Most Vauxhall's are re-badged Opels, the exception being the Astra which is UK built, PSA bought Chrysler or the old Rootes Group (Hilman, Humber and Sunbeam) back in the 70's, the last PSA car built in the UK was the Peugeot 405 I think, I suspect both Vauxhall and Opel will both disappear as neither have a French factory and the French government has quite a stake in PSA along with Renault my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

Funny thing this morning. I was listening to ClassicFM at 9am and an advert came on for a Vauxhall Corsa saying £149/month for 4 years 20k miles etc This was followed by the News with the main item that Vauxhall was writing to all of its dealers telling them that it was closing them down due to poor sales etc. This was then followed by a repeat of the Corsa advert. Unfortunate timing for whoever booked that slot.  3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

According to the FT the only thing that has saved the Vauxhall factory is that they have a big paint shop so that they can continue making vans. 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

I always lease my vehicles, it may seem expensive to some but I have always found the cost over 3 years to be comparable with the depreciation over the same period. I leased 2 FL2's but when it was time to change I got a quote for a Dynamic and fell off my chair - LR had seriously upped the prices and for a lot less I managed to get my first X3 full loaded and have never looked back. Now - 2017 BMW X3 M Sport Carbon Black
Gone - 2014 BMW X3 M Sport Space Grey, faultless!
Gone - 2011 Freelander 2 SD4 HSE Bali Blue with xenons
Gone - 2008 Freelander 2 TD4 HSE Rimini Red with bodykit

Until BMW try and stitch you up

We had plenty of new BMW's and then they said we needed new wheels at very serious money, went on the net and found they had a manufacturing fault. Won't now touch them with a barge pole the robbing bastards. FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

shilen wrote:

...and for a lot less I managed to get my first X3 full loaded...

Needs must, I suppose, but you’ve suffered enough; here’s hoping that something at least half decent falls within budget next time

Australia has a massive inquiry into the financial industry. One of the many areas has been the vast number of loans which the lenders have not been doing any checking of borrower's living expenses. Even worse the lenders have been doing a lot of fudging figures so people can borrow even more money. The larger the loan the larger the commission the broker gets!

People get more expensive cars with more extras when using finance. My car was originally ordered for a customer who was using finance, but they were one of the few who were actually knocked back. I have always paid cash. Paid off my mortgage as soon as possible, stops one wasting money on pointless trivial consumable stuff. I could easily get a RR, but really, how much money does one need too waste on a car!

Financing a car, after 3 or 4 years with the small repayments, the remainder has to be paid, i.e. traded in. There is no value left in the car for the owner. So they start the whole cycle again. In 4 years my car has obviously depreciated but at least I fully own it. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

I’m in the always pay cash camp...but always for an older vehicle. My take on the finance deals is that PCP etc is a cheap way to get hold of a new car, but still more expensive than running an old car. Just like the mortgage business, by separating the cost of an asset from the affordability, you allow the price to rise way above what it would otherwise be. I worry for the kids in the office, earning half my salary, but who are all running new cars (‘worth’ more than mine) on PCP deals and who also have signed up to 35 year mortgages. 2005 D3 2.7 Auto
Previously:
2010 MY FL2 TD4e GS - Now gone at 199,500 miles, about 135,000 of them mine.
‘93 Defender 110 200TDi CSW
‘87 Defender 90 4 cyl Petrol
‘83 110 CSW V8 - best ever!
Range Rover 2-door V8 (not sure of year - 4-speed box and vacuum diff switch)
Series III SWB Diesel

Never mind the office Worms I have them in the family, do they listen

Priority for me when I got a house was to get rid of the mortgage ASAP, mind you on reflection I should have got rid of wife number one as that cost me far more.  FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

Mortgage paid, Car paid, No dept. banks love me !!! not. Every day count myself lucky to be in this situation as I've been the other end too. If it wasn't so bad it'd be funny.

🐑
Freelander 2 HSE auto 2014 ( Florrie ) ..... Try again.
Freelander 2 GS 2012...... Gone.

to me its obvious why most car manufactures are struggling this year.
Why go get your self in debt when just around the corner are the new electric cars. Buy a new car and in another 2,3 years will be worthless as the market will be full of electrics. So not only are you left with a large debt, but also a fossil fuel car which is deprecating faster than a 1990's alfa.

Extreme Depreciation + high debt(high value) = low sales

The longer the car industry drags their feet on getting the electrics out and at a price which in 'normal' the worse the sales will be. If they don't get their skates on then we shall see companies fold.

Another way of thinking about it is when we all know there is a replacement model on the horizon which is loads better then the outgoing model - who the hell in their right mind would buy the last of the old models. But this situation is on a grand scale which the market has never experienced before.

Last edited by Suckfish on 19th Apr 2018 9:51 am. Edited 1 time in total

You may well be right suckfish but I for one will not be going down that route until they can produce a car that can be recharged in minutes not hours. A pal of mine has a Tesla and when I asked him how he would mirror the trip I make each year to Thurso (600 each way) he responded "with great difficulty". MY 09 GS manual in Lago Grey, Wood Co arm rest and side bumper strips - now sold.

MY 15 SD4 SE Auto Orkney Grey with colour coded Bumper Door Mouldings

I suspect that that technology does exist - fast charging.
I think that the car manufactures will continue making fossil fuel cars until they go crying to the government pleading with them to bring in a scrapage scheme to get shot of these cars. Or enforce older 'polluting' cars off the road via taxation.

Then release in large volumes and the right price the new electric generation cars.


Possible solution!!!

One option which I have being thinking about is a cure for the emissions. Is it possible to fit an aftermarket DPF which is detachable from the exhaust - which can then be cleaned using a high power source, eg 240V heater, blowers.

Anyone else think this has any merits?

Last edited by Suckfish on 19th Apr 2018 9:39 am. Edited 1 time in total

Worms wrote:

I’m in the always pay cash camp...but always for an older vehicle. My take on the finance deals is that PCP etc is a cheap way to get hold of a new car, but still more expensive than running an old car. .

Suckfish wrote:

Another way of thinking about it is when we all know there is a replacement model on the horizon which is loads better then the outgoing model - who the hell in their right mind would be the last of the old models. But this situation is on a grand scale which the market has never experienced before.