My 2008 Prius is brilliant. But it's getting a bit long in the tooth, and it is starting to show its age. Not mechanically. But since the Gen III came out in 2009, it's obvious to anyone who knows about cars that it's old. My job involves turning up at the offices of clients, and driving into Embassies and other such places quite often. It's important that my car looks respectable and reasonably expensive. I've thought about getting a newer Prius, and it remains a possibility. But Gen III Priuses tended to be government cars here, so it might make me look like a fairly junior civil servant. (Gen IIs were often bought by private buyers who were comfortably off and a bit eco-ey, which was fine for the image I wanted to project.) HyCams are nice inside, but have the same sort of connotations as a Gen III Prius. Also, I'd like a hatchback or a wagon. I've looked at a few very different cars. Whatever I do, I'll buy at auction, and I'll get a car that's two or three years old. In Australia, that's by far the most cost-effective way of buying a car. C-Class wagon. There are not many around. They're quite nice, but there's a limit to the amount of equipment. Skoda Superb wagon. (I don't think they sell these in America.) It's a longer, slightly softer-sprung version of the VW Passat. I rented one once and really liked it. And they do look good. Lexus RX hybrid. I do like hybrids a lot, and if every car were available as a hybrid, I would always choose one. But I don't know - I just can't get excited about the RX. And none of the other Lexus hybrids are in my price range, other than a 2007-8 GS, and I think they look old now. Volvo V60 or XC60. I test drove an XC60 earlier in the week, and I really, really liked it. I prefer wagons to SUVs, but V60s are quite hard to find in Australia, so it's more likely that an XC60 will come up than a V60. It felt nice inside. It was very well equipped. I loved the moon roof. I've always liked cream leather and wood. There was tons of room. And economy doesn't seem bad in the diesel, even for urban driving. It's no Prius, obviously, but it isn't terrible. Most of all, I loved the integrated child seats. It means I can drive the kids to school and then pick up adults without a vast amount of buggering about. If I were to do it, I suspect I'd go for a D5 diesel. Has anyone owned one? Are they any good? Is there anything I need to look out for? Will owning one cause me to wear slacks and play golf? And does anyone have any other suggestions?
A Volvo? I though mid-life crises were supposed to involve sports cars and girlfriends. Mind you, I bought a bicycle, so I'm not one to talk.
We don't have Cadillacs here. But if I wanted to go the full golf-and-slacks, it would have been an ideal choice. Rather more seriously, am I right in thinking that, in an attempt to be sporty, Cadillac have basically got rid of any semblance of suspension?
We do. A Liberty wagon or an Outback might be worth looking at. But I think the diesels might be manual-only, and as I do so much of my driving in the city, I'd rather have an auto. I'll check it out.
We have a Golf wagon rather than a Jetta, but I'm guessing it's the same car. I'm not such a huge fan. My Dad has a Passat TDI wagon though. I've mentioned before that he got 70mpg out of it driving to the South of France with a sofa in the back. They're very comfortable, and very quiet, and very economical. There's a lot to be said for them. But the Skoda Superb is pretty much the same car (same engine; stretched version of the same chassis), but better-looking, bigger, and cheaper. Pretty much the same comparison goes for the VW Golf/Jetta wagon vs the Skoda Octavia wagon. I know you don't get Skodas in America, though, and the Passat and Golf/Jetta were both excellent suggestions (more practical, but less fun, than Hyo Silver's sports-car-and-girlfriend suggestion anyway). Thanks.
I would stray from VWs. Component reliability is horrible and repair costs are proportionally higher than other like classed vehicles. FWIW, I'm still feeding money to the 2006 TDI Beetle my Son now drives and the TCO is the highest on any vehicle I've owned as an adult. Just saying.
Good point. The DSG boxes have a horrible reputation in Australia. My Dad's is a manual. I've never heard such stories about Volvos, which is one of the things that appeals. Also, of course, given that part of my job involves helping Chinese companies to invest overseas, driving a Volvo sends out a very positive message.
In the states Volvo's have a reputation of running forever, as long as you keep pouring money into them, and parts for Volvo's are not cheap, at least here in the states.
Yes, it's much the same here. I'm not aware of any parts in the XC60/V60 that are particularly liable for replacement. Do you know of any?
Yes. I have quite an aversion to buying new. For any of the cars on that list, I'd be looking at A$70-80,000 for a new one, but only A$25-30,000 for a two-or-three-year-old one. I'd rather let someone else take that hit, and these days most cars* are so reliable that there's not much difference (other than free servicing) between the costs of a two-or-three-year-old one and a new one. That's what I did with the Prius, and I'm delighted that I did. I'm also not a massive fan of the hassle of organising financing: it's a lot less effort to just pay cash. And the idea of throwing $70-80,000 in cash at a dealer appeals rather less than paying $25-30,000 in cash. *Not Citroens, obviously.
They are the manufacturer that created magnetic ride control, which uses dampers that attenuate the ride using magnetic fluid. Additionally, they use a dynamic air suspension. Together with extra insulation in the doors, body and glass, they are surprisingly soft, quiet, but yet quite responsive.
No Mercedes or BMWs or Honda? You might check Julian Edgar's site: AutoSpeed - Technology, Efficiency, Performance Bob Wilson
Don't know about the base trim suspensions, but Caddy might have the most advanced suspension available. It's an automatic adjustable, magnetic contraption. I was behind one on an off ramp, and it was kind of eerie how it kept the car body level while the wheels were banked. It is part of the reason the ELR costs so much more than a Volt. I'd love to have a Volvo. Friend's sister had an '80s diesel one for the longest time. I think she got rid of it in order to just get something new. The 2004 S40 I test drove also had the most comfortable car seats I have ever sat in. Volvo should expand into furniture. I'm guessing Australia didn't get their plug in diesel hybrid.
Sheesh. Any idea why ? In the US the depreciation on a reliable new car like a Toyota or Honda is much, much less. Rephrased, why is the general car market willing to spend AUD 50k every 2-3 years on a car ?
What's your budget? What about a nice shiny Tesla S? That would impress and be a good talking point on the run from the airport. If budgets are a little more limited then the Skoda Superb Wagon is a fabulous bit of kit. It's wide, comfortable, has a massive boot and the diesels get good mpg's. Just make sure you get the newer diesel as the older engine plays up with the dpf. Re Volvos. They're not what they were. The UK Police still swear by them, but they were the highly tuned, fast as **** versions where maintenance and fuel were free. Some of the taxi drivers I worked with had Volvo Estates and the diesel engines were fine, if a little unrefined. They were strong and reliable but expensive if they went wrong. For total value for money? The Superb is probably just that. Skoda Superb Estate Review - Summary | Parkers