What car are you driving?

[Rebasepoiss]

You can say that for most VW-s but IMO Scirocco and Passat CC stand out pretty well. But I guess they are meant to be the "attractive versions" of the 3-door Golf and Passat respectively.

[ChrisZwolle]

I'm not really brand-dependent. I know some people who wouldn't consider buying anything else than Renault, but I would switch just like that.

So far I've owned three cars, from three brands; in chronological order; Toyota, Peugeot and Renault. I've also driven an Opel Combo and Citroën Berlingo frequently for work.

My next car may also be a commercial van, because I don't need the extra seats and they're very cost-efficient, and the only profitable way to drive diesel in the Netherlands. The annual road tax for a 1300 kg diesel car in the Netherlands is € 1256, while I currently pay around € 620 per year for my diesel commercial van, which means it is profitable from a much lower annual mileage than a passenger car (you probably need to drive well over 30.000 km per year to make it profitable compared to petrol).

[Qtya]

Originally Posted by ChrisZwolle

I'm not really brand-dependent. I know some people who wouldn't consider buying anything else than Renault, but I would switch just like that.

Believe me or not, even so it looks pretty much like that, I'm not brand-dependent either.

When it comes to owning(investing into) and selling a car, the combination(or we could say balance) of different factors/variables, such as cost-efficience, engine, reliability, price, quality, value stability, timeless shape, prestige(? - well, more or less it's true) equals to the Volkswagen.

I know my explanation was to broad, but I simplified it due to my week english.

[Qtya]

Originally Posted by ChrisZwolle

(you probably need to drive well over 30.000 km per year to make it profitable compared to petrol).

I drive 35000 to 45000 km per year. The explanation to relatively wide gap is that I'm strongly depended on market sensitivity.

[x-type]

Originally Posted by Tincap

The toy...'91 Nissan Fairlady Z Twin Turbo. Bought it July 2005, sold it this summer.

ouuuum one of those true japanese sport cars which became a legend! true ricer i'd say

[ChrisZwolle]

To make a small example, a 3 year old Volkswagen Passat diesel with around 120.000 km will cost you € 15.000 in the Netherlands. A 3 year old Opel Combo diesel with around 120.000 km will cost you around € 6.000.

So it is extremely profitable to buy a commercial van based on buying price alone, not to mention the road tax, which is some € 300 per year lower and all-risk insurance which will save you € 750 per year. In the end, your expenses per kilometer could be 70% cheaper if you buy a commercial van instead of a passenger car in this country...

[Qtya]

Originally Posted by ChrisZwolle

To make a small example, a 3 year old Volkswagen Passat diesel with around 120.000 km will cost you € 15.000 in the Netherlands. A 3 year old Opel Combo diesel with around 120.000 km will cost you around € 6.000.

So it is extremely profitable to buy a commercial van based on buying price alone, not to mention the road tax, which is some € 300 per year lower and all-risk insurance which will save you € 750 per year. In the end, your expenses per kilometer could be 70% cheaper if you buy a commercial van instead of a passenger car in this country...

Everything adds up perfectly, but still the problem is I can count it on my two hand how many commercial vehicles I have sold in the last two years. There is simply no need for these among the regular people.

[bleetz]

I have a Volvo S60 SE 2.4 D5 (5 cylinder diesel). I absolutely love it. It has a pop-out satnav, leather seats, cruise control, an excellent 12 speaker stereo etc. Not the most involving car to drive (it is FWD) but a true motorway beast.

I bought this as a manual even though I had an automatic box on my previous car. I think both manual and automatic have their own advantages, but I think I will be going for an automatic box next time as they are much better in traffic and I live in London.

The annual road tax for a 1300 kg diesel car in the Netherlands is € 1256

Jesus f---ing Christ! No way! Are you serious? So with insurance that's like 2000 per year + the diesel?!

[ChrisZwolle]

Yes, and add maintenance, write-off and vehicle inspections to that.

