I’d like to by a new car. Currently we have two, both paid for as follows:

A) Kuga 2.0 TDI spent all it’s life doing city miles with occasional motorway ferrying the family about -hers

B) BMW 330i saloon ’52 used for work and everything around the country – mine

So instead of me buying a new car to replace the ageing Beemer she’s decided we should swap. The Kuga would make a great bike car with haldex 4wd for muddy event car parks, bike goes in the back with wheels on, we have Thule racks and bike carriers. She’s happy ferrying the Beemer about town despite the 21mpg it’d do, and my paranoia that with RWD and it’s “lowness” is not as safe for the kids.

I do t get this explanation of an obvious first work problem.

So… ?

Why is its “lowness” not as safe for kids ?

Are they going to trapped under it.

I just feel they are safer in the higher vehicle if there’s an accident.

She’s obviously using her crafty vagina to maneuver you into buying a people carrier. RESIST!

http://www.euroncap.com/tests/ford_kuga_2008/322.aspx

http://www.euroncap.com/tests/bmw_3_series_2001/98.aspx

if you believe it means anything!

The more modern car is safer, no matter which cost more.

I just feel they are safer in the higher vehicle if there’s an accident.

I would have thought that depends on the accident really.

A lot of people seem to think the same though, hence all the 4×4’s doing school runs.

And why is RWD drive not as safe either?

And why is RWD drive not as safe either?

OP isn’t so hot at full opposite lock power slides.

Its probably the wrong colour

Hmm. I would keep the BMW if it ran well. I am really not a 4wd fan
Maybe you could do what we do and just drive whichever of the two cars you own a a couple and suits you on a given day?

OP isn’t so hot at full opposite lock power slides.

He doesn’t need to be – it’s for his wife. She might be the next Penny Mallory….

I’m surprised she didn’t suggest the sharing option, where she always takes the one without the fuel light on.

^ Fail. Trick is to leave house first most mornings. Both our cars got filed with fuel last week. I managed 5x the mileage of the lovely Mrs gd. She had two trips to the petrol station I didn’t. 😳

regardless of the type of crash i would rather be in the bmw. 4x4s flip in a crash. bad physics has led to the craze in Chelsea tractors

I suspect your main point is that you now want a BMW 5 series estate and sod what the misses wants/ has to drive 😆

I’m disappointed in you lot, solving the problem like blokes by assessing the merits of the cars. When it’s quite clear the correct answer doesn’t involve that at all:

(the clue is in the attempt to do the impossible in the thread title)

She’s happy ferrying the Beemer about town despite the 21mpg it’d do, and my paranoia that with RWD and it’s “lowness” is not as safe for the kids.

Nothing is economical round town short of a hybrid. My 1.9tdi Passat will do 50mpg avg over a mix, but stick it in town and it’s 30-32mpg if you’re lucky. I’d worry a lot more about economy on the motorway than I would about economy round town on short trips.

As for the safety thing… Why on earth do people worry so much about child safety in cars these days? 30 years ago, before mandatory seatbelts, when cars were nowhere near as safe as they are now, nobody particularly worried about how safe the cars were. These days, every middle class woman on the school run has got a faux by four because “they’re safer”… It’s ridiculous quite frankly! The only time I can think of an E46 with a 3 litre petrol engine being particularly unsafe, would be in the snow with an inexperienced driver driving it. They’re very well built cars, I’d not fear sticking kids in one.

Can’t they catch a bus/train, or even better, walk or ride a bike to school?

the answer is obvious; replace the BMW with the safest family car http://www.euroncap.com/results/qoros/3/528.aspx

In actuality. the question you are asking is “how can I justify the purchase of a fancy new car when my old car is perfectly acceptable?”

she totally knows your game.

Sell beemer
Take the Kuga off her hands
Buy her one of these:

that’ll learn her

The only time I can think of an E46 with a being particularly unsafe, would be in the snow

But if it’s not moving it’s not going to pose much of a danger 😉

In actuality. the question you are asking is “how can I justify the purchase of a fancy new car when my old car is perfectly acceptable?”

Kinda. I’d have like kingofbiscuits Beemer yep that was in the classifieds the other day, perfect fir me and the bikes and the source of our discussions.

But she feels if I want a more adequate bike car we should swap and the fuel economy ratio of her 50 miles a week pottering vs my 200 miles a week average motorway isn’t an issue – which I can’t work out tbh. Her thoughts are to later buy her the mini she’s almost always wanted albeit a countryman rather than a Cooper.

