Chaps,
Apologies for the provocative title but that wet turd of a mayor Sadiq Khan has today confirmed that he will extend the ULEZ to Greater London from 25th October 2021. (The irony of him ensuring that Londoners have air that's cleaner than that which swirls around the Swiss Alps while doing precisely nothing about the spate of moped muggings is has not been missed, trust me.) That means that in three years time it will cost me £12.50p to drive to the end of my road, go to the shops, drive to church on Sunday etc etc etc. More details here, but make sure you are sitting down when you read them:
https://www.london.gov.uk...n-zone-to-expand
Which raises the question of what I should do? Situation: married couple in their early 40's, no kids, extensive use of bicycles and Oyster Cards during the week, the car is used for shopping, trips when we have more than we can carry on our persons and trips out of town at the weekend. It currently does around 6000 miles a year. (A significant factor that will affect this is elderly parents needing more time, none of whom live close. Thankfully that hasn't happened yet but doubtless it will). Two seats is viable, although a decent carrying capacity from time to time is very useful. We live in Central London, outside the congestion charge zone but well within the new ULEZ area.
First question is what do I do with the current car? 1989 S2, excellent condition, meticulously maintained, I have every receipt/tax disk/MOT since new and can tell you everything that has been done to it since I purchased it in 2006. Mechanically perfect, excellent bodywork (few scratches and minor scuffs but nothing serious), original sills. Downside is immense mileage - I think it's about 208,000, which will knock the value. It's a car I bought to drive, and it's been enjoyed but very well looked after. One serious option is to keep it and simply swallow the £12 each time I drive it. However another option would be to lay it up; I have enough access to dry inside space to keep it in and our long-term future doesn't lie in London so I would do this with a view to getting it out again in the next 10 years or so. However it's probably more likely that I will sell the thing for whatever I can get and put the cash into something else.
Second question is that if I either replace the current car or lay it up, what do I buy to replace it? Criteria are that it needs to be excellent to drive, have a half-decent carrying capability, not be stupidly expensive to own and run (taking into account fuel efficiency, insurance, tax, depreciation etc etc etc). Budget is very flexible; getting the right car is more important than money. I probably wouldn't want to go for something much slower than the current car but I'm not too fussed on this. I'll admit to being quite bitten by the Porsche bug so the obvious choice is a Boxster but Mrs zcacogp doesn't like them. A 987 or 981 Cayman would be a more acceptable option. A 993 would be my ultimate dream car but would fall foul of the new ULEZ so wouldn't solve the presenting problem. A more modern 911 would be an option but they've never quite appealed. Cars more than 40 years old qualify for free road tax, no congestion charge and don't need to pay the ULEZ so a really old 911 would maybe be an option but they seem to be terribly expensive these days (and may prove to be a maintenance nightmare - they don't seem to be cheap to run).
An MX5 would be a serious option but I'm not sure it's practical (or maybe fast) enough. Mrs zcacogp is seriously thinking about a Quattroporte but I think that would be a VERY expensive thing and I don't know anyone who has one who can say that they really love it. A Bristol would be a leftfield choice but I don't feel old enough to own one yet.
Fast BMW? No thanks. Fast Merc? Definitely no thanks. Fast Audi? Not a chance.
Retreat to the safety of a Golf GTi? Maybe, but I fear it would be horribly dull after a 944.
The only other option would be to stick it to that idiot Khan and buy an electric car, charge it for free, not pay any road tax/congestion charge/ULEZ bollox and park it anywhere. Range is the issue, as well as the fact that electric cars are still in their infancy and things like the i3 don't really do it for me - that would be a choice made with my head, not heart. However I suspect that electric car tech will move on a lot in the next few years so this could be an option yet.
What's the point of this thread? There isn't one. Well, I guess there is. The writing is on the wall that older cars will become harder and harder to own, particularly in big cities in the UK. I am realising that I won't be able to drive my beloved S2 in my home town for much longer. And I'd value any suggestions (both sensible and nuts) for what to do next. There is no rush; I have three years before the ULEZ comes into force but I will need to do something, and I simply don't know what.
So, emote with me chaps*. And give me some wisdom. Ta.
Oli.
* - I can't believe that I actually wrote that phrase on here. And so soon after Tom talked about 'birthing' too. This place gets more and more like Mumsnet every day ...
