Change of Car

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Wed 3 Jul 2002 18:01
Change of Car - Jonathan {p}
Hi

I have just found out that my family is going to be getting larger in the spring and I therefore need to seriously think about changing my car, both to accommodate 'big mother' and little one when s/he arrives.

I currently drive a mazda mx6, which I love driving. I reckon that my car is worth something in the region of 3,500 to 3,000. I can add up to 1,000 more, but that's about the limit.

Given these parameters, and the fact that the car must be reasonably cheap to run and reliable, I have almost got down to a shortlist of a Passat (1998, 110 tdi). These cars are available on a R or S plate for the right price, but most have 140 - 170k on the clock. I know that high mile young cars are better than old, low mile, but how long will these engines last, assuming that they have been serviced as specified? I have read the car by car breakdown, and there seem to be enough on the market to allow me to take my time and make sure that they have had the wishbones changed, check the plenum and check if the CAT is ok or has been changed and make sure it hasn't been a taxi.

How much are these going for at auction, and would it be worth the punt?

Can anyone seriously recommend a different car, or ward me off this one?

Many Thanks

Jonathan
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Wed 3 Jul 2002 22:37
Change of Car - PB
You should have no trouble picking up that car with 100k from auction within your budget. Cars at a fleet auction are your best bet, one owner, with a good chance of being serviced regularly.
When the car comes up, ask the auctioneer to read out the service stamps.
Best to go along and watch first, bid quietly and stick to your budget, remembering there's a buyer's premium to pay (ask what it is at the desk). At BCA you can pay by Switch.
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Wed 3 Jul 2002 23:03
Change of Car - teabelly
If you like mazdas then a 626 might be a good buy too. There are plenty in autotrader of p & r reg with around 80-90k on the clock. There is also the mitsubishi galant but that might be over budget for an R plate. There is the smaller carisma. There are a couple of T plate carismas for 4k with 100k on the clock on autotrader too.
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Thu 4 Jul 2002 11:40
Change of Car - blank
You can get a lot lower milage and/or newer Mondeo for the money. They are better to drive than the Passat, cheap to service, reliable, but depreciate fast because they don't have the same image. See recent post on Mondeo depreciation.

I own a VW Polo diesel and a petrol mondeo. It is the Ford I would buy again.

hth

Andy
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