My old reliable with 251k on the clock has been written off this week. Not a lot of damage but due to mileage / value it’s beyond economical repair.

So, I need another car. I am about to change work locations and for possibly up to two years I will be commuting 120 miles per day – no viable public transport alternative.

I need a comfortable car for my bad back, something reliable and economical.

The accelerated depreciation caused by the high mileage is my issue.

Option 1 – buy another decent nearly new car and drive it into the ground so depreciation won’t be an issue?

Option 2 – Bangernomics ie buy an older car about £4-5k and use it for as long as I’m doing the big commute

Option 3 – Buy something around £10k with a bit of mileage on it (say 80-90k) at a point where depreciation is starting to slow down.

Anyone in a similar position? What worked out best?

Bangernomics – buy a motor for a couple of grand and replace as needed

My merc e320 is sound mechanically, but worth buttons. Would easily do 120 a day….

Yes – mine was MOT’d in December and the inspector said there was at least another 100k in it. Problem is other driver’s insurance company wants to total loss may car which makes it tricky to re-insure it.

You can buy plenty of reliable, economical comfortable cars capable of doing X miles a day for £10k with very very low mileage. No need to go to 80-90k miles. Go test drive some newer stuff.

Jimjam – I take your point but if I buy something new, put 60k on it over the next two years then I will take the hit on the depreciation.

shooterman

Jimjam – I take your point but if I buy something new, put 60k on it over the next two years then I will take the hit on the depreciation.

Hmmm. Surely it’s relative. Couldn’t the increased service costs and potential big bills circa 80-120k cancel out the saved depreciation vs running a car up to that sort of mileage?. You can get a relatively new car for 10k.

Have you appraoched the insurance co with a view to buying the car off them…and then getting it fixed. May be the cheapest option

Do you know what cars you can drive with your bad back ?
Bangers aren’t £5k, bangers are 1/5 or 1/10 of that and even then, nowadays they will be pretty good cars.
If all its for is the commute I’d be going for a really economical little diesel ( we have had a 1.4 diesel Yaris for 80k and itsn’t ever gone wrong and does 60mpg day in day out..70 plus on a run)
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201603021576035?search-target=usedcars&page=1&postcode=SW1A%200AA&price-to=5500&onesearchad=used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew&model=yaris&make=toyota&sort=pricedesc&price-from=500&searchcontext=default&radius=1500&fuel-type=diesel&logcode=p

Or a bigger car…Passat 1.9 diesel
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201602231299553?search-target=usedcars&onesearchad=used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew&fuel-type=diesel&postcode=SW1A%200AA&radius=1500&sort=pricedesc&price-from=500&make=volkswagen&page=1&price-to=5500&maximum-mileage=up_to_60000_miles&model=passat&searchcontext=default&logcode=p

From research VAG cars with their standard seats are not for anyone with a bad back. Volvos seem to get the most positive commentary for comfortable seating.

I actually had thought about buying the car / keeping the salvage but assumed that will create difficulties getting further insurance on it?

Other driver’s insurance company wants to write it off – so presumably this is a no fault claim.

Push for cash in lieu of repair. You should be able to get most of the car’s value paid out to you (from memory it’s book price less salvage value, which generally works out at 90% or so of book), and keep the car. Repair it with second hand parts and keep running it.

So long as you go for cash in lieu of repair rather than a write off where you buy the salvage back, the car will not be recorded as a write off of any kind.

The key issue if the car is written off is not normally insuring it – it’s that the payout you get if a written off car is written off again in an accident is pretty heavily marked down, as obviously a recorded write off is worth less on the open market.

Cheers. Damage is cosmetic rather than mechanical. Lots to ponder!

From research VAG cars with their standard seats are not for anyone with a bad back.

Driven one? My Mondeo gave me lower back pain after anything longer than a couple of hours. My Octavia gets me Glasgow to Cambridge with no discomfort at all. It felt a bit too firm when I first got the car and still doesn’t feel like an armchair when I get in but I forget it’s there on a long drive.

Driven one? My Mondeo gave me lower back pain after anything longer than a couple of hours. My Octavia gets me Glasgow to Cambridge with no discomfort at all. It felt a bit too firm when I first got the car and still doesn’t feel like an armchair when I get in but I forget it’s there on a long drive.

+1

A couple of physios I’ve previously dealt with have both mentioned to “stay German” when looking at car seats. I do 200-250 miles trips a few times a week and have no back problems with my Golf. I think I would prefer longer seat base (a la Passat) but it’s a lot better than the Mondeo I had before.

Had a Golf when I went back to do my postgrad. 90 mile round trip each day. That’s when my back prolems on longer drives started.

The commute I am facing is not cruise control friendly. Drove my 3 series on a 100 mile daily commute for 3 1/2 years on the motorway. Cruise control on after the first mile and I was fine.

Doc / Physio say it’s the constant working of the clutch which aggravates the sciatic nerve. They’ve suggested getting an automatic.

Having said what I have said, one of the most comfortable cars I have test driven was a Passat CC! Would love to get a longer test run in one to see how my back holds out!

Hyundia i30 diesel with u limited mileage/5yr warranty?

Bangernomics at £4 -£5k? When did that happen?

POSTED 7 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST
hora – Member
Hyundia i30 diesel with u limited mileage/5yr warranty

Been in a few of them lately by any chance? 😉

When someone ran into the back of our old, but in excellent condition, low mileage 406 I paid the difference between the cost of the repairs and what the insurance company would pay me as a write off.

For the money it was worth it to keep a good car, not have to pay out to transfer the private plate I’d bought for Mrs Z. Not to mention the hassle in finding a good, cheap car at short notice.

There always seem to be plenty around, until you need one.

If your back is significant issue in choosing there are only two brands to look at – Saab and Volvo. A 9-5 Aero would be my bet – fast and best seats of any car I ever had. For peace of mind that i30 diesel with unlimited mileage warranty is a good shout but the seats won’t some anywhere near the Swedes….

Oh jeeze anyone recomending hyundai to someone with a bad back hasnt had to live with a hyundai.

I dont have a bad back but i always felt crippled when i got out of my hyundai.

Move your budget to £11.5k and have something that’ll fit your lifestyle for carrying toys, do the mileage without blinking, no clutch to worry about and VAG so long term depreciation is irrelevant.

My wife drives an Hyundai Santa Fe. Back problems on longer drives with it – even though it’s automatic.

On some further research it seems a Passat at SE trim or above has pretty decent lumbar support. Only problem is local dealer is coming down with the 1.6 version which feels sluggish after a 3 series.

shooterman

Had a Golf when I went back to do my postgrad. 90 mile round trip each day. That’s when my back prolems on longer drives started.

irc

Driven one? My Mondeo gave me lower back pain after anything longer than a couple of hours.

The Fopster

If your back is significant issue in choosing there are only two brands to look at – Saab and Volvo.

trail_rat

Oh jeeze anyone recomending hyundai to someone with a bad back hasnt had to live with a hyundai.

People not all the same shocker 🙄 Like most people I have occasional back pain. None of it has ever been aggravated by a specific brand of car. Slouching on the sofa yes, but that’s a very different posture to how I drive.