Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Got a Berlingo model 2019 in Petrol with reasonable mileage not long ago. Please @amey don’t get a Diesel, there is no need! P.S: we might be persuaded to sell as we barely use it and we rather improve the garden with the money 😊🤓

I had a Disco 3. Great car if you often need to mover around large amounts of crap and people the the same time in non urban areas.

Avoid at all costs unless it is virtually brand new, or if you have circa £10k a year to spend on never ending hours of disgnostics and subsequent repair bills.

The sheer amount of electronic controlled systems in the things is astounding, and every single one of them will fail at somepoint.

I think I spent circa £5k over two years on mine just keeping the stupid air suspension working properly. Most of that was just trying to figure oout what that actual problem was.

‘Polite suburbanites of acute social sensitivity and chronic personal insecurity were ready and happy to believe that all it took to keep them safely on the road and immune from danger was a big, robust, heavy demi-truck with four-wheel-drive.’

Yes one of those in blue or grey

DPF and Adblue system. What else?

Isn't the DPF the main thing, that if you're not getting them up to operating temps they don't work properly.

Tbh this is where I'm really sceptical about diesels. I feel that they've been designed for what is increasingly becoming a niche scenario, of pulling proper motorway miles for a good amount of time.

@amey - I'd echo the points about a diesel not being worth it. But I totally get that for certain cars there aren't really many petrol choices. At least with MPVs they'll be economy focused rather than it's being a frugal diesel vs some thirsty V8.

The pick up idea has been torpedoed. SUV is the next option.

How come?

I'm a bit confused. If you need to move tonnes worth of building materials and manure what else is there other than a US style pickup or an open backed transit?

A left field option if that sort of high weight or smells is going to be very occasional would be one of the big VAG estates with uprated rear shocks. A Passat/Superb are massive in the back and I bet there would be options, and it's not a huge amount of work to pay someone to do.

The answer to pretty much every question in this thread is: VW Transporter Kombi.

This is a good shout. You could then put some plush big Audi seats in the front to make it a bit more comfortable for the longer journeys.

Wife won’t have a pick up

Family.... never enough time for hobby! This uses the ancient but super reliable CIS Bosch K injection system.... all mechanical.

I don't blame her to be honest, everyone i've had the ride quality has been garbage unless you have a tonne of sand in the back and the rear seat position is garbage

https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/04/20/rural-americans-are-importing-tiny-japanese-pickup-trucks

I know the smart money is something Japanese.

Mitsubishi outlander/shogun
Nissan xtrail qashqai
Mazda cx5

But the. I realise this will actually be my wife’s car and I’ll just move shit and wood in our civic.

I have ‘captains’ seats in mine (two seats with folding armrests instead of standard bench seat type thing you get in work vans). Super comfy seats, the armrests are great. Much comfier than the fancy sports seats that were in in my old BMW.

A guy I worked with had a Shogun (this was quite a few years ago but it was new at the time); I thought it was surprisingly agricultural to drive.

Finding a car that does it all is a nightmare.

I do a lot of motorway miles so need a comfy seat and ride.

A6 all road, Skoda Octavia scout, etc etc

Buy pick-up, put canopy on tub, instantly transform into family barge, sorted.

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I know I know seems like the logical solution.

But… my good lady gets the final say.

Otherwise I’d get an L200 with some road tyres on.

She also doesn’t like estates ☹️

Point out that it’s tricky to get a tonne of horseshit in an MX-5?

Sounds like a Daihatsu Hijet would be perfect :D

Meanwhile, on planet don't need a fucking truck

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Sounds like you'd be better off with a nice 5 Series w/ towbar and a trailer, if you've got somewhere to keep the trailer?

On the subject of trucks, I had to put a client's bike in the tub today. I barely got it in, not very roomy at all. Little bit disappointing.

I'm still a bit confused. Is the manure a hobby or a critical part of your job?

Yeah they're weird aren't they?

Tbh car sizing generally is weird. Like when you get into the back of a 3 series expecting to be able to sit down, but some how have less leg room than the back of a Panda.