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Author Topic: My Next car....  (Read 11466 times)

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LC0112G

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My Next car....
« on: 10 August 2021, 12:56:39 »

Ok, I think I've take the decision to retire the Omega in the next few months. Too many faults to carry on patching it up, and from October not ULEZ compliant either. MOT is currently expired (can't get a test till 20th), and tax expires in November. So what is the OOF Borg collectives opinion on replacements?

My requirements are :
RWD - Auto or Manual, don't really care.
Petrol - Ideally 30-40 MPG.
4 door, preferably an estate.
Not Red, White or a Shiny Black.
Probably 2010-2015 vintage, up to £15K max.
Don't need anything with real performance - easy day to day use and occasional long distance continental trips.
No stupid body kits or 19/20 inch alloy rims - 17's are fine especially as I need to use snow tyres and/or chains occasionally.
Gramaphone or 8 track tape stereo entertainment system would be a big plus :-)

So basically a 2015 Vauxhall Omega B. First off I was thinking VXR8, but do I really want another expensive to run and maintain performance car? Then I was targeting an AudiA4 Avant, but then I realised Audi's are wrong wheel drive. Not interested in 4WD.

As far as I can see, I've boxed myself into looking for something like a BMW 320 Touring, or a Merc C200 Estate. Any other candidates? Have looked for Jag Estates, but they're either rare/non existent in the spec I want or outside my price range.

Cheers
Malcolm
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STEMO

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Re: My Next car....
« Reply #1 on: 10 August 2021, 13:04:25 »

IN my opinion, 2010 vintage is too old to get the years from it before you are forced into a hybrid/EV.
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Re: My Next car....
« Reply #2 on: 10 August 2021, 13:14:08 »

Left field choice.

Infiniti M series.

Omega size.

3.5 V6 plus hybrid system.

Reliable......good value.

Take a look. :y
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Re: My Next car....
« Reply #3 on: 10 August 2021, 13:16:53 »

Kia Stinger.

I had a test drive in one and came away impressed.

3.3 litre V6 with around 370 BHP, so nippy enough.

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LC0112G

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Re: My Next car....
« Reply #4 on: 10 August 2021, 13:20:25 »

IN my opinion, 2010 vintage is too old to get the years from it before you are forced into a hybrid/EV.

The long term intention is to buy a nearly new V8/V12 in about 2029-30. So this only needs to last 8-10 years.
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Nick W

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Re: My Next car....
« Reply #5 on: 10 August 2021, 14:08:47 »

Left field choice.

Infiniti M series.

Omega size.

3.5 V6 plus hybrid system.

Reliable......good value.

Take a look. :y


How many did they sell?


I bet annual sales were in the mid to high hundreds.


The real reason why the requirements are hard to met is the 'need' for RWD. There's a reason so few manufacturers produce them: most buyers couldn't care less which end the driving wheels go, or why one is better than the other. And RWD only makes packaging sense in a large car.
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LC0112G

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Re: My Next car....
« Reply #6 on: 10 August 2021, 14:36:17 »

150-200 BHP is plenty for this requirement. The 'estate' option is more important than performance. If you've ever driven anywhere 4-up and skis through the ski hatch on an Omega you'll know why.

I'll admit RWD is pure predjudice, having only owned RWD for over 30 years. However, IMHO FWD is effin dangerous in the snow/ice. Uphill is fine, downhill isn't. Uphill if you lose grip you just sit there spinning the wheels. With chains they're always on the driven wheels, and when you've got lots more grip on the front (of a FWD car) going down hill gets quite "exciting". RWD and chains on the rear you just pull on the hand brake, knock it into neutral, stay off the foot brake and you've a chance of going somewhere close to where you want to be. Of course, that relies on the car having a proper hand operated hand brake.
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Nick W

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Re: My Next car....
« Reply #7 on: 10 August 2021, 15:22:10 »

150-200 BHP is plenty for this requirement. The 'estate' option is more important than performance. If you've ever driven anywhere 4-up and skis through the ski hatch on an Omega you'll know why.

I'll admit RWD is pure predjudice, having only owned RWD for over 30 years. However, IMHO FWD is effin dangerous in the snow/ice. Uphill is fine, downhill isn't. Uphill if you lose grip you just sit there spinning the wheels. With chains they're always on the driven wheels, and when you've got lots more grip on the front (of a FWD car) going down hill gets quite "exciting". RWD and chains on the rear you just pull on the hand brake, knock it into neutral, stay off the foot brake and you've a chance of going somewhere close to where you want to be. Of course, that relies on the car having a proper hand operated hand brake.


I'm with you on the estate.


But I can't agree with RWD and snow unless you get months of practice every year. First, driving in snow requires proper tyres. We don't get enough, or cold enough, snow to use studded tyres. Chains are are not good for long term use. Powerful RWD cars are the safest in snow, as they don't move. A small, low powered RWD on narrow tyres is OK with practice. Which leaves FWD - on the right tyres and keeping the speed down it's better for most people most of the time even in snow. Most of the snow crashes(sounds like a Neal Stephenson novel) I recovered were RWD beyond the driver's skill level. The FWD ones tended to have rear ended the vehicle in front.
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LC0112G

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Re: My Next car....
« Reply #8 on: 10 August 2021, 16:21:27 »

150-200 BHP is plenty for this requirement. The 'estate' option is more important than performance. If you've ever driven anywhere 4-up and skis through the ski hatch on an Omega you'll know why.

