[AlanHo]

As you know, we moved house last June to a retirement complex where having two cars is impractical. Hence we swapped my i30 2012 hatch and my wife's 4 year old i10 for an i30 Tourer.

Unfortunately my wife has arthritis which is getting steadily worse, and she has struggled with the new car. She finds it increasingly difficult to get in and out of because, compared with the i10, the seats are too low. In addition she is rather over-awed by its size for parking.  Its a pity we didn't give more thought to this last year.

A further consideration is that now we have just one car - it spends most of its time on short journeys and the DPF is forever regenerating. I did toy with the idea of getting a petrol version of the i30 when I swapped it but at that time the only manual petrol engine was a 1.4 - and a test drive ruled it out. It was gutless and very thirsty.

So I have been looking at alternatives and found that the Hyundai ix20 and its equivalent KIA Venga cars were candidates. They are tall and short with good cabin room and better luggage capacity than an i30 hatch.  However the ix20 is only available with a 1.4 petrol engine and lacks cruise and some other features that are standard on the Venga which can be had with a 1.6 petrol.

Brian (bumpkin) kindly gave me a very valuable description of his experience with the ix20 and confirmed that the 1.4 petrol though peppy around town, lacks much oomph for motorways and shares my view that the car needs a 1.6 petrol for our mix of motoring.

I have not been able to find any KIA dealer within 50 miles of home that has a Venga  1.6 petrol demo car. So I arranged with our local dealer for us to have a test drive of a Venga 3 1.4 diesel just to get a general feel of the car and take some cabin noise readings with my decibel meter. I reasoned that the petrol car would not be any noisier.

We went this morning.

Before going on the test drive we spent some time in the KIA showroom looking over one of the cars - my wife had seen the ix20 but not the Venga. We then sat at the desk with the salesman going over stuff and haggling on a deal to part exchange my i30 for a new Venga 3 1.6 petrol. This is the top model in the range and can be had with or without sat nav which comes with a reversing camera.  The reversing camera would be nice - but I was not willing to pay the extra £1000 when I already have a perfectly fine Garmin Nuvi.

During the haggle the salesman kept going off to consult his manager as I turned the screw ever tighter aided and abetted by my wife who really is good at it.  On about his fourth commute he came back and said - "would you be interested in a used car 10 months old with less than 5000 miles on the clock in your preferred colour (silver) but this one has the sat nav and the optional gold options pack which includes a spare wheel, boot liner, sill and rear bumper guards, mud flaps, auto glaze paint treatment etc. My manager has just told me a customer is trading in his wife's Picanto and his Venga for a new Sportage and they are due to swap cars at mid-day".

It was then 11.30 so we sat back down and started the haggle all over again and after 20 minutes achieved a deal where a small amount of money would flow in the right direction for the used car rather than a large amount of money in the wrong direction for a new car.

So we now had 2 options and spent the next half hour looking at the showroom cars and measuring the luggage space to kill time.

As promised the trade in Venga arrived and we took it for a test drive on roads that I already have taken cabin noise readings for the i30.
Nice car, loved the high seating position, superb 6 speed box, and whilst nowhere near as lively as the i30 diesel, goes fine. The noise levels were about the same as the i30 - certainly no worse. I set the trip to zero at the start and when we got back to the dealers it was reading 36.1 miles travelled and 35.3 mpg. It was a cold and filthy rainy day in high winds and a good proportion of the journey was stop and start urban and me having the occasional thrash - so I am happy with that.

We swap cars next Wednesday.

So - what will I get that is not in my i30 :-
Heated front seats
Rear seats that can be reclined and slide fore and aft to extend or reduce luggage and rear leg room
Tilt and slide panoramic glass roof
Part leather upholstery
Rear centre folding arm rest
An instant mpg display in numerals (unlike the useless bar graph in the i30)
A sat nav
A reversing camera
Four front parking sensors  (the i30 has just 1 at each corner)
A great high driving position
Much easier to get in and out of (The main reason for swapping cars)
A shorter car my wife will find easier to park.
Extra luggage space with seats up (Vanga is 440 litres. i30 Tourer 378)
Lower servicing cost
No worries about a stuffed DPF
6 years left on the KIA Warranty

So - what do I lose from my i30 :-
Daytime running lights
One touch passenger window
Free road tax (the Venga is £125 per year)
Diesel grunt (Petrol is 123 HP and 156 Nm torque. Diesel is 126 HP and 260 Nm of torque)
Economy (Currently 54 mpg - I anticipate 36 mpg)
Combined storage bin and central armrest at front
Less luggage space with seats down (i30 Tourer 1642 litres. Venga 1253)


So after next Wednesday I will join Dazz, Brian and Keith in not having an i30 - but still remaining an active member of our great form.

