Accord cdti ( by far the nicest diesel engine) but at about 3 years-old I spent a small fortune on bushes,ball-joints etc..

So I went for the safe option - a one year old Golf 1.6tdi. Had it about 12 months now and no problems - but I have to change my car every 2/3 years to maximise resale value.Image isn't important but residuals are, and the two complement each other.

When I change the old car has done about 90k and looks hard-used, even with seat covers on.(The Leon had the metal frame showing under the cover). Any suggestions for next time?

[b1ackcr0w]

A Skoda? Next door neighbour is a night time cabbie. He swears by his. Hearing from various sources that the Checz built Skodas are the best built and VFM in the VW group for a variety of reasons.

[andrewc]

Yeah, use what Taxi drivers use - so Skoda Octavia, VW Passat, etc.,

[JHamilton]

My small car choice now would be the Focus. Can you get a Focus sedan? Or you can beat the snot out of a Toyota. They seem to run best with drivers that never change the oil or wash them.

[bella]

focus sedan.. is that the long one with the boot? they're not very small, or for that matter particularly popular over here! if we're gonna go for something that shape we'd go for the mondeo (not the royal we). ok, it's bigger but it's a damn sight better looking! a guy at work has a proper focus, and he's thrashed it senseless, replaces the brakes every couple of thousand miles, etc. it won't die!

otherwise, i think 'crows onto the right suggestion with a skoda - the little fabias look like they're built to survive the nuclear holocaust.

[garcon]

This might be slightly leftfield, but how about a Toyota Prius?

I must admit I don't really like recommending hybrids, because all the heady claims of the eco warriors are utter nonsense. But if you buy a pre-owned one then you can argue that someone else has taken the environmental hit of building the thing.

Their real world economy is nowhere near the manufacturer's figures, but they make more sense as a local, (sub)urban, short journey vehicle, and I'm told they're a comfortable car.

[bella]

downside of a pre-owned one would be that presumably the batteries become less effective, and after putting the number of miles on the car that we're looking at here you'd be selling on a car that could well require some very expensive maintenance shortly afterwards?

that's without knowing a single detail of the prius' long term mechanical requirements though.

[GORDON STREETER]

Skoda's are only a Polo Golf or Passat and have the same running cost and problems.
I used a Fabia in Spain for a while that was comfortable and economical but it was new with less than 5k on the clock.
I would steer clear of diesels with a particulate filter fitted as if you do a lot of stop start slow runs around towns they all give loads of trouble and are a pain and expensive to fix, regardless of what the agents tell you !

[garcon]

I know someone who runs a taxi firm with quite a few Prius owner drivers. Several have done over 200k without needing the battery pack replaced. Putting 60k or so on a nearly new Prius over a couple of years would be no problem. Battery packs should be good for ten years even at relatively high mileage.

Edit - good point from Gordon too: avoid DPFs.

[johnh875]

Prius' are used for Taxis in north Queensland, I don't think the batteries have given trouble even with the mileage they do

[bella]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I would steer clear of diesels with a particulate filter fitted as if you do a lot of stop start slow runs around towns they all give loads of trouble and are a pain and expensive to fix, regardless of what the agents tell you !

had the same advice, due to my overeconomical driving and a 2 mile commute to work - is it since 09 that they've had to have them by law or something?

[garcon]

I think it's around 2009, yes. Needed to comply with Euro 5 emissions controls.

[nicanary]

thanks for all the advice so far - the particulate filter problem has already raised its head when I was off work for three weeks and only did a few local runs.You just have to go for a blast up a dual-carriageway at 50+ and it sorts itself out.

I'm afraid the Prius thing is out of the question on a matter of principle - it's just the way I am.Sorry.However ,Skoda yup.They do seem to last well in the hands of cab-drivers most of whom in my neck of the woods seem moronically stupid, so something must be right with the car.

When I sell my cars there is little chance of a private buyer because of the mileage, and a lot of the locals know who I am and what I do.That's why the residual price is important. I think skoda do better on this than you'd imagine.

[garcon]

Originally Posted by nicanary

I'm afraid the Prius thing is out of the question on a matter of principle - it's just the way I am. Sorry.

I admire that principle!

In your circumstances, Skoda is the only member of the VAG stable I would recommend. The "nicer" finishes you'll find in the supposedly higher premium marques soon start to look shabby with hard use.

How about something slightly unconventional like a Skoda Yeti or Nissan Juke?

[bella]

i've had a skoda roomster as a hire car.

i would not recommend it, even to an evil dictator. it's just crap. worse than a kangoo. which is built out of cream crackers, but just won't die. if a yeti is related to a roomster, don't do it.

the more unconventional stuff tends to lose its value too, unless there's a murky underworld of roomster fans who turn them into mobile potting sheds or something.

[GORDON STREETER]

As regards unconventional or odd-fish cars they may well work OK and stand out from the rest but the aftermarket doesn't cater for them so replacement parts are normally stupid money.
Regards particle filter "regeneration" yes a blast up the road can clean them out for a while but if they are seriously clogged up it won't.
Personally I drive customers cars round the back roads in 2nd gear for a few miles at about 4000 rpm, this normally does the trick and is safer that tearing along at breakneck speed and not so anti social !

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by bella

focus sedan.. is that the long one with the boot? they're not very small, or for that matter particularly popular over here! if we're gonna go for something that shape we'd go for the mondeo (not the royal we). ok, it's bigger but it's a damn sight better looking! a guy at work has a proper focus, and he's thrashed it senseless, replaces the brakes every couple of thousand miles, etc. it won't die!

otherwise, i think 'crows onto the right suggestion with a skoda - the little fabias look like they're built to survive the nuclear holocaust.

Sorry, yes I was referring to the saloon. I just said the saloon because that's what folks were suggesting. I prefer the hatchback as well. We just got the proper Euro-spec Focus last year and I think it's a great car. I guess the definition of a small car is all relative too.

In retrospect I shouldn't have posted in this thread because of the different markets, but the Focus is one car we share and I think it's very good.

[nicanary]

Just got on-line after a night at work.

I had a Focus as a hire-car for a week on hols and thought it just OK - I don't think the residual value would be as good as a Golf, and Ford new prices seem to have gone up to the roof. The diesel was a little coarse and nowhere as nice as a Honda or VAG.

[nicanary]

Sorry, just realised I'd missed a few posts whilst I was at work.

Funnily enough I HAD thought about a Yeti before I got the Golf, because of the hard winter of 2010/11. The Honda Accord I was then using was hopeless in the snow and ice - don't know why, just didn't want to trickle away at low revs.I thought maybe 4wd would be useful but you're only talking about a few weeks a year, and the rest of the time you've got a big lump of a car you don't need.

(During that bad spell of weather I left the Accord facing downhill on snow with handbrake on and in reverse gear - I got out and walked away only to see the car sail down the road towards a fence.It was on a council estate with council-installed wooden fences and gateposts.The car hit a gatepost head-on , and stopped. That car must have weighed 1.5 tons of typical Honda-grade steel.Must have been the deepest gatepost in the country.)

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by bella

i've had a skoda roomster as a hire car.

i would not recommend it, even to an evil dictator. it's just crap. worse than a kangoo. which is built out of cream crackers, but just won't die. if a yeti is related to a roomster, don't do it.

I've had a Roomster as a courtesy car - it was just dull. Not offensively dull though. It was better than a Kangoo though (most things are better than a Renault).

I don't think the Yeti is based on a Roomster - Yetis are supposed to be ok