To think that car reviews are no bloody use to me?

[entropynow]

It's all about the trim, the excitement of driving it, the look, the styling for at least the first five paras/minutes video. Even the alleged nitty gritty bit runs up inadequate.

I DON'T CARE about any of that crap. Is it quiet, comfortable, safe, reliable, affordable?

We are not all petrolheads. Where is the market for "I just want a good tin box on wheels for getting from A to B predictably and comfortably without spending a mint" reviews?

And if any of you know such a review site, please link in comments. PLEASE. I've taken on the task of pre-sorting for the new-to-us car purchase, and I'm bored already after an hour.

@entropynow I am on my second Civic as the Jazz did not have enough boot space for me, but I would have either again.

@Fairyliz

Another vote for Ford Focus. Not very exciting but cheap and reliable.

I'm something of a petrol head and I LOVED my focus. Cheap to run, practical, reliable and fantastic fun to drive. Get one.

@araiwa

A lot of the information you want is readily available. Price, safety ratings and reliability, insurance group for all models of cars is easily available. As is things like size of boot.

You don't need a review to find this out

But the user stuff like comfort, seatbelts, driving position, everyday useability isn't. Plus I don't want to have to wade through reams of ads to get to that stuff, which is almost all on company websites. And I don't know what car to get.

@entropynow

Who's holding anyone up? The idea that the road essentially belongs to sports car/ Discovery drivers is not for this thread.

If you set off in a car that takes 10-12 seconds to get up to speed, it’s going to hold up someone behind you whose car takes 4 seconds. That’s basic common sense.

There’s a NSL bypass (60mph limit) near me. I’d say 70% of people using it don’t know what NSL means and drive at 40 along it, holding everyone else up. They then continue at 40 in theb30mph zones at either end. These are generally the people who “aren’t bothered about cars”.

www.foxyladydrivers.com/foxynews/foxy-car-reviews.php

agirlsguidetocars.com/reviews/

Set a budget.
Pick a fuel type.
Pick a size or requirements e.g. for car seats, dogs, buggies, bikes etc
Make a list of any specific requirements e.g. heated seats (be willing to compromise on this).
Browse something like autotrader or one of the big dealers for an idea of what your money can buy.
Make a long short list of makes and models. Then read reviews and I'd recommend visiting one of the big car warehouse type places. Even if you don't buy from them I found it really useful to view various makes and models. I went in quite clear that's what I was there to do that day and had no intention of buying that afternoon.
Also check insurance quotes before purchasing.

I'm similar although growing up with car mad brothers and father I do have a nodding acquaintance with car brands etc and the different reputations.

Cars these days are generally well built and most of the quirks of different brands have been ironed out. Although some people -men in particular- seem to have a I cant drive that! kind of attitude to some brands I find that being open minded is best. In many cases they are essentially the same car underneath anyway as they all seem to be merging into big car groups - eg Peugeot/Citroen/Fiat/Vauxhall are essentially one company, now as are Renault/Nissan and VW/Seat/Skoda and many of the Japanse cars are produced collaboratively.

We tend to buy cars that are around 5 years old as by that stage the problems have been ironed out and they are good to go for another five years without major costs.

My advice is that its useful to think about factors that are important:
How many people you need to transport - whether you need a five seater or seven seater for example

How much luggage space you need and what other things you want to transport - this will affect whether you want an estate, hatchback, SUV etc. Also room for growth - most cars have potential to put a roofrack, rear bike carrier on etc but some dont

Costs - this is perhaps the most important - so check out the insurance cost, road tax cost and servicing intervals as these can majorly impact your day to day running costs

And finally think about emissions - London, Birmingham and increasingly other cities are imposing charges on the most polluting cars. You want to ensure that it meets the latest emissions standards to avoid charges (alternatively if you dont expect to drive into these city centres regularly you might be able to get a bargain on cars that dont meet the standards)

When looking I tend to search on autotrader where you can specify what you want and what price you want to pay - see www.autotrader.co.uk/search-form?moreOptions=visible

• last time we selected seven seaters paying £12,000 and found suitable cars from Peugeot, Renault, Vauxhall, Citroen, Ford, VW and one or two others available within a 20 mile radius and then took it from there. Once we started actually looking at them we discounted one or two that looked likely for reasons like the seat belt height or driving position - its all about the sitting in that actual car. In the end we chose a Peugeot over two other cars for no other reason than my daughter liked the colour!

But the user stuff like comfort, seatbelts, driving position, everyday useability isn't. Plus I don't want to have to wade through reams of ads to get to that stuff, which is almost all on company websites. And I don't know what car to get.

Seatbelts?

So find a car in your price range, with good safety, reliability etc then go to the dealership and check it out yourself

What car? magazine had all that information available if it still exists

@DicklessWonder If you’re happy with a car that takes 10 seconds to get to 60, crack on. But don’t hold up those of us that aren’t, please.

I find I get stressed when people are revving behind me at the lights, and I look in the rearview and it's a sports car right up my arse, and the driver's tapping fingers on the wheel and glancing impatiently at the red signal. And because of the stress, I quite often stall. Sometime, if I'm really stressed, I might stall three or four times.

I get ya. Iv got long legged teen and two more coming behind him. Plus long legged husband. I need to find a car that can sit 5 people and 4 of them 6ft

[quote WalkingOnTheCracks]**@DicklessWonder* If you’re happy with a car that takes 10 seconds to get to 60, crack on. But don’t hold up those of us that aren’t, please.*

I find I get stressed when people are revving behind me at the lights, and I look in the rearview and it's a sports car right up my arse, and the driver's tapping fingers on the wheel and glancing impatiently at the red signal. And because of the stress, I quite often stall. Sometime, if I'm really stressed, I might stall three or four times.[/quote]
Revving at lights is really quite tacky.

