Hi all,

 

I'm wondering what the 1st and 2nd biggest factor is for you in buying a car? This is way before you're on the forecourt, the facts you're using to make your shortlist.

 

Example: "I'm looking for a 1st Fact, 2nd Fact"

• Petrol Estate 
• 0-60 <5 seconds
• Octavia <25k

I'm kicking some new tech around and working on a 'filter' to make sense of the car market. Taking a popular magazine the key facts to 'compare' on paper are eco band, mpg, 0-60, co2 insurance group and list price.

 

Of course, this does not need to be 'new' car, just any car you're looking to buy.

 

I suspect there might be groups, so a performance driver vs a family vs a company different facts... another sheet of A4... thoughts?

 

So to recap what's the two primary facts you're concerned about when 'filtering' your cars?

A bit more of a variable but:-

1. Faster than the car it's replacing.

2. Preferably something German.

Hi all,    I'm wondering what the 1st and 2nd biggest factor is for you in buying a car? This is way before you're on the forecourt, the facts you're using to make your shortlist.

 

Example: "I'm looking for a 1st Fact, 2nd Fact"

• Petrol Estate 
• 0-60 <5 seconds
• Octavia <25k

I'm kicking some new tech around and working on a 'filter' to make sense of the car market. Taking a popular magazine the key facts to 'compare' on paper are eco band, mpg, 0-60, co2 insurance group and list price.  Of course, this does not need to be 'new' car, just any car you're looking to buy. I suspect there might be groups, so a performance driver vs a family vs a company different facts... another sheet of A4... thoughts?   So to recap what's the two primary facts you're concerned about when 'filtering' your cars?

 

Where I can find it I like to see:-

1. Pence per mile ownership costs (because it therefore can be taken into account how much loss/profit I will make when using the cars for the 50,000 miles I do a year.
2. How much can it carry.  Always nice to know one can take lots of stuff in the car rather than have it delivered or make two trips etc.

 

In the nineties and noughties this use to be Skodas as they were great value and good cars.  Now it is Dacias/Renaults top the charts in these areas.

 

If I want quick I have the motorcycles ie 0-60 in less than 4 seconds.  The 900 cc Dacia does 175 kph quite easily, cruises at 430 kph carry four adults and 60 litres of luggage, a car much faster than that, as with thee numerous VRSs I had, and it is bye bye licence and freedom.   Trying to run a car on 20/25 p a mile is a tough ask when insurance is getting more taxed, fuel been creeping up this year.  Fortunately Logan TCE is very good with both, as is the bike.  Constantly amazes be why people even have cars when they are only going a few thousand miles a year and therefore their actual running costs can be circa a pound a mile when hiring is quite cheap these days.  Hard to evaluate electric cars in the same way and as they are taking an increasing percentage of the vehicle market and miles driven but I have not seen a good comparator.  Also for HP against PCP (which apparently is now 85% of new cars).        

Edited 17 September, 20169 yr by lol-lol

1. Faster than the car it's replacing.

2. Preferably something German.

 

So that's a performance slant -> Performance { 0-60, Brand } 

Where I can find it I like to see:-

1. Pence per mile ownership costs (because it therefore can be taken into account how much loss/profit I will make when using the cars for the 50,000 miles I do a year.
2. How much can it carry.  Always nice to know one can take lots of stuff in the car rather than have it delivered or make two trips etc.

 

 

So could I be bold to summarise that as, Economy?

 

Economic { £/pm, luggage /l }

 

That is a bit harder to list distinct options... because most cars have different capacity figures for load space. I guess bands, so [< 250 <500 < 750 < 1000] or [ city, small, small family, large family, superb] etc.

 

Cost per mile is a tricky one, but a good one. Does VED and insurance come in as they are fixed costs, regardless of mileage, but obviously as a year on year charge, 1k in ved/insurance verus 2k makes a per mile impact. interesting. Thank you.

So I'm sketching ( on post-it) notes a hello screen that asks if you're performance, economy, safety, company driver and that drives the second set of filters, the fact bias. So a company driver might be Company { ListPrice, Co2 } or similar.

 

In the nineties and noughties this use to be Skodas as they were great value and good cars.  Now it is Dacias/Renaults top the charts in these areas.

 

 

Agree, the marketing buzzword and it's been for two or three years ( is that a buzz or a fizz now? ) is 'desirability'. So the marketers of skoda are making, believing the brand is more desirable which alienates the practical, economic, sensible buyers  who see £ in the equation quite clearly before the heart.

 

I should get on page with the message, but I don't agree, so :p... it's looking for a replacement to a focus estate that got me scratching about on this today as it is I'm looking for capacity and cost.

