The other day I was a bit early picking up my other half from the station so I stopped at a local Ford dealership to have a look at some of the used cars on the lot.
I sympathise. Dad had a Silver Wraith 2 for over 20 years. With a similar job,I have just bought a Kia Ceed second hand. 7 year guarantee from date of manufacture and it avoids the EV nightmares,so I am pleased with it.
A personal symptom of economic national decline though.
Most of the time I get around on my bike and by train.
Do you remember the days when people at a loose end would go for a drive? Happy days gone by.
On a Sunday afternoon my dad would pack the family into our Austin Princess and we would take part in a car treasure hunt. Driving around looking for clues like pub names and shops (family owned, not chains) for directions.
A car is essential to me. Working in community care, i clip 18k miles per year, am out on the road from 7am till 10pm covering the town and local villages.
An electric car is of no use whatsoever. Full time carers who run the same routes as me have traded their EV's in for petrols again having had nightmares with theirs.
I'm working on a project that would see cars powered by MP's, councillors and mad environ'mental'ists running in a giant wheel to power the vehicle. Once used up, they can be disposed of as they're biodegradable.
Cars have been financialized, exactly as houses. Manufacturers dont sell cars, they sell leasings. If you show up at a dealer with cash, you dont get a discount, you get a higher price.
Wife got a 2025 EV. Fits her needs and is a vehicle less i need to service in the house.
I only drove it a few times and it tried to kill me already twice. Yesterday i almost ran over 2 cyclists, when i overtook them, and lane assist, which i forgot to disable, and it enables itself at every start, took over and tried to bring me back in the lane, over the two folks on wheels.
Not that we need reminded how incompetent goverments are in just about anything.
Never, ever buy a post 2023 car.
A friend who works in a large dealership of a main brand told me they lose 20k every car they sell, and they manage to survive selling service and spare parts.
European car industry is a dead man walking. Good riddance. They deserve to die for not having pushed back against absurd govt mandates.
Moved their operations abroad and minimize their tax contributions or refuse to sell in the UK market, but that would require a conscience in the managing directors
Our kids all have EVs, which are great for local journeys but the planning problems they have for the occasional long journeys are the thing of nightmares. "Sorry, all XxxxxxCo chargers are out of action today!"
We might have to change soon but I don't want a car that grabs the wheel from you, every time "It thinks" you are too near a white line. I had to hire one and it drove me nuts.
Manufacturers listen! There is a market for the simple petrol car - resist the government, please!
The government/"British Regime" is definitely pricing old cars off the road. I was looking for a decent run-around to keep me mobile. I am 6'5" and I spotted an immaculate old Citröen C5 which would have been perfect for only £999. But with £760 road tax every year, it was made expensive to run and impossible to sell. The British Regime clearly has a policy of pricing poorer working classes off the road. I could buy a different car. Many others can't.
My sentiments exactly. Driving between Suffolk and London, often very early or very late (and invariably trying to cram too much into my days) the idea of being forced to sit and wait for 30 odd minutes is too much. So, I’ll stick to ICE for as long as I can. My other bugbear are all these digital displays. Whilst my 2017 has a touch screen to display navigation and audio, I always use the app in my smartphone as it’s far better. When I next change (soon I imagine as I’m on 145,000 miles) it’ll be for an older, lower mileage, car from the mid 2000’s, without all this touchscreen crap, with its, frankly dangerous, hidden displays. Always recall a BMW advert from 25/30 years ago, pointing out the development work carried out on the interior ergonomics, making sure certain controls fell easily to hand, making them easy to use without taking your eyes off the road. Try that with one of these fancy tablet displays. You’ll end up in the back of the car in front.
If I had a little more liquid, I'd get an old Lexus. That said, I've heard a couple of people comment that a 2008 Honda Accord is not far off (in terms of reliability and build quality, not necessarily luxuriousness).
And it has no V8 obviously.
