January 2001
Has anybody else seen this site it's full of Classic Cars and Sports Cars with some gorgeous pictures
www.trafficator.net Read more
Does anybody know of any car supermarkets (or 'cheap' carr sources in the Kent area? Would you reccomend them?
Thanks,
Giles Read more
Ahh well, my H 205 turbodiesel although only 165k has reached the stage where ancilaries are starting to fail. No short runs & hants to cornwall weekly so it has to be on form. Scan of this site, HJ books & others boils my £5kmax + whatever 205 p/ex to seat ibiza turbo diesel, or 206/306 turbo job. 206/306 'coz interior of 206 & vehicle size seen remarkably close to its "bigger" bro. Also have vw golf, so have afinity with both marques. Soooo given that I'm going to keep for similiar mileage which do you all rate? Love the german build & lower price of seat. But are there any hidden pitfalls?Something of a fan of vw warrantys as they replaced the failed hood on my cab f.o.c. Oh, just to completely stir it up, is it still worth going diesel?
Pablo Read more
Ibiza TDi
HJ
Hi
I was thinking of buying a new Celica (140bhp) with the Premium Pack and I noticed Trade Sales of Slough have these for under £16,000. Would this car have the 3 year Toyota warranty or just a 1 year European warranty? I thought all Toyotas in Europe had a 3yr European warranty?
Also, a relative of mine is considering buying a *new shape* Toyota Previa from his local dealer - are these a good buy and are they very different to drive from a standard large hatchback (e.g. Vectra/Mondeo/Avensis) e.g are they easy to roll over if you're not careful?
Thanks Read more
Depends where it came from. If from Eire it probably would have th three year warranty. If from Cyprus it would only have Trade Sales own 12 month warranty with the option to extend to 3 years. Great car, though.
HJ
I'm looking to purchase a small, cheap and reliable second car and quite like the styling of the Daewoo Matiz. I'm a bit worried about the reported financial position of the Daewoo company and the future impact this might have on warranties, spares and resale values of their cars. Any views on the Daewoo Matiz ? Read more
I like the Matiz. It was designed by Giorgiaro for Fiat, but Fiat went for the boring Cinquecento design instead and the design was sold to Daewoo who build it in Hungary (I think).
But it's £700 more than the Kenari for rather less car.
HJ
I have a Vectra 1.8LS Apr 96 N and done 59k miles in good condition. A local dealer is selling a Primera 1.6 N reg (with ABS) which has done only 21.5k miles by a one owner 'retired gentleman'. Its also good though the bonnet needs respray. They have it advertised at £4695 which is high even accounting for the mileage I think.
I had it in mind to swop and end up with a low miler that I could run for another 4 years thus delaying the new car purchase and over-pricing issue.
The dealer offered £3800 for my Vectra in exchange. Have you a view on the relative valuations and the merits of swop idea?
Regards Don Read more
Never swap old for old.
An old car is an old car however many miles it has travelled.
A car which has done 140,000 miles in a year will be in better mechanical condition than one which has done 14,000 miles in 10 years.
HJ
Why would anybody give the equivelent of 130,000dm at auction for a MB 320
when a new MB 30cdi automatic with clima is only 106,000dm exworks(Stutgart) in lhd or rhd
regards Andy Bairsto
refrence www.mercedesbenz.de Read more
What are the known 'problems' on the V8 3.0 litre engies mentioned in the car by car section please ? Read more
M52 factor. The alloy block has nickle silicon lined bores and excess fuel from too many short runs from cold can eat away at the bore lining, particularly if the fuel is high in sulphur. The solution is a new block with steel bore liners, which is expensive on the V8.
HJ
Given that high-speed tyres (e.g. H, V, W, ZR) are much more costly than those rated for lower speeds, plus the extremely low or zero probability of driving at anywhere near the maximum speeds for those ratings (e.g. 130 mph for H), would fitting tyres at lower speed ratings than those recommended in the car's handbook be wise or foolish? Read more
I have tried cheap new tyres on my rear wheel drive LDV 200 van. On the front tyres I found they tended to wear heavily at the shoulders and also show cracking on the shoulders. This was despite putting in the correct pressure for full loads when I was mostly light. I put this down to the cheaper rubber on the shoulders which is less flexible than the more expensive tyres.
However I tend to drive on and off kirbs when manouvering. A more expensive tyre would have thinner sidewalls which would be more easily damaged. So on balance I would use cheaper new tyres.
My local supplier does not sell Firestone. Even before the recent problem he did not like the quality and refused to get them!
Does anyone know of a speedo recalibration specialist in Scotland? Is this the kind of job any mechanic with a rolling road can do?
thanks
Andrew Wilson Read more
Answering my own question
Speedy Cables in London: 0207 226 9228 have been recommended to me
Browse
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There is one at Lakeside but I don't recommend it. If you want ex-fleet, go to The Great Trade Centre, White City, London. If you want new or nearly new go to Trade Sales of Slough. Just key either into the site browser at www.honestjohn.co.uk and you'll get the address and a link to their websites.
HJ