October 2002
I am thinking about buying an Ex Daily Rental Ford Focus 1.6/1.8 Zetec at auction next week. I visited a similar auction in September and these cars were selling for between £7750 - £8300 (between 6 months to a year old).
Anybody got any idea of what sort of price should I be looking to pay for a six month old Focus Zetec with 10K on the clock?
Thanks
Raj Read more
Been Impressed with the concept of the C3 (especially 90bhp diesel). Hadnt really seen one in the flesh so stopped by Citreon garage yesterday.Very taken with the look, Big 'small car'. Sat in it and oh dear the plastic glove boxes and door handles looked so weak, flimsey and shabby. Turned me right off any potential sale even at the discounts being offered. What a pity such a good concept is spoilt by shoddy finishing. Read more
Working on loads of makes can give a different perspective to the perceived quality owners see.....but keeping to the Citroen thing.....
Interestingly a contact is getting a new C3HDi SX 16V today, and in turn we're getting their previous 1993, 100K, one owner, full history TD for the price of a bag of chips.
I'm not commenting on the C3 trim until I've crawled all over their new car on Saturday...but from experience of the C5 it is possible corners are being cut a little.
Having said that to take a specific example from a few years ago...
Stand a 1996 Mondeo GLX and 1996 Xantia SX side by side..have a good poke round them for an hour..open all the doors, bonnet, tailgate, glovebox..drop the rear seats and put them up again..operate all the switches..touch all the trim fabrics and examine the material/colours used.
The build quality of the Mondeo is a mile below the Xantia, for example there are ugly screw heads showing when you open the door, trim colours don't match, edges of the plastic have a sharp feel etc etc.
It's not the first time I've seen a car maker appear to hit a peak in quality and fall away from it again.
MM
I am contemplating the purchase of BMW 323i with build date of July 1998, on a 98 S-plate. I am unclear when engine blocks ceased to be manufactured with Nikasil liners, having found out:
- March 1998 from www.lestac.co.uk
- Feb 1998 from BMW customer services, who told me this car should have a steel-lined engine block.
- Sept 1998 from this site, and the advice to avoid pre-1999 cars.
Could anyone advise me whether I should avoid this car?
Thanks in advance
SEC
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Dizzy - his name is Dick Turpin; I assumed it was an alias and not a true name!
My ZT 180+ is on order. After initially going out for a spin with my friend who works at MG as a suspention techy (who just wouldn't shut up about them), I was very, very surprised just how sharp and nimble the ZT felt for a car of it's size.
I then had a 24 hr test in a ZT 190, during which time I decided to go with it, albeit the 180bhp Auto variety. Has anyone driven the Auto? They seem few and far between at the dealerships so I couldn't test one.
Following a fire at the seat factory, I now have to wait an extra month for delivery. Doh!
Should be a nice xmas pressie tho! Read more
I thought long and hard about my choice too; considering this will be a company car, a 2.5 V6 auto is never going to be the lowest on emissions now is it!
I need to carry a fairly large load every now and again so need a big car. I could have gone for an A4 or Passat estate with a diesel lump in it and saved myself a fair wack in tax.
But the way I figure things lately, you only live once, and as I've been very much an admiring car and motorsports fan for as long as I can remember (but have never been the keeper of a decent sports car), the extra money spent on this car will I'm sure take the mundain edge off those regular M6/M1/Mxx journeys.
You still don't see many ZT's around (I'm still yet to see a silver model on the road!) and, call me shallow, but I will really enjoy any admiring glances the car may happen to get - and as you notice this happening more in traffic jams, Role on M6 motorway queue's he-he! (I'm sure the novelty will soon wear off).
So as you can see, my thinking is that it's worth paying a bit extra for something that is important to you, non?
Subject says it all really. Got five grand to spend and am after after something sporty and reliable. Any suggestions?
Thinking ibiza gti or tdi at the moment - does anybody jae any advice on these?
cheers Read more
I used to own a 1992 MR2 Turbo. Fantastic car. 0-60 5.5 secs. The foglights used to turn with the steering wheel.
Only available as jap import though. Insurance was limited to small number of companies.
Very very complicated in the engine bay. Although nothing went wrong until gf wrapped it round a tree.
Electro hydraulic power steering, extras list a mile long.
A bit tail happy with 220 BHP through the back wheels. Apparently the 1994 on models had revised suspension to make them less tail happy.
Hello all - I'm new to these boards and have found an absolute wealth of information! And as I've just bought an ole Golf (1988 1.6 CL) that needs a bit of work doing to it, I will probably test your patience several times! It needs an oil change and the like and new brake pads and discs (which shouldn't be a problem) But there are a few things that puzzle me and any guidance would be most welcome!