Chrissy from Sopranos owned an LS400 in silver with some flash wheels. Of course it looked a *little bit* like a drug dealers car...but still cool imo 😬
I drive a ten year old Volvo xc60. Yes it is an suv. Road tax £35.00. 46+mpg diesel. Not my first choice of motor but it has given me two trouble free years so far. It is not connected to the internet, which is a major plus for me. All modern cars now have the massive touch screen to operate basic controls. I cannot think of any good reason for this. It is not user friendly. It is a major distraction for the driver. A step towards driverless vehicles or a centralised control feature, where your car can be switched off remotely. It is downright dangerous. If driverless vehicles are introduced will it result in fewer road deaths? It will certainly reduce deaths attributed to driver error. The main cause of road deaths will likely become computer error.
I bought a Mustang in late 2021. £45k for a brand new V8. Fantastic deal and minimal tech getting in the way. But now? New ones are £65k and barely any better. So I'm sticking with it.
I don't want an EV either, and unless I buy an older Aston Martin or something I don't really have an option to trade up. So I keep that cash in the bank and grin every time I fire up that coyote lump.
No one is sticking a poster of a Jaecoo on their wall, but people take pictures of my car. People ask me about it. I fire it up. They look shocked at the noise, but they all grin too. It's a talking point.
It's the best car I'll ever have. Yes it's too big. Yes the back seats are an afterthought and have the same issue Pete spoke about getting in and out. Yes there too much power for real wheel drive. But god, it's just so much fun!
Chipping in because I recently returned to driving after a 12 year break and am the proud owner of a 17 year old Honda Accord. It is the closest thing to a Lexus I can afford and is so smooth to drive. Also looks better than many of these bloated generic modern lumps. Ok it has a clunky jog wheel audio system, but thankfully no blasted touch screens. More than enough car for me and it has an excellent service and MOT history, so unless motorists are forced off the roads before then, is only mid life. I'll certainly be running it for as long as I can.
Nice writing thanks. I was priced out of car ownership long ago. Lucky enough to live somewhere the climate is conducive to running a Piaggio MP3 maxi scooter. It has two front wheels and can be ridden on a car licence. At 500 cc its plenty powerful for motorway cruising. Parking is a breeze and you sail past lines of stationery traffic.
It costs peanuts to run.
If there's only one, or two of you, and you don't need to regularly transport bulky items, its a viable alternative to car ownership, although the latest version has sadly done away with proper instruments and now has a screen.
I passed my test in 1972 and enjoyed driving for 3 or 4 years (perhaps).
I gave up driving in 1994 and never missed it.
I was fortunate as I lived in the city and could rely on public transport to get me around. If I lived in a rural community I doubt it would have been an option.
I was very unhealthy when driving partly due to the car, but it was also a discipline as I couldn’t drink whilst driving.
All in all I’m sorry for drivers having to pay extortionate tax with every governments budget.
I must admit to becoming a little nostalgic over previous cars and the free tax and no MOT for 40 year old cars is tempting. I used to travel back and to to university in my Cavalier Diesel at average speeds way beyond what is currently achievable, it did around 50MPG and if diesel does become too expensive it would be of an old enough technology that allows it to run fine on veggie oil.
It really is quite appealing to drop out of modern tech, but I would miss the air conditioning ;)
I sympathise. Dad had a Silver Wraith 2 for over 20 years. With a similar job,I have just bought a Kia Ceed second hand. 7 year guarantee from date of manufacture and it avoids the EV nightmares,so I am pleased with it.
A personal symptom of economic national decline though.
Most of the time I get around on my bike and by train.
Do you remember the days when people at a loose end would go for a drive? Happy days gone by.
On a Sunday afternoon my dad would pack the family into our Austin Princess and we would take part in a car treasure hunt. Driving around looking for clues like pub names and shops (family owned, not chains) for directions.
