Volvo Community Forum. The Forums of the Volvo Owners Club

Forum Rules Volvo Owners Club About VOC Volvo Gallery Links Volvo History Volvo Press
Go Back   Volvo Owners Club Forum > "General Topics" > General Volvo and Motoring Discussions

Notices

General Volvo and Motoring Discussions This forum is for messages of a general nature about Volvos that are not covered by other forums and other motoring related matters of interest. Users will need to register to post/reply.

Information
  • VOC Members: There is no login facility using your VOC membership number or the details from page 3 of the club magazine. You need to register in the normal way
  • AOL Customers: Make sure you check the 'Remember me' check box otherwise the AOL system may log you out during the session. This is a known issue with AOL.
  • AOL, Yahoo and Plus.net users. Forum owners such as us are finding that AOL, Yahoo and Plus.net are blocking a lot of email generated from forums. This may mean your registration activation and other emails will not get to you, or they may appear in your spam mailbox

Thread Informations

Advice regarding car for my Mum

Views : 2479

Replies : 30

Users Viewing This Thread :  

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old Jan 13th, 2021, 17:56   #1
StatusRed
Premier Member
 

Last Online: Yesterday 22:38
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Glasgow
Question Advice regarding car for my Mum

My Mum has a 1.2l 3 cylinder supercharged Nissan Note which she's had from new in mid 2014. It has £0 road tax but over the past year this benefit has started to be reclaimed in repairs!

It had a bill for over £500 to fit a new sensor to do with the variable valve timing, noisy auxillary belts, bushings going on the anti-roll bar and recently the engine light came back on regarding the valve circuit for the supercharger, we've managed to reset this and it's not come back on (yet) but my Mum is really starting to lose faith in the car and she wants to get rid of it..

I've been back home a lot this year (due to working from home) to help her out with it but this won't always be the case. So I'm looking for some advice regarding what might be the best option for my Mum? I've said she might be better off getting a car from a higher quality manufacturer (Volvo perhaps?!) because Nissans aren't what they used to be.

I've considered leasing a car, but these actually seem to work out quite expensive - If you wanted a Honda CR-V for example it works out about £13k+ over the course of 4 years and by that time you're driving a 4 year old car around you own £0 so all that money is down the drain.. Then I was thinking about getting a dealer approved used car with an extended warranty covering practically anything that might go wrong, what option do you think would be best and which cars would be good candidates?

Fundamentally she wants something not that old (max 4 years), that's reliable, petrol / hybrid, enough room in the back to have a large dog crate and has enough power to leisurely overtake. With some kind of "worry free" motoring package. - Max £15k?
__________________
2009 S40 SE Lux 2.0i | 2022 Suzuki V-Strom 650 | 2002 Audi TT 225


Previous: C70 Coupe 2.4i | Saab 9-5 Aero | Daihatsu SporTrak
StatusRed is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to StatusRed For This Useful Post:
Old Jan 13th, 2021, 18:31   #2
volvo always
Premier Member
 
volvo always's Avatar
 

Last Online: Yesterday 22:20
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Midlands.
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by StatusRed View Post
My Mum has a 1.2l 3 cylinder supercharged Nissan Note which she's had from new in mid 2014. It has £0 road tax but over the past year this benefit has started to be reclaimed in repairs!

It had a bill for over £500 to fit a new sensor to do with the variable valve timing, noisy auxillary belts, bushings going on the anti-roll bar and recently the engine light came back on regarding the valve circuit for the supercharger, we've managed to reset this and it's not come back on (yet) but my Mum is really starting to lose faith in the car and she wants to get rid of it..

I've been back home a lot this year (due to working from home) to help her out with it but this won't always be the case. So I'm looking for some advice regarding what might be the best option for my Mum? I've said she might be better off getting a car from a higher quality manufacturer (Volvo perhaps?!) because Nissans aren't what they used to be.

