Jumping the gun here, but by April, post hip op, I expect to be firing on all cylinders...
Planning Settle >Portsmouth > Santander > Costa Blanca. Accommodation now booked for May, 3 weeks end of season mountain walking with my group. Drive north to Picos for a weeks walking, then stay with French friends who live off the beaten track in the Pyrenees. More walking.
I’m not taking the GR Yaris. I anticipate a fair amount of unmade mountain roads to reach trailheads, lots of opportunities for dings and minor scrapes...travelling solo so need good visibility whilst driving. And reliability. I’m thinking Japanese. I’ll buy before the trip and sell after. £10k ish budget, and fully expect whatever I buy to devalue.
Rav 4. Old model Mazda 3 2.2 diesel ?
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Unless you need some off road capability, I reckon I’d go Toyota Avensis or Mazda6. Both estates. Moot point whether petrol or diesel. The former is perceived to be more reliable, the latter will obviously use less fuel.
I’d also consider a Mondeo or Insignia. Or, you could go all Spanish with a Leon estate? I guess if that went wrong, the locals could fix it easily. Skoda Octavia/Superb probably also worth a look.
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I won’t need any off road capability. Decent ride height, sensible tyres, spare wheel.
I travel light...probably best to have 4 doors, so hatch or small estate. Focus size is as large as I need, but must be comfortable long distance cruiser, so at the moment I’m ruling out Micra sized stuff.
Although I’ve driven across Europe in a mini and a Spitfire several decades ago.
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I've always thought the answer to 'what car do I need?', has been a Mondeo.
Fortunately, Dunc's not around to correct punctuation.
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Duster maybe?
Would easily cope with an occasional rough track, wouldn’t suffer much from an odd ding, cheap to buy, run, insure or if necessary, repair. Comfortable and spacious enough. Choice of engines and trim to suit most preferences.
Kind of cool in a utilitarian chic way too.
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Thu 13 Oct 22 at 09:25
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I like the Duster. The latest model is rather funky. Auto, aircon and leather (which are musts for me). Plenty of 3 year-olds for sale sub £10k.
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The Duster I had as a hire car a couple of years ago felt very agricultural, including the speed of the thing.
I spoke to the guy who collected it at the end of the hire period, and he said customers and Enterprise staff had made nothing but negative comments about it. They had tried several times to offload it to another branch of Enterprise, but it eventually comes back again because no one else wants it either.
I guess the newer models are slightly more refined and loved?
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I wouldnt want to drive all the way from t'North to Spain in a Duster.
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>> I wouldnt want to drive all the way from t'North to Spain in a Duster.
I don’t know so much about that, sometimes getting the best out of a basic car can be quite satisfying. I’ve done trips of that magnitude in a Mk1 Panda before now and had great fun.
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I wouldnt want to drive all the way from t'North to Spain in a Duster.
>>
Nah. I’ll be going on a luxury cruise to Santander from PottyMouth.
My short list was Toyota Rav4, Corolla or old model Mazda3 with the 2.2 diesel. Then my walking pals who live off the beaten track in Espana suggested a Duster. It had previously piqued my interest.
A late model one has Apple Car Play, which for me is an excellent option ( helps me find remote fincas where my campo living friends are, and obscure walk start points, by putting in multi digit coordinates). The others mentioned don’t have this, apart from more recent, and far more expensive, models.
And the Duster has decent visibility....talking of which, most road testers of the GRY mention this. It’s the only negative thing I can say about it. The viz between the top of the touch screen and the large rear view mirror is verging on minimal. Bad enough in the U.K. where you get used to wobbling your head about at junctions....a RHD GRY on the continent would be far far worse.
Last edited by: legacylad on Fri 14 Oct 22 at 21:07
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Is there not a modificartion for the Yaris visibility issue?
Am sure I saw that in one of "Shmee"s youtube videos
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>> Is there not a modificartion for the Yaris visibility issue?
>>
>> Am sure I saw that in one of "Shmee"s youtube videos
>>
Indeed.