Or when we'd all pile into the tiny fiat, go to the airport to watch planes take off and land.
Agree with your final sentence, everything in Britain is now shit.
Yep, Great Shittain
Every one of our institutions is ran by left wing activists, and every one of our institutions is, without exception, shit.
Shit policies = shit output
This is where Socialism always leads. And I suppose the next stage will be National Socialism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFHHOBiUrkg
A car is essential to me. Working in community care, i clip 18k miles per year, am out on the road from 7am till 10pm covering the town and local villages.
An electric car is of no use whatsoever. Full time carers who run the same routes as me have traded their EV's in for petrols again having had nightmares with theirs.
I'm working on a project that would see cars powered by MP's, councillors and mad environ'mental'ists running in a giant wheel to power the vehicle. Once used up, they can be disposed of as they're biodegradable.
Cars have been financialized, exactly as houses. Manufacturers dont sell cars, they sell leasings. If you show up at a dealer with cash, you dont get a discount, you get a higher price.
Wife got a 2025 EV. Fits her needs and is a vehicle less i need to service in the house.
I only drove it a few times and it tried to kill me already twice. Yesterday i almost ran over 2 cyclists, when i overtook them, and lane assist, which i forgot to disable, and it enables itself at every start, took over and tried to bring me back in the lane, over the two folks on wheels.
Not that we need reminded how incompetent goverments are in just about anything.
Never, ever buy a post 2023 car.
A friend who works in a large dealership of a main brand told me they lose 20k every car they sell, and they manage to survive selling service and spare parts.
European car industry is a dead man walking. Good riddance. They deserve to die for not having pushed back against absurd govt mandates.
What should they have done to push back?
Moved their operations abroad and minimize their tax contributions or refuse to sell in the UK market, but that would require a conscience in the managing directors
Our kids all have EVs, which are great for local journeys but the planning problems they have for the occasional long journeys are the thing of nightmares. "Sorry, all XxxxxxCo chargers are out of action today!"
We might have to change soon but I don't want a car that grabs the wheel from you, every time "It thinks" you are too near a white line. I had to hire one and it drove me nuts.
Manufacturers listen! There is a market for the simple petrol car - resist the government, please!
The government/"British Regime" is definitely pricing old cars off the road. I was looking for a decent run-around to keep me mobile. I am 6'5" and I spotted an immaculate old Citröen C5 which would have been perfect for only £999. But with £760 road tax every year, it was made expensive to run and impossible to sell. The British Regime clearly has a policy of pricing poorer working classes off the road. I could buy a different car. Many others can't.
My sentiments exactly. Driving between Suffolk and London, often very early or very late (and invariably trying to cram too much into my days) the idea of being forced to sit and wait for 30 odd minutes is too much. So, I’ll stick to ICE for as long as I can. My other bugbear are all these digital displays. Whilst my 2017 has a touch screen to display navigation and audio, I always use the app in my smartphone as it’s far better. When I next change (soon I imagine as I’m on 145,000 miles) it’ll be for an older, lower mileage, car from the mid 2000’s, without all this touchscreen crap, with its, frankly dangerous, hidden displays. Always recall a BMW advert from 25/30 years ago, pointing out the development work carried out on the interior ergonomics, making sure certain controls fell easily to hand, making them easy to use without taking your eyes off the road. Try that with one of these fancy tablet displays. You’ll end up in the back of the car in front.
I have a 26 year old Lexus LS400,a 4 litre V8. Mechanics nod approvingly and say " Japanese Rolls Royce"!
I paid £1,800 for it 12 years ago, it mostly does shopping miles with the occasional. Motorway marathon.Ii
I may have spent £2,000 over the years on servicing.
I have learned where all the Ulez cameras are in my area,so maybe only get charged £40 to £50 a month.
Lexus in my opinion, reached its peak in Mechanical excellence with this car, beating Mercedes when they still had a good reputation.
