Car advice

[Magicme]

I am starting my new job in just over a week and will be driving a lot for it and when things get settled and money is hopefully not as big an issue, I hope to change my car.

As a person concerned about the environment I have been considering a flexifuel Ford Focus but there is no bioethenal currently available in Monaghan so I might be wasting my time.

I know about the Prius but am wondering if they are much benefit and the Lexus is way out of my league.

Basically I would like if anyone could give me advice on what cars have lowest emissions or do less damage. Is diesel better than petrol etc?

Am a sorta blonde woman who doesnt know a whole pile about cars. I once bought one coz it was purple . So go easy on the techy side please!

[MyTown]

Thanks for the first major giggle of the new year MM. I'm amused at the prospect of a genuinely committed environmentalist looking for "green" fuel in the border region following the recent Prime Time investigates programmes on truck movemnets in south Armagh and Monaghan.

Check this out for your next purple model - and Good Luck - it's a jungle out there.

[Sligo Hornet]

Good luck with the New Job!

I am also changing my car ( Company Car ) fairly soon, and am hoping for an Audi R8, but more likely to be the new BMW M3........so I apologise for NOT being very environmentally friendly......however, I am personally very friendly!

[Magicme]

Ha ha MyTown didnt think of that! Well they are feckin up the environment and not helping it like I want to so am not one of them shower!!

[dahamsta]

The Prius is the only genuinely "environmentally friendly" motor on the Irish market at the moment, given the lack of bioethanol you've highlighted. I don't really understand why someone that genuinely cares about the environment would buy one a Focus or a Saab that can't be green until it becomes widely available.

adam

[Magicme]

I know what you are saying Adam. Have been told that possibly in a few months a local garage will be doing the bioethanol but there is no guarantee. Prius it will have to be so. Dont really like Toyotas though.

[passinginterest]

If you want to go green and not spend an extra fortune on a hybrid then something like the 1.3 Hyundai Accent would be a good buy (I have one myself). It's a good size and the more recent models score very well on emissions. See here for a what car? survey.
This website looks useful too it's called cleangreencars.co.uk and you can search for cars below a certain level of CO2 emissions.

[dahamsta]

Dont really like Toyotas though.

I've heard that before - and "I don't like Japanese cars" - and I've never been able to understand it. The Japanese might not be particularly innovative from a design point of view, but they make cars that work, and continue to work for many years and hundreds of thousands of miles. They're not used as taxis for the look of it.

adam

[soccerc]

Hey, Blondie of sorts.

Try out the Skoda Octavia 19tdi which is apparently the second greenest large family car behind the Prius.

Base cost is close to €25K as against €30K, plus, it's not a Toyota!


I am of course biased as I pick up my third one on 18 Feb

[dahamsta]

I don't like pigeonholing people based on the cars they drive, but the people that drive Skodas are singlularly incapable drivers almost across the board. In 2007 I saw one Skoda driver that I'd consider capable, and I'm not just making that stat up. Seeing a capable Skoda driver actually made me sit up and take notice.

(I'm not saying you're a crap driver soccerc, but the stats do support it. )

adam

[soccerc]

I don't like pigeonholing people based on the cars they drive, but the people that drive Skodas are singlularly incapable drivers almost across the board. In 2007 I saw one Skoda driver that I'd consider capable, and I'm not just making that stat up. Seeing a capable Skoda driver actually made me sit up and take notice.

(I'm not saying you're a crap driver soccerc, but the stats do support it. )

adam

Is there not a convention here that stat claims must be backed up by a link?

Have I seen posters warned and infracted for failing to so do?

As for my driving capability, maybe I was the one driver you observed.

BTW, my choice of Octavia is for practical reasons as it's the only hatchback/ car in it's class that can take a wheelchair in the boot without dropping backseats or fiddling around wit the chaor itself.

[ramsfan]

prius 1.5 brand new is around 30000 euro so it is quite an expensive purchase
but then on average you get 65-70 miles per gallon, comparable to average 1.4l giving about 40-45 miles per gallon

my own opinion on the prius is it is a very basic car, the styling on the body work is quite plain, people buy it for enviro reasons not for looks
in my opinion i believe they made it unattractive on purpose as if they madeit a beautiful looking car then everyone would buy it as it would meet all specs for most people, and this would lead to crash in straight petrol/diesel car sales, it is still ok for car companies to do this as the limits for co2 are only starting to be tightened, whereas in 5-10 years time peoples attitudes will have changed when getting hit severely in the pocket, then you will see prius and others starting to become styled nice as the general market trend will have changed

probably confuses the crap out of ye but that is my rant, thanks for reading

friend of mine has an octavia and the extras included are fantastic he swears by them, the only thing that holds back the skoda is the stigma associated with name but that is being changed by the build quality and reliability over the last number of years

car to buy if looking for enviro / style is the honda civic hybrid

. The vehicle combines a 95 HP petrol engine with a 20 HP electric motor. . With a standard fuel consumption of 4.6 litres per 100 km (51.13 mpg) and emissions of 109 grams of CO2 per km (174.4 g/mile), its performance is significantly within future statutory emission and fuel economy limits.

