downgrading car lifestyle
Discussion
I suppose some might consider it a 'downgrade' though I call it 'rationalisation'.
For years I ran an Audi A8 as a long distance cruiser alongside the O/H's Fiesta diesel for running around locally and our '63 Riley for weekend 'jollies'. Post lock-down our driving pattern has changed and the Riley gets used more and more; the Audi hasn't been used in four years so has been sitting there, unloved and forlorn.
Following an accident a couple of years ago the Fiesta was replaced with a 123bhp petrol Ecoboom jobby with heated leather seats and other bells and whistles to keep O/H happy on local and longer trips - which it does tolerably well.
So the Audi has to go - sometime...
For years I ran an Audi A8 as a long distance cruiser alongside the O/H's Fiesta diesel for running around locally and our '63 Riley for weekend 'jollies'. Post lock-down our driving pattern has changed and the Riley gets used more and more; the Audi hasn't been used in four years so has been sitting there, unloved and forlorn.
Following an accident a couple of years ago the Fiesta was replaced with a 123bhp petrol Ecoboom jobby with heated leather seats and other bells and whistles to keep O/H happy on local and longer trips - which it does tolerably well.
So the Audi has to go - sometime...
Not quite the same but in 2015 I bought a new 981 Cayman GTS, brilliant car. Only car I had so was my daily, the role I was doing at the time was around 40 miles round trip, 1/2 of which were on fastish A roads. Crap day in the office all but forgotten when I got back to the car park.
I then changed role and ended up with a 100 mile daily commute, pretty much all motorway. The miles started piling on and it wasn't an enjoyable commute, a waste of a great car IMO. The solution was to lease a new fiesta ST-line 1.0 ecoboom for 2 years and use that as much as possible for the commutes and save the Cayman for the weekends.
The reality was I loved to Fiesta, you had to peddle it everywhere, got better MPG and you could just park it anywhere without any concerns. The Cayman became an ornament to a degree.. I still managed 40K miles in it in 6 years.
I guess what I am trying to say is you will probably be surprised in all honesty for 90% of your driving.
I then changed role and ended up with a 100 mile daily commute, pretty much all motorway. The miles started piling on and it wasn't an enjoyable commute, a waste of a great car IMO. The solution was to lease a new fiesta ST-line 1.0 ecoboom for 2 years and use that as much as possible for the commutes and save the Cayman for the weekends.
The reality was I loved to Fiesta, you had to peddle it everywhere, got better MPG and you could just park it anywhere without any concerns. The Cayman became an ornament to a degree.. I still managed 40K miles in it in 6 years.
I guess what I am trying to say is you will probably be surprised in all honesty for 90% of your driving.
Went from a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee to a tatty, but structurally and mechanically sound 1994 Series 1 Land Rover Discovery. It still does towing and family duties well, with no complicated electrics and DPF/EGR to worry about; no concerns about cosmetics or expensive servicing/parts either - it's been quite liberating. Replaced all the discs and front calipers recently for a couple of hundred pounds.
Do I miss the power, comfort and ergonomics of the Jeep? Not really - if I was doing regular long(er) journeys (more than 50 miles) maybe, but the wife has a Mini which handles that.
Do I miss the power, comfort and ergonomics of the Jeep? Not really - if I was doing regular long(er) journeys (more than 50 miles) maybe, but the wife has a Mini which handles that.
My 'garage' here on PH lists a number of varied vehicles of the recent years, and I am known for being keen to move from one vehicle type to another. I'm predominantly working from home post Covid so have the luxury to have a car for occasional commutes and for fun. So whether this fits the initial premise of the question or not, I'm not sure.
I'm about to offload my M2, which is a great car and hopefully sought after. The price I have agreed with a deal taking it for their stock means it'll have cost me a shade over £10k in my 4yrs ownership. I've had better, I've had worse.
Once that's gone, I'll be looking to get back into the more 'fun' cars rather than purely capable. I think I'm a Lotus person so I'll be heading that way I think.
Key differences: 4-seat becomes 2-seat, DCT becomes manual, 3.0 straight six becomes 1.8 four banger. Lighter and driven with (some) sympathy means reduced running costs. I have memories of not having to change tyres or brakes as often on earlier Loti that I've had, so hopefully same here.
I'm about to offload my M2, which is a great car and hopefully sought after. The price I have agreed with a deal taking it for their stock means it'll have cost me a shade over £10k in my 4yrs ownership. I've had better, I've had worse.
Once that's gone, I'll be looking to get back into the more 'fun' cars rather than purely capable. I think I'm a Lotus person so I'll be heading that way I think.
