I’d there such a car?

Haggisman · 24 Nov 2020 at 15:50

Bug One said:
you can fit a 3 meter length of pipe / plank of wood inside.

You can almost do the same with the Zoe

I had 3m of poly waste pipe in mine, although it did have to bend a little - you wouldn't get a rigid one that long in.

Bug One · 24 Nov 2020 at 15:56

Haggisman said:
You can almost do the same with the Zoe I had 3m of poly waste pipe in mine, although it did have to bend a little - you wouldn't get a rigid one that long in.

I've had a 3m length of rigid 2x4 in it, so you can do it without bending in the Leaf. Such a middle aged requirement.

Haggisman · 24 Nov 2020 at 15:59

Bug One said:
I've had a 3m length of rigid 2x4 in it, so you can do it without bending in the Leaf. Such a middle aged requirement.

That's what a roof rack is for

To be honest, I found the Zoe surprisingly practical, I did manage to get 12 8ft fence posts into it once

Cliffhanger · 24 Nov 2020 at 16:14

Bug One said:
The main three options are a Nissan Leaf, Renault Zoe or a BMW i3. However there are a few other curveball options like the Kia Soul and the Smart ForTwo Electric.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/b/Cars/9801?_fsrp=0&_udlo=12000&_udhi=14000&_sacat=9801&rt=nc&Model%20Year=2018|2017|2016&Fuel=Electricity

I chose the Leaf mainly on size. It's about the same as a Focus, has 5 good sized seats, a decent sized boot and you can fit a 3 meter length of pipe / plank of wood inside.

Thankyou for getting back to the point.... we’ll just the kids play in the background...

Just done a few calculations going on size for the Nissan Leaf and it’s a bit too big and wide for the space I’ll need to keep it in at home and where to charge it aswell...

Oh well back to the drawing board...

Haggisman · 24 Nov 2020 at 16:23

Cliffhanger said:
Thankyou for getting back to the point.... we’ll just the kids play in the background...

Just done a few calculations going on size for the Nissan Leaf and it’s a bit too big and wide for the space I’ll need to keep it in at home and where to charge it aswell...

Oh well back to the drawing board...

The Zoe is a bit smaller, but if you have nowhere to charge it then still a non-starter I guess.

Cliffhanger · 24 Nov 2020 at 16:39

Haggisman said:
The Zoe is a bit smaller, but if you have nowhere to charge it then still a non-starter I guess.

I have somewhere to charge it but the gap is only a limited size hence why I still have the Yaris..

Haggisman · 24 Nov 2020 at 16:55

Cliffhanger said:
I have somewhere to charge it but the gap is only a limited size hence why I still have the Yaris..

Fair enough, the Zoe isn't too much longer, but it's about 30cm wider than a Yaris, so a bit of a difference.

What about a Twizzy?

Bug One · 24 Nov 2020 at 16:57

In that case, the i3 might be your best option. Might have to look at a couple of years older - but the footprint is a fair bit smaller. Plus you get a petrol backup range extender built in.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2014-BMW...220019?hash=item2f4bdcbb73:g:B-oAAOSwvddfo6hd

I've never driven one myself, but they're supposedly very comfortable. Plus 172ps in a car that light makes it surprisingly quick.

Cleisthenes · 24 Nov 2020 at 17:13

What about a cooper S, f56?

K.C. Leblanc · 24 Nov 2020 at 21:20

Nasher said:
Mercs were better built 20 years ago. They were tanks

You need to go back further. 20 years ago Chrysler were running the show and the quality was disastrous.

HoneyBadger · 24 Nov 2020 at 21:29

Not electric but what about a VW Up! GTI?

Cliffhanger · 25 Nov 2020 at 09:14

Cleisthenes said:
What about a cooper S, f56?

Had a 2012 mini before the Yaris... plenty of room and sat nice on the road but was terribly unreliable... hence why I bought the bomb proof Yaris...

Cliffhanger · 25 Nov 2020 at 09:16

I think an Auto is the best way to go with my commute... just need to find a comfy one to fit my stature..

It’s awkward cos I just prefer small cars...

Cleisthenes · 25 Nov 2020 at 09:40

Cliffhanger said:
Had a 2012 mini before the Yaris... plenty of room and sat nice on the road but was terribly unreliable... hence why I bought the bomb proof Yaris...

For your budget you'd get a car which you could get an extended warranty on so that would cover that if you were willing

pastymuncher · 25 Nov 2020 at 10:04

Not a hot hatch by any stretch of the imagination but I swapped to a 2017 Ford B-Max Zetec Navigator 125hp manual in September for more or less the same reasons. I am 6'2" with a 34" inside leg and suffer from chronic back pain due to a damaged spine and now also arthritis in my spine. My old Astra SXI's seating position was giving me so much pain so I needed a different car. I found the B-Max not far away and it was mint so snapped it up. The seating position is fantastic and it has eased my pain and discomfort massively. I have loads of legroom and don't even have the seat all the way back or fully raised. It's very economical and I am averaging 48.2mpg without driving like a old granny. It's quick enough for me and the engine is actually quite punchy. Personally I love it. the build quality is great, the handling is excellent and as it's based on the Fiesta so it should be. Both rear doors slide and there is no pillar between the doors so getting in and out is very easy. The downside if you have a young family is that the boot is fairly small and by the time you get a pushchair in there won't be room for much else. There is a more powerful 140hp version but they seem to be quite rare. Avoid the Powershift gearbox in these as there have been numerous problems with it.