Car Viewing tomorrow (Maybe)

[Cyker]

1 minute ago, Bob66 said:

I was hoping that Hydrogen , would be the future for ice cars, but it's really quiet on that score...perhaps there's more problem harnessing it than was initially envisaged.

Sadly it's mostly an economical problem - We have everything we need to make hydrogen the alternative, but it's just so expensive to produce cleanly - At the moment the main production methods are by chemical reaction or hydrolysis.

The first uses (IIRC) methane as a feedstock, which is a fossil fuel and the process is fairly energy efficient but produces a large amount of CO2 which rather defeats the point. Hydrolysis is much cleaner, but requires a vast amount of electricity.

I forget the numbers exactly but it was something like you'd need 300 EV miles worth of electricity to produce 100 miles of hydrogen (That's probably totally wrong but you get the idea!  )

If we ever get the the point where we have a massive surplus of renewable power, it will become more likely to happen, but at the moment they can't make the numbers work which is why everyone's quietly shelving it  

 

Edit: I love the bike - I keep entertaining the idea of going for a bike licence but I must admit I'm a big chicken and the idea of using a motorbike in London scares me!  

 

 

1 minute ago, Bper said:

Hi Ron, I lived in Islington for 22 years and worked all over London and in all honesty never encountered any problems with the air. I could however clearly see the pollution on the underground. Whenever we go back and we have to use the tube its like we have never been away.

Yeah, its never really been a major issue outside the A406 until the first ULEZ expansion, then we saw a significant increase at the border as cars avoided cutting through and going round the A406.

It's increased in many of the roads I use because of LTNs - The amount of traffic along major arterial routes is crazy now and just from smell I feel it's worsened; It's pretty logical since if you concentrate all cars along a handful of roads rather than letting them spread out, it will also concentrate te pollution. I can't speak for overall, as I imagine in the LTN areas the air quality has improved significantly as traffic throughput is practically zero, but on the roads I travel on it's definitely worse, esp. as a lot of those roads are bus routes and esp. sections without bus lanes the busses are sitting there idling all their diesel fumes out because the stop-start and hybrid modes evidently don't work in them.

 

[Bper]

17 minutes ago, Bob66 said:

I was hoping that Hydrogen , would be the future for ice cars, but it's really quiet on that score perhaps there are more problems harnessing it than was initially envisaged.

Hi Peter,You are right, hydrogen cars haven't quite taken off the way some people predicted. There are a few reasons for this.

Battery technology has improved a lot, electric vehicles with bigger batteries can now travel much further on a single charge than they could just a few years ago. This makes them more comparable to petrol powered cars in terms of range.

The Hydrogen infrastructure is lacking and filling up a hydrogen car can be difficult, as there aren't many hydrogen stations around yet. Building this infrastructure would be a big investment.

Making hydrogen clean isn't easy right now, most hydrogen is produced from natural gas, which isn't exactly an eco-friendly process. To be truly green, hydrogen needs to be produced from renewable sources like solar or wind power, but this technology is still developing.

So,while hydrogen cars have some advantages, like fast refueling times and zero exhaust emissions, there are still some significant obstacles to overcome.

There is still some ongoing research and development in hydrogen fuel cells, so it's not out of the picture entirely. But for now, Battery electric vehicles seem to be the frontrunners in the race to replace petrol powered vehicles.🙂

[Jimota]

37 minutes ago, Primus1 said:

All those features are still available, it called a pushbike 

As I said I like to look forward.  That’s why I have an electric bike as well.  It’s great for the steep hills that surround me and the scenic country tracks in the area.🚴. It’s so much better than my old penny farthing.

[Bper]

10 minutes ago, Jimota said:

As I said I like to look forward.  That’s why I have an electric bike as well.  It’s great for the steep hills that surround me and the scenic country tracks in the area.🚴. It’s so much better than my old penny farthing.

I've been so busy road testing penny farthings all week, my feet haven't touched the ground.😂

[Cyker]

Careful, we've derailleured this topic enough already!  

[Primus1]

As I’ve said before, hamsters 🐹, im currently experimenting with two hamster wheels in the back of the car, they run around in their little wheels and generate power to the hybrid batteries and this powered the car, I can get 15 hamsters per mile at the moment and a top speed of 6mph, down hill, I have to keep stopping every mile and change out the hamsters for fresh ones, and I have a slight problem with having to tow a trailer full of them and their food, which affects economy, plus the cost of the food, they’re hungry little blighters and the cost is £ 500 per week, not to mention the !Removed! squeaking, and now I’ve just told them I plan on doing a 500 mile round trip to Scotland and they all seem to be arming themselves with small homemade clubs, still, a few teething problems are to be expected..

[anchorman]

2 hours ago, Bob66 said:

That's a beautiful car. 🙂

I enjoyed my UX...and would have loved to have the new iAWD...with the bigger rear motor, but the price is just a little bit more than I want to pay...no discounts available.  So, I've ordered a Premiere Cross iAWD instead.