Key differences: 4-seat becomes 2-seat, DCT becomes manual, 3.0 straight six becomes 1.8 four banger. Lighter and driven with (some) sympathy means reduced running costs. I have memories of not having to change tyres or brakes as often on earlier Loti that I've had, so hopefully same here.
Did this 2 years+ ago.
Sold my Volvo V60 R Design (not very good that car in all honesty, liked the 5 cylinder'ness of it) sold it to Cazoo, got some good ££ back on it , it was immaculate.
Bought a £800 2009 Mini R56 1.4 N/A - ran it 6 months, work business mileage paid it off over that time (i do alot of business mileage), but sold it due to it being too small for my work gear, but what a great little car that was.
WBAC'd it, £600 or so I got for it, then put the money towards a £1000 2008 Vectra 1.8 N/A - which again work business mileage has paid it off
had this tank 2 years next month, and put 30,000 miles on it and washed it twice.
I have never been happier in my downgrading my car lifestyle, not sure I will have a "nice" car again in all honestly, they are a waste of money and you become slaves to them, in my case if my car s
ts itself, I will just throw it away and get another one, totally liberating.
Sold my Volvo V60 R Design (not very good that car in all honesty, liked the 5 cylinder'ness of it) sold it to Cazoo, got some good ££ back on it , it was immaculate.
Bought a £800 2009 Mini R56 1.4 N/A - ran it 6 months, work business mileage paid it off over that time (i do alot of business mileage), but sold it due to it being too small for my work gear, but what a great little car that was.
WBAC'd it, £600 or so I got for it, then put the money towards a £1000 2008 Vectra 1.8 N/A - which again work business mileage has paid it off
had this tank 2 years next month, and put 30,000 miles on it and washed it twice.I have never been happier in my downgrading my car lifestyle, not sure I will have a "nice" car again in all honestly, they are a waste of money and you become slaves to them, in my case if my car s
ts itself, I will just throw it away and get another one, totally liberating.Edited by 7 5 7 on Wednesday 20th March 11:00
I did the same a few years ago. Got rid of my 2018 Guilia Veloce (that I bloody loved btw).
Only buy pre 2006 cars now with big engines! (cheaper tax). Currently have a 2005 Cayenne Turbo. It works for me as I either work from home, or if I go to the office it's 5 miles down the road.
Only buy pre 2006 cars now with big engines! (cheaper tax). Currently have a 2005 Cayenne Turbo. It works for me as I either work from home, or if I go to the office it's 5 miles down the road.
I rode the wave of low interest rates and had some nice cars (relatively, to me) over the past 6-7 years
I'm also not seeing the benefits of running an 'imperfect' car and being liberated by it. Whilst it's far from perfect at 8 years old and 102k miles, I still don't want it to become any less perfect, so I still treat it as I would a brand new car. I think I need to go further down the food chain to achieve that liberation.
I still have a strong lust for something more performance focussed and can't shake it off, despite the 435D being a very capable quick car, so I think the answer is don't do it under the pretences of saving money because the chances are you'll probably want to jump back into something nice again quicker than you expect.
- 2017 - brand new Focus ST diesel. Cost me about £220 a month and my first and only new car, loved it for the 20k a year I was doing at the time.
- 2019 - annual mileage halved so took the chance to get into a 18-month old BMW M2 - probably my automotive 'peak'.
- 2021 - Megane RS Trophy - brilliant car for where I live. Owned it for nearly 3 years.
- 2023 - interest rates and general cost of living meant despite my main 'hobby' being cars I couldn't justify an upgrade or even an equivalent to what I had, so I took the equity from the Megane (thanks Covid) and added some cash to outright purchase an 8-year old BMW 435D Gran Coupe.
I'm also not seeing the benefits of running an 'imperfect' car and being liberated by it. Whilst it's far from perfect at 8 years old and 102k miles, I still don't want it to become any less perfect, so I still treat it as I would a brand new car. I think I need to go further down the food chain to achieve that liberation.
I still have a strong lust for something more performance focussed and can't shake it off, despite the 435D being a very capable quick car, so I think the answer is don't do it under the pretences of saving money because the chances are you'll probably want to jump back into something nice again quicker than you expect.
resolve10 said:
I rode the wave of low interest rates and had some nice cars (relatively, to me) over the past 6-7 years
I'm also not seeing the benefits of running an 'imperfect' car and being liberated by it. Whilst it's far from perfect at 8 years old and 102k miles, I still don't want it to become any less perfect, so I still treat it as I would a brand new car. I think I need to go further down the food chain to achieve that liberation.
