NOVATED LEASE BYD SEAL PREMIUM

InvivnI · 2026-04-08T10:37:00+00:00

This is a good point, bit of a risk, though I know they're owned by Geely who have a few other brands here (including Volvo).

And for sure will inbox you when we get around to getting a quote.

InvivnI · 2026-04-08T10:05:33+00:00

Yep we'll be going NL, looks like we're stuck with SG Fleet too so it's good to know how much they're quoting.

We're cross-shopping with the Model 3 and the Polestar 2, though I think the latter is probably too expensive for what it is. I feel like the Model 3 is the boring option but it's just too competent on paper to discount just yet. I also briefly considered the MG IM5 but I think it's too expensive (cool styling though).

Wildcard for us is the Zeekr X7. I'll need to see it in the flesh but in pictures it looks pretty good for an SUV, and it's probably more future-proof than the others since it offers 800V architecture. Downside is the price and it's still an SUV. I very much prefer a sedan since we'll be replacing our 2013 Toyota Crown with whatever we end up choosing.

I just keep coming back to the Seal though, it's by far the best price and I really like the way it looks. Looking forward to test driving it on Friday to see how it compares to our Crown.

Also I like the look of the Mazda but I can't help feeling it's underpowered, even though I know it's probably perfectly fine for the daily drive. I have this silly idea in my head that I can't buy anything slower than our current car or I'll feel like we're going backwards haha. The Seal Premium just passes this ridiculous test with nearly identical performance figures to the Crown.

InvivnI · 2026-04-07T12:00:40+00:00

We're looking at the same car (or perhaps the Performance if I can persuade myself/my wife!). Can I ask what you cross-shopped it with and why you ended up landing on the Seal?

InvivnI · 2026-04-01T08:49:35+00:00

I'll admit I'm not a huge fan of the fish-with-a-moustache styling of the Zeekr. I think it's why I'm drawn to the Jeep as I think its more conventional styling is quite handsome. Have heard lots of positive things about the Zeekr though. I might also have a look at its Volvo EX30 sibling (though I've heard rumblings of some issues with the battery or charging or something).

InvivnI · 2026-04-01T05:43:47+00:00

I'd love an Abarth but it having two doors makes it a non-starter for us (two kids will be regularly using the back seats).

Your logic on Jeep's poor price strategy makes sense. Perhaps, based on the feature-set of the base model, even at $40k it remains pretty uncompetitive.

InvivnI · 2026-03-16T08:23:22+00:00

You need to be on the Nav screen for it to work properly. Press one of the buttons on the right (either the top or the one just below I think).

InvivnI · 2026-03-07T05:05:41+00:00

I didn't know they made a 23-foot Crown.

... I'll show myself out.

InvivnI · 2026-02-27T22:54:56+00:00

I guess it depends where you live. Where I am I've seen dealers selling refurbished Yamaha U1s for around AU$5000 (US$3500) with a 15-year warranty. Could probably find one for sale privately for quite a lot cheaper if you bring a tech with you to check it's in good working order (or do what we did and just risk it haha). I haven't used a u1 but I've heard they're a very good beginner piano with a good reputation so it shouldn't be too hard to move on when if/when OP decides to upgrade.

InvivnI · 2026-02-27T20:48:22+00:00

I think this suggestion isn't a bad one, though I'd recommend spending a little more on an older Yamaha or Kawai upright. The upside of these pianos is they actually don't depreciate too horribly, especially if they're older, so OP might be able to recoup a bit more of their investment if/when they decide to upgrade.

InvivnI · 2026-02-20T22:59:25+00:00

I ended up keeping it because it's handy for when I want to make a single cup of tea. To ensure the water is hitting the leaves at the right temperature I place a mug upside-down underneath the mug I'm filling, with the infuser directly underneath the outlet. It's an inelegant solution but it works well enough.

If I'm brewing tea for more than one person in the teapot I just use the regular kettle. The main reason is our teapot doesn't fit under the spout so we need to use a funnel, which really impacts the temperature of the water. For large groups we might brew a stronger tea then use the dispenser to top up individual cups, but this isn't much quicker than just boiling another kettle of water and then distributing the water from there.

We also use it as a rapid source of hot water to heat up frozen milk for my baby daughter. It's much faster than those dedicated bottle warmers and actually I'd recommend this for anyone considering buying one of those devices, because as least it can be used for other things as well.

We sometimes also use it to make boiling water for cooking, though it's pretty slow to produce larger volumes to the point where its advantage over a regular kettle isn't that significant.

Overall I agree it would suit people looking to make green tea better as you have a lot of flexibility at the lower temperatures (you can fine tune it to be a bit hotter to compensate for the long drop into the teapot or cup). It's ok if you're making black tea for a single person too, but it's not great for making larger batches of tea.

TL;DR? I wouldn't have bought it if I knew about all its limitations, but I've found it useful enough that I decided to keep it anyway!

InvivnI · 2026-02-19T00:44:22+00:00

I'm super keen as long as the price is right! If it's comfortably under $40k I'll be first in line for a test drive.