Is there nothing you see out and about that you think "I like the look of that car?". I'll admit i've probably bought my last 2 cars based on looks initially and then finding that they suited my needs. Previously I bought based purely on price and insurance costs for my 1st car (new driver) and after that one I test drove just about every small car (corsa, clio, punto etc) before picking the one that felt the most comfortable for me to drive. Everyone will have different preferences on what's comfortable for them. I've always enjoyed driving vauxhalls (have owned 2 and driven lots as hire cars), Peugots have never done it for me, I remember test driving a Clio and it felt like everything was in the wrong position for me.....

@emmathedilemma

www.foxyladydrivers.com/foxynews/foxy-car-reviews.php

agirlsguidetocars.com/reviews/

Set a budget.
Pick a fuel type.
Pick a size or requirements e.g. for car seats, dogs, buggies, bikes etc
Make a list of any specific requirements e.g. heated seats (be willing to compromise on this).
Browse something like autotrader or one of the big dealers for an idea of what your money can buy.
Make a long short list of makes and models. Then read reviews and I'd recommend visiting one of the big car warehouse type places. Even if you don't buy from them I found it really useful to view various makes and models. I went in quite clear that's what I was there to do that day and had no intention of buying that afternoon.
Also check insurance quotes before purchasing.

Thank you!

I’ve often thought that if the impatient drivers would just use public transport instead, and channel all that self importance into lobbying for well-run, efficient networks, then all transport would be safer for everyone.

@DicklessWonder

But the user stuff like comfort, seatbelts, driving position, everyday useability isn't. Plus I don't want to have to wade through reams of ads to get to that stuff, which is almost all on company websites. And I don't know what car to get.

Seatbelts?

How they fit. I'm short, as I've already mentioned upthread.

Sorry, I know that all that matters in my car choice is that you and your ilk don't get held up even for a few seconds. Got it. FYI I always drive to the speed limit. I could put in a few wild overgeneralisations about power drivers, but this is NOT THE THREAD.

@thelegohooverer

I’ve often thought that if the impatient drivers would just use public transport instead, and channel all that self importance into lobbying for well-run, efficient networks, then all transport would be safer for everyone.

yup

Pre-covid, I wandered into dealerships & sat in all the cars. But I used to work in car customer service assessment, so I'm super-comfortable in showrooms. Definitely You Tube for reviews, lots of normal people doing reviews. I do like Mat Watson tho!

@Hankunamatata

I get ya. Iv got long legged teen and two more coming behind him. Plus long legged husband. I need to find a car that can sit 5 people and 4 of them 6ft

LTB!

...sorry. Just got caught up in prevailing attitudinal norm.

Hmm, girls guide to cars seems to slew towards US market SUV soccer moms. Not my market.

@DicklessWonder

Who the fuck cares about torque?!?

Horse owners?

I’m not a horseowner but at options to replace my “practical” car when it eventually dies (have a sports car is for fun) and the options are woefull for someone who loves driving, wants a lot of power, options for how that power is out down (eg 2WD/4WD) and practical details like a split tailgate.

I don’t want a car that feels like driving a marshmallow. I don’t want reversing cameras, satnav, lane detection, park assist, auto braking or for the car to mute the radio because I’m in reverse. I have a brain and eyes for all of that.

If you’re happy with a car that takes 10 seconds to get to 60, crack on. But don’t hold up those of us that aren’t, please.

I don't know what the fuck torque is. Or what 2WD/4WD are. Or what a split tailgate is. (Isn't tailgating sitting close behind someone to threaten them into driving faster, therefore risking an accident?)

I also don't know how long my car takes to get to 60... it depends entirely on the driving conditions and hazards. I have a brain and eyes to decide that :D

[quote entropynow]@RincewindsHat

Civic or Jazz? We are an older couple and don't need it as a family car but do need to watch our backs and will mostly be taking longish drives (anything under 3-4 miles, we walk)[/quote]
My mum has a bad back and has a Honda Jazz. I know they have a reputation for being granny cars but they are reliable and comfortable and ok on longer journeys.

And I know your DH said no Toyota but they have really good seats too and are very reliable. The Auris would be good for longer journeys.

I think protecting your backs is more important than pandering to misinformed prejudice about certain car brands.

FWIW OP, we used to have an Astra and a Focus, and both were fine but I preferred the Focus because it felt like a more comfortable, smoother drive. It also lived longer than the Astra and had fewer expensive problems on its way out (we buy second-hand and drive cars to their death).

Ive never had any issue with What Car for reviews.

Seems to have all of the sections you ask for, running costs etc. The reviews are normally a bit tailored to the type of car - so for the grand cmax there was quite a lot of description about how the seats worked, boot space etc.

It also has a decent section on used cars looking at service, reliability, common faults, which will gove you some idea even if buying from new.

Im5'2" and have the same issue with needing a car that "fits" me.

Over the last decade (so styles have changed for some) I have driven several Fords (multiples of Kas, fiestas and Kugas) and all have been comfortable and easy to adapt to my size and reliable.

I'm looking for one which is easy to get in and out of, with flattish seats - not these bucket-type jobbies that you have to climb over when you disembark.
Short husband with a bad hip.