I’m a member of two GRY Owners Forums and it’s on my ‘to do’ list when I return from Spain November....probably be early 2023 as my hip op is scheduled within days of my return and I won’t be driving for a few weeks or months.
No idea who ‘Shmee’ is...appreciate the heads up...the HUD being a feature I wouldn’t be without these days.
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>> Duster maybe?
>> Kind of cool in a utilitarian chic way too.
Like Crocks. Tho it has to be said most duster drivers wear Hotters (wide fitting)
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>I won’t need any off road capability. Decent ride height, sensible tyres, spare wheel.
Pity about the budget. Sounds the ideal trip for something like a Macan.
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...it's cruel to mention that now he Macan't....
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There does seem to be a history here of buying nice cars and then being too scared to use them!
Get some PPF applied to the Yaris, take it with you, have a hoot and be prepared to maybe spend some of the money you were willing to lose on any repairs needed.
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FYI...the GR has aluminium doors, boot and bonnet. Carbon fibre roof and is quite a specialised piece of kit. Doubt the local village mechanic can sort out any panel or engine damage.
Hoofing it around single track dirt roads to reach trailheads in mountain country doesn’t seem very sensible to me...most of my pals in this part of the world drive beaten up old bangers, which they specifically have as a second car. Their newer ( second car) stuff are Skoda Yeti 4x4s, Suzuki jeeps, Rav 4 etc. Older stuff are SWB Pajero and Chrysler Jeeps.
Trust me, back in Blighty I use it...I’m definitely not your average holiday maker who pootles around tourist areas, and I scare myself following Spanish resident friends up some of these loose gravel mountain roads with ruddy big unprotected drop offs. Probably no insurance either on my current C3 rental. Recently a French pal, who I was following ( luckily) ripped off some body work from his Pug 2008. At that point I reversed down the narrow dirt track and said a little prayer !
Actually it was a big prayer.
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I have heard a couple of tales of the Mazda diesels going pop. Just saying.
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One way ferry booked Plymouth > Santander early May.
I’ll start looking in earnest next Spring for a reliable car for the trip...Skoda Yeti, Duster, 2008.
Worlds your lobster. Probably a diesel would be ok, given the mileages I’ll cover, even with the fuel price differential. Which may change by then ?
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Wouldn’t touch anything diesel at that budget. Anything after 2008 is pretty much guaranteed to have a dpf .
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>> Wouldn’t touch anything diesel at that budget. Anything after 2008 is pretty much guaranteed to
>> have a dpf .
>>
I thought diesels, with a dpf, were fine if you did sufficiently high mileages, or long runs.
Am I wrong ?
Although I wouldn’t want either of the two C3 diesels I had recently as rental cars. Definitely not.
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Dpf cars can be ok . But you’re buying s/hand and not likely to know previous history.
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>> Dpf cars can be ok . But you're buying s/hand and not likely to know previous history.
Whatever you buy, budget 500 notes for a good indy to service it and check it over before you travel - while they're under it they can check for e.g. splits in inner tyre sidewalls, condition of brake pipes and suspension mountings. They can also plug in their diagnostic machine and view the history of DPF regens and current % soot and ash levels for your peace of mind. An aircon regas would also be wise.
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Check out High Peak Autos on YouTube. (the delaership isn't a million miles away from you) - he may have a bargain for you. Another plus is his really well produced videos on real world cars as well as his opinion on cars that he drives and whether you should buy or not.
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Much appreciated.
I have an experienced mechanic contact who is currently workshop manager at a large indie. He’s also been workshop manager at a few main dealers...Audi, BMW.
He sourced me a cheap runaround after I’d sold the 330 to my nephew, and before the girly SUV was delivered.
Think I’ll touch base with him tomorrow to see if he’s still working or retired...even though my extended road trip is 6 months away.
Another mini trip (2 nights, 3 days walking late March) just been invited to express interest in today...Sierra Mariola, accommodation in Alcoy, then a week on the coast. Jet2 flights cheaper than RYR at moment.
Last edited by: legacylad on Sun 4 Dec 22 at 18:52
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So I touched base with my time served mechanic pal...he’s currently chief MOT tester at a large independent.