I've been a passenger in one. It doesn't so much drive, as glide.
If I had a little more liquid, I'd get an old Lexus. That said, I've heard a couple of people comment that a 2008 Honda Accord is not far off (in terms of reliability and build quality, not necessarily luxuriousness).
And it has no V8 obviously.
Chrissy from Sopranos owned an LS400 in silver with some flash wheels. Of course it looked a *little bit* like a drug dealers car...but still cool imo 😬
I drive a ten year old Volvo xc60. Yes it is an suv. Road tax £35.00. 46+mpg diesel. Not my first choice of motor but it has given me two trouble free years so far. It is not connected to the internet, which is a major plus for me. All modern cars now have the massive touch screen to operate basic controls. I cannot think of any good reason for this. It is not user friendly. It is a major distraction for the driver. A step towards driverless vehicles or a centralised control feature, where your car can be switched off remotely. It is downright dangerous. If driverless vehicles are introduced will it result in fewer road deaths? It will certainly reduce deaths attributed to driver error. The main cause of road deaths will likely become computer error.
I bought a Mustang in late 2021. £45k for a brand new V8. Fantastic deal and minimal tech getting in the way. But now? New ones are £65k and barely any better. So I'm sticking with it.
I don't want an EV either, and unless I buy an older Aston Martin or something I don't really have an option to trade up. So I keep that cash in the bank and grin every time I fire up that coyote lump.
No one is sticking a poster of a Jaecoo on their wall, but people take pictures of my car. People ask me about it. I fire it up. They look shocked at the noise, but they all grin too. It's a talking point.
It's the best car I'll ever have. Yes it's too big. Yes the back seats are an afterthought and have the same issue Pete spoke about getting in and out. Yes there too much power for real wheel drive. But god, it's just so much fun!
Chipping in because I recently returned to driving after a 12 year break and am the proud owner of a 17 year old Honda Accord. It is the closest thing to a Lexus I can afford and is so smooth to drive. Also looks better than many of these bloated generic modern lumps. Ok it has a clunky jog wheel audio system, but thankfully no blasted touch screens. More than enough car for me and it has an excellent service and MOT history, so unless motorists are forced off the roads before then, is only mid life. I'll certainly be running it for as long as I can.
I'm in a similar place. I have a 16-year old Jag. I am not going to buy a hybrid or EV and I don't want a car that beeps at me constantly.
The only car I'd want is a Jag, but I'd probably do sensible and buy a Lexus.
Nice writing thanks. I was priced out of car ownership long ago. Lucky enough to live somewhere the climate is conducive to running a Piaggio MP3 maxi scooter. It has two front wheels and can be ridden on a car licence. At 500 cc its plenty powerful for motorway cruising. Parking is a breeze and you sail past lines of stationery traffic.
It costs peanuts to run.
If there's only one, or two of you, and you don't need to regularly transport bulky items, its a viable alternative to car ownership, although the latest version has sadly done away with proper instruments and now has a screen.
"the governments solution is to eliminate jobs"...that made me laugh,it's so funny! But as it's true I probably shouldn't laugh.
I passed my test in 1972 and enjoyed driving for 3 or 4 years (perhaps).
I gave up driving in 1994 and never missed it.
I was fortunate as I lived in the city and could rely on public transport to get me around. If I lived in a rural community I doubt it would have been an option.
I was very unhealthy when driving partly due to the car, but it was also a discipline as I couldn’t drink whilst driving.
All in all I’m sorry for drivers having to pay extortionate tax with every governments budget.
I must admit to becoming a little nostalgic over previous cars and the free tax and no MOT for 40 year old cars is tempting. I used to travel back and to to university in my Cavalier Diesel at average speeds way beyond what is currently achievable, it did around 50MPG and if diesel does become too expensive it would be of an old enough technology that allows it to run fine on veggie oil.
It really is quite appealing to drop out of modern tech, but I would miss the air conditioning ;)