[asathorny]

This sounds fabulous Alan, can't wait for part two of this story.  Well done 

[asathorny]

And what car say it's not a bad package at all :-

Kia Venga MPV Video Review What Car?

[AlanHo]

And what car say it's not a bad package at all :-

Kia Venga MPV Video Review What Car?

Thanks asa - I have of course seen that video among a mass of data I have waded through whilst researching alternative cars.

I am going to miss the i30 for its grunt and luggage space with the seats down, also its economy, but I must confess the Venga surprised me with its versatility. The ease of getting in and out is a blessing for my wife (and for me)

[Shambles]

Gutless.

Characterless.

Featureless.

Mundane.

Banal.





That's what I think of the Sportage your donor's going for

The Venga looks quite decent in the vid. Thanks for the update.

[Asterix]

Nice move, Alan. 

Hope it will serve you well.

[eye30]

I think you will not miss the grunt day to day but may on long trips.
But that's only every so often not every day so you won't really miss the grunt.

With no regeneration and a quicker warm up your mpg should be good.

When i went to york in my 1.4 petrol i tried to compared it to the 1.6 crdi and really to me i couldn't put a ciggy paper between them.

You have not left hy as hy own kia!

[Dazzler]

Hi Alan, I was a bit stunned when I read the thread heading!

After reading your excellent post I can fully understand the move though..

Happy Wife = Happy Life

I am now off to watch that Venga Video Review as I have no idea what they even look like. 

Looking forward to more info and photos etc.. going forward!

[Phil №❶]

Never a dull moment, Alan.

Have you figured out the wiring for GPS & Dashcam 

[Dazzler]

I think he is scoring a built in GPS Phil? .. I better have another re-read as after watching the video review I went back to check they were getting the 1.6 model!

[Phil №❶]

That's right Dazz, just checked too.   I remembered the reference to not paying the extra money for sat nav & camera but that was the OTHER car, hard to keep up with Alan sometimes.

I wonder how long b4 they move again. 

[AlanHo]

I have checked the installation details for my Garmin sat nav and my front and rear DOD crash cams. It looks quite straightforward.

I doubt that I will use the built in sat nav. I didn't even bother to switch it on to try it. I didn't ask, but I anticipate it costs an arm and a leg for map updates - and speed cameras are not shown. The reversing camera looks mighty useful though. With practice I reckon Libby might master parallel parking - but I didn't say that

I appreciate that you find it hard to keep up with me - you are not the only ones - us pioneers tend to keep ahead of the pack...............

Oh, I meant to mention in my first post that whilst we were at the garage killing time before the used car arrived,  a guy turned up with a 2013 Ceed car (i30 equivalent) with a mangled front drivers door and a buckled A post area. being nosy I asked him how it happened and he said that last evening he got home, cracked open the door, the wind wrenched it from his grasp and threw the door open against the hinge stops which buckled under the load.

Thought it worth mentioning to us i30 owners with a similar structure.

[AlanHo]

My insurance was due for renewal on March 7th. I contacted my insurer and they charge an admin fee for putting the new car on the policy instead of the existing car and it is too late to get a refund if I cancel the policy.

So I just went on the internet - as I do every year - and insured the new car for £36 less than last year's premium with exactly the same cover. The quote on the comparison site for my existing insurer was £41 more than last year's premium - so I have saved £77.

My wife is delighted - she gets another free meerkat.

[The Gonz]

I had no idea you could get a meerkat. Picture?

[Surferdude]

I had no idea you could get a meerkat. Picture?

Compare The Meerkat Advert NEW (Compare The Market), Cheap Car Insurance -

[Surferdude]

I have checked the installation details for my Garmin sat nav and my front and rear DOD crash cams. It looks quite straightforward.

I doubt that I will use the built in sat nav. I didn't even bother to switch it on to try it. I didn't ask, but I anticipate it costs an arm and a leg for map updates - and speed cameras are not shown. The reversing camera looks mighty useful though. With practice I reckon Libby might master parallel parking - but I didn't say that

I appreciate that you find it hard to keep up with me - you are not the only ones - us pioneers tend to keep ahead of the pack...............

