8k Budget for 15km Commute

farna_boy

Hi all,

I'm looking for suggestions for a car so any help would be appreciated.

I've been looking for petrol cars up until now so I'm not familiar with EVs or PHEVs, what to look out for or which would be more suitable for my situation.

My commute is currently only 15km and my wife has a diesel car for longer trips so my car is only used for commuting and dropping off my toddler at creche along the way.

We are currently expecting a baby so I guess I would need a four door at least and ideally reasonable room in the boot if possible.

My budget is also about 8k so that is probably the biggest restriction.

Can anyone suggest something that might be suitable?

Thanks

con747

farna_boy wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm looking for suggestions for a car so any help would be appreciated.

I've been looking for petrol cars up until now so I'm not familiar with EVs or PHEVs, what to look out for or which would be more suitable for my situation.

My commute is currently only 15km and my wife has a diesel car for longer trips so my car is only used for commuting and dropping off my toddler at creche along the way.

We are currently expecting a baby so I guess I would need a four door at least and ideally reasonable room in the boot if possible.

My budget is also about 8k so that is probably the biggest restriction.

Can anyone suggest something that might be suitable?

Thanks

Have a look on Done deal, https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/nissan-leaf-acenta/25585725 something like that?

Zamboni

Yep 2014 Nissan Leaf for €8k all day long.

Also bear in mind you’ll need €500 - €1,200 upfront to get a home charger installed. You may reclaim up to €600 back as a grant from SEAI.

Redgirl82

Buy a bicycle

graememk

Redgirl82 wrote: »

Buy a bicycle

and just strap the toddler on your back? :P

KaneToad

graememk wrote: »

and just strap the toddler on your back? :P

And the new baby on the handlebars...

graememk

This showed up on the EV bargins, https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/nissan-leaf/24476956

granted its got nearly 200k on the clock, but will do the 30 km round trip easy.

as Unkel said in his post, if you offered 3500 cash, you might be able to do a deal.

or pushing the budget up a bit more a boardies e-up is for sale https://www.adverts.ie/car/volkswagen/up/2014-volkswagen-e-up/21448036

Calahonda52

Zamboni wrote: »

Yep 2014 Nissan Leaf for €8k all day long.

Also bear in mind you’ll need €500 - €1,200 upfront to get a home charger installed. You may reclaim up to €600 back as a grant from SEAI.

for a 30km charge an external socket and a granny cable would suffice

Redgirl82

KaneToad wrote: »

And the new baby on the handlebars...

I think you will find in countries all over the World they travel on bicycles with children.



Do you think people in Netherlands/Germany/NY etc dont have children?

It is an option, 15km on a bicycle if the person is city based would be quicker than any car and the remaining money you have would sit nicely in the bank. Buying a car to drive 15km would be seen as insane in most countries, especially when you have a second car sitting in the driveway.


Maybe it doesn't suit the OP, maybe it does.

hurleronditch

Redgirl82 wrote: »

I think you will find in countries all over the World they travel on bicycles with children.



Do you think people in Netherlands/Germany/NY etc dont have children?

It is an option, 15km on a bicycle if the person is city based would be quicker than any car and the remaining money you have would sit nicely in the bank. Buying a car to drive 15km would be seen as insane in most countries, especially when you have a second car sitting in the driveway.


Maybe it doesn't suit the OP, maybe it does.

I lived in NY for 3 years and I’d say I saw about 3 people ever commuting with a child on a bike. The the traffic in Manhattan is not a place for a child on a bike. Germany and Holland are much different and obviously trailers and baby seats on bikes are commonplace, but the difference there is the prevalence of segregated cycling infrastructure.

I have exactly the same requirements as the OP, a 2k commute to a crèche for a toddler, followed by a 5k spin to my office, luckily I have a hand me downpetrol run around from a family member coming to me in the next few weeks which will tick the box. Though I am a keen cyclist, I wouldn’t dream of taking my child out in suburban Dublin traffic with only a plastic seat and their helmet for protection. I’ve seen how drivers behave towards cyclists, and I would never take that risk.