I still have a strong lust for something more performance focussed and can't shake it off, despite the 435D being a very capable quick car, so I think the answer is don't do it under the pretences of saving money because the chances are you'll probably want to jump back into something nice again quicker than you expect.
Why does a cheaper car have to be " imperfect " as you put it? It's a personal choice, my E Class might not be worth much but I look after it and keep it clean, running a cheap car doesn't mean that by default it's neglected, that's down to the individual. It's why my cheap, old cars last me years, because I look after them, there is no reason at all to neglect a car in my opinion whatever the purchase price, it's a false economy.- 2017 - brand new Focus ST diesel. Cost me about £220 a month and my first and only new car, loved it for the 20k a year I was doing at the time.
- 2019 - annual mileage halved so took the chance to get into a 18-month old BMW M2 - probably my automotive 'peak'.
- 2021 - Megane RS Trophy - brilliant car for where I live. Owned it for nearly 3 years.
- 2023 - interest rates and general cost of living meant despite my main 'hobby' being cars I couldn't justify an upgrade or even an equivalent to what I had, so I took the equity from the Megane (thanks Covid) and added some cash to outright purchase an 8-year old BMW 435D Gran Coupe.
I'm also not seeing the benefits of running an 'imperfect' car and being liberated by it. Whilst it's far from perfect at 8 years old and 102k miles, I still don't want it to become any less perfect, so I still treat it as I would a brand new car. I think I need to go further down the food chain to achieve that liberation.
I still have a strong lust for something more performance focussed and can't shake it off, despite the 435D being a very capable quick car, so I think the answer is don't do it under the pretences of saving money because the chances are you'll probably want to jump back into something nice again quicker than you expect.
On the plus side it has a sumptuous interior, rides beautifully, the auto gearbox is superb and it pulls like a train. I can't think of anything that would be as nice for the price that I paid for it.
sunnyb13 said:
having a performance car is getting expensive in this day and age, has anyone taken the plunge and downgraded their cars?
thinking of getting something simple like a golf or similar.
would be good to get thoughts.
I massively de-fleeted. From a Ford GT, Murcielago, Bentley, Aston etc to a Tesla and a Morgan (for the summer).thinking of getting something simple like a golf or similar.
would be good to get thoughts.
Having scratched the itch for fast cars and also having faced the genuine issue of where do you drive a 200mph supercar on roads full of cyclists, caravans and cameras.... I didn't find it a problem at all.
The only thing I'd say about getting a more simple car, is to get something you'd enjoy driving. My best chum has an F40, but for daily duties has a GR Yaris.
Gordon Hill said:
Why does a cheaper car have to be " imperfect " as you put it? It's a personal choice, my E Class might not be worth much but I look after it and keep it clean, running a cheap car doesn't mean that by default it's neglected, that's down to the individual. It's why my cheap, old cars last me years, because I look after them, there is no reason at all to neglect a car in my opinion whatever the purchase price, it's a false economy.
On the plus side it has a sumptuous interior, rides beautifully, the auto gearbox is superb and it pulls like a train. I can't think of anything that would be as nice for the price that I paid for it.
Agree with this. Worth looking after whatever you have. On the plus side it has a sumptuous interior, rides beautifully, the auto gearbox is superb and it pulls like a train. I can't think of anything that would be as nice for the price that I paid for it.
Fusion777 said:
Gordon Hill said:
Why does a cheaper car have to be " imperfect " as you put it? It's a personal choice, my E Class might not be worth much but I look after it and keep it clean, running a cheap car doesn't mean that by default it's neglected, that's down to the individual. It's why my cheap, old cars last me years, because I look after them, there is no reason at all to neglect a car in my opinion whatever the purchase price, it's a false economy.
On the plus side it has a sumptuous interior, rides beautifully, the auto gearbox is superb and it pulls like a train. I can't think of anything that would be as nice for the price that I paid for it.
Agree with this. Worth looking after whatever you have. On the plus side it has a sumptuous interior, rides beautifully, the auto gearbox is superb and it pulls like a train. I can't think of anything that would be as nice for the price that I paid for it.
resolve10 said:
I still have a strong lust for something more performance focussed and can't shake it off, despite the 435D being a very capable quick car, so I think the answer is don't do it under the pretences of saving money because the chances are you'll probably want to jump back into something nice again quicker than you expect.