His opening words were “Japanese. Petrol”. I have 3 friends in the U.K., and a French pal, who run 2008s. His experience of them where he works is that the 1.2 Puretech can be super reliable , then without warning it isn’t.
I quite fancy an Arona or Kamiq, and he advised me to avoid the Duster. Strange that as they get excellent owner reviews.
In the first instance I’ll try to find a Rav4 or Suzuki Vitara, preferably the former, which I know will be older for the same money, but he rates them highly..
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I had Kamiq as a hire car a while back. Perfectly pleasant thing, petrol manual. Not over exciting but nothing to criticise really.
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Friends now joining me for the trip south....ferry crossing and a leisurely drive down to the Costa, with a couple of overnight stays off the beaten track.
My car insurance expires 3 weeks before I sail, so now I’ve a good idea of what to buy ( probably a Vitara 1.4 2018 facelift model) I’ll need to sort insurance.
For a 6 week trip, my insurer won’t allow me to add a second car onto my policy for that duration, so looks like a multi vehicle policy at renewal time.
Any advice appreciated
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We use Admiral’s multi car policies in our household. They have been very easy to deal with and for us anyway, the cheapest or close to, any time we’ve checked. Easy to add or subtract a car or driver as required.
You’d most probably have to buy a year’s insurance for a second car I suppose, but if you then sell it on again you’d get a refund for the unused part of that I’d think.
Give them a call, they actually have humans to talk to and who have been in our experience anyway, quite helpful.
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Just a thunk, but are you planning to keep a second car long term LL?
If not, might it be a good idea just to buy an older but solid thing for a lot less money? The less you spend the less you’ll be at risk of losing sort of thing? Dings not so much of a worry either.
Edit - that bloke from High Peak motors posted a YouTube vid recently about driving a £250 diesel Panda from Stockport to Malaga recently…
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Mon 20 Feb 23 at 15:47
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Probably. Who knows. Depends how man and machine get on over 6 weeks and a few thousand miles.
But I can afford a higher mileage facelift Vitara, and see absolutely no reason to save my money at my time of life.
I’ve a friend ( two come to think of it) with shed loads of money, rental income from assorted properties, got their health and mental faculties, but won’t part with it.
One in particular gets really upset if I ever mention how little I’ve paid for car hire...his current gripe is a pint of beer increasing by 50cents in his favourite bar, which has a view to die for. He’ll drink his 3 pints of beer, which he doesn’t really like, in a crappy bar just inland and save €4.50.
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Bit of a plonker then eh! Rodney.
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Couple of months now before I head to Spain & France for two months...initially the Spanish Pyrenees for 10 days walking before a month + in a rental property on the northern C Blanca with several drives a week into the mountains.
Search narrowed down to a 1.6 diesel Sportage edition 4 with all the bells and whistles, or 1.4 petrol Vitara SZ5. Both circa 2018/19.
I’ll probably keep as a runaround after the trip...pros and cons.
Sportage has the 7 year warranty, feels far more solid, nice standard stuff like heated steering wheel and seats ( good in a UK winter) extra space which isn’t really needed, better mpg. All round viz not as good as the Suzuki.
Vitara handles better, almost as economical, no potential DPF problems, but immediately feels cheap and nasty compared to the Kia. Both have sunroofs in the model trims I’m looking at and skinny spare tyres.
Annual insurance, starting off with only 10% NCD as one will be a second car, is about £620 vs £380, so not really a deal breaker either way...should drop as NCD builds up. And the Kia will cost more, so additional depreciation. A friend bought a Vitara SZ5 a few weeks ago, and after a 500 mile round trip this weekend, a family do in Somerset, it will be interesting to hear this thoughts on how relaxing, and economical, it was over a long distance.
I’d be happy with either, and my decision will be as to whether the price premium for the Kia ( which fortunately I can afford) is worth it for the extra goodies onboard and nicer cabin ambience...although I don’t need the additional space.
P,ease don’t bring other vehicles into the equation.
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Ole woman has a 21 year automatic hybrid 4x4 Vitara with all the bells and whistles.