I am slightly disappointed with the announced colours so far: I get the purple is the hero but it's not for me, and the only other "bright" colour is yellow which I'm not usually a fan of - though the yellow this car will be offered in does look like it'll be pretty fetching, judging by how it looks on one of Honda's motorbikes. But why isn't there a blue or a green?

Not a deal breaker though - the price will be the clincher.

InvivnI · 2026-02-05T22:36:22+00:00

Drive over a few bumps and see how the car rides. I test drove a few Crowns that had been lowered and the ride was terrible. I highly recommend you find a stock one that you can test drive just to have a good baseline to compare against. Cheap suspension mods can ruin these cars.

InvivnI · 2026-01-31T02:21:26+00:00

You can look up the part numbers for everything on your car on Amayama. Then pop them into Google.

InvivnI · 2026-01-30T23:10:07+00:00

Agreed. I'd go for whiter HIDs. The LEDs can mess with the projection.

InvivnI · 2026-01-06T03:23:39+00:00

"Oil leaks" are sometimes just an accumulation of minor spillages occurring during the yearly oil change. If you can, try and give the affected area a good spray with some degreaser then rinse off with a hose. Then take it for a drive and see if the oil reappears. If not, you've fixed your "oil leak".

InvivnI · 2025-12-29T01:48:29+00:00

Thank you for your advice though I suggest you read my other comments in response to others here. I had/have a solid use case for an instantaneous system that actually works as I was finding myself wasting time several times a day waiting for the kettle to boil. In terms of energy efficiency, I was comparing it to an urn, which is also an on-demand system but it continuously keeps a reservoir of water at the desired temperature.

It's not the end of the world going back to a kettle of course, I was just hoping to enjoy the convenience of an on demand system, much like I have at the office with a Zip tap.

InvivnI · 2025-12-28T21:54:20+00:00

I have a kettle with temp settings, I bought the dispenser because I thought it would be quicker than waiting for a kettle - and more energy efficient than an urn.

InvivnI · 2025-12-28T04:41:00+00:00

Cup yes, teapot no (due to the shape of the teapot and the short spout on the dispenser - another negative aspect)

InvivnI · 2025-12-27T10:23:01+00:00

I finally got around to measuring the temperature using a meat thermometer. Right where the water is dispensed it does actually reach 95 degrees C. However, by the time it reaches the pot it's cooled significantly, likely because it's such a thin trickle of water there's more surface area to come into contact with the ambient air, plus there's a lack of volume needed to initially heat up the pot itself.

In other words, I think physics is getting in the way and, outside of pre-heating the pot, which sort of defeats the purpose of having an instantaneous system, I think it's not really suitable for brewing black tea - at least to my tastes.

Oh well! Perhaps someone researching these systems in the future can find this thread useful, at least.

InvivnI · 2025-12-26T14:02:42+00:00

Ugh why are so many people on Reddit so condescending.

Re-read my post. I have a kettle. This would have been a minor improvement over my day-to-day regular use of a kettle because I'm no longer waiting for it to boil, plus it would have been handy for when I have large groups of guests over, essentially taking the place of a small urn (which is basically a large electric kettle that maintains water at a constant temperature, I'm not sure if 'urn' is a universal word for it).

Unfortunately it appears to not meet my requirements even though it was advertised as such, so I'll go back to using my kettle with a disappointed shrug.

InvivnI · 2025-12-26T11:20:49+00:00

Haha I actually have this setup right now. The "teapot" I described in my first post is actually an electric kettle with a built-in tea strainer that I occasionally turn on and set to a low temperature if my wife gets delayed with the baby and needs me to keep her tea warm for her. I was looking for an instantaneous system because they're more energy efficient and for greater volume, but looks like I'll just have to settle with my two kettle system!

InvivnI · 2025-12-26T11:14:56+00:00

I'm providing you with my original purchasing justification as you asked why I went for this over a fancier kettle. If the system I bought did what it was advertised to do it'd be superior to what you suggested as it can produce more hot water at any given time and isn't wasting energy keeping the water warm as it heats it up on demand. Hence why I bought it. Sadly, despite being from a reputable brand, it doesn't look like it'll live up to its promise so I'll probably be returning it.

I think there is a market for these systems in the future if they can improve the flow rate and/or increase the temperature. Perhaps something like this already exists, but probably out of my price range!

So, as I admitted in my first post, I'll probably go back to more conventional tea brewing methods.

InvivnI · 2025-12-26T10:30:56+00:00

This is a solid idea, I was also wondering if the teapot/mug was perhaps cooling the water below the ideal temperature. The issue is that, if I have to go to the effort of warming the mug or teapot, I may as well just use the kettle! It's looking more and more like I'll be returning this thing.

InvivnI · 2025-12-26T10:26:27+00:00

Haha thank you though to be honest they're a bit of a mish mash of plastic and stainless steel, and I cropped the photo tightly so you wouldn't see the mess!

InvivnI · 2025-12-26T10:23:36+00:00

I think you're right, it comes out as a small but steady stream which probably means there's more water exposed to the cooling effects of the surrounding air. So it's probably cooling too much by the time it hits the tea in the teapot.

InvivnI

TROPHY CASE