RE: Future proof: PH Blog
Discussion
- BRZ / GT86
- MX-5
- M135i / 235i: Would be concerned at possible borkage & the I-Drive system dating the interior.
- 2015 Mustang V8: Fuel costs may make this a bit of a dream; not interested in the 4-banger.
- 370Z: Though, as above, not sure if fuel costs would be too high for a daily, also high RFL.
- Discovery 4 SDV6 HSE Luxury (or similar high spec): This is what I can see myself eventually replacing my Disco 2 with.
I'd love a Fiesta ST in about 5 years time assuming I have garage space for 2 cars, or, failing that, the Megane 220 GT wagon if it'll fit a tool cabinet in the back with the seats down. When I can get one in Aus for under say $17,000 with under 150,000kms on the odo ( I don't believe in financing and I'll only be on about 55k a year) then I'm in.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who does this! I certainly can't afford a new high end car but I can when they are 1/4 the price! There are definitely some cars for sale now that you won't be able to buy 10 years from now. Any manual, NA, RWD sports car. There's quite a few I have my eye on. Especially things like the manual V10 Plus R8, manual NA supercar, yes please!
Ginetta has some interesting current cars that might be interesting if there were a few for sale a few years down the line, not seen any on the road up here though.
Morgan holding their value so out of reach just now. Three wheeler might make a fun purchase in a few years if the v8s don't drop faster.
Morgan holding their value so out of reach just now. Three wheeler might make a fun purchase in a few years if the v8s don't drop faster.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Sadly, save (possibly) for one or two cars I have to agree with you. I took the OP in this thread to mean "if you had to choose a car currently in production...". - If I could choose "out of production" cars, the only ones from my list above that I'd still be interested in are the Mustang and Discovery (I judge off-roaders by different standards to 'normal' cars).anonymous said:
[redacted]
To be honest, I again agree but it's still ten times better than the FWD, turbo inline-4 alternatives to me!So yes; unfortunately, new and recent cars don't hold a lot of appeal for me. - Yes; there are still some high-end sports and supercars that may be wonderful but they're also irrelevant as I'd need a miraculous change in fortunes to experience them.
Mr Gear said:
It's the electric and hybrid cars that I am looking forward to getting cheap a few years down the line.
It's exactly those that scare me. I've necessarily been buying at the cheaper end of the market for the last ten years, they've been reasonably cheap to keep going. But the cost of wear and tear replacement for all those electrical bits, and hybrid gubbins will mean an early visit to the scrap yard for many of the modern cars.suffolk009 said:
It's exactly those that scare me. I've necessarily been buying at the cheaper end of the market for the last ten years, they've been reasonably cheap to keep going. But the cost of wear and tear replacement for all those electrical bits, and hybrid gubbins will mean an early visit to the scrap yard for many of the modern cars.
Electric cars are considerably more simple than IC cars, and hybrids mechanical parts don't have to work hard as a 'normal' car. The prius is one of the most reliable cars you can buy anyway.
suffolk009 said:
Mr Gear said:
It's the electric and hybrid cars that I am looking forward to getting cheap a few years down the line.
It's exactly those that scare me. I've necessarily been buying at the cheaper end of the market for the last ten years, they've been reasonably cheap to keep going. But the cost of wear and tear replacement for all those electrical bits, and hybrid gubbins will mean an early visit to the scrap yard for many of the modern cars.I think the Tesla Roadster would also be a good buy right now. Musk mentioned that he plans to bring out a new lighter and higher capacity battery pack for the old Roadster sometime soon, that would kill two birds with one stone: you get a lighter car, longer range and a brand new battery pack. Plus its arguably a future classic as it was the first production electric sports car.
unsprung said:
Certainly there's added complexity in a hybrid petrol-electric vehicle. On the other hand, in a full-on battery-electric car like the Tesla, it's kind of interesting how little there is to maintain in terms of the powertrain.
The problem is that aging electronics often fail with little or no warning (to the end user), so when something does go, it's likely to be sudden and prohibitively expensive. I see cars becoming throw-away items like a mobile phone, paid for monthly under contract. I don't think that new cars in, say 10-years' time will ever be seen in the same light as we see classics now.I'd imagine full EVs probably have less electronics than normal internal combustion engined cars - an electric motor is a lot simpler to manage than an ICE even when you take into account the battery conditioning stuff.
Obviously hybrids are a worth of both worlds in this respect.
Obviously hybrids are a worth of both worlds in this respect.
Edited by kambites on Friday 1st August 10:56
Clivey said:
unsprung said:
Certainly there's added complexity in a hybrid petrol-electric vehicle. On the other hand, in a full-on battery-electric car like the Tesla, it's kind of interesting how little there is to maintain in terms of the powertrain.
The problem is that aging electronics often fail with little or no warning (to the end user), so when something does go, it's likely to be sudden and prohibitively expensive. I see cars becoming throw-away items like a mobile phone, paid for monthly under contract. I don't think that new cars in, say 10-years' time will ever be seen in the same light as we see classics now.Your comment about cars being disposable is especially interesting. Imagine how a manufacturer would design a driverless car intended solely for group use - for use by subscribers in the so-called sharing economy. This would be unlike almost any car sold today.
On the one hand, there will be these shared cars or driverless pods. And on the other, I reckon we'll see individually-owned vehicles that offer even higher levels of personalization, at lower production volumes, than is available today.
One interesting article:
Self-driving cars will set off an economic and cultural earthquake
HonestIago said:
I quite fancy a £12-15k M135i in a few (3-4?) years time. Should be reliable and look pretty fresh still. Nothing else modern (in a sensible price range) has quite the want-one factor for me. If you have a superman-spec 5dr auto then please look after it! 
I see where you're coming from. I went for a long time without a nice, interesting, fast road car. Nothing interested me since i got rid of my last Clio 172, so i opted instead for mostly diesels and track cars. The wife's old cooper-s was good though. Test drove the M135i and fell in love enough to get one.Having driven mine for 8k miles now, i'd say they're hard to beat as an all-rounder. We've averaged 33 mpg and it's been faultless, and it goes like stink! Ours is superman spec, but a manual. Sun protection pack finishes it off nicely. It's one hell of a car, and once they do drop down to sub £15k will be a performance bargain.
Edit to add: Some more pics here if anyone is particularly interested in how the Superman colours look: http://s222.photobucket.com/user/davidpearson38/li...
Edited by dapearson on Friday 1st August 12:11
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