Redgirl82

hurleronditch wrote: »

I lived in NY for 3 years and I’d say I saw about 3 people ever commuting with a child on a bike. The the traffic in Manhattan is not a place for a child on a bike. Germany and Holland are much different and obviously trailers and baby seats on bikes are commonplace, but the difference there is the prevalence of segregated cycling infrastructure.

I have exactly the same requirements as the OP, a 2k commute to a crèche for a toddler, followed by a 5k spin to my office, luckily I have a hand me downpetrol run around from a family member coming to me in the next few weeks which will tick the box. Though I am a keen cyclist, I wouldn’t dream of taking my child out in suburban Dublin traffic with only a plastic seat and their helmet for protection. I’ve seen how drivers behave towards cyclists, and I would never take that risk.

Who said anything about a plastic seat and a helmet?


Cargo bikes etc


As I said it is just an option, maybe not for the OP. But spending 8k plus insurance/tax/maintenance etc for 15km is a bit crazy


In regards to your own situation, you still pay insurance/tax/maintenance which will run into the thousands every year. For a journey you could do probably quicker on a bike

farna_boy

con747 wrote: »

Have a look on Done deal, https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/nissan-leaf-acenta/25585725 something like that?

Yeah that looks good.

Is there anything that I need to look for with this type of Leaf?

Should I be worried about losing bars or would that really matter considering my commute?

Zamboni wrote: »

Yep 2014 Nissan Leaf for €8k all day long.

Also bear in mind you’ll need €500 - €1,200 upfront to get a home charger installed. You may reclaim up to €600 back as a grant from SEAI.

Any reason you say a 2014 Leaf? Or is it just the newest one that would be in budget?

Are there any advantages of going for a 2014 vs an older one?

Redgirl82 wrote: »

Buy a bicycle

Unfortunately, I don't think that is really practical considering the route I have to take and what the drivers are like around here. It's bad enough in a car I shudder to think what would happen on a bicycle.

Gumbo

farna_boy wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm looking for suggestions for a car so any help would be appreciated.

I've been looking for petrol cars up until now so I'm not familiar with EVs or PHEVs, what to look out for or which would be more suitable for my situation.

My commute is currently only 15km and my wife has a diesel car for longer trips so my car is only used for commuting and dropping off my toddler at creche along the way.

We are currently expecting a baby so I guess I would need a four door at least and ideally reasonable room in the boot if possible.

My budget is also about 8k so that is probably the biggest restriction.

Can anyone suggest something that might be suitable?

Thanks

Can you charge over night at home?
ie do you have a garden that you can fit a charger into?

hurleronditch

Redgirl82 wrote: »

Who said anything about a plastic seat and a helmet?


Cargo bikes etc


As I said it is just an option, maybe not for the OP. But spending 8k plus insurance/tax/maintenance etc for 15km is a bit crazy


In regards to your own situation, you still pay insurance/tax/maintenance which will run into the thousands every year. For a journey you could do probably quicker on a bike

Possibly, but I’ve already said I don’t want to take my child out in traffic, and I don’t plan on switching careers to become a courier so why would I need a cargo bike. Anyway, the plywood sides on a cargo bike still require me to put my child a foot off the road protected only by their helmet and maybe some aluminium tubing and plywood. To put my child in a car I have to strap them into a EC approved rearward facing seat with SIPS and a whole host of other safety features, all within a car also filled with safety features.

Each to their own, and if you’re happy with the risks of doing so with your own kids (I’ve taken from your replies you may have kids you bike commute with, if not, apologies for assuming) then off with you.Ill pay those thousands to ensure I don’t place any unnecessary risk on my child.

Lumen

hurleronditch wrote: »

Ill pay those thousands to ensure I don’t place any unnecessary risk on my child.

Nice insinuation that people who cycle with kids are reckless cheapskates. :rolleyes:

My own experience of cycling with kids in child seats and trailers is that drivers give you loads of space, and the experience is very safe.

The only practical issue is that the wider cargo bikes don't allow zipping through traffic so once you've dropped the kids off you lose the normal speed advantage of a bicycle in the city.