 

There is also a scribble for 'not sure' which has pick the two key facts because there is always at least one person ( me ) who does not conform to the normal path.

Agree, the marketing buzzword and it's been for two or three years ( is that a buzz or a fizz now? ) is 'desirability'. So the marketers of skoda are making, believing the brand is more desirable which alienates the practical, economic, sensible buyers  who see £ in the equation quite clearly before the heart.

I should get on page with the message, but I don't agree, so :p... it's looking for a replacement to a focus estate that got me scratching about on this today as it is I'm looking for capacity and cost.

There is also a scribble for 'not sure' which has pick the two key facts because there is always at least one person ( me ) who does not conform to the normal path.

 

It is going to take a few months to work through to the market ie in the catalogue prices, although Peugeot has moved already, but the 12% weakening in the UK currency means, like in 2008/9, prices will leap up in the next 3 to 6 months, along with fuel prices creeping up for the same reason, on what is desireable/possible for drivers to use.  Happy with my Dacia, and Clio, even though I could afford something much "nicer" like a Jaguar XE, but why take the financial hit unless one is showy and I am not.     

So could I be bold to summarise that as, Economy?

 

Economic { £/pm, luggage /l }

 

That is a bit harder to list distinct options... because most cars have different capacity figures for load space. I guess bands, so [< 250 <500 < 750 < 1000] or [ city, small, small family, large family, superb] etc.

 

Cost per mile is a tricky one, but a good one. Does VED and insurance come in as they are fixed costs, regardless of mileage, but obviously as a year on year charge, 1k in ved/insurance verus 2k makes a per mile impact. interesting. Thank you.

 

Hi Colin,

 

The pence per mile included everything ie Depreciation, average insurance etc.   What Car did do quite a good listing but stopped I think and now the leasing companies do the best guide to actual cost of running.

http://www.fleetnews.co.uk/car-running-costs-calculator

 

So for my Dacia Logan TCE Laureate ...  http://www.fleetnews.co.uk/car-running-costs-calculator?Years=4&Miles=80000&CarType=&Manufacturer=dacia&Model=logan&CO2From=&CO2To=&BIKPriceFrom=&BIKPriceTo=&SortBy=Manufacturer&SortDesc=False&FuelType=

Edited 17 September, 20169 yr by lol-lol

1. Performance, but I don't separate 0-60, bhp, torque

I then consider that in relation to

2. Practicality/body style and what type of car I need/want at the time.

Does that make sense? Essentially I try and blend function with performance. If I want an estate, I'll try and find what gives bang for the buck, same as a hatch or whatever.

1. Performance, but I don't separate 0-60, bhp, torque

I then consider that in relation to

2. Practicality/body style and what type of car I need/want at the time.

Does that make sense? Essentially I try and blend function with performance. If I want an estate, I'll try and find what gives bang for the buck, same as a hatch or whatever.

 

I think you've summed up what I was going to say.  I have to strike a balance between what I want and what I need.  For my £6k I could afford a faster car but the three kids wouldn't fit.  For the same money I could afford a newer and possibly more practical people carrier but then I'd wither and die inside.  What I have is the sweet spot between my two needs within my meagre budget.

Edited 17 September, 20169 yr by skinnyman

"how much extra is the auto option compared with x brand" ....

Practicality for me, my work and family needs

Value for money - cost, spec, milage, efficiency and reliability

1) What is my budget?

 

2) What am I going to use it for?

 

Gaz

There's too many variables really for a 2 step filter, but first it would have to be make and model.  If you've already decided that you're gonna have a Skoda Yeti (for example) then after that it would be diesel and price.

There's definitely two halves emerging, which makes sense.

 

If you know the marque, then life become a little easier. But it's still a crazy number of combinations and skoda is fairly easy on the crazy.

 

The other is I'm not sure on my marque, here are some key things I care about, now show me what works... let's say cars with auto transmission...

 

The question posed above, what two key facts is to determine the biggest filter. So am I interested in a petrol or a diesel car... I can be fairly sure at the moment petrol is the only one I care for, so I'll go for that. I'm not sure about estate or hatch.

 

Ok so here is some test code ( It's not accurate and it might not work ), this skips this whole topic about asking an upfront question btw, but does present some 'common' fact filters. Nothing revolutionary, trim, engine, transmission etc.

 

The filters are the buttons, click one, others become available or not... 

 

So clicking petrol forces out diesel options. Remember this is fake data

 

https://briskoda.github.io/elm-quotes/ < Will only work in new-ish browsers >

 

If you add in all the other models and all the other brands, then all the possible facts... presented like this there are going to be way too many 'filters'.