Oh, I meant to mention in my first post that whilst we were at the garage killing time before the used car arrived,  a guy turned up with a 2013 Ceed car (i30 equivalent) with a mangled front drivers door and a buckled A post area. being nosy I asked him how it happened and he said that last evening he got home, cracked open the door, the wind wrenched it from his grasp and threw the door open against the hinge stops which buckled under the load.

Thought it worth mentioning to us i30 owners with a similar structure.

Happens with a lot of cars Alan.
Over the years in the trade I've seen plenty of them.

When we were in Tassie last year the wind was horrendous (well, maybe not as horrendous as you guys right now), but I was paranoid about damaging a door on the hire car either that way or having it slam against a car parked alongside.

[The Gonz]

I had no idea you could get a meerkat. Picture?

Compare The Meerkat Advert NEW (Compare The Market), Cheap Car Insurance -

No, the ad we all see. It sounded as if you get a plush toy with every policy.

[Surferdude]

I had no idea you could get a meerkat. Picture?

Compare The Meerkat Advert NEW (Compare The Market), Cheap Car Insurance -

No, the ad we all see. It sounded as if you get a plush toy with every policy.

Pretty sure they get those ads in the UK, too. But I guess we'll have to wait for Alan's explanation. 

[Surferdude]

Just found a whole heap of them - sponsored by Coronation Street.   

all the meerkat adverts - YouTube

[asathorny]

I've given my Meerkats away.....   Just got baby Oleg, the wife wants that one 

[The Gonz]

Typo correction:

I had no idea you could get a meerkat. Picture?

Compare The Meerkat Advert NEW (Compare The Market), Cheap Car Insurance -

No, that's the ad we all see. It sounded as if you get a plush toy with every policy.

Pretty sure they get those ads in the UK, too. But I guess we'll have to wait for Alan's explanation. 

It still sounds as if there are plush toys for the taking...

[AlanHo]

Here is the explanation.

There is an insurance comparison site on the web called  Compare Cheap Car Insurance Quotes | Compare The Market

You enter all your details and up pops a hundred or more quotes from various insurers. If you then click on the link of your chosen quote it takes you to the insurance companys site where you buy a policy.

If you do this via the comparison site link you can claim a free stuffed toy meerkat.

See   Meet the Meerkats from Meerkovo | Compare The Meerkat

In their advert a meerkat says "compare the market dot com" - but his accent makes it sound like "compare the meerkat dot com".

I have just ordered baby oleg for my wife - she has already got Sergie and alexander.

She may get another one in August when our house insurance is up.

[The Gonz]

Ah, nice touch. I believe they're missing a meerkating opportunity not highlighting the soft toy offer.

[Phil №❶]

 

When we were in Tassie last year the wind was horrendous (well, maybe not as horrendous as you guys right now), but I was paranoid about damaging a door on the hire car either that way or having it slam against a car parked alongside.

Park facing the opposite direction 

[Dazzler]

Ah, nice touch. I believe they're missing a meerkating opportunity not highlighting the soft toy offer.

Very clever Gonz..

@ Alan,

I felt a bit bad using the line Happy Wife = Happy Life earlier...

I didn't mean to belittle your decision which (as usually) was well researched and very justifiable for many reasons.

[AlanHo]

@ Alan,

I felt a bit bad using the line Happy Wife = Happy Life earlier...

I didn't mean to belittle your decision which (as usually) was well researched and very justifiable for many reasons.

Jeez Dazz - you are a caring sensitive soul. I thought your comment very appropriate because that was exactly my motivation.

I suppose I prefer the i30 - but once I saw that Libby was struggling it was a no brainer.
She pleaded with me not to change cars because she knew how much I enjoyed the i30 and said she would forever feel guilty if I swapped cars just because she was "slightly" inconvenienced.
However, she is now placated by the knowledge that the Venga is more suited to our ongoing needs and is tickled pink we changed.  So am I.

[Phil №❶]

 

Aw gee, such sensitivity


 

[AlanHo]

Aw gee, such sensitivity

 

Now I am feeling guilty for making you a blubbering wreck...............................

[Phil №❶]

I'm pulling myself together, Alan. 

[Dazzler]

Too much information Phil..

@ Alan, thanks, so I stressed unnecessarily for several hours!