Soldato
Brevity not my strong-point so tl;dr
30-something. I've been driving a 2011 (8th gen) Civic ES-T 1.8 CVT for a few years. As reliable as it is, I would like to upgrade as I don't find the seats terribly comfortable, particularly for long journeys which almost always give me backache, it can feel like a bit of a bus and it's starting to feel a bit dated. It seems to have held it's value fairly well (I got it for a steal as well - current equivalent examples from dealers on Autotrader are more than what I paid for it in 2018 ), so looking to sell and then have a bit of money to add to the replacement. The 9th gen Civic is a dud and I can't afford a good spec 10th gen, so they're out of the picture.
Usage = short journeys to the gym/town (typical suburbia stuff), 30 mile round commute on mostly A-roads 3-4 times a week, a mix of stop-starting in queues and/or being able to put my foot down for most of it, motorway drives of 30-90 mins once or twice a month.
Checklist:
As far as entirely sensible choices go I've been looking at stuff like this... bearing in mind I'm not that clued up on how reliable they are:
1. Golf Mk7, 1.4/1.5 - GT/GT Edition so not top spec but almost (can get leather seats etc), 7th Gen built post May 2015 can be updated to run CarPlay apparently. Some examples with the better alloys make it look nicer I guess
2. Hyundai Ioniq HEV 1.6 - 1st gen 2017 onward car (hooray depreciation), top spec Premium SE Trim, some examples on AT from dealers with reasonable miles creeping under £11k so a decent private find might be in budget. Super sensible, stupid economy as hybrid, has CarPlay, loads of tech... probably feels like a Prius/taxi to drive? Exterior is an eyesore
3. Mazda 3, 2.0 - 3rd gen (2014 onward) Sports Nav top trim either in hatch or fastback/saloon, lots of tech, models from about 2014 with the nav display can be upgraded to CarPlay, Bose speakers. Sounds like it's decent to drive, somewhat less boxy than rivals to look at
Less sensible choice:
4. Scirocco 2.0 GT - I love how these look and you don't see many on the road here... however I can't get around the fact there's a lot of Mk5 Golf underneath, making it a bit of a dinosaur compared to the other things on the list, no CarPlay, examples with the Dynaudio speaker pack not that common
Other stuff:
BMW/Merc/Audi - too many models/worried about being a money sink - don't know enough in general, but open to ideas though.
Some wild stuff comes up on AT with my filters like Jags, Lexus IS300hs but as said, no money sinks or expensive to service/insure which I imagine they are and then some. Obviously there's other sensible things like the Leon or Focus as well but the interiors put me off.
What say ye? Obviously market is a bit weird at the mo, so prepared to wait for a bit.
30-something. I've been driving a 2011 (8th gen) Civic ES-T 1.8 CVT for a few years. As reliable as it is, I would like to upgrade as I don't find the seats terribly comfortable, particularly for long journeys which almost always give me backache, it can feel like a bit of a bus and it's starting to feel a bit dated. It seems to have held it's value fairly well (I got it for a steal as well - current equivalent examples from dealers on Autotrader are more than what I paid for it in 2018 ), so looking to sell and then have a bit of money to add to the replacement. The 9th gen Civic is a dud and I can't afford a good spec 10th gen, so they're out of the picture.
Usage = short journeys to the gym/town (typical suburbia stuff), 30 mile round commute on mostly A-roads 3-4 times a week, a mix of stop-starting in queues and/or being able to put my foot down for most of it, motorway drives of 30-90 mins once or twice a month.
Checklist:
- <£10k but I could stretch to maybe £11-12k if it makes a huge difference. Preferably private sale.
- Petrol, given my mileage and also auto given usage.
- Not too dull to drive, i.e. somewhat engaging handling/feel (but doesn't have to be 'f*n'/qualify as sporty), a bit more oomph than the Honda would be nice on the motorway
- Comfy for long journeys and also - to quote motors - a nice play to be. I do like a decent interior and decent stock sound system would be nice
- Vaguely practical: I occasionally need more than 1 passenger seat (all adults) and also need back seats that can go reasonably flat to lay my ski bag in for the airport/indoor trips (i.e. hatch, 2+2 coupe or compact saloon welcome, no barges!).
- Nothing thirsty or expensive to run
- Preferably newer than my Civic, so 2012+, must have the usual gubbins
- Reliable / not a money pit
- Bonuses - doesn't look like a box on the outside, CarPlay compatible without too much faff (would like GMaps/Waze on the screen rather than mounting my phone)
As far as entirely sensible choices go I've been looking at stuff like this... bearing in mind I'm not that clued up on how reliable they are:
1. Golf Mk7, 1.4/1.5 - GT/GT Edition so not top spec but almost (can get leather seats etc), 7th Gen built post May 2015 can be updated to run CarPlay apparently. Some examples with the better alloys make it look nicer I guess
2. Hyundai Ioniq HEV 1.6 - 1st gen 2017 onward car (hooray depreciation), top spec Premium SE Trim, some examples on AT from dealers with reasonable miles creeping under £11k so a decent private find might be in budget. Super sensible, stupid economy as hybrid, has CarPlay, loads of tech... probably feels like a Prius/taxi to drive? Exterior is an eyesore
3. Mazda 3, 2.0 - 3rd gen (2014 onward) Sports Nav top trim either in hatch or fastback/saloon, lots of tech, models from about 2014 with the nav display can be upgraded to CarPlay, Bose speakers. Sounds like it's decent to drive, somewhat less boxy than rivals to look at
Less sensible choice:
4. Scirocco 2.0 GT - I love how these look and you don't see many on the road here... however I can't get around the fact there's a lot of Mk5 Golf underneath, making it a bit of a dinosaur compared to the other things on the list, no CarPlay, examples with the Dynaudio speaker pack not that common
Other stuff:
BMW/Merc/Audi - too many models/worried about being a money sink - don't know enough in general, but open to ideas though.
Some wild stuff comes up on AT with my filters like Jags, Lexus IS300hs but as said, no money sinks or expensive to service/insure which I imagine they are and then some. Obviously there's other sensible things like the Leon or Focus as well but the interiors put me off.
What say ye? Obviously market is a bit weird at the mo, so prepared to wait for a bit.