I chose it for her (she would be happy with any car as long as it starts an runs)
I did consider a Sportage etc. etc. but went for the Vitara for its reliability record.
It has the 1.4 turbo injun and pulls as well as my 2 litre Subaru. I quite like driving it.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/guides/most-reliable-car-brands/
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>>Sportage has the 7 year warranty
As long as it's been serviced to main dealer specs. When I last looked at buying, I was surprised at how many young cars didn't have service records of any sort.
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Many in the lease/rental market and moved onto the retail market between 18months and 3 years. They are not that bothered about the service histories. They buy at fleet prices and move them into the retail sector including Kia franchises.
Kia warranty claims will however look at the service histories with forensic precision to avoid dealing with a claim. They don't have a centralised servicing database.
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If it is true be a “keeper”, then which one would you rather keep? That old thing about quality being remembered long after the price is forgotten might apply.
If you enjoy this version of your trip you might do it that way many more times so better is best maybe?
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Sorted...2019 Vitara SZ5, 1.4 manual, two wheel drive.
Considerably cheaper than the equivalent year Sportage, albeit without the 7 year warranty. I don’t need the extra space the Kia affords, and can live without heated seats, steering wheel, soft touch plastics.
My first Suzuki, and they’re supposed to be reliable. Neighbours are on their second Swift, friends bought their 2021 1.4 SZ5 a month ago and are averaging 50mpg, tell me it handles well and is a comfortable ride with acceptable wind noise at 70 on extended motorway trips.
Only downside they say is the notchy manual gearbox.
Pick it up in a few weeks when I return from warmer climes (again)...dealer knew that I’d done my homework, knew the vehicle inside out and what price I was prepared to pay. Very pleasant, friendly negotiation over the phone and both parties happy with the agreed price which was realistic...I’d checked out values on WBAC, Motorway and CarWow beforehand.
Video sent, deposit by BACS, balance before collection. Train ticket to buy.
I need to source a space saver tyre, jack etc before heading off to Spain in September.
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We were in Greece until a couple of weeks ago and I was surprised by how many of the updated Suzuki Ignis there were around.
With decent ground clearance and a set of black alloys they appeared to be very popular with the beach lovers.
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>> Very pleasant, friendly negotiation over the phone and both parties happy with
>> the agreed price which was realistic...I’d checked out values on WBAC, Motorway and CarWow beforehand.
>>
>> Video sent, deposit by BACS, balance before collection. Train ticket to buy.
You mean to say you bought a car without seeing it? I suppose you can hope to rely on distance selling protection.
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I’ve bought cars unseen many, many times. Both privately and from dealers. No qualms whatsoever. If not as described I’ll catch the train home.
You can do lots of checks online these days…
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My wife runs a 2018 Szt 1.6 . Functional with no frills. Yes ,the gearshift is notchy , but it’s liveable. Get yourself a space saver spare wheel kit and tools. There’s plenty of room under the boot floor . Otherwise you get a can of goo and a pump .
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Looking to buy a space saver now...definitely need one in case I’m in the middle of nowhere with no phone signal. Spain has many large empty spaces in the interior.
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>>You mean to say you bought a car without seeing it?
I bought my wife's hybrid auto awd Vitara from a pain dealer Taunton without seeing it.
= No probs.
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Is your Vitara a mild hybrid? I’m still on a casual lookout for a Vitara but as we keep cars for five years plus I’ve been aiming to keep things simple. I’ve discounted the mild hybrids on that basis. Do you think I am being over cautious?
Sorry just noticed yours is a 2019 so will not be a hybrid but did your research cover these later cars?
Last edited by: martin aston on Mon 31 Jul 23 at 21:38
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Martin...it isn’t. I specifically didn’t want the mild hybrid. And yes, I researched and compared. A LOT. It’s the bog standard 1.4 with 139 horse....slightly up on the ( very) mild hybrid, don’t know the torque figures for comparison.
Probably weighs a little less too, but in my Luddite view there’s less to go wrong. I also didn’t need ALLGRIP...again more weight, more maintenance costs over time, more expensive to buy, and fuel, and in time ( if it’s a keeper) I’ll fit all season tyres like my Michelin Cross Climates I put on an older diesel Focus I bought a few years again.
