What else, if at all, is being considered

e-yes · January 24

Hi,

Considering what with all the thefts and insurance issues, I have taken the following steps so far

Disklok steering lock
Bollard
Maybe add a wheel clamp if going out of country for a few days and deflate the rear tyres to lowest tolerable level which won't damage the TPWS sensors.
Was considering Ghost but as per other topics in the forum it appears Ghost is having issues and personally I would not want to futz around with the complicated electronics and run the risk of voiding warranty.

With all (bar one) of the above, I think I will likely prevent a theft. However, the other longer term risk is insurance cost. My insurance went from under £400 to just about £1200... which is a 3x increase but in the grand scheme of things still tolerable. But what if it keeps increasing year on year ? Anything over £2000 and it stops making financial sense keeping the car for the full 10 year period I had hoped to keep it for.

I am considering the following...

Lexus NX350h

All good however not as comfortable or luxurious as the ES even in Takumi trim.

Lexus RX previous gen

Can try and negotiate the selling dealership to work out that CANBUS mitigation into the deal. But pretty sure insurance not getting any cheaper on this route as well.

(Not considering the new generation RX because in my view it is not a good value at all)

Subaru Outback

Haven't checked how the insurance is but seems like a good value. I had the chance to be a passenger in one of these as a taxi in Iceland ! Very plush and comfortable... quite a bit more than the new NX.

Downsides I see are is that it is a bit sluggish and not as economical as the ES

Nissan X-Trail

The new one seems to be a good value and comfortable.

Didn't think I would consider this... but Tesla Model 3

Purely because it is surprisingly coming in at very affordable levels all things considered.

Also in the play but probably will never make it... Audi A4 Estate Petrol 2.0 TSI

Well... a highly specced one of these is coming in cheaper than a new ES Takumi and having had some experience with VAG dealerships, I think it may still be possible to track down that one dealer who is willing to knock of up to 20% from the RRP. However... had bad experience with this so called "luxury" brand so... probably will never go this way.

Thoughts... ?

--E

Spock66 · January 24

45 minutes ago, e-yes said:

Nissan X-Trail

The new one seems to be a good value and comfortable.

I had a couple of Nissan Primeras 20+ years ago and they were very solid and reliable cars, I think Nissan have gone down hill as a manufacturer since the tie up with Renault. The X-Trail in particular scores very poorly on reliability.

Dippo · January 24

There just seems to be a shortage of decent sized family saloons that will run on petrol, and are not plug in hybrids. I don't need an SUV, but manufacturers seem to be forcing us down that road.

e-yes · January 24

1 hour ago, Spock66 said:

I had a couple of Nissan Primeras 20+ years ago and they were very solid and reliable cars, I think Nissan have gone down hill as a manufacturer since the tie up with Renault. The X-Trail in particular scores very poorly on reliability.

Even the very new one ?

e-yes · January 24

11 minutes ago, Dippo said:

There just seems to be a shortage of decent sized family saloons that will run on petrol, and are not plug in hybrids. I don't need an SUV, but manufacturers seem to be forcing us down that road.

Well, there is BMW 3 and 5 , Mercedes E class, Audi A4/5/6 .. A7 is too big, Jaguar XF.

But I am not looking into those brands for various reasons. BMW specifically are on a mission to produce ducking fugly products of late.

The Japanese are low volume sellers in UK/Europe thus are forced into offering "flavour of the month" that is in demand and those are SUVs sadly.

Tickedon · January 24

3 hours ago, e-yes said:

.

Also in the play but probably will never make it... Audi A4 Estate Petrol 2.0 TSI

Well... a highly specced one of these is coming in cheaper than a new ES Takumi and having had some experience with VAG dealerships, I think it may still be possible to track down that one dealer who is willing to knock of up to 20% from the RRP. However... had bad experience with this so called "luxury" brand so... probably will never go this way.

DriveTheDeal.com will get you not far away from 20% off an Audi A4 depending on exact trim…

I moved from an A4 to an NX - I’d never go back and the only thing I miss is the extending seat support!

I would also avoid the previous gen RX as regardless of what you do, you’ll be paying the higher insurance rate due to theft risk.

e-yes · January 24

1 hour ago, Tickedon said:

DriveTheDeal.com will get you not far away from 20% off an Audi A4 depending on exact trim…

I moved from an A4 to an NX - I’d never go back and the only thing I miss is the extending seat support!

I would also avoid the previous gen RX as regardless of what you do, you’ll be paying the higher insurance rate due to theft risk.

Those MLB platform models (A4 onwards) should be sold with a warning... the engines are longitudinal but still drive the front wheels which in RHD variants ends up stealing space from the driver. For me pretty much impossible to sit comfortably.

Also, yes the RX will continue to be plagued by insurance costs.

DAN@ADRIAN FLUX · January 24

Hi.

If you need any help with insurance at all for any of the models you are looking at then please feel free to drop me a line.

Regards,

Dan.

peniole · January 24

Mustang mach e, I know yet another SUV.

I wouldn't trust a VAG TSI motor after all the timing chain and then belt issues crapping the bed just out of warranty.

Honda civic, economical hybrid but prices are insane. Same price as the ES, and an ES it is not.

Honda CRV, expensive, noisy in comparison.

All the VW IDs. Horrendous driver controls.

Genesis and hyundai ionic 5, very swiftly stolen. They don't even need to pull the wheel lining. Done by remote.

Mazda cx60, another suv.

Merc EQE. Uncomfortable seats in base trim, expensive, poor visibility.

Merc EQC, cramped shoulder room compared to ES.

VOLVO S90, V90?