Carwow are showing discounts of around £4500 but the only thing stopping me having a Cross or an LBX is the absence of ventilated seats.  My poor Mrs suffers badly with overheating.  

[Jimota]

This is a really good thread. It was originally geared towards going for a nice quaint stroll to our ever so nice and friendly Toyota dealerships to view all the lovely cars on display.  Instead it’s veered off track to include pollution, climate change, penny farthings, electric bikes, motor bikes, giving financial tips, gun laws and hamsters.  I’d like to think it caused by our lateral thinking skills and the need to communicate in an educated and meaningful  way.  Or, is it the case we’re all crashing bores with nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon.  I’ve had enough of it so I’m now going to complete a very challenging jigsaw puzzle.

[MikeSh]

3 hours ago, Bper said:

hydrogen cars haven't quite taken off the way some people predicted. There are a few reasons for this.

Hydrogen is probably only going to work for certain niches, like aviation, where there is the will and skill to deal with it. Even there I suspect other developments may sideline it.

It's difficult to handle, transport and store, because it's the Houdini of molecules, and as @Cyker mentioned the overall efficiency from, say, wind/solar to mechanical energy is dreadful. There was a plan to test it for domestic heating in some UK areas but I believe those trials have been abandoned.

[Trewithy]

4 hours ago, Trewithy said:

Staying on topic, this afternoon I am going to have a look at the Yaris Cross and the LBX.

I went to the Toyota showroom and they had every model on display except the Yaris Cross.  I did look at the Yaris PE. It looked nice in blue with a black roof, unfortunately the boot is too small for me. There was only one staff member there and he was engaged with a customer so I couldn't talk to him.

Then I went next door to the Lexus showroom only to find it is no longer a Lexus showroom it has been downgraded to a Lexus service centre.  If I want to look at a new Lexus I have to drive 40 miles to the nearest Lexus dealer.  Interestingly I found out that a major service for a LBX would be £140 above the cost of the same service on a Yaris Cross even though it is serviced in the same workshop by the same technicians and, I assume, uses all the same filters etc.

[Bob66]

2 minutes ago, Trewithy said:

I went to the Toyota showroom and they had every model on display except the Yaris Cross.  I did look at the Yaris PE. It looked nice in blue with a black roof, unfortunately the boot is too small for me. There was only one staff member there and he was engaged with a customer so I couldn't talk to him.

Then I went next door to the Lexus showroom only to find it is no longer a Lexus showroom it has been downgraded to a Lexus service centre.  If I want to look at a new Lexus I have to drive 40 miles to the nearest Lexus dealer.  Interestingly I found out that a major service for a LBX would be £140 above the cost of the same service on a Yaris Cross even though it is serviced in the same workshop by the same technicians and, I assume, uses all the same filters etc.

Me ...thinks the LBX is aimed at a more affluent walking wallet. 🙂

[Cyker]

If anyone sees that wallet it's, err, mine!   

Although at the way things are going there's a good chance the next Yaris will attract the £40k Premium Car Tax

[dads Taxi x3]

On 4/25/2024 at 7:40 PM, Bper said:

Cyker, you should be pleased that people want to PM you. The last person that contacted me was Moses and he kept banging on about a problem with his tablets. 😂

Was they apples ??? Tablets 

 

[dads Taxi x3]

10 hours ago, Jimota said:

Ideally, I would like an electric car but as I live in a flat it makes ownership a bit more problematic compared to having a self charging hybrid.  I do have genuine concerns about pollution and protection of the environment and that is one of the reasons that I moved away from ICE cars.  Technology is ever evolving and my humble opinion is that ICE cars will eventually be phased out.  When it happens some people might look back with nostalgia but I prefer to look forward.  How many of us would still like to see cross-ply tyres, no ABS brakes, no seat belts, no air bags, no air conditioning, no ECVT gears, no LCD lights and last but not least - starting handles.  Mind you a starting handle might come in handy for the unlucky Yaris/Yaris Cross owners who’ve had 12v battery problems.

I live near Cardiff and Cardiff fire station has thenonly fire tender to put out EV fires even merthyr Tydfil  which is 30 miles away don't have a fire engine to put out EV car fires as they need fome  cant use water .. so if you drive an EV car and you crash an your stuck in the car  an it's starts to rain  (wales does have lots very hotnsummers ha ha ha yea right )  you hope that you get out or it don't catch fire .for at least 40 mins to 1 hr  .

[Primus1]

On 4/28/2024 at 4:05 PM, Jimota said:

This is a really good thread. It was originally geared towards going for a nice quaint stroll to our ever so nice and friendly Toyota dealerships to view all the lovely cars on display.  Instead it’s veered off track to include pollution, climate change, penny farthings, electric bikes, motor bikes, giving financial tips, gun laws and hamsters.  I’d like to think it caused by our lateral thinking skills and the need to communicate in an educated and meaningful  way.  Or, is it the case we’re all crashing bores with nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon.  I’ve had enough of it so I’m now going to complete a very challenging jigsaw puzzle.