Another car I bought unseen.
Last edited by: legacylad on Mon 31 Jul 23 at 21:58
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Sounds perfect for your purposes LL. For what it’s worth, my father in law has had a 2017 Ignis from new and it has proven very reliable.
For unforeseen (wonky Merc) reasons we took the little Jeep Renegade to the south of France this time, just got back at the weekend.
It has a 1.4 petrol engine with similar power to your car and a manual gearbox. Even loaded with bikes on the roof and four occupants it performed perfectly well on that 2000 miles + round trip.
I even forgot to be irritated by the manual box after a day or so.
Petrol is quite expensive in France at the moment though, north of €2.00 a litre in the autoroutes and about €1.90 at the supermarkets. Not sure about Spanish prices. Even diesel wasn’t cheap.
Anyway we had a great time including riding our mountain bikes up and down the odd Pyrenee and I’m sure you’ll enjoy your trip in your new car too.
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We are ok on annual leave last week Aug and first week Sept. Still nothing booked but will probably be a package holiday somewhere.
Though I do have an itch to scratch of driving down, through the tunnel and into France. Either bringing own tent or going somewhere for accommodation.
Not sure how far south I would need to go to guaranteed sunshine at that time of year? And not sure if I want the hassle of Eurotunnel customs etc during English school holidays?
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France itself will be quietening down by then. They mostly seem to exit Paris etc en masse last weekend in July/first in August but no longer stay way for the whole month.
Can't remember ages of your kids but we camped in France with ours from pre-school until they were at Uni. They'd do it with us again now of we got the tent out out of the loft!! They'll love it.
Brittany or the west coast a bit further south should have a reasonable chance of sunshine in Aug/September. We love the Massif around Le Mont Dore but mountains are in play weather wise there. Either would probably need a stop in France unless you're on a very early Shuttle. Wouldn't necessarily use the tent for an overnight - French chain Hotels are ideal for that. Quick early brekky an on the road before 07:00.
On that basis you can get to the Alps in a day.
Dover was a mess over the weekend but not heard of much this year at either Folkestone or Coquelles for the Shuttle.
We're off to Normandy on Tuesday via the Shuttle. Good news there is that the train is now only around £30 more than the ferry. A premium I'll happily pay whereas the previous £100 or so was way too much.
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The tunnel is usually much more efficient administratively than the ferry ports. Depends when you’re happy to travel but night crossings are much quieter.
Weather in the south of France is more reliable than further north of course, but it takes longer to get there. We did Collieoure (nr Perpignan) to Cheshire in one hit via the tunnel on Saturday. 20 hours door to door. My wife and I split the driving, one dozing while the other drove and it was relatively easy. Of course Scotland is a bit further still.
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Just me and the missus, kids are up and away.
Thinking of an early start here, down and through tunnel later on and then a cheap hotel overnight somewhere close on the other side. And then drive next day. Might only be a 7-10 day break so didn’t really want to spend a couple of days off that driving all the way to Languedoc area and back(where we used to holiday with the kids , Vias Plage etc.
As I say will probably end up being a package holiday in which case I am definitely putting my foot down for doing it next year, probably June time before all the school holidays
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How about getting as far as Normandy the first night, eat some fish or moules and then get down to the Vendee the next morning?
Should be fairly painless!
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Mmm that looks like another 3 hours drive after the tunnel which might just be pushing it.
By that time I’ll be wanting a beer and a Kip I think.
A mate has a caravan the other side of Bordeaux but that’s about a 10 hour drive according to Google maps. And it’s not available…
In fact google saying it’s just as quick to go right down to Montpellier than it is to go to Bordeaux.
I really need to brush up on my geography !
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Le Touquet or maybe Boulogne might be a good earlier stopping place.
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Or St Omer if headed to the med. Ate a good steak on the square there once I think.
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>> Or St Omer if headed to the med. Ate a good steak on the square
>> there once I think.
That would have been our fallback if the BB hotel chain's place in Coquelles hadn't been so convenient.