I also have a 435D GC, fantastically capable and quick family car, but also fancied a properly sporty weekend car... ended up doing my bike test 6 months ago instead and its been great, so now have a Honda CBR650R for fun times.Driving in the UK now is not enjoyable for 95% of the time. The speed limits are ridiculous in parts and there are just so many cars on the road.
I run an old pickup, slow, but has character and comes in handy. Gone are the days of amg, lotus and porsche and I don't miss it. I used to enjoy Harrys Garage, but now when a new video pops up I last about a minute, just another insanely expensive car to drive at 20, 30 or 50mph.
I don't think the rising cost of living is helping those of us on modest incomes either. I used to be able to balance things quite nicely, but whilst the moneys there, I look at other costs and just think the expense simply isn't justified.
I run an old pickup, slow, but has character and comes in handy. Gone are the days of amg, lotus and porsche and I don't miss it. I used to enjoy Harrys Garage, but now when a new video pops up I last about a minute, just another insanely expensive car to drive at 20, 30 or 50mph.
I don't think the rising cost of living is helping those of us on modest incomes either. I used to be able to balance things quite nicely, but whilst the moneys there, I look at other costs and just think the expense simply isn't justified.
I opted out of our company car scheme in 2019 and spent the full amount of my tax savings / allowance on a brand new M140i. On paper it seemed perfect; quick, cheap(ish) to run and vaguely interesting.
After two years, not using it all that much because of Covid I fell out of love with it big time and swapped it for an old 130i LE with Birds suspension. I didn't even look back at my M140i as I drove off - I loved that little 130i; small (its ultimate downfall), six cylinder engine and manual gearbox. It was a fun thing and I was genuinely sad to see it be driven off by the new owner. It was replaced with an old 335i.
After two years, not using it all that much because of Covid I fell out of love with it big time and swapped it for an old 130i LE with Birds suspension. I didn't even look back at my M140i as I drove off - I loved that little 130i; small (its ultimate downfall), six cylinder engine and manual gearbox. It was a fun thing and I was genuinely sad to see it be driven off by the new owner. It was replaced with an old 335i.
For me the biggest issue is the appalling quality of the roads, the 20 MPH speed limits, the terrible driving ability of other drivers and the terrible traffic anywhere. I cannot imagine how pointless it must be to own a sportscar where I live, it must be a pucker fest of trying to avoid every pothole, speed bump, deliveroo rider and selfish SUV driver.
Trouble is I can totally see why every other driver has an SUV, I am seriously considering joining them. I want nice soft suspension, high sidewall tyres, a high driving position and automatic transmission.
I just want comfort and waftability and not to have to watch the road like a hawk and do the pothole slalom every journey.
Trouble is I can totally see why every other driver has an SUV, I am seriously considering joining them. I want nice soft suspension, high sidewall tyres, a high driving position and automatic transmission.
I just want comfort and waftability and not to have to watch the road like a hawk and do the pothole slalom every journey.
ThingsBehindTheSun said:
For me the biggest issue is the appalling quality of the roads, the 20 MPH speed limits, the terrible driving ability of other drivers and the terrible traffic anywhere. I cannot imagine how pointless it must be to own a sportscar where I live, it must be a pucker fest of trying to avoid every pothole, speed bump, deliveroo rider and selfish SUV driver.
Trouble is I can totally see why every other driver has an SUV, I am seriously considering joining them. I want nice soft suspension, high sidewall tyres, a high driving position and automatic transmission.
I just want comfort and waftability and not to have to watch the road like a hawk and do the pothole slalom every journey.
I actually tried that for 2 years. I began to hate every journey because it was soooooo boring. The Lexus RX300 was comfy, convenient etc. and it was easy to drive across the country. But the short journeys (up to 1 hr, travelling 5-10 miles) stuck in rush hour traffic, and even 30 zones for 30 minutes with no traffic - I hated them because they were so uninteresting. It felt like I was wasting my time. Even listening to podcasts, audiobooks etc wasn't cutting it. Trouble is I can totally see why every other driver has an SUV, I am seriously considering joining them. I want nice soft suspension, high sidewall tyres, a high driving position and automatic transmission.
I just want comfort and waftability and not to have to watch the road like a hawk and do the pothole slalom every journey.
At least now, with my sheTTy, the journeys are interesting, every pothole becomes a chicane in a mini Mulsanne Straight. I don't have time to concentrate on podcasts because my concentration is so focused on the road surface!
Mind you, the potholes have become so bad that it's turning every journey into a Top Gear challenge and I'd been eyeing safari cars for a while (pre-Grand Tour Sand Job!) so I'm tempted to do some subtle mods to my TT.
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