Potentially the only bit of logic in there is the Beemer gets a fairly bad 1* for pedestrian safety and should be kept away from people.

On the Kuga as a bike car I got palmed off with one instead of a mondeo when moving house/emigrating it’s not exactly spacious on the inside.

Apart from that just grow a pair and accept that she is right.

I cant say I would want to drive an old big BMW that does 20 mpg. Just seams a bit silly these days.

That’s why I drive a new 3 series that does do 50 mpg + around town, in fact on my daily commute I get just under 70mpg!

As to NCAP, hitting a pedestrian with a car is going to hurt them.

But she feels if I want a more adequate bike car we should swap and the fuel economy ratio of her 50 miles a week pottering vs my 200 miles a week average motorway isn’t an issue – which I can’t work out tbh.

This is easy to work out – the sum of town miles / urban mpg and work miles / motorway mpg, both ways around. My estimate puts you saving money on fuel if you swap. And as everyone has said, off-roaders usually are less safe than lower cars of similar weight if crashed into – and if your wife has to swerve around or emergency brake for a potential accident then the BMW will perform better than the Kuga. The only advantage of off-roaders if you get a better view of what you’re about to hit…

Her thoughts are to later buy her the mini she’s almost always wanted albeit a countryman rather than a Cooper.

Clearly logic or good taste has no place in any of her considerations, then. 🙂

Tell her that her children’s faces will be safer in the Kuga, whereas you need a five series in order to feel like a real man when tailgating on the M40.

“….critique wife logic…..”

It’ll end in tears. That’s all I have to say.

I’ve just done the school run in the BM – 19.7 mpg 😯

This is easy to work out – the sum of town miles / urban mpg and work miles / motorway mpg, both ways around. My estimate puts you saving money on fuel if you swap.

Lets see on a weekly basis;

Before

Kuga 60m @ 33mpg x £1.35 per gallon = £11.22
BM 200m @ 28.9mpg x £1.28 per gallon = £40.21

£51.43

After

BM 60m @ 19.7 mpg x £1.28 per gallon = £17.69
Kuga 200m @ 44.5mpg x £1.35 per gallon = £27.54

£45.23

Wow, he’s right. How dare you side with my wife!

Clearly logic or good taste has no place in any of her considerations, then.

This. 😉

Have you considered that as the kids get older you may need to transport family + luggage + bikes? What you need is a Tansporter/Vito crewcab – preferably in white – to fulfill family duties and pwn the M25.

Lets see on a weekly basis;

Before

Kuga 60m @ 33mpg x £1.35 per gallon = £11.22
BM 200m @ 28.9mpg x £1.28 per gallon = £40.21

£51.43

After

BM 60m @ 19.7 mpg x £1.28 per gallon = £17.69
Kuga 200m @ 44.5mpg x £1.35 per gallon = £27.54

£45.23

Wow, he’s right. How dare you side with my wife!

Where the *%$~ are you getting fuel at £1.35 a gallon? 😯

Where the *%$~ are you getting fuel at £1.35 a gallon?

That’s reasonably high round my way. £1.32 at Asda when I drove past last time.

I recall fuel was that price in 1980…

£1.32 at Asda

Per gallon? More like £6 anywhere I’ve been lately.

Lol, sorry should be litres – but those prices are the local Sainsbury’s and nearby BP which are the same price – outer North London btw.

I just feel they are safer in the higher vehicle if there’s an accident

Unless that accident is driving off a cliff… ‘cos they’ve got further to fall in the Kuga..No??!

DrP

😉

FunkyDunc – Member
As to NCAP, hitting a pedestrian with a car is going to hurt them.

Glad you understand it….. The same impact with different cars will give a different degree of damage.

She’s just lining up a way to have you pay for the DPF failure of driving a diesel around town for years (assuming it has one of course).

Per gallon? More like £6 anywhere I’ve been lately.

Hah, missed that.

I think if you want it in gallons these days you have to pay in florins.

What a peculiar thread.

Is this the 1980s still where the man gets to choose his car, and he buys wifey a little run-around?

And the “safety” argument has to be the weakest justification for making family-affecting choices to suit your own ends that I’ve seen in a long time!

Treat wife as equal + make joint decision x (based on conversation) = happiness.