August 2001
hi,
I am currently thinking about buying a car at auction, but mt main concern is about buying a stolen or not paid for car, and losing it! Do you have any legal rights if you get it checked (theft and credit check) as soon as you have bought it?
Has anyone had experiences, good or bad of buying at auction, or any advice. I would be grateful for any info!
cheers
Sonya Read more
Re What will diesel engines run off?
Will they run off paraffin? How much does parafin cost? Read more
Our company use both gas oil and DERV. They are the same except the price !
DERV is for road vehicles and gas oil for fork lift trucks, heating etc.
Gas oil contains a red dye and the men from the ministry carry out spot checks on lorries. It's rumoured that they can tell if gas oil has ever been in the tank. A haulier could lose his operators licence for using illegal fuel on public roads.
However, farmers use gas oil for their tractors and are allowed on the road with them plus diesel LandRovers etc. No road fund licence either !
I've never heard of an individual prosecuted for using gas oil in a private car.
Possibly the MOT test could reveal the presence of dye.
Help !
My Insurance Renewal premium is nearly £ 900.00 this is for a Fiat Punto 1.2 !
I have even been quoted up to £ 1800 by Norwich Union Direct.
How on earth am I supposed to afford this ? its no surprise that so many people drive with no insurance and I guess this has an effect on the amout honest drivers end up paying.
Can anyone reccomend a decent insurer / website who might be able to give me a quote that is not so breathtakingly obscene.
Hope you can help !! Read more
Lucy, try on-line at elephant.co.uk. They are the cheapest I have ever found, Make sure you request a full quote, don't set any store by their initial 'estimate'.
My cousin runs his early 70's {no road tax} land rover diesel on used engine oil collected by his mate at the local waste disposal site.
Uses proper diesel too sometimes.
Bad for the environment, but good for his pocket?
It tends to run on a bit though, and a little messy filtering the old oil too.
Do you foresee any long term probs?
David Read more
Most military vehicles have the capability to run on a variety of fuels - the are no filling stations open at the front line!
A friend has an American personell carrier and that is capable of running on a variety of fuels. I'm not sure of the legality of doing this in peace time, though.
David
As a private motorist, on average earnings {OK a little above average}, on PAYE with no chance of passing on any costs to the tax man {self employed} or employer {car allowance}, I cannot understand the logic in buying new?
I bought a 3 year old Rover GSi, with 30k on the clock, 13 months MoT, 3 months Tax, FSH, v good condition, at a little over 1/4 of the new list price.
Where's the sense in people like me {the majority of the motoring population} buying new? Read more
you mean "above" David...damn threads!!
Micheal
What will a new Rover 75 cost - £20k for a half decent spec - similar to the £5k 623GSi
You say that,
"There's a 623GSi going at a garage near Sandhurst on a 97R with 60K on the clock for £5450".
I would say, buy the 623, keep it for 12 months and then it's yours for free, as a new 75 will depreciate mote than £5450 in 12 months.
If your a private motorist, on PAYE and hence cannot write the cost off to tax, then buying new is an utter mug's game.
Regards Paul Read more
Just a note
even motorists who are PAYE can claim tax relief on their motoring expenses if they use the vehicle in connection with work they do for their employer. For example use their own car to visit clients or other offices.
You need to keep records and receipts but also need a P87 from your local tax office on which to make the claim.
Its quite a tedious process and my tax adviser does mine for £25 a year. If you want to do it yourself also get leaflets IR125 and IR 161.
The claim requires details of Fuel, Servicing costs, Repairs and Parts, VED, Insurance costs etc and can also take account of loans to buy car and the like. It better in your pocket than theirs.
as ever
Mark
My wife's Rover Montego 2.0 GSi {petrol} , 1990 on a G, has done 303,000 miles.
Is this a record?
Oil changed every 5000, only pay £3.00 for the oil, sometimes use second hand oil drained from my Volvo 940.
Only needed £15 of bits of a scappper to pass the MoT.
Third party insuance.
Cheap motoring or what?
Paul Read more
we used to swap engines between various different escorts when i was young, similar sort of thing, buy a good one for one car, and that cars okish engine gets passed into another bla de bla de bla
Recently posted another thread here before and i was wondering if theres any help for another problem ive got for my Passat. The rev meter seems to go up and down just slightly everytime the car is at a stand still, what would cause this problem and whats the fix!??
Thanks in advance Read more
David,
I was waiting for someone to spot that one. It was one of the reasons I moved to NTL, everyone else seems to have an embargo on using greek mythical names. But them I am an Engineer, not so much the Architect, it depends on which translations are used I suppose.
Bill
quick query...
my car pulls slightly to right under acceleration, and to left under braking. there's nothing wrong with the brakes (the balance has been checked), and i was wondering what would be the first thing one of the mechanics out there would look for.
the car is a '97 fiesta with 40k on the clock, hence front wheel drive and i'm suspecting play in the front bushes, which are then affecting the geometry of the car depending on the load being placed on the components. Read more
Agree Mike, plus a worn track rod end will do the same.
David
I had a noise coming from the front of my xm and thought it was the wheel bearings on the way out ,so of I trotted to my local xm man who took the car for a test drive then into the workshop.He returned with a clum look and I thought expensive.Cost zero the fault was the large split pins were rattlingon the bearing caps.Its a good job he is honest. Read more
My parents are looking to replace our ageing Peugeot 505 estate with something a bit newer, and more economical. We still need a large estate car, though, and one of the cars that we have considered is the Citroen XM estate. I know that this has high depreciation, but since we will be buying a used car, that does not matter. However, I have heard rumours about its reliability. Are these rumours justified, or are they the product of fears of its unusual suspension? One report I read seemed to think that there was no problem with the complex suspension, but others disagree. What does anyone think? Is the same true of the Citroen Xantia? I would be grateful for any information on these cars.
Browse
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Sonya
There are car auctions and car auctions, stick to the reputable ones like BCA (British Car Auctions) and as David W explains the buyers premium should cover HPI checks. Once at a reputable auction site I would stick to cars which are direct from a known fleet/lease company. I have bought cars at auction with no problems but I have always bought cars:
i) direct from a known fleet/lease company (eg PHH, GE Capital Bank etc)
ii) with a warranted mileage
iii) sold either on an 'engineers report' or with 'no major mechanical faults' which means you usually have some comeback up to shortly after the end of the sale (with BCA at least)
iv) one owner with a full service history and preferably with an MOT if the car is over 3 years old - if the presence of a history is not apparent on the auction windscreen sticker then often you have to wait for the auctioneer to rattle through the details to confirm how much service history there is.
hope this helps
Ian