First time new car buyer advise

[Bozz]

13 hours ago, Cyker said:

Yes! This happened to me! I was driving around with no insurance for 2 days!  

Definitely make sure it's activated - They set it up with me and Toyota insurance in the dealership, but I didn't find out until later that the salesman has to then confirm/activate it for it to become live. And he hadn't...

TBH it's safer if you get your own insurance sorted out in advance, then you know it's all done, but it can be tricky if you don't have all the details of the car so the drive-away insurance can be useful there.

 

This too! When I got the car home all the tyres were at 60 PSI!  (I thought that was why the ride was so hard, but turns out that was more to do with the 17" rims and low-profile tyres  )

 

All four tyres on my Corolla were inflated to 5 bar when I picked it up. Wondered why the steering was so light and the ride so hard 

[Bozz]

22 minutes ago, Catlover said:

Re car insurance when swopping cars.   I am with LV, as is the wife, it is a family policy that gives extra discount.  Recently we have changed both cars  on different days.   The day before exchanging mine I rang LV to say I was changing and was told on the day of exchange both cars involved in the transaction will be insured from 00.00 to 23.59. So on that day I had the whole 24 hours where both cars were insured. No hassle of timing the swop, no hassle hanging about counting down the minutes making sure you don’t drive off too early risking not being insured.  The same when 10 days later I rang LV to notify of the wife swooping cars.                    
We both been with LV for 8 years or so now, they give good service, even when one year I had a my fault claim, and the prices are VERY competitive for us two.

I'm with LV too but the renewal rigmarole annoys me. They whacked my premium up by £100 and only when I challenged them did they reduce it by £80. Same every year.

[Parts-King]

We are with LV, it went down by about £4 this year, no hassle, really good to deal with. I also had house insurance and contents with them but they priced themselves out of the market and I moved on. I did try and negotiate on the phone, the operator was really good but even she agreed the price increase was excessive

[Catlover]

21 minutes ago, Bozz said:

I'm with LV too but the renewal rigmarole annoys me. They whacked my premium up by £100 and only when I challenged them did they reduce it by £80. Same every year.

Because I was changing from a 66 Prius Excell to a 15 Citigo the premium came down, same with wife from a Auris hybrid to a Citigo, hers came down. No asking for it, it came down.  However they do charge a £15 admin fee for changing details such as cars. Fair do’s, it is stated in the policy details and I was aware of it.

if I remember correctly the premium came down for both of our cars this year, and then we started the joint policy so it came down a bit more.

Each year I have checked with the the internet businesses and invariably I find the price, like for like, cheaper than the reminder I get from LV, so I always renew via the internet. Works for me, though it does sound silly, but I just do it, no huffing and puffing, I just do it.

[Roy124]

I was with Aviva, increased by 10% last year asked for another 10% this year.  I am renewing with a different company and will pay 25% less but better cover as it includes 6 months Continental. 

[Parts-King]

I don't get hung up over prices, they either want my business or not, if they don't, I just search the internet and get a better price, it's no hardship to me 

[john p williams]

44 minutes ago, Bozz said:

All four tyres on my Corolla were inflated to 5 bar when I picked it up. Wondered why the steering was so light and the ride so hard 

0/10 for that Dealer then. That`s the best part of 80 lbs/sq in. What else did he fluff on the P.DI. ?

[Cyker]

I do have some preferred insurers - e.g. esure, as they are one of the few insurers who offer unlimited NCB protection (Rather than the 2 claims and loose NCB on the third) and will pay a bit more. Usually they're pretty good but then they occasionally take the absolute piss so I have to go with someone else for a year or two (Bizarrely, this often coincides with Toyota's insurance quotes becoming reasonable... I really wish I understood how these quote algorithms worked!!)

 

13 hours ago, john p williams said:

... And I reckon that perhaps 90% of drivers did not know, or had forgotten,  that there was a "which side to fill up from" indicator within the dashboard fuel gauge.

I must confess for the longest time I didn't understand what that symbol meant; I originally thought it was pointing at the low-fuel point on the fuel gauge, as that's what it looked like on that car!  

 

2 hours ago, Jiff said:

Also check the number plates on the front & back are the same. My father in law picked up his new car years ago and the front and back were 1 digit different. They'd registered multiple cars at the same time and had put the wrong one on the back. Needless to say someone else had the wrong one on the front.

Wow that's quite a cockup! I wonder if they would have taken responsibility if the police had impounded the car!!

 

[Roy124]

I once had a car delivered on false plates.  It was delivered on the last day of the licence year.  Next day I put on its proper plates. 