Last time we were in Boulogne it seemed run down. A lot of eateries were sustained by day trippers when the ferry ran to Boulogne. Still lots there though.
Le Touquet is a lovely place but 'tres cher' for overnights/eateries. We've also had to abandon at least one attempted visit as the local roads were gridlocked.
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Yeah Languedoc is pretty much two days. We've done Millau area a couple of times. 07:00 out of Sangatte then another overnight near Clermont but that was when I could take 3 weeks leave.
A drive time of 7-8 hours from Calais gets you to (say) La Rochelle or most of the way to Geneva.
Alsace might be a shout although we've had at least one wet week there.
As Runfer says you could get a few miles under your belt in France rather than staying round Calais. That will improve your achievable radius on day 2.
Vendee is very nice - been there with the 'van. A wee bit further but Arcachon and thereabouts is another shout.
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Oh and take bikes if you can. Cycling in France is much more civilised than here. No one hates you for a start, and most places have good segregated cycle paths.
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>> Oh and take bikes if you can. Cycling in France is much more civilised than
>> here. No one hates you for a start, and most places have good segregated cycle
>> paths.
Check.
Brommies are going in the boot.
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Last time we drive down through France, some of the older members on here might remember, we were travelling with 2 other families in convoy when one got side swiped on the autoroute. Somewhere near Paris area. They’re Scenic somersaulted across the carriageway and into the drainage culvert at side of hard shoulder.
They all survived with various injuries and they got flown home and the other two families eventually just carried on with holiday to Valras Plage.
It was the summer after Millau Bridge got opened. My Top Gear daft son loved visiting the bridge and driving over it. So much so we did it another 3 times, and incurred the tolls accordingly!
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>> It was the summer after Millau Bridge got opened. My Top Gear daft son loved
>> visiting the bridge and driving over it. So much so we did it another 3
>> times, and incurred the tolls accordingly!
Blimey didn't click it was THAT long ago.
Were down that way same year or following at Val de Cantobre, or val de canter wonderbra as somebody named it.
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We're heading from Surrey to Provence next month - planning to stop overnight on the way down in Beaune, but might do it in one hit on the return when the clock changes in our favour. We regularly go to the Alps in one journey, so are used to the distance.
We're staying in Bedouin at the foot of Mont Ventoux, for a spot of cycling, as well as walking/hiking, Via Ferrata, etc.
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Second St Omer.
We've stayed in the IBIS in the centre - upper quality in the Ibis range.
Have you considered Newhaven - Dieppe ferry?
We did that 19th May - 16th June. No hassle crossing - nice DFDS boat. 4 hour crossing.
Ferry leaves at 11am both ways.Minimum border issues.
Stayed one night IBIS Centre each way - more basic IBIS, but OK for o/night.
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Friends of mine , now ex pats who live permanently on the northern C Blanca, always use the Dieppe -Newhaven crossing when returning to northern England to visit friends and family.
It’s a two day drive to Dieppe across France, but cheaper than Brittany Ferries sailing out of Bilbao or Santander, and they find the long schlep acceptable. Worst part of the drive is up the A1.
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>>they find the long schlep acceptable…
So do we, it is a long way, but driving through (especially northern) France is way easier and less stressful than UK roads.
We were only reminded of that the other day when the 800 or so miles we covered in France were punctuated by only two very minor sets of roadworks and a stretch of mild congestion near Lyon on the last Saturday of July. Then we hit the UK motorway network and, well, you all know how that goes…
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On the question of how far south to go I would second the Vendee. If architecture is any guide that’s where the houses shift over to orange tiled roofs and whitewashed walls and look prepared for sun rather than rain and wind.
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...the typical destination for Brits who wanted to get well into France without driving too long was/is The Dordogne, of course.
Done that a few times over the years, but I must admit that the countryside of Burgundy, (Chaumont, Langres, Dijon, Besancon area) is what we've enjoyed most exploring as of late. We've found it somewhat less "touristy" though still welcoming, and only about 5 hours by autoroute from La Manche.
Last edited by: tyrednemotional on Tue 1 Aug 23 at 18:47
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Cheap reliable touring car - Mr Moo