 

/aside

The filters are built from the available models in the data list. Octavia is an example where I made up lots of different engine sizes. Now imagine that over bmw, audi, alfa... although most would round down to 1.2 or 1.6, then turbo, or not... starts going up again

 

 

Ok, so those filters would be many and take up a lot of space, hence the two key facts to pre-filter then I'd figure out a way to 'add' more filters if you wanted them. So click a button to add or remove filters, then apply, again standard stuff  Hope this is making some sense...

 

Filters on facts, e.g. Transmission gives 5g 6g or dsg.

 

/aside#2

data, I'm not typing up every stat and every metric, this is really a kick about, but if data was needed I forsee a simple add a car panel Over time we'd have enough to make a decent list/tool of use to folk. But as I say this code is just a test, although the topic here is valid as it's going to impact the site navigation/pages etc somehow

That worked. I clicked 2 filter options and it produced an Octavia VRS Hatchback 184 DSG. Unfortunately I didn't want a DSG but there was no option for a manual.

That worked. I clicked 2 filter options and it produced an Octavia VRS Hatchback 184 DSG. Unfortunately I didn't want a DSG but there was no option for a manual.

 

Super, there are no manuals under the octavia test data There are in the fabia test data. 

1. Do I really want it?

2. Can I afford it?

Both criteria have to be met

Budget is definitely a key fact. Definitely a range, but with the push to PCP/PCH figuring out an accurate monthly is harder than winning a rigged duck shoot. 

 

Want, now that's something I'm not sure any filter/fact can help with. hehe I've owned a few cars I didn't want too But it's a good one, maybe I'll add a heart desirability you can click on to shift the list in a models favour

Budget is definitely a key fact. Definitely a range, but with the push to PCP/PCH figuring out an accurate monthly is harder than winning a rigged duck shoot. 

 

Want, now that's something I'm not sure any filter/fact can help with. hehe I've owned a few cars I didn't want too But it's a good one, maybe I'll add a heart desirability you can click on to shift the list in a models favour

 

With Budget to function the Dacias are streets ahead of pretty much anything else on the market.  I pay £200 pm for a 20K miles per annum lease cor a car with ABS, aircon, ESP, Satnav, 600 litre boot and does 55 mpg.

 

For fun I wish Skoda had stayed in the hot hatch market and had a replacement for the Fabia 2 VRS but as they did not I have to look for the Clio RS as a reasonably priced hot hatch with real pedigree.  

 

Lease costs are a good measure of all encompassing costs, whether one does buy or as most do now, use PCP but then PCP is a pain to get the mileage right so using a combo of HP on one car and PCP on an other if one can.  

Unfortunately, there are 3 factors for me:-

1. Decent economy
2. Comfortable for a long trip
3. Enjoyable to drive.

Couldn't possibly reduce it to two, it depends on what sort of car I'm thinking about at that moment.

 

If I'm feeling sensible it'll be price, age, mpg

If not it'll be 0-60, engine size etc

 

Take a look at the Autotrader granular filter, what's it missing?

 

Number of Cylinders or engine type (I wanna pick V8 or straight 6)

Also driven wheels, no choice between fwd, rwd and 4x4.

1 - body style (hatch/estate/saloon) with 2kids + dog, estate always gets ticked

2 - Price

3 - milage (depends on circumstances, my last job with little commuting meant I looked for high milage cars as you could get more for your money & I would be doing alot less than average mileage, this time round, I needed lower mileage for a newer more basic car to last the 4+ years I intend to run it with way above average mileage

 

I then cut out what I don't like the look off and research on servicing/insurance/economy/resale/reliability with what is left, from there the test drives are booked and a decision is made on the best comfort/drive

For me......

 

1   - Is it reliable (and that includes the ability to carry a full sized spare - if it can't, it isn't going to be reliable enough)?  The spare wheel issue rules out a lot of makes but, if I am an hour from home and get a puncture at 7 pm with an early start next morning, a spare which is good for 50 miles at 50 mph is totally useless.  

 

2a - Is it reasonably economical?

2b - Is it comfortable?

2c - Is it practical for me?  I am often carrying laptop / projector / screen / course books / music stand (for notes) / reference manuals and more, so I need load space.  I also need room for 4 adults in reasonable comfort - rear leg room is important.

 

I'm not overly worried about fashion or 'pretty looks', come on I ran a Roomster for six years / 120k miles.  If they were still in production I'd have gone for another (especially with the 1.2TSi / 110 hp / 6 speed if they had done it).