Ricardo22 · January 25

I agree about the Honda CRV, I had a test drive in one those and couldn't believe the amount of road and wind noise at motorway speeds. The ES is far superior.

dutchie01 · January 25

No brainer, go fo the model 3. By far the most economical of all, no maintenance, plenty of room inside for 4 adults and the absolute fastest out there. If you have solar panels on your house visiting a petrolstation is a thing of the past. Also super reliable and practically unstealable. No comparison with the rest. Test it and you will find out

peniole · January 25

Test drove the model 3. Before they completely got rid of the signal stalk, having the speedo outside of your line of sight is annoying, wind noise and uncomfortable seat.

Now the signals are on the steering wheel as buttons in the new update (btw not even on opposite sides, on one side, one on top of the other). What were they thinking??!! Although the reviews seem to suggest they have improved insulation, noise and fit and finish. Not sure how I feel about it being built in China. Between them and tesla, quality control is a big question mark. Will probably give it another test drive, just to be thorough.

Ken R · January 25

Lexus NX350h is the best option.

e-yes · January 26

8 hours ago, Ken R said:

Lexus NX350h is the best option.

I did a test drive and sadly the comfort levels are a step below ES.

I am thinking of trying the lower spec NX with 18 inch wheels and see how that goes… but again sadly those cannot be had with memory seats so that will be a negative. On the plus side, won’t have to deal with those high tech touchy-feely-looky buttons on the steering.

If I have to take a step down from comfort then might as well also consider the Tesla 3 and bring the overall costs down.

Or, keep the ES and see how big YoY hit I take on insurance, it is quite possible that the 3x increase is about as much as the actuaries think is sufficient for a long enough period of time.

Buying a new car is tbh bothersome… I know what I have now with my ES is as good as it gets… but for the lack of peace of mind due to the scumbag thieves.

peniole · January 26

9 hours ago, Ken R said:

Lexus NX350h is the best option.

Also, I'm not feeling particularly generous towards Lexus/Toyota. The A$$holes won't acknowledge, let alone fix, a major design flaw that means your car is basically unlocked all the time and they expect I'll buy another of their products. The Ghost will prevent them driving away with your car, but it won't prevent them getting in.

Tonyw · January 26

I have started to keep an eye on different 3yr old PHEVs, ranging from the Kia Optima through to the 5 series. Other completely different car on my watchlist is the 3.3 Kia Stinger

e-yes · January 26

11 hours ago, Tonyw said:

I have started to keep an eye on different 3yr old PHEVs, ranging from the Kia Optima through to the 5 series. Other completely different car on my watchlist is the 3.3 Kia Stinger

That’s interesting, are the 5 series PHEVs good ? And will they have batteries with some life left in them after three years ?

Shahpor · January 26

12 hours ago, Tonyw said:

Other completely different car on my watchlist is the 3.3 Kia Stinger

Really glad I bought mine when I did and have no plans to get rid of it any time soon. If you can stomach the running costs, then it is a very good buy.

CT200h-TL · January 26

Insurance on the tesla may not be cheap. Worth checking.

NX350h vs Gen 4 RX: Unless you are in London, the savings on insurance for the NX might be negated by the additional luxury car tax for at least 4 years or so (assuming a '22 NX vs '18 RX or older).

Tonyw · January 26

33 minutes ago, Shahpor said:

Really glad I bought mine when I did and have no plans to get rid of it any time soon. If you can stomach the running costs, then it is a very good buy.

Very jealous, I would settle for the 2.0l GTSline with all the toys. Just so hard to find one

don’t need a really fast one, they just look cool, rare and great specs

Tonyw · January 28

Thought of another option today, whilst scrolling Autotrader

The car itself has great reviews but the 2.5l engine and auto gearbox are hated by journalists (where have I read that before)

I had one as a company car at launch in 2013, the 2.2 diesel and loved it

Mazda 6 GT sport is the ES Takumi equivalent in spec, few years old low mileage cars are often under £20k from main dealer. I only do 6k miles a year so the fact it is not a hybrid and will use a bit more fuel doesn’t really bother me (work gives me 25p per mile back anyway)

peniole · January 28

9 minutes ago, Tonyw said:

Thought of another option today, whilst scrolling Autotrader

The car itself has great reviews but the 2.5l engine and auto gearbox are hated by journalists (where have I read that before)

I had one as a company car at launch in 2013, the 2.2 diesel and loved it

Mazda 6 GT sport is the ES Takumi equivalent in spec, few years old low mileage cars are often under £20k from main dealer. I only do 6k miles a year so the fact it is not a hybrid and will use a bit more fuel doesn’t really bother me (work gives me 25p per mile back anyway)

Actually test drove it back in 21. Pretty decent, not as quiet iirc, lane keep is last gen bouncing from line to line, no lane centering. Better infotainment control though with the rotary wheel. High spec has good quality cabin. Ingress egress, I'm big, not as easy.

ColinBarber · January 28

On 1/25/2024 at 5:16 PM, Ricardo22 said:

I agree about the Honda CRV, I had a test drive in one those and couldn't believe the amount of road and wind noise at motorway speeds. The ES is far superior.

That’s partly because it’s an SUV. Trouble is if your preference is a saloon the your choice is limited these days.

e-yes · January 28

How about a GS ? Are they vulnerable as well ?

ColinBarber · January 28

1 minute ago, e-yes said:

How about a GS ? Are they vulnerable as well ?

Facelift models are technically vulnerable but not heard of any stolen this way on these forums. But they are rare and nothing really available after 2017 - if you already have an ES I’d assume you want something newer than that.