Second car choice and/or motorbike

NBurns

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I was having a think about this while driving the company van this morning. If there was a situation where you had to purchase another car to use for commuting or small distance journeys that was cheaper to run, very fuel efficient and just a very cheap run around, what would you get? Would you buy something else within the Daimler group or something else in the German made arena or something else?
And what about perhaps a motorbike to make things even cheaper or would you stick to a car?



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Blobcat

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I did, I bought a Smart fortwo 799cc of raw diesel power :p

(of course my W213 had better fuel economy but lets not go there)

My eldest son now uses my Smart and loves it
 

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If its short journeys then you really can't beat;

A decent push bike (no tax, no insurance, no fuel, easy diy, 20 - 35 mph on the flats, and keep fit.)

Secondly for me its a scooter. Yes, its not got street cred but as a commuter its a blast. Decent onboard storage space, they bounce well compared to a proper motorbike and have very good MPG.

Then from there, I'd look at a low owners, well maintained car. Toyota Aurus, VW Polo etc with a small yet frugal peppy engine.

After this, it would be something like a higher mileage but well maintained Volvo S60, Merc C/CLK etc (comfy, well built, reliable, easy to maintain, value for money).
 

grayb

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I wouldn't mind something like a BMW i3 for my short (7 miles) commute and for running around town or down to the mother-in-law's, 25 miles away. I like their looks and slightly funky interiors. But they are too much money secondhand for me.
 

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I wouldn't mind something like a BMW i3 for my short (7 miles) commute and for running around town or down to the mother-in-law's, 25 miles away. I like their looks and slightly funky interiors. But they are too much money secondhand for me.
I had one I was using, I wouldn’t recommend one - less than 60 mile range after 3 years and you’d never drive over 20 miles as you don’t know if you’ll make it back. Quite a stressful motoring experience
 
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NBurns

NBurns

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I had one I was using, I wouldn’t recommend one - less than 60 mile range after 3 years and you’d never drive over 20 miles as you don’t know if you’ll make it back. Quite a stressful motoring experience

thanks for that blobcat.


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NBurns

NBurns

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If its short journeys then you really can't beat;

A decent push bike (no tax, no insurance, no fuel, easy diy, 20 - 35 mph on the flats, and keep fit.)

Secondly for me its a scooter. Yes, its not got street cred but as a commuter its a blast. Decent onboard storage space, they bounce well compared to a proper motorbike and have very good MPG.

Then from there, I'd look at a low owners, well maintained car. Toyota Aurus, VW Polo etc with a small yet frugal peppy engine.

After this, it would be something like a higher mileage but well maintained Volvo S60, Merc C/CLK etc (comfy, well built, reliable, easy to maintain, value for money).

Well yes. Unfortunately mine is still in my ex girlfriend's garage until I pay back the money I owe her.

Scooter, yes. Which make and model?

Unfortunately I have a bit of an issue with polo's. I would prefer the Golf. Aurus, okay.

And of course a C/CLK, No brained there!!!



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EmilysDad

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I did, I bought a Smart fortwo 799cc of raw diesel power :p

(of course my W213 had better fuel economy but lets not go there)

My eldest son now uses my Smart and loves it

My commuting Smart has 84 horses .... :D 'Only' does around 50mpg but as you imply there's more to a Smart than mpg ;)
 

EmilysDad

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I had one I was using, I wouldn’t recommend one - less than 60 mile range after 3 years and you’d never drive over 20 miles as you don’t know if you’ll make it back. Quite a stressful motoring experience

60 miles range! :shock: It'd have to have the range extender engine then ....
 

grayb

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I had one I was using, I wouldn’t recommend one - less than 60 mile range after 3 years and you’d never drive over 20 miles as you don’t know if you’ll make it back. Quite a stressful motoring experience
At 60 mile range it must surely be at or below the 70% original capacity at which point BMW's 8 year battery warranty should kick in?
'BMW is one of the few EV manufacturers that offer a clear battery capacity loss warranty, and has guaranteed at least 70% capacity for 8 years or 100,000 miles. The stated usable capacity for the 2014 i3 is 18.8 kWh. Therefore, the battery would need to degrade to 13.15 kWh to trigger a warranty claim.'
 

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My commuting Smart has 84 horses .... :D 'Only' does around 50mpg but as you imply there's more to a Smart than mpg ;)
When I bought mine I tried all 3 variants (originally wanted the 84 BHP petrol) found that the CDI worked best with the gearbox and liked the zero VED
 

grayb

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At 60 mile range it must surely be at or below the 70% original capacity at which point BMW's 8 year battery warranty should kick in?
'BMW is one of the few EV manufacturers that offer a clear battery capacity loss warranty, and has guaranteed at least 70% capacity for 8 years or 100,000 miles. The stated usable capacity for the 2014 i3 is 18.8 kWh. Therefore, the battery would need to degrade to 13.15 kWh to trigger a warranty claim.'
Mind you, I would never have the original 60Ah version - only the 94Ah available from May 2016. Hence still too expensive.
 

EmilysDad

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When I bought mine I tried all 3 variants (originally wanted the 84 BHP petrol) found that the CDI worked best with the gearbox and liked the zero VED

Road tax is only £30 on mine .... less than it costs to fill it.

What mpg does a diseasal Smart do then? I have seen nearer 60 on mine, but that was a one off outing rather than than my usual 25 mile commute
 

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Road tax is only £30 on mine .... less than it costs to fill it.

What mpg does a diseasal Smart do then? I have seen nearer 60 on mine, but that was a one off outing rather than than my usual 25 mile commute
Supposed to be ~80, my eldest is getting 60 now for his long drives, I was getting mid 50's commuting. My W213 was £20 after first year £0...
 

grayb

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Supposed to be ~80, my eldest is getting 60 now for his long drives, I was getting mid 50's commuting. My W213 was £20 after first year £0...
Our old 1.4TDI Audi A2 (the aluminium spaceframe one) used to get those consumption figures - and was a bit more of a car than a Smart!
 

Blobcat

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Our old 1.4TDI Audi A2 (the aluminium spaceframe one) used to get those consumption figures - and was a bit more of a car than a Smart!
The thing with a Smart though is that it puts a smile on your face every time you drive it, don't think anyone ever smiled driving an Audi, they're always in too much of a rush...:rolleyes:
 

grayb

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The thing with a Smart though is that it puts a smile on your face every time you drive it, don't think anyone ever smiled driving an Audi, they're always in too much of a rush...:rolleyes:
We kept our A2 for about 8 years. It was a clever piece of design, only let down by rather unforgiving suspension - partly improved by fitting Koni FSD shocks but even then a ridge or a pothole would jar your teeth. It also was fun to drive though - like a little go-kart with 144ft-lbs of turbo torque to enable that 'rush' you mentioned.
 

grayb

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We kept our A2 for about 8 years. It was a clever piece of design, only let down by rather unforgiving suspension - partly improved by fitting Koni FSD shocks but even then a ridge or a pothole would jar your teeth. It also was fun to drive though - like a little go-kart with 144ft-lbs of turbo torque to enable that 'rush' you mentioned.
Correction - we owned it for 11years 11months! Can't believe we had it that long...
https://www.a2oc.net/community/index.php?threads/a2-tdi-75-se-for-sale.30828/#post-260170
 

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