Not my risk. 

However must admit I can't remember if the car was covered for theft prior to it becoming taxed the next day. 

[TonyHSD]

2 hours ago, Roy124 said:

I was with Aviva, increased by 10% last year asked for another 10% this year.  I am renewing with a different company and will pay 25% less but better cover as it includes 6 months continental. 

Aviva does that although they are one of the best to get insurance from and their claim process is seamless, smooth like Toyota hybrid 😉. When renewing date comes and you receive letter or mail, just ignore and go online and do directly a quote from their website as a new customer, you may find cheaper policy by 40% and even more. I am currently with Adrian flux and although they increase by £20 from last year still offer a good value. If not my business travel I can possibly get 1/3 of what I pay now but it is what it is. 👍

[Roy124]

Tony, I will do that.  Mind you, if they do give me a low price they will be breaking the law. 

The other advantage of changing insurers is that Continental cover as my daughter is in Netherlands for a couple of years and we will be visiting. 

[Deano68]

Take a bit of time getting to know your new car, I was new to Toyota and have worked in the motor trade for 35 years so can find my way round most things ...I don't know if my retailer took this as an excuse for a terrible handover but 90% of the time was spent sat in the showroom doing the final bit of paperwork then came the hard sell on all the extra's before a quick 2 minutes on pairing our phones which didn't go well before see ya. The online owners handbooks are great for reference and have answered most of our questions apart from the terrible connectivity issues, may be car but could be connected devices.  The Corolla is a great car and we are growing to love it, it's a learning curve finding out it's capabilities and driving styles but it's a bit of a Wolf in Sheep's clothing , happy to cruise along in eco mode but equally happy to be enthusiastic through the twisty bits.

[Cyker]

Yeah, they really did a good job with the new gen of hybrids - They've really ramped up the fuel efficiency, but at the same time made the cars much more responsive and punchier.

Even the handling is much improved, this time without sacrificing the ride quality as they had when they tried to address it in previous models!

I also love the dual-personality of the car, where it's nice and calming when I'm plodding through the rush-hour traffic, but when I want to take it on a hoon through country roads it's just as raring to do that too! Not many cars can do both so well!

[Stopeter44]

14 hours ago, Cyker said:

They've really ramped up the fuel efficiency, but at the same time made the cars much more responsive and punchier.

Generally, I drive this car slower than I did on the previous 208. They are comparable, same size, give or take a few cm here and there, and equivalent quoted power (Yaris - 116bhp, Peugeot 110 bhp), plus same weight +/- 25 kg.

The 208 was smooth and easy to drive, but took off when I floored the accelerator. The Yaris is more subtle, it sort of "ramps" up the speed with no obvious effort. I generally drive at 105 kph on the autoroute, I often use the the ACC, much more than I used CC on the 208, which I would keep at 110 kph on the autoroute. When I need to get up to 125/130 kph, to avoid having outside lane hogging traffic ram me up the UBIK when overtaking a lorry, or w.h.y., the Yaris is so effortless. 

[forkingabout]

57 minutes ago, Stopeter44 said:

Generally, I drive this car slower than I did on the previous 208. They are comparable, same size, give or take a few cm here and there, and equivalent quoted power (Yaris - 116bhp, Peugeot 110 bhp), plus same weight +/- 25 kg.

The 208 was smooth and easy to drive, but took off when I floored the accelerator.

Those turbocharged Puretech engines do like to take off / spin the front wheels - I had a 308 with a Puretech 130 engine & they are surprisingly eager to get going if you let them. 

The 2 litre hybrid C-HR I now have is quicker to 60 mph on paper but also feels much more relaxed achieving it - the extra half ton of kerb weight helps with that.

 

[Cyker]

8 hours ago, Stopeter44 said:

Generally, I drive this car slower than I did on the previous 208. They are comparable, same size, give or take a few cm here and there, and equivalent quoted power (Yaris - 116bhp, Peugeot 110 bhp), plus same weight +/- 25 kg.

The 208 was smooth and easy to drive, but took off when I floored the accelerator. The Yaris is more subtle, it sort of "ramps" up the speed with no obvious effort. I generally drive at 105 kph on the autoroute, I often use the the ACC, much more than I used CC on the 208, which I would keep at 110 kph on the autoroute. When I need to get up to 125/130 kph, to avoid having outside lane hogging traffic ram me up the UBIK when overtaking a lorry, or w.h.y., the Yaris is so effortless. 

I found that with my old diesel Mk1 as well as this Mk4 - It's like, when you have a strong torquey engine, you don't feel like you have to go fast, because you know you can go fast any time you want.