[Ash]

I am also changing my car ( Company Car ) fairly soon, and am hoping for an Audi R8, but more likely to be the new BMW M3........

No match for my Starlet

[dahamsta]

Is there not a convention here that stat claims must be backed up by a link?

Have I seen posters warned and infracted for failing to so do?

Personal experience. I drive a lot these days, unfortunately.

As for my driving capability, maybe I was the one driver you observed.

Could indeed have been your good self, it was actually an Octavia I saw being piloted correctly, although it was on the Cloyne road so I'm guessing it's unlikely.

BTW, my choice of Octavia is for practical reasons as it's the only hatchback/ car in it's class that can take a wheelchair in the boot without dropping backseats or fiddling around wit the chaor itself.

I've absolutely nothing against the cars themselves, they're great cars and great value for money. I think it's the value for money that brings out the slow-ass fuddy-duddy drivers though.

adam

[EAFC_rdfl]

how much for the Starlet Ash? Girlfriend wants to start driving and I believe there is no better 1st time car for a lady !
The Skoda is in the same bracket as VW Passat now, very good car, havnt noticed incapables driving them either, must start paying attention from now on, maybe they are!
As for not liking Toyotas/Jap cars, have to agree with above post, can't beat them for lastability, my last car a 93 corolla, the engine packed in after 160,000 miles, bought a 2nd hand engine for 240 euro and sold the car few months later for 2500, with near 170,000 on the clock. Granted the newer Toyotas are not up to that standard anymore.
Kia arent a bad car either, cee'd is around 25k new 7 yr warranty. dunno bout its greeness tho

[ramsfan]

cant beat an opel astra, comfortable driving and low cost

[dahamsta]

Have an Astra van meself, very pleased with it. Step down from the 525i, but needs musten.

[onceahoop]

I've heard that before - and "I don't like Japanese cars" - and I've never been able to understand it. The Japanese might not be particularly innovative from a design point of view, but they make cars that work, and continue to work for many years and hundreds of thousands of miles. They're not used as taxis for the look of it.

adam

Have to agree with you there Adam. Changed to Nissan cars back in '96 and have never had a moments trouble. Not to sure about the emmissions though, so I'm not much help to MM other than to say that reliability and fuel consumption might mean you have to compromise for the moment.

[dahamsta]

My old man's a big Toyota man, he used to do his own repping so he'd replace his car every two years, nearly always a Toyota. His current bus is a 1994 Carina E that he took to northern Sweden with him, and although it needs it's blankie every night, it's done more than 500,000 miles and it's still pretty damned reliable.

I have to say, I don't have a problem with a lot of their designs either. The Yaris is a dinky little thing, and I'd actually buy a Aygo if I needed a town car. I love the bigger Lexus cars too, and sure they're just beefed up Toyotas when you get down to it.

adam

* All cars in the north of Sweden do, or rather engine warmers. Otherwise they seize up, cos of the cold.

[KevB76]

As a person concerned about the environment I have been considering a flexifuel Ford Focus but there is no bioethenal currently available in Monaghan so I might be wasting my time.

I've been looking at the flexi-fuel Fords as well cos my own car needs replacing, I think they can run on normal unleaded as well (hence flexi-fuel) so I wouldnt worry about the bioethanol not being available yet.
The Focus is around the €20k mark, the C-Max is €2k more but has a better spec and is the one I would go for. They're not the ultimate in eco-friendly cars but its the reduced VRT that appeals.
By the way Maxols unleaded petrol has 5% bio-ethanol as standard already.

Basically I would like if anyone could give me advice on what cars have lowest emissions or do less damage. Is diesel better than petrol etc?

They have different types of emissions, petrol has the more toxic stuff, diesel has more particles i.e. soot, but is generally considered the less harmful to the environment, and diesel gives better miles per gallon. Diesels tend to last longer as well.