Buying a 2nd hand car instead of an EV

[northernchappy]

Heloo All.
Just looking I to replace my 10 plate fiesta 1.25 with 114k miles
It needs a new belt and also the exhaust is old! but not banging yet. Rusty near the suspension area and some play in steering..

Not being rich enough to get an EV, was thinking of a newer petrol car..
Wow.. the prices are a lot! I saw a Mazda 2 14.plate with 50k miles and wanted £5k for it.

I am trying to factor in future fuel availability .. e.g. fuel station closures , fuel price hikes , the government screwing us with ever higher road tax etc.. spare parts and consumables like filters spark plugs..

Not sure if the best plan is to buy a car with the least miles and age the most I can afford .. and d keep it going as long as possible.. being my last car as there's no way I can afford hybrid or EVs
Or .. just keep on scrapping and buying old bangers ?

Any thoughts?

 

[Wayners]

I keep cars until I scrap them. Current car is 16 years old.
Cars under £5000 are considered cheaper second hand cars and there are dealers that specialise in cars £5000 grand and under.

If you are interested you can watch.. cars UK.. on YouTube as he only sells cars under £5000.

 

[Mottie]

We did have a perfectly serviceable diesel Golf for about 14 years but Emperor Khan made us get rid of it. I plumped for a 16 plate 1.25 Fiesta with 112k on the clock. First thing I did was replace the original timing belt. Lovely car to drive, cheap to run, good on fuel, cheap to insure and only £35 a year to tax. Stick with a Fiesta if you can but don’t buy anything with a wet belt!

 

[Charlie George]

I keep cars until I scrap them. Current car is 16 years old.
Cars under £5000 are considered cheaper second hand cars and there are dealers that specialise in cars £5000 grand and under.

If you are interested you can watch.. cars UK.. on YouTube as he only sells cars under £5000.

Watch this channel myself Just don't turn up on a bike

 

[Murdochcat]

OP - how long is the MOT on your current car?

Maybe keep it as long as you can, but at the same time save up more money

 

[flameport]

Not being rich enough to get an EV, was thinking of a newer petrol car..

Used EVs exist, including for under £5000.

EV does not mean 'brand new piece costing £60k+' despite what newspaper rags attempt to have people believe.
And no, the battery does not automatically need to be replaced because it's X years old.

 

[norseman]

Buying any used car is always a gamble, unless you are fortunate enough to know the previous owner, because you know nothing about the vehicle's history. Yes you can do your research on the model, read owner's reviews & even have the perspective purchase examined but the uncertainty of whether you've bought what may turn out to be a dog is always there.

Drivers who have always owned ICE vehicles & are considering changing to a used EV are introducing yet another strand of uncertainty into the equation, as such a purchase will lead them into the realms of a technology they don't understand.

 

[flameport]

Drivers who have always owned ICE vehicles

That's pretty much every driver, the only exceptions being someone who learned to drive very recently and did so in an electric vehicle.

such a purchase will lead them into the realms of a technology they don't understand.

What's to understand?
ICE car = taking it to a fuel emporium to fill up with petrol or diesel.
EV = plug into an electrical outlet.

That's it. No mystery technology or added complexity. Driving it and using all the electronic crap that's in modern vehicles is the same for any fuel source.

 

[norseman]

That's pretty much every driver, the only exceptions being someone who learned to drive very recently and did so in an electric vehicle.


What's to understand?
ICE car = taking it to a fuel emporium to fill up with petrol or diesel.
EV = plug into an electrical outlet.

That's it. No mystery technology or added complexity. Driving it and using all the electronic crap that's in modern vehicles is the same for any fuel source.

That's the point I was making, the increase in 'electronic crap' is now responsible for the car's motive power. Not so much the motor(s) or batteries themselves but the control systems.
I know two EV owners personally who have their cars, both less than 3 years old & under warranty, stuck at main dealers whilst futile attempts are made to rectify faults that have immobilised the vehicle.

 

[Koolpc]

First Electric car I drove was a Scalextrix

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[dave_104]

I'd rather walk than buy an EV, especially with some of that unbranded stuff coming out from China. In 5 years I bet we'll see a lot of abandoned EV's on the streets as people can't afford new batteries.

 

[Fred Blogs]

People are not buying EVs and manufacturers are turning away from them as well. EVs do not have the range of an ICE, nor do they charge up in a viable time. An ICE pulls into a garage and fills up in five minutes. Plug an EV in, especially in a domestic set up and it can take 24 hours to fully charge and give a reasonable ( nothing like an ICE though) mileage. Consequently people are buying up nearly new ICE cars and this is pushing up the price of second hand vehicles.

 

[norseman]

People are not buying EVs and manufacturers are turning away from them as well. EVs do not have the range of an ICE, nor do they charge up in a viable time. An ICE pulls into a garage and fills up in five minutes. Plug an EV in, especially in a domestic set up and it can take 24 hours to fully charge and give a reasonable ( nothing like an ICE though) mileage. Consequently people are buying up nearly new ICE cars and this is pushing up the price of second hand vehicles.

Sadly the highest April VED rate increases seem to focus on the very range of ICE cars (2001 to 2017) that so many people rely on for their daily transport.
Some of these in the higher emission bands will see their VED almost double whilst not being able to afford newer cars with lower emissions or EV's

Our two (both pre 2001) have escaped this robbery with a £15 PA increase each, but then the two together only cover 6000m a year.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

People are not buying EVs and manufacturers are turning away from them as well. EVs do not have the range of an ICE, nor do they charge up in a viable time. An ICE pulls into a garage and fills up in five minutes. Plug an EV in, especially in a domestic set up and it can take 24 hours to fully charge and give a reasonable ( nothing like an ICE though) mileage. Consequently people are buying up nearly new ICE cars and this is pushing up the price of second hand vehicles.

Nowt much wrong with an EV, for regular, short range commuting - for everything else, you simply cannot compete with ICE.

 

[JohnD]

Nowt much wrong with an EV, for regular, short range commuting - for everything else, you simply cannot compete with ICE.

Short range, meaning 300 miles between charges.