Apologies for the provocative title but that wet turd of a mayor Sadiq Khan has today confirmed that he will extend the ULEZ to Greater London from 25th October 2021. (The irony of him ensuring that Londoners have air that's cleaner than that which swirls around the Swiss Alps while doing precisely nothing about the spate of moped muggings is has not been missed, trust me.) That means that in three years time it will cost me £12.50p to drive to the end of my road, go to the shops, drive to church on Sunday etc etc etc. More details here, but make sure you are sitting down when you read them:
https://www.london.gov.uk...n-zone-to-expand
Which raises the question of what I should do? Situation: married couple in their early 40's, no kids, extensive use of bicycles and Oyster Cards during the week, the car is used for shopping, trips when we have more than we can carry on our persons and trips out of town at the weekend. It currently does around 6000 miles a year. (A significant factor that will affect this is elderly parents needing more time, none of whom live close. Thankfully that hasn't happened yet but doubtless it will). Two seats is viable, although a decent carrying capacity from time to time is very useful. We live in Central London, outside the congestion charge zone but well within the new ULEZ area.
First question is what do I do with the current car? 1989 S2, excellent condition, meticulously maintained, I have every receipt/tax disk/MOT since new and can tell you everything that has been done to it since I purchased it in 2006. Mechanically perfect, excellent bodywork (few scratches and minor scuffs but nothing serious), original sills. Downside is immense mileage - I think it's about 208,000, which will knock the value. It's a car I bought to drive, and it's been enjoyed but very well looked after. One serious option is to keep it and simply swallow the £12 each time I drive it. However another option would be to lay it up; I have enough access to dry inside space to keep it in and our long-term future doesn't lie in London so I would do this with a view to getting it out again in the next 10 years or so. However it's probably more likely that I will sell the thing for whatever I can get and put the cash into something else.
Second question is that if I either replace the current car or lay it up, what do I buy to replace it? Criteria are that it needs to be excellent to drive, have a half-decent carrying capability, not be stupidly expensive to own and run (taking into account fuel efficiency, insurance, tax, depreciation etc etc etc). Budget is very flexible; getting the right car is more important than money. I probably wouldn't want to go for something much slower than the current car but I'm not too fussed on this. I'll admit to being quite bitten by the Porsche bug so the obvious choice is a Boxster but Mrs zcacogp doesn't like them. A 987 or 981 Cayman would be a more acceptable option. A 993 would be my ultimate dream car but would fall foul of the new ULEZ so wouldn't solve the presenting problem. A more modern 911 would be an option but they've never quite appealed. Cars more than 40 years old qualify for free road tax, no congestion charge and don't need to pay the ULEZ so a really old 911 would maybe be an option but they seem to be terribly expensive these days (and may prove to be a maintenance nightmare - they don't seem to be cheap to run).
An MX5 would be a serious option but I'm not sure it's practical (or maybe fast) enough. Mrs zcacogp is seriously thinking about a Quattroporte but I think that would be a VERY expensive thing and I don't know anyone who has one who can say that they really love it. A Bristol would be a leftfield choice but I don't feel old enough to own one yet.
Fast BMW? No thanks. Fast Merc? Definitely no thanks. Fast Audi? Not a chance.
Retreat to the safety of a Golf GTi? Maybe, but I fear it would be horribly dull after a 944.
The only other option would be to stick it to that idiot Khan and buy an electric car, charge it for free, not pay any road tax/congestion charge/ULEZ bollox and park it anywhere. Range is the issue, as well as the fact that electric cars are still in their infancy and things like the i3 don't really do it for me - that would be a choice made with my head, not heart. However I suspect that electric car tech will move on a lot in the next few years so this could be an option yet.
What's the point of this thread? There isn't one. Well, I guess there is. The writing is on the wall that older cars will become harder and harder to own, particularly in big cities in the UK. I am realising that I won't be able to drive my beloved S2 in my home town for much longer. And I'd value any suggestions (both sensible and nuts) for what to do next. There is no rush; I have three years before the ULEZ comes into force but I will need to do something, and I simply don't know what.
So, emote with me chaps*. And give me some wisdom. Ta.
Oli.
* - I can't believe that I actually wrote that phrase on here. And so soon after Tom talked about 'birthing' too. This place gets more and more like Mumsnet every day ...