I did a jigsaw the other day it said 3 to 6 months on the box, did it in three days…quite proud of myself…

[Jimota]

When completing jigsaws I always find the 4 corner pieces first and then go for the straight edges and eventually work my way in.  However, I didn’t realise that this jigsaw was round and as a result there was no corner edges.  Wasted half the afternoon looking for these non existent pieces so the jigsaw ended up on the floor in thousands of pieces.

[MikeSh]

33 minutes ago, Jimota said:

When completing jigsaws I always find the 4 corner pieces first

Having found them I use a tape or ruler to place them correctly. It helps 🙂

[CoopzSenior1962]

I am currently driving a Pearlescent white Yaris cross Premiere edition which I had 2 years ago. The local Toyota dealer asked me to call in to review my car and see where I wanted to go next.  So I had a look at the new MY24 premiere edition which is an upgraded info screen and some more extras with fancy updated parking assist (Not used), bigger engine (Slightly), alleged reduced noise - Dealer says its the same as the LBX virtually.  Final outcome was they could supply one by July 2024 and they were keen to get my current car as its the premiere with Head up display etc. So, to do the deal they could go ahead and my monthly charge would be a slight increase from £345 to £500.... (45% increase)

Told them that I will go look elsewhere - Lexus, KIA or other Toyota dealer..  They panicked and said they MAY be able to reduce to £450..  Last thing he saw was my tail lights at the carpark exit..

Realise that there is still 1 year on my PCP but the lame excuses he was using for the increase was terrible.

Already been offered much better deal for a Lexus LBX and a Kia Sportage.

 

 

[trashman1965]

Get quotes for the new car on carwow. Use that as a lever or go to the dealer that's best price. You can still use your dealer for servicing if you're otherwise happy. 

Most when they see the car wow deal will match as they realise you're serious and done your research. 

[Corolly Poly]

I saved over 5.5k using carwow and taking PCP for a 1.5k Toyota deposit contribution. I paid the PCP off within 30 days which incurred about £250 interest (minimum charge for paying off). I had to travel a few miles to get it but it was worth it. The local dealer would not budge from a 2k saving on list (3.25k after PCP deposit payoff).

[Neptuneblue]

5 hours ago, Corolly Poly said:

I saved over 5.5k using carwow and taking PCP for a 1.5k Toyota deposit contribution. I paid the PCP off within 30 days which incurred about £250 interest (minimum charge for paying off). I had to travel a few miles to get it but it was worth it. The local dealer would not budge from a 2k saving on list (3.25k after PCP deposit payoff).

I absolutely love hearing of people doing this and simply cannot understand why other cash buyers don’t do the same? It works for used as well as new (usually to a lesser amount granted on used but still!)

I apply the same principle to virtually all my finances: car/home insurance, energy suppliers, banking, savings etc etc. Be a “Martin Lewis” and never pay more/ get ripped off.😉

Well done @Corolly Poly for getting such a big discount👍

[anchorman]

For some people, the monthly payment seems to be the be all and end all but it is so easy to change that payment by changing the deposit or the final figure.  You haven’t achieved a thing by getting the monthly payment down, you’ve only shifted it somewhere else and when you add the deposit, the payments and the final payment together, you’re probably paying more UNLESS you negotiated a lower purchase price.  It seems very naive to me that owners come away feeling smug that their payments have come down when you’ve just been duped by the dimmest of salesmen.  If you want low payments and you know the final payment will go up that’s fine but don’t be fooled.  If your car is part way through a plan you need to know its value and its equity because it may all look tempting but rest assured, you are going to pay somewhere.  Conversely, if a manufacturer is offering zero percent, don’t come all over high and mighty “I always pay for my things and never have credit”, that’s just as dim as Eric the dim salesman who just duped the previous naive customer.  Leave your money in the bank making 5% you dimwit, pride has bggr all to do with it, common sense does. 

[trashman1965]

Very true which is why I personally tell the dealer forget mileage/monthly/deposit/finance/part ex and focus on the price of the new car and what discount they will give. Then a conversation about part ex value, anything I want to put into the deal and finally the finance and any incentives. At that point I expect the APR/contribution to match deals advertised on Toyota deals page (or better if about to be updated)

I believe @Corolly Poly followed this and actually negotiated a better price to change which resulted in a better monthly payment.

[Corolly Poly]

11 minutes ago, trashman1965 said:

Very true which is why I personally tell the dealer forget mileage/monthly/deposit/finance/part ex and focus on the price of the new car and what discount they will give. Then a conversation about part ex value, anything I want to put into the deal and finally the finance and any incentives. At that point I expect the APR/contribution to match deals advertised on Toyota deals page (or better if about to be updated)

I believe @Corolly Poly followed this and actually negotiated a better price to change which resulted in a better monthly payment.

My focus was entirely on the purchase price. It may have affected the monthly payment but I was never interested in that as I never intended to use the credit. I just looked at the total amount of credit required after deposits (mine and Toyotas) as that is what I needed to clear.

[Cyker]

BTW Corolly Poly is a great handle  

It makes me think of my of my old Mk1 Yarisusesieses (Which were quite rolly polly in corners!  )