My diesel Subaru Forester (2015, 150k KM) might need to be replaced as some of the heater plugs are not working, but in the summer the garage said they were too rusted in to remove. Some warning lights came on recently and my local guy read the codes and said is was the heater plugs. However, it might not be worth the effort due to car age/condition and labour costs and if 1 garage couldn’t replace them there is a high chance another garage can’t or there is also a risk to crack the motor. Although the errors messages are shown, the car actually starts fine at -7C so I am not even sure this is a critical fix but I don’t want to get stuck somewhere and it looks like spending money on the Forester is not worth it.
It is the worst possible timing with my wife literally on her death bed and I will start chemo on Friday… So I am looking at a low stress option. I think the Skoda Kodiaq is perfect for me but looking for alternatives and advice. I started looking to get an idea before some darker months ahead of me.
My daughter does training/racing every weekendA critical feature is a ski pass through, and a sufficiently large car to take GS skis and lots of ski racing gear. . I have a roofbox on the Forester, but I cannot park in most supermarkets underground parking. I cannot install or remove the ski box myself. Not many cars have a ski passthrough, 60:40 seats don’t really work as it looses a useful seat.
AWD is highly desirable. Although 90% of the time roads are cleared very well, conditions can change fast and parking lots are often ice rinks. I have never once had an issue with the Forester (using snow tires), so I don’t need full locked diffs etc.
Car size is a trade-off. Day-to-day I don’t want bigger than the Forester, but for trips to the mountains the extra space of the Kodiaq will be very useful. Again, the goal is to not rely on a roof box.
I like a PEHV , but with the Kodiaq that rules out AWD.
Also, when looking at prices locally, I don’t see so much depreciation. I always preferred a 2-4 year old model with 20-40K km but what I see is:
43K CHF gets a 2024 with 50 KM in higher trim, or 2025 model basic trim. The most interesting is https://en.comparis.ch/carfinder/marktplatz/details/show/32601191 but is the PHEV without AWD, and warranty might be the original 3 year Skoda, so maybe 2+ years left.
Brand new 2026 on order, many extra options and extra like winter + summer tired, extended 5 year/100k KM warranty is 53,000CHF. E.g. this is brand new and could be shipped https://fr.skoda.ch/apps/stock/carDetail/CHE00597597D20098374 for 50,500CHF and I might get an 8% |rebais flotte”… I have an offer form local AMAG with some extra like 3rd row seats for 53K CHF and I haven’t negotiated.
So although it pushes my budget, I see little advantage in 2nd hand? if you consider a brand new car, after 5 years and about 100K km (my average seems close to the population average) I would have a car I ight be able to sell on for 16-20K CHF, vs buying a 2022-2024 model with 50k km it will be 150K KM and worth a lot less, so that 10-12k CHF extra for a brand new might be saved any way and provide less stress over the warranty period.
I am aware it will take a few months to deliver but I have a small 2nd car that will work for emergency use if the Subaru dies suddenly.
If budget is a factor, I feel compelled to mention the Dacia Duster. You can buy 2 of them new for the price of the Kodiaq.
I’m very happy with mine, 2018, 130k km. I’ve had some more important stuff to change at around 100k (count 5k CHF) but haven’t really had trouble out of that. You may want to try it before buying if you’re used to more comfortable or powerful cars (it’s really just a car to take you from point A to point B on various types of roads and in various conditions).
i agree that the Duster is a great car. We live in an area that gets ridiculous amounts of snow and the road is not completely cleared. Duster is very popular.
insurance for it is very reasonably priced aswell.
Budget is a only a a factor in that I am unsure of my finances /spouse pensions etc. and in general I don’t want to spend too much on a car, but I can certainly afford 50K for a new car that hopefully lasts 7+ years.
I am not a car person and don;t care at all about brand or performance, but I do care about comfort, functionality and safety. I got to say, it was nice doing a test drive going almost hands-free through a traffic jam.
Once problem I see with a Darcia is it only has a 60-40 back seat and not a proper ski pass through, thus it immediately reduces the functionality for me and if I give up on the 40-20-40 seat then it would open up many other options that are also cheaper than the Kodiaq.
You could throw the skis on the roof and still come out 20k on top
In saying all this I have the AWD long range Model Y and believe it to be the most comfortable car I’ve ever had. On a /km basis I believe it can also be rather competitive, particularly if one has PV.
in saying this the Moustachian in me wants to drive the Dacia. I get hammered with insurance on the model Y
I get it, but my point is that I have a ski box but I cannot fit in my garage, nor any of the underground parking at Coop/migros, which forces me to park on a street some way away and limits how much I can shop, or I have to drive much father . I cannot install/remove the box by myself and without my wife I would have to constantly ask friends and neighbours to help out. A 60:40 rear seat looses a seat at the back and I don’t want my children to sit up front on a long car journey into the mountains.
i can compromise of course, but a ski pass through (40:20:40 seats) was one feature that I had on a must-have list. I don’t care about car brands, which is why I am happy to look at Skoda, Hyundai etc. rather than BMW/Audi/VW/Toyota.
Anyway, as a more Mustachian Question: I am surprised at the high values of used cars in CH. Normally a 2 year old car would be 30-40% cheaper than new , but I just don’t see the savings. I spoke to my neighbour and they said they got a brand new car form the dealer cheaper than any recent low KM used car on Comparis. The employee rebate (“rebais de flotte”) seems to mostly cancel out 1 year depreciation
That is the unfortunate consequence of COVID and its aftermath (supply chain disturbed, new cars pumped up, thus used ones got more demand, used cars pumped up).
I wonder if it ever goes “back to “normal””.
(I got mine back in 2018 - 3 years old at 50% of new price)
I think for your transportation needs many the „standard“ cars are not a perfect fit. I‘d take a look at models like Tourneo Connect / VW Caddy (long version maybe). We can talk about aesthetics, but I am convinced that these cares have a great usable space compared to the external dimensions. Or Tourneo Custom.
My experience with car dimensions and parking at coop/migros: I do not see much influence hie long they are. At least if the steering angle and distance between axle allows a good turning radius. Even if this is not perfect, by doing a extra round of forward/backward you usually fit well in the parking lot. I used ti drive a Renault Clio, got a Mondeo afterwards. Reality check was, that the Mondeo is at least as handy in the parking lot than the Clio was.
Other story with the the width: if it is too wide you dont fit… If it is a wide car, sliding doors at the back may compensate a bit.
Additional: PHEV have some disadvantages, you still have sthe standard maintenance and on top a heavy vehicle. This will influence driving in snow. They might be great if 90% of your commute is within the EV range. But in Switzerland you have such a good charging net that full EV is totaly possible
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