Motability car or buy something instead?
- Thread starter eidolon
- Start date
Simply because of limitations within the motability scheme.
For example if it was my choice I'd buy the Focus ST3 petrol but you can't have that under the scheme. Or if I was to purchase the Countryman/Paceman I would prefer the Cooper S petrol but under the scheme the petrol variants don't come with chili pack (essential IMO as standard spec is dire) so that's almost another £2500 upfront cost, plus the advanced payment.
You can however have the ST3 diesel on the scheme and you can have the Countryman/Paceman with chili if you go for the diesel.
Surprisingly it does, I tested it at Ford recently.
Is there a limitation who the driver can be? Due to my partner's disability she can no longer drive so I'll be the only driver however it would be good if I could insure her father on the car however he lives in Luxembourg so he's not exactly a local, he just visits a few times a year.
Soldato
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- 13 Sep 2003
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- Glocestershire
I think the only restriction is two drivers max, but they don't charge to change them. My mother has a motability car, and although my dad is usually the other driver it's only a phone call to have me as the other driver instead.
The new rules say the drivers listed on insurance must live within 5 miles of the hirer/customer/disabled person. It was a clamp down on the 90 year old grannies hiring a hot hatch for buttons while in reality their 17 year old grand-spawn were using it as their daily 200 miles away.
In situations such as yours however, there is discretion. You can just call RSA/Motability and they will be able to add him on either ad hoc when he visits or as an extra named driver under an exemption.
As I said OP you're right in the limitations (high spec + performance + petrol) in many models. However I reiterate that you'd still be far better off (and likely much happier) in a slightly lesser petrol while maintaining spec. As I put it earlier, much better having a 1.5 EcoBoost Titanium and having a blast wringing it out up the B roads, than being stuck in a 2.0 diesel just for the ST badge.
Motability will cover any DPF issues that the OEM don't cover under warranty, but they do 'strongly suggest' you stick to petrol if you don't do high mileage/long distance. In your shoes a diesel's economy won't show through and you will encounter DPF issues. I had exactly the same on various 2.0 TDIs until I saw the (DPF warning) light and switched to petrols. Much better!
Saying all this about DPF issues, I had the warning light pop up in my 1.3CDTI Corsa after having just done a drive to south Wales and back.
Had it in the garage and they tried to charge for a regen until I mentioned I'd just done a 500 mile drive.
You can get some very nice estate cars on Motability at the moment, isn't the ST3 available in an estate?
Had it in the garage and they tried to charge for a regen until I mentioned I'd just done a 500 mile drive.
You can get some very nice estate cars on Motability at the moment, isn't the ST3 available in an estate?
Yes, it's there. Also the petrols are available as estate (including Titanium X), Mondeo estate, and the Superb estate etc.
Strangely, all the DPF issues I was in and out of the dealership with usually popped up after long runs too.
I just don't think it's worth the risk of DPF issues. Even if mobility cover the cost, you have the added hassle of having to take the vehicle into the garage and it be off the road. I know some of our customers (extreme cases) have issues every couple of months as they have selected a diesel but are then only doing 4-5000 miles a year.
No amount of warnings about DPF limitations sways some customers away from diesels. As its all about the CO2s and 'fuel effiency'.
No amount of warnings about DPF limitations sways some customers away from diesels. As its all about the CO2s and 'fuel effiency'.
My mother had the 1.3CDTI Corsa for 2 years, doing about 3/4k per year. She never had an issue with the DPF. When I used it for a year and did 800 miles a week it started throwing up issues. She's now had the car for almost another two years having done about 5k in it and it's not thrown any issues up at all.
So long as you do a decent drive in it every week and just drop a gear for a few minutes it'll be fine. It's high revs that make the regen cycle kick in on most cars so long 70MPH motorway drives are just as big an issue due to the car being in 6th gear doing barely any revs.
This isn't strictly accurate any more. Most DPFs are now built into the exhaust manifold / block and are temperature dependent not rev dependent. Yes revs help raise temperature but exhaust is pretty hot stuff regardless.
Older iterations were literally afterthoughts, bolted on to old engine designs mid-exhaust to comply with new emissions regs. They didn't get hot enough, caused lots of problems and people had no end of trouble which necessitated the whole 'fourth gear for twenty minutes every week' debacle.
In theory newer designs will be much more functional without additional special action from drivers, but in reality they're still a PITA and go wrong quite often (along with SCR, EGR, DMF etc)...
Nope mileage restriction is still in place but they will consider drivers outside this distance on a case by case basis.
motability website said:
I've spent a bit of time looking through the motability website and I'm thinking of looking at the Audi Q3 or the Honda CRV, mainly due to the larger boot space (and my partner prefers SUV style vehicles.
The Q3 is available in the 2.0TDI engine and 1.4TFSI, both of which are 150BHP. Has anyone got any experience of these to compare? Everyone seems to go for the diesel but should I consider the petrol too?
The Honda is available in the 1.6 diesel (120BHP) and 2.0 petrol (150BHP). Again, does anyone have any experience of comparing these two engines?
The Q3 is available in the 2.0TDI engine and 1.4TFSI, both of which are 150BHP. Has anyone got any experience of these to compare? Everyone seems to go for the diesel but should I consider the petrol too?
The Honda is available in the 1.6 diesel (120BHP) and 2.0 petrol (150BHP). Again, does anyone have any experience of comparing these two engines?
Is the Q3 available with the 1.4TFSI CoD (cylinder on demand) engine, or just the older "static" 1.4TFSI?
If the former then it's actually very good, and returns decent MPG figures. If it's the latter then the diesel is easily the better option.
If the former then it's actually very good, and returns decent MPG figures. If it's the latter then the diesel is easily the better option.
I should imagine it is. Even the Skoda range are now CoD and they're the last to get anything from the VAG parts bin.
Not impressed with either of the 2 ST diesels I have driven
Underperform, forever changing gear, rock hard suspension without the performance to match.
Both the minis would likely be better, and the Leon that has been suggested.