One thing that strikes me about the car is that the wipers have to be switched off manually, i.e. they will not stop when you switch off the ignition. Is that standard for mk2 Golfs or is the wiring shot?
And also the previous owner says it will only run on LRP but I'm sure I read somewhere that Mk2 Golf's can run happily on unleaded without any modifications - but then again I read a lot of stuff
And finally the heater only seems to blow out cold air - when I put it on, the engine was nice and warm, the settings were correct (I did check!) and thats left me a bit confused too.
Any thoughts/advice would be most appreciated! Read more
I had a problem on my Polo where the wipers would not stop when the ignition was switched off. The feed to the wipers (and various other items) went through a relay, and this had failed in the 'on' position. Check whether the heater fan and heated rear window also come on with the ignition switched off. If so, the relay is the most likely cause.
Richard Hall
bangernomics.tripod.com
My 6 year old seat toledo has a fair amount of coloured (silver) exterior plastic trim.
The paintwork on the car is fine, but I have noticed that parts of the plastic trim have deteriorated . The surface has started to flake a little, am I right in thinking that the laquer is beginning to come adrift/deteriorate?
What should I do to arrest/fix the problem? Read more
Pugugly - Have kept abreast of your high praise for your current 330d. Is it worth buying and do you know what price the lease company want ? Any particular reason why you choose not to purchase privately ? Any other advice/tips on this car would be appreciated. Read more
I will. I will be bribing our Fleet Admin person tomorrow not to be pro-active in chasing them up.
The Transport 2000 ?mission? statement quoted in the current speeding thread set me thinking.
For the record the 2 para statement on their website (www.transport2000.org.uk) is:
?Transport 2000 is the independent national body concerned with sustainable transport. It looks for answers to transport problems and aims to reduce the environmental and social impact of transport by encouraging less use of cars and more use of public transport, walking and cycling.
Transport 2000's vision is of a country where traffic no longer dominates our lives, where many of our journeys can be made on foot, by cycle or using public transport and where you don't need a car to enjoy the countryside or city life.?
Am I alone in this discussion group in thinking these statements taken in isolation (and possibly out of context) are not unreasonable.
I don't want to automatically dismiss these statements as totally anti-car (though they may be meant that way).
In the interest of stimulating some discussion, my own thoughts are:
1. Cars are a good thing, if used appropriately can be enjoyed by those that wish to use them well into the future. But liking cars does not mean liking sitting in them in heavy traffic. So what?s wrong with using cars less?
2. What?s wrong with using public transport (o.k. need to encourage an improved public transport system as part of a better transport system). I commute by train on a 110 mile round trip every day and this is a preferable alternative to a rush hour drive (even in these Railtrack days) ? not to say it can?t be drastically improved, and I know the service I use is much, much better than that available to most..
3? What?s wrong with walking and cycling, when possible ?Many people can walk a LOT more than they do - I walk two miles to the station and two miles back every day. This keeps me fit, reduces stress, saves me money (car wear and tear, parking and about 12 mpg on such a journey), reduces environmental impact, but I am very very much alone on my walk. Mothers in my street take their children to and from school by car ? and this is a 5 minute walk. There are many examples like this.
4 ? However, I am not naïve enough to not suspect that many in Transport 2000 and other like bodies wish to see the end of the car and wish to penalise car drivers out of all proportion. This is not realistic and they should not be allowed to win such an argument (they do seem to be gaining ground).,
Members of this discussion group generally seem to me to be balanced intelligent road users and perhaps we should be encouraging the car to be acknowledged as part of a ?sustainable? transport policy instead of bashing the likes of Transport 2000 at any opportunity?
Please treat me gently in any response!
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The idea of playing them at their own game is VERY attractive!
Just been announced on the news that customs have been told to lay off legitimate cross channel travellers and their property (Good move and thanks to Hoverspeed). But they are laying down new "allowances" and muddying the waters IMHO. There are no allowances, you can bring in any amount of duty paid goods from anywhere in the EU, so long as it is for your personal consumption. At least Hitler-you-don't-like now has to prove that it is your intention to sell on, this is a step in the right direction but it does not alter the fact that there are no legal limits, only non-enforceable and notlegally backed guidelines. What is the position now for people who have their goods and cars seized in the last couple of years? Read more
They haven't made ANY changes for booze, only smokes.
The EU regulations say you can bring in as much as you want for personal use. Why do some people think increased limits imposed by C&E are 'reasonable' when the EU says there are NO limits?
Browse
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Thanks Honestjohn. I think a trip to Dagenham Motors may be in order.
Raj