[bleetz]

That is pretty messed up. Especially in a country like NL where there is an excellent infrastructure for bicycles and you don't really need a car in the city. So say if you need a car only because you want to visit your grandmother who lives 130 km. away every month, you'll end up paying pretty much a Euro per km. plus the diesel.

[ChrisZwolle]

Actually car ownership is increasing sharply in the Netherlands. There are now more passenger cars than households. I don't think people think that they don't need a car in a city. In normal residential neighborhoods, almost every household owns a car. Even in social housing neighborhoods, car ownership is still pretty high, albeit somewhat lower. Car ownership is really low in historic city centers, but those account for only a tiny portion of the Dutch population.

[bleetz]

OK fair enough.

I would like to see car ownership expenses chart for EU or world. I wonder whether this is common elsewhere too.

[strandeed]

Originally Posted by ChrisZwolle

Yes, and add maintenance, write-off and vehicle inspections to that.

Bloody hell... and I whine about £200 a year tax in a 1800kg 4.0 litre :P

If my car was newer than 2001 I think I would be paying closer to £400 though

Road tax is a scam, there is no fairer way to tax the motorist than fuel duty.

[bleetz]

Originally Posted by strandeed

Bloody hell... and I whine about £200 a year tax in a 1800kg 4.0 litre :P

If my car was newer than 2001 I think I would be paying closer to £400 though

Road tax is a scam, there is no fairer way to tax the motorist than fuel duty.

+1

[hofburg]

The annual road tax for a 1300 kg diesel car in the Netherlands is € 1256

that's crazy. why this even exist? in France there's no road tax. In Slovenia there's so called 'annual tax' based on engine volume, which is around ~70€, so almost nothing.

and what about insurance prices? I guess if the road tax is already that high, insurance must be mind-blowing. In France there's from 600 to 1000 € per year, in Slovenia around 400 - 500€. (that's why I will keep my registration plates even if I will stay in France for 10 years )

[Usamljeni Hashishar]

2007 Scion TC 5 speed manual

http://www.scion.com/#/tCvehicleImages

[x-type]

Originally Posted by hofburg

that's crazy. why this even exist? in France there's no road tax. In Slovenia there's so called 'annual tax' based on engine volume, which is around ~70€, so almost nothing.

and what about insurance prices? I guess if the road tax is already that high, insurance must be mind-blowing. In France there's from 600 to 1000 € per year, in Slovenia around 400 - 500€. (that's why I will keep my registration plates even if I will stay in France for 10 years )

in HR i pay 25€ road tax per year
and insurance for Punto in my area costs me 160€

[HMMS]

http://www.volkswagen.com/br/pt/carros/voyage.html

This is my car, VW Voyage Comfortline 1.6 Flex, good car..............

My wife had a VW Fox Prime 1.6 Flex, like that.........

http://www.volkswagen.com/br/pt/carr...ants-sel3.html

We like of the models that VW make in Brazil!!!!!!!!!!

[hofburg]

to me they look very funny.

Originally Posted by x-type

in HR i pay 25€ road tax per year
and insurance for Punto in my area costs me 160€

so all I need now is an adress in HR and next time I register my car there.

[TheCat]

Recently VW in North America has been known as one of the least reliable brands out there. When I was looking for a car a few months ago, I considered the Jetta or Passat, but after reading many reviews (and checking out Consumer Reports), I decided to stay away, as many people seem to be having many serious problems with these cars.

This has been a problem in general with many German cars here in North America (especially Mercedes, which is ranked lower than even some of the least reliable American brands). Electrical problems are the most common culprits (which are often both very serious and super expensive to fix). BMW has been better in this regard though. But then again, these are all luxury cars not many can afford. I don't know if in Europe similar problems exist.

Actually, the North American Honda Civic (2006+) has a somewhat common serious problem too, where engine blocks tend to develop cracks and leak engine coolant. This seems to be specific to engines made between 2006 and 2008 in the Canadian plant. This was the reason I bought my Acura - it is basically a Civic but with a different engine from a different series, which is not known for this problem. Also, for around $2K more this car has many nice toys that the Civic doesn't .