I'll admit RWD is pure predjudice, having only owned RWD for over 30 years. However, IMHO FWD is effin dangerous in the snow/ice. Uphill is fine, downhill isn't. Uphill if you lose grip you just sit there spinning the wheels. With chains they're always on the driven wheels, and when you've got lots more grip on the front (of a FWD car) going down hill gets quite "exciting". RWD and chains on the rear you just pull on the hand brake, knock it into neutral, stay off the foot brake and you've a chance of going somewhere close to where you want to be. Of course, that relies on the car having a proper hand operated hand brake.


I'm with you on the estate.


But I can't agree with RWD and snow unless you get months of practice every year. First, driving in snow requires proper tyres. We don't get enough, or cold enough, snow to use studded tyres. Chains are are not good for long term use. Powerful RWD cars are the safest in snow, as they don't move. A small, low powered RWD on narrow tyres is OK with practice. Which leaves FWD - on the right tyres and keeping the speed down it's better for most people most of the time even in snow. Most of the snow crashes(sounds like a Neal Stephenson novel) I recovered were RWD beyond the driver's skill level. The FWD ones tended to have rear ended the vehicle in front.

Not months a year, but often 3 or 4 times a year. I've got proper Winter tyres (infact they're still on the Omega at the moment) and two sets of chains. Never used the chains in the UK, but have had to use them in 3 of the last 5 trips to the Alps.

I've driven loads of FWD hire cars up to the resorts. As I say, up isn't usually the problem, down is. Going up, there isn't much to choose between FWD & RWD. FWD perhaps has better traction due to greater % of weight on the front axle, although when loaded up with a weeks worth of booze in the boot a RWD also has plenty of weight over the rear axle. Just put the chains on at the first sign of any slippage (traction control light winking).

Going downhill with chains on is a different story. It's very easy to lock the front wheels at which point you lose steering in a FWD car. Pulling the hand brake on has minimal effect in a FWD car since the chains are on the front, and the rear has relatively little grip. At best you'll slide/skid to a halt, at worst you'll spin or rear end whatever is in-front of you (arnco, next car). In a RWD car with chains (on the rear) there is little danger of the rear overtaking the front, so as long as you take it sensibly and slow, and stay off the footbrake you should maintain enough steering to maintain control (assuming you're on winter tyres).

On summers (99% of UK cars) on snow/ice - well best not to get into that situation in the first place FWD or RWD. My scariest moment was FWD, but I've had brown trouser moments RWD too.
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STEMO

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Re: My Next car....
« Reply #9 on: 10 August 2021, 17:37:43 »

So, when you take your trips to the Alps, what is everyone else driving?
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Sir Tigger KC

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Re: My Next car....
« Reply #10 on: 10 August 2021, 17:57:45 »

So like all these Omega replacement threads where the OP is a fussy bastid (  :P ) and they've limited their options to an 'Omega like car' you've narrowed it down to a BMW 5 series or Mercedes E class with engine of choice IMO.  If you don't mind a slightly smaller car then the BMW 3 series or Mercedes C class. :)

If you can let go of your RWD fixation then the Volvo V70 is excellent and for your ski trips then the AWD version or XC70 would be ideal.  :y

Alternatively, we might know of someone who might be letting go of a nice sounding Subaru Forester in the near(ish?) future.  ;)
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Nick W

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Re: My Next car....
« Reply #11 on: 10 August 2021, 18:05:25 »



Alternatively, we might know of someone who might be letting go of a nice sounding Subaru Forester in the near(ish?) future.  ;)


I didn't think was space to fit anything other than the stock and ghastly sounding boxer motors in those?
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Re: My Next car....
« Reply #12 on: 10 August 2021, 18:11:32 »



Alternatively, we might know of someone who might be letting go of a nice sounding Subaru Forester in the near(ish?) future.  ;)


I didn't think was space to fit anything other than the stock and ghastly sounding boxer motors in those?

I quite like the sound of the boxer engine.  :y  :P

But I'll rephrase it.  A well looked after and extremely shiny Forester!  :D
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LC0112G

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Re: My Next car....
« Reply #13 on: 10 August 2021, 18:15:05 »

So, when you take your trips to the Alps, what is everyone else driving?

If the weather is bad enough for it to matter - often nothing but snowploughs. We tend to arrive quite late (7pm onwards). The locals are charging around in small 4WD or FWD wrecks on skinny snow tyres (sometimes after one too many Genepi's - but that's another story). The few "foreigners" on the road at that time of night are usually in larger Beemers, Mercs, Volvos or SUV's - something comfortable enough to do the 600 miles from/to Calais/Belgium/NL/wherever carrying a good load of stuff. One of the advantages of self driving is you can take much more booze/food/clobber than you can if you're on a package holiday or flight.

this was the view out the window of our apartment on the first morning of our last trip (Dec 2019)


And this was the view of the kitchen table



Eventually the weather will clear up, and....



Anyhow back on subject, the cars you see in trouble are almost always on summer tyres, and without snow chains, and often 4WD tanks like Range Rovers, BMW X5's etc. If the weather is bad, there are often rozzers at the bottom of the mountain stopping anyone going up the hill unless you've got winter tyres and/or snow chains on.
« Last Edit: 10 August 2021, 18:17:34 by LC0112G »
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STEMO

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Re: My Next car....
« Reply #14 on: 10 August 2021, 18:29:47 »

So you need a big, 4WD SUV or a small wreck on skinny tyres. Just remember to get bladdered before you get behind the wheel :y
Sounds like fun  ;D
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