Redgirl82

hurleronditch wrote: »

Possibly, but I’ve already said I don’t want to take my child out in traffic, and I don’t plan on switching careers to become a courier so why would I need a cargo bike. Anyway, the plywood sides on a cargo bike still require me to put my child a foot off the road protected only by their helmet and maybe some aluminium tubing and plywood. To put my child in a car I have to strap them into a EC approved rearward facing seat with SIPS and a whole host of other safety features, all within a car also filled with safety features.

Each to their own, and if you’re happy with the risks of doing so with your own kids (I’ve taken from your replies you may have kids you bike commute with, if not, apologies for assuming) then off with you.Ill pay those thousands to ensure I don’t place any unnecessary risk on my child.

So I put my kids at risk? Along with millions of people all over the World but you are the only good parent in the World?

You’re blowing smoke up your own ass just to cover up for laziness

Anyway it’s not what the OP asks, it was a simple option. As usual the lack of knowledge by some people sends us off on a spiral

Redgirl82

Lumen wrote: »

Nice insinuation that people who cycle with kids are reckless cheapskates. :rolleyes:

My own experience of cycling with kids in child seats and trailers is that drivers give you loads of space, and the experience is very safe.

The only practical issue is that the wider cargo bikes don't allow zipping through traffic so once you've dropped the kids off you lose the normal speed advantage of a bicycle in the city.

Most people never try so they will never know, excuses to cover up for laziness

I am waiting for the “sure it rains in Ireland” comment :-)

liamog

Mod Note: OP has expressed a clear desire to discuss vehicle recommendations, further discussion of the suitability of cycling as an option will be considered off topic and removed.

farna_boy

Gumbo wrote: »

Can you charge over night at home?
ie do you have a garden that you can fit a charger into?

Yeah I have a garden so installation of a charger shouldn't be a problem.

Gumbo

farna_boy wrote: »

Yeah I have a garden so installation of a charger shouldn't be a problem.

Then an early leaf will be perfect at the lowest outlay.

zg3409

Just do the usual checks you would for any car, try get one with very recent NCT, check tyres, body damage. Check car comes with 2 cables, one granny cable and one public charging cable. As others have said you can plug the granny cable into an ordinary socket in your hallway, but it might require an extension cable to be fed out the letterbox. You probably don't need a home charger as after a 15km commute it will charge back up in an hour or two.

As for age/cost, depreciation is biggest factor as you will be increasing mileage so little its age based depreciation that will reduce the value of the car. I would go for cheapest of cheapest on done deal but make sure you get insurance quote first. If you are going from one car household to two insurance policy may be very expensive. Also if car is over 10 years old some insurers won't quote new business so you end up paying more than say a 9 year old car.

If car is far from where you live you should ask seller to deliver or transport rather than attempting this yourself

Redgirl82

Phil in electric autos has a Renault Fluence for 4K, big car, perfect range, would be perfect and doesn’t look like an electric car

Zenith74

The 2014 Leaf has the newer battery chemistry, so generally a better choice than older models.

Personally I’d be aiming for something with a little less than 200k on it. Just because the engine is electric and will go and go, other parts (suspension, seats, upholstery etc) all wear like a normal car. A 2014 with 50/60/70k on the clock will last you a long time and shouldn’t have major wear on anything, but you’ll get a good deal on one.

zg3409

Redgirl82 wrote: »

Phil in electric autos has a Renault Fluence for 4K, big car, perfect range, would be perfect and doesn’t look like an electric car

Just beware fluence does not have any fast charger option so trips beyond range involve overnight charge. Its probably not great value when that is considered but for a 2 car household, where one car is NEVER used for anything but local trips it is an option, but for the money I would say a leaf would depreciate less and be easier resold. If anything went wrong with fluence it might be hard/unprofitable/unviable to repair so first issue would mean scrapping. Its cheap for a reason.

Redgirl82

Redgirl82 wrote: »

Phil in electric autos has a Renault Fluence for 4K, big car, perfect range, would be perfect and doesn’t look like an electric car

No, it looks worse lol and no fast charge.