How about expanding the question to include the maker?
I like my new Skoda Octavia, but hate the appaling service I have received from both the dealer and Skoda UK.
But which will win? Do we put up with one and not the other?
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Yes to both of mine -- indeed I don't think I've had a car that I could class as unreliable in about 8 years now -- all Japanese or Korean.
Having said that, I'm annoyed with current Primera, or rather the (back-street) garage. Not content with messing up the clutch replacement a few years ago I'm not at all happy with the noisy brake pads they put on at the last service -- they claim it's down to the materials on "modern" pads, but how come other cars don't suffer the same way?
Two other mechanics have found nothing wrong with the brakes, but I'm not satisfied. I'll be buying new pads and discs and replacing myself when I can be bothered. The car stops rightly enough, but the noise gets on my wick and is deeply embarrassing when I have others in the car. The sound is a mixture of a rubbery rubbing noise, metal-on-metal type scraping (both when coming to a stop, only present <5mph) and general squealing.
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The sound is a mixture of a rubbery rubbing noise metal-on-metal type scraping (both when coming to a stop only present > general squealing.
Did they re-fit the shims to the pads? If not, a quick visit to your local Nissan dealer and a couple of quid for a new set of shims.
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Very happy with the car, dealers not so impressive.
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I'm so happy with my car, 2000 Astra CDX saloon 1.8 auto, that I can't find a replacement even with a £30k budget!
I'm prepared to give up the trip computer and accept slightly worse fuel consumption but if I can't retain everything else (cruise, leather, sunroof, 460 litre secure boot) AND add estate, 4wd then I won't change.
I thought I'd found the answer, Toyota LandCruiser LC4, but the seats are too high to get into!
I'm just waiting for a reduction in list price for the Lexus RX400h - might need to find somewhere for the flying pigs!
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to bring the bangernomics view to this then yes mostly:
the L reg Rover 214 passed it's MOT this week with flying colours (and no advisories); OK I'd just replaced most of the exhaust at the weekend and replaced the front brake pads a few weeks ago but really not bad for a 14 year old car.
The H reg Previa I'm not so happy with as it still has a mysterious electrical fault although it also got through its MOT wth minimal work recently.
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I'm prepared to give up the trip computer and accept slightly worse fuel consumption but if I can't retain everything else (cruise leather sunroof 460 litre secure boot) AND add estate 4wd then I won't change.
You will wait a long time for an estate car with a 460 litre secure boot.
By design an estate does not have a secure boot and the under floor locking storage boxes will never amount to 460 litres.
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Measured approval is one thing but anything resembling 'happiness' is a sure sign of stupidity or hugely degenerate superstition or staggering luck or at least excessive optimism.
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happiness is a cigar called hamlet i thought ;-)
Edited by bell boy on 06/10/2007 at 00:38
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Well I'm very happy with the TF.
All the doomsayers were out in force when I was considering buying her, but so far their concerns have proved groundless. I've found a supportive community of enthusiasts that I can turn to should I have a question about the car, and a specilist just down the road who are both reasonable and give better service than any other garage I've ever used.
The car itself is brilliant, sharp, responsive, quick, economical and cheap to run. It ticks just about every box, and it looks the part too. :-)
The old Mondeo that I'm currently running I'm also equally pleased with, it's a very well specified car for £2,500. The engine is sweet, powerful, and makes a lovely throaty rasp when pushed (although that may be fuel being sucked from the tank at a rate of knots). She's comfortable, and due to the fact that she's just a 7 year old Mondeo I don't worry about parking anymore, even the city centre as it's busiest period between midnight and 4am no longer holds any fear for me. :)
I'm quite a happy motorist, I think I'll only get happier when the Mondeo is swapped for an E39 5 Series, althougn I'll probably worry more!
Blue
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I've been completely happy with my current and previous car ~ both Focus Ghia 2.0 petrol ~ the first from new, the second (and current) low mileage used. Prior to that I had a Citroen 1.9 petrol ZX Volcane followed by a 1.8 petrol ZX Aura, both from new. Both ZXs were very tinny ~ on the Volcane the dipstick-supporting bracket fractured (which entailed removing the heater to fit a new bracket) and on the Aura one of the bonnet hinges fractured. Both ZXs were run predominantly on well-maintained dual carriageways. These have been the only fractures I have experienced in 40-odd years.
--
L\'escargot.
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Kia - I still need to write it up properly, but the Cee'd is proving to be a nice car to have. especially for free!
C4 - Still love the look of the C4 and it feels very spacious. The ride is very smooth and it's quieter than the Cee'd. Putting cruise into the base model as standard was a great idea, makes motorway journeys relaxing.
MX5 - Spending more time in the Kia makes me appreciate the Mazda more. Not that the Kia is a bad car, far from it, but after driving an ordinary tin box during the week, taking the roof off and feeling the liveliness of the Mazda makes it great fun. Driving it all the time, it's easy to forget just what a brilliant little car it is
Mini - Doesn't get driven much now but whenever you go anywhere in it, it attracts a lot of attention. Kids especially love it- the people next door have a gigantic SUV but their little boy still gets more excited about the little red Austin! But that's it's flaw. Accident between the two? He's in the Mini, he's dead. In the wallywagon, he's fine. With so many stupidly big sports utility vans about, driven by distracted mums and dads, we're getting more careful when and where we drive it. But it has the proper go-kart style handling and since we put an original radio back in, we can get MW and LW! Still a great car but the world has changed and it no longer fits in
If I had to wave goodbye to them? The mini would go first because of 50s safety. Next would be a toss up between the C4 and the Cee'd. Cee'd is much better specced (love the climate control) and faster but the C4 drives more comfortably and I prefer its looks. Probably the Kia would go. Then the C4 and finally the MX5.
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07 Kia Ceed LS
05 Citroën C4 VT
04 Mazda MX5
85 Mini Mayfair
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I think most people are happy with their cars, but "I bought a XXX three years ago and it has been good" won't engage the forum reader's interest as much as "My XXX has been back to the dealer 17 times because they can't fix a really annoying fault."
Different people buy their cars for different reasons too. Three years ago I bought a Fiat Brava because I didn't have much money to spend on a car, and it seemed like the cheapest car to buy and run that did everything I wanted it to. The only other car we had at the time was a Nissan Micra. Despite having a really rubbish write-up in Which? magazine, the Fiat was faster than the Nissan, handled better, rode just as badly, used less fuel, cost less to service and repair, had better seats and a better stereo, and made it to 8 years old and 120000 miles before it's first and only breakdown. The Nissan's first visit from the AA came at just 2 years old with 18000 miles on the clock. Therefore I would rate our Fiat as the better car of the two, and I was happy with it.
My wife on the other hand, did not like the way that on the Fiat you could not see the end of the bonnet when you were sat in the driver's seat, she didn't like the fact it had manual transmission, and she found it difficult to park. Therefore she hated it, but she is very happy with the Micra.
The only car I have owned that I think I was really unhappy with was a Volkswagen Polo - bought to replace a troublesome Fiat Uno. I'd had a VW Jetta previously that was very reliable, and I liked it a lot. The Polo was a pig of a car to drive - heavy steering and non-existent brakes, and the most unreliable car I'd ever owned. I was unhappy with it because I expected something better than a Fiat Uno.
So to summarise this rather long and rambling post, most people are happy with their cars because they buy a car they like. If people get a car that doesn't meet their expectations they will be unhappy.
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