I've considered leasing a car, but these actually seem to work out quite expensive - If you wanted a Honda CR-V for example it works out about £13k+ over the course of 4 years and by that time you're driving a 4 year old car around you own £0 so all that money is down the drain.. Then I was thinking about getting a dealer approved used car with an extended warranty covering practically anything that might go wrong, what option do you think would be best and which cars would be good candidates?

Fundamentally she wants something not that old (max 4 years), that's reliable, petrol / hybrid, enough room in the back to have a large dog crate and has enough power to leisurely overtake. With some kind of "worry free" motoring package. - Max £15k?
Toyota Auris hybrid estate/hatch. Toyota Corolla 1.2 manual estate/hatch.

I have a 2015 Toyota Auris estate and find it great. Auto. £0 road tax as pre April 2017. Bought for 13k in January last year. Got 1 year warranty included and paid £495 for a further 2 years warranty. So 3 years in total. You can extend the warranty until its 10 or 12 years old. Has to be dealer serviced. I have a service plan for 2 years, also includes free MOT test x2 as well as parts I believe.
Hybrid battery also covered if you have a hybrid health check annualy.

I believe if you buy say a 3 year old Toyota, you get the remainder of the 5 year warranty. But check.

Just be aware, Toyota Hybrids and other cars are being targeted by cat thieves. I have fitted an Ebay cat cover for £70.00 Newer cars like Corolla, cats have 85% less precious metals in the cat, so of less value. Yaris Hybrid, cat harder to get at.

James.

Last edited by volvo always; Jan 13th, 2021 at 18:46.
volvo always is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to volvo always For This Useful Post:
Old Jan 13th, 2021, 22:16   #3
DaveNP
Non VOC Member
 

Last Online: Today 19:03
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Milton Keynes
Default

I sit on both sides of this dilemma, whilst I've just spent over £200 on parts (that I'll fit myself) to keep the V70 going my wife's car is a 2 year old Kia Stonic. The old car, even with the repair bills, is overall much cheaper than the new one with its depreciation but she wants the peace of mind and that's what we are paying for, whilst you mention the £500 bill for your mum's car I sense that the more important factor is that peace of mind for her and thereby for you.

In terms of what vehicle to go for in the newer category it seems most cars are pretty good these days with the Far East manufacturers having come up to match the traditional European marques and most have some sort of extended warranty (Kia automatically carried the warranty and service plan over to us, other manufacturers may charge or have hoops to jump through).
We managed to find the wife's car at a main dealers just under a year old, apparently the guy who bought it changed job so traded it in for an all electric car to use in London, he must have taken a massive hit for the depreciation as we bought it for about £16k compared to £21k for new.

In terms of what to buy/ how to 'buy', I basically took my wife around all of the local dealerships to find the model of car she/we wanted based on its shape and look, and then researched the best options in terms of engine,transmission and trim specs, having got that sorted it was then a search for a nearly new one to buy outright to make the most of our money. If the Note is running well enough for the moment you do have the advantage of being able to wait for a good deal to come along.
Colleagues at work have recently bought cars from Cinch and Cazoo online and been pleased with their cars and the service they received but while they seem to have fair/competitive prices they may not have the cheapest deals.
__________________

David
V70 2.5 10v Torslanda Manual 98 Sreg

Last edited by DaveNP; Jan 13th, 2021 at 22:18.
DaveNP is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to DaveNP For This Useful Post:
Old Jan 14th, 2021, 09:07   #4
Welton
Premier Member
 

Last Online: Sep 14th, 2021 18:03
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Market Harborough
Default

5 years ago I sourced a Hyundai i10 1.2 petrol Automatic for my Mother in Law - at that time the car was 4 years old and still under the manfr's warranty and 'we' paid £6k with about 16,000 miles on it, one owner.

Apart from yearly MOT's a couple of tyres and oil changes I've not heard a single peep out of her since, that car has been the definition of reliability and furthermore she loves it! done about 50k miles now.

