City cars

[Red Herring]

I really see little merit in changing something that is working well simply because it's "old".
Worn out yes, becoming unreliable yes, but simply on age?

When I was working and commuting 100 miles a day I had a 330 BMW because it was fast, reliable, good on fuel and actually quite cheap to run for the kind of driving I was doing (90%) motorway. I sold it a week after I retired.

I've still got my 1999 Landcruiser which has only just rolled 100k, and my 1994 MX5 which hasn't yet got to 80k. They both do exactly what I need from a car, have been 100% reliable, owe me absolutely nothing and cost me pretty much the same to maintain..... My biggest worry with the way the eco warriors are going is that I'm not going to be allowed to keep them on the road soon because they have "old" emission standards.

[embee]

Originally Posted by Red Herring

I really see little merit in changing something that is working well simply because it's "old".....

True indeed, but sometimes you just want a change. Let's face it we change our bikes for little real reason, we don't "need" anything more than a 20yr old CB500, but we "want" wizz-bangs. I know it goes against the grain for certain geographical stereotypes, but sometimes some of us just want to spend some cash ("Eee, money's not for spending, lad").
There are some real world advantages in modern cars, particularly safety related. A 20+ yr old car which rated 4 or 5 stars when new would probably struggle to even get on the rating scale nowadays.
Small cars are great for short urban trips, I'd have one if I didn't want to tow a trailer (things like Aygo/Up aren't homologated for towing, though bizarrely you can get a "towbar" for the UP which can be used for a cycle carrier.... but not a trailer).
I keep my 20yr old Yaris because it's worth nothing but very useful as a workhorse (and towing the trailer), but it doesn't even have ABS let alone all the other safety gizmos (just 2 airbags in front). The Jazz has nearly all the knobs and whistles going.

[Red Herring]

Originally Posted by embee

True indeed, but sometimes you just want a change. Let's face it we change our bikes for little real reason, we don't "need" anything more than a 20yr old CB500, but we "want" wizz-bangs......

And if the OP was talking about something exciting I would sort of get that argument, but he's looking for something small reliable and cheap.......

I don't think there are many new city cars that will be significantly "safer" than a ten year old Yaris, and if you want to argue a case on eco grounds I doubt the increased carbon footprint generated by driving the older car into the ground would be any worse than that caused by the production of the new car and the disposal of the old one.

Pretty much the only gain from continually updating your vehicle is had by the manufactures and supply chain. I prefer to spend my money on enjoying what I have!

[ethariel]

PCP the bane of our lives, New for barely used with a 40-50% of the new price millstone hanging round your neck when the agreement is up.

[Seeker]

Originally Posted by Red Herring

And if the OP was talking about something exciting I would sort of get that argument, but he's looking for something small reliable and cheap.......

I don't think there are many new city cars that will be significantly "safer" than a ten year old Yaris, and if you want to argue a case on eco grounds I doubt the increased carbon footprint generated by driving the older car into the ground would be any worse than that caused by the production of the new car and the disposal of the old one.

Pretty much the only gain from continually updating your vehicle is had by the manufactures and supply chain. I prefer to spend my money on enjoying what I have!

OP here: I don't need to change it. I inherited the car from my late Dad and he was disappointed in it compared to his previous Yaris. Why? As mentioned previously the gearbox is not pleasant to use in the lower gears. There's a suggestion on the Yaris forum that there's an issue with the slip rings on the synchromesh but Toyota won't recall the cars but have modified the design. It affects the 6 speed, the previous Yaris was a 5 and was fine. My Dad was also surprised (annoyed) to find that the new 1.3 Yaris was taxed in a higher bracket (more CO2? I never checked). The Yaris dash on these older models is in the centre of the dash - on the previous model it was digital and clearly legible - on this one it's analog with a red on orange display which cannot be seen in sunshine.

The car isn't in bad condition (for 11 years old) but Dad was still driving at 90 years old (I tried to stop him) and navigating the gateposts was proving difficult unless he did it by contact - there's a few minor scrapes. I also dropped the Z900RS on it which has scraped the bumper (the bikes ok though in case you were worried). The a/c condenser has a hole in it and new one is £500 (from Toyota) and it's still on its original battery (after 11 years! - amazing).

The car is bigger than what I need - I'm small, don't carry passengers and a narrower car would help with moving my bikes around although it's not a big deal.

I'm fortunate inasamuch as money isn't an issue. I am seriously worried* that our country's economy is screwed and I think people like me, if they have the money to spare, should spend it because younger people have been badly shafted and frequently don't have the cash to spend. Ideally, this would be on UK products but there isn't a small UK car, so the next best thing is helping the local dealer.

* I worry about a lot of things.

[Dave20046]

re. that last paragraph. Hats off to you sir