With the Mk2, I tended to drive faster as it took sooooo looong for that engine to wind up that if I drove slow I'd be stuck behind slow vehicles perpetually, as I'd need to take a run-up to get past them otherwise!

It just shows that horsepower figures are meaningless, as on paper the Mk2 should have been noticeably more powerful than the Mk1, but the 50Nm torque advantage the Mk1 had made a much bigger difference than the 25HP power deficit!

 

[Spo2]

8 hours ago, forkingabout said:

Those turbocharged Puretech engines do like to take off / spin the front wheels - I had a 308 with a Puretech 130 engine & they are surprisingly eager to get going if you let them. 

The 2 litre hybrid C-HR I now have is quicker to 60 mph on paper but also feels much more relaxed achieving it - the extra half ton of kerb weight helps with that.

 

Think puretech is probably the most enjoyable 3 pot petrol turbo out there. I drove in the latest Corsa and liked that. 

[forkingabout]

3 hours ago, Spo2 said:

Think puretech is probably the most enjoyable 3 pot petrol turbo out there. I drove in the latest Corsa and liked that. 

Yes there enjoyable to drive but unfortunately there not great ownership prospects once out of manufacturers warranty.

I've driven a couple of new Corsa & there basically a 208 in disguise with poor ergonomics designed in.

[Woofwoof]

On 4/22/2022 at 10:23 PM, john p williams said:

Generally speaking within the UK Japanese cars are filled from the passenger side and European cars are filled from the drivers side.

And I reckon that perhaps 90% of drivers did not know, or had forgotten,  that there was a "which side to fill up from" indicator within the dashboard fuel gauge.

recently had a Ford Puma rental in Germany without that indicator

[john p williams]

2 hours ago, Woofwoof said:

recently had a Ford Puma rental in Germany without that indicator

Possibly you didn`t see it or more likely WoofWoof it`s another example of Ford`s cost cutting ?

[DAN@ADRIAN FLUX]

Hi.

If you need any help with insurance at all then please feel free to drop  me a line.

Regards,

Dan.

[Vela]

Hi all, Sales man trying to sell these insurance products - GAP, SMART and TYRE & ALLOY insurance. Do I need all of them? Would appreciate your suggestions. Thank you.

[Obsidian Estate]

I didn't pay for any extras. Just gave them my trade in, paid the difference and drove home.

[Cyker]

None of these are essential, but IMHO if you're buying the car new and can afford them you may as well as they are a fraction of the overall cost of the car. That said you can probably get them cheaper elsewhere if you can be bothered to search around.

Gap insurance just covers the difference in cost if the car gets written off in the first 3 years (Or whatever the length of cover is for), as the insurance company will always pay market rate which is less than what you bought the car for. Normally I'd not bother with a 2nd hand car, but the difference between what you pay for a new car and what you'd get from insurance payout is quite large with a new car.

Smart is for minor fixes to the paintwork if e.g. it gets scratched; I've claimed on that once already and the guy did an excellent job of matching the paint and removing the scratch. Literally indistinguishable.

Tyre and wheel covers replacement tyres (from damage) and refurb of the rims if they get kerbed. Could be useful if like me you tend to kerb the wheels when parking in tight spaces! I was signed up for this without asking but cancelled it for a full refund as it wasn't valid for my car anyway (It only covers the tyres and rims that came with the car, and since the first thing I did was change those rims the insurance wasn't valid anyway)

[Spo2]

47 minutes ago, Cyker said:

None of these are essential, but IMHO if you're buying the car new and can afford them you may as well as they are a fraction of the overall cost of the car. That said you can probably get them cheaper elsewhere if you can be bothered to search around.

Gap insurance just covers the difference in cost if the car gets written off in the first 3 years (Or whatever the length of cover is for), as the insurance company will always pay market rate which is less than what you bought the car for. Normally I'd not bother with a 2nd hand car, but the difference between what you pay for a new car and what you'd get from insurance payout is quite large with a new car.

Smart is for minor fixes to the paintwork if e.g. it gets scratched; I've claimed on that once already and the guy did an excellent job of matching the paint and removing the scratch. Literally indistinguishable.

Tyre and wheel covers replacement tyres (from damage) and refurb of the rims if they get kerbed. Could be useful if like me you tend to kerb the wheels when parking in tight spaces! I was signed up for this without asking but cancelled it for a full refund as it wasn't valid for my car anyway (It only covers the tyres and rims that came with the car, and since the first thing I did was change those rims the insurance wasn't valid anyway)

Whose gap insurance you have if i may know?