Oops! just re-read the OP and saw about the Dog Crate! - never mind I'm sure you'll get my idea.
__________________
2005 S40 T5 SE - Manual. Bilstein B4's. (For Sale)
2010 Citroen C4 1.6 HDi (bizarre Gearbox model).
2010 Renault Twingo (refreshingly simple)
2018 Infiniti Q30 1.6T Business Executive (what's this button do?)

Last edited by Welton; Jan 14th, 2021 at 09:13.
Welton is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Welton For This Useful Post:
Old Jan 14th, 2021, 11:40   #5
bornmiddleaged
:-)
 

Last Online: Mar 13th, 2024 16:35
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Hants
Default

Another vote for Hyundai. My Mum has had one for about the last 5 years and I haven't heard her complain about it (and I'm sure she would, if she had issues).
Not sure what model but I don't think it would fit a dog crate, however.

Much as I personally dislike them perhaps a small SUV might suit as they tend to have quite a tall, square boot that I imagine would be better suited to a crate, as opposed to a small hatchback with a sloping boot. Hyundai have the Kona as their smallest SUV.
Or a small estate, like a Skoda Fabia, but this sector seems to be disappearing and replaced by the all-consuming SUV.

I'm not a dog owner so I'm struggling to visualize what sort of size that is TBH, but hopefully that gives food for thought.
__________________
V60 D4 Inscription Pro MY19
bornmiddleaged is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to bornmiddleaged For This Useful Post:
Old Jan 14th, 2021, 11:44   #6
bornmiddleaged
:-)
 

Last Online: Mar 13th, 2024 16:35
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Hants
Default

Have just reminded myself what the Nissan Note looks like (a small van with windows!) so, perhaps a Honda Jazz.
Honda actually seem to be a genuinely reliable Japanese brand, unlike Nissan in recent years.
My Mum also had one of them a few years ago and loved it. I drove it once and thought it was like a tin can powered by a hair dryer, but each to their own.
__________________
V60 D4 Inscription Pro MY19
bornmiddleaged is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to bornmiddleaged For This Useful Post:
Old Jan 14th, 2021, 11:50   #7
S60D5-185
Me ? Surely Not!
 
S60D5-185's Avatar
 

Last Online: Today 10:04
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: 2007 Volvo XC90 D5 Geartronic. South of Hadrians Wall.
Default

Another vote for Honda Jazz.👍
__________________
“Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” – Mark Twain 😊


2007 Volvo XC90 D5 SE Geartronic
S60D5-185 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Jan 14th, 2021, 13:09   #8
Kev0607
Premier Member
 

Last Online: Today 18:54
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Manchester
Default

A Toyota Yaris is another suggestion. They're surprisingly roomy considering their size, economical & reliable.
__________________
2007 (P3) Volvo S80 SE 2.4D (163bhp) - 109,000 miles. Black exterior with cream leather interior.
Kev0607 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Jan 14th, 2021, 13:57   #9
Welton
Premier Member
 

Last Online: Sep 14th, 2021 18:03
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Market Harborough
Default

Something like a Toyoyo Auris Estate would be good for the Dog but beware that Hybrids DO NOT like very short local journeys (not long enough to charge the batteries).
__________________
2005 S40 T5 SE - Manual. Bilstein B4's. (For Sale)
2010 Citroen C4 1.6 HDi (bizarre Gearbox model).
2010 Renault Twingo (refreshingly simple)
2018 Infiniti Q30 1.6T Business Executive (what's this button do?)
Welton is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Welton For This Useful Post:
Old Jan 14th, 2021, 18:22   #10
Adrian888
Senior Member
 

Last Online: Oct 5th, 2021 20:46
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Huddersfield
Default

Yaris is too small for a dog crate.... look at Suzuki, incredibly reliable and good real world economy. Another option is Skoda Fabia estate - the 1.0 3 cyl engine is also economical but get the highest powered version. But to be honest i would save your money, repair the Nissan and wait a while. Depreciation is the biggest cost of car ownership by far, a bottomless money pit
Adrian888 is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Adrian888 For This Useful Post:
Reply

Tags
advice, car, warranty


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 19:08.


Powered by vBulletin
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.