I was going to add this link (www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/33379.html) to a thread that was going a few months back, re GPS based congestion charging, but I can't find said thread using the search facility. Or was it GPS control of cars that I am thinking about? Read more

I was wondering if anyone has a cure before the bad weather sets in.

I have a much beloved Merc 230 that can be a bit tempramental if left for a couple of days in cold wet weather. If left for a week and the weather has been bad it will not start at all. Otherwise if left for a couple of days it runs on 2-3 cylinders with much coughing and burping until warmed up.

I have had to in the past bring in the HT leads and dry and warm them on the radiator (after which the car ran fine). Needless to say they were replaced, but the problem can still persist at times.

I have no option but to leave the car outside and we are in quite an exposed position. I can improve the situation if the car is pointing away from the prevailing wind.

Is there a product that can be sprayed on to HT leads, distributor cap, coil etc (not a great fan of WD40 for this job)? Will a new coil help?

Please help

Hintza

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Now I am not,repeat not raising the issue of banner ads being here - but I was rather tickled by the e-bay banner ad offering us BR folks discounts on designer handbags and sandals. 10 gallon drums of Swarfega maybe - but sandals? Read more

Just a quickie - I am about to buy a 2001 Toyota Yaris being sold by the dealer as a GS 5Dr (It is a five door) - The DVLA registration document says it is an "S" not a GS - Is that possible? - Did the first registering dealer make a mistake when registering it with the DVLA? I thought all S models were 3 door? Thanks for any help. Read more

Hi there,

Some of you may remember a similar post by me a few months back. Well, I'm now in a position to buy myself a 97/98 Mondeo 2.0 Ghia X from auction, but I've got a few questions to ask of you lot :)

Firstly, there is one worry I have and that is choice. Ideally I'd like to get the car bought by the end of November. I live down in Plymouth so the nearest auction is a small one in Saltash. Now, this isn't a bad place and I've been down there many times for just a look, but becuase it is a small place, it isn't exactly teeming with high specification Mondeos. Not a problem as I'm prepared to travel as far as Bristol to buy - and a day out at either the BCA auctions at Bridgewater or the Manheim place in Bristol would probably proove more advantagous than a trip to Saltash, however the distance involved means I can probably only do this once. I'm also a bit dubious of buying such a car from a small auction - a lot of the auctions held there are clearing trade-ins from the big car dealers in the area, which is fine, but my question would be why isn't such a dealer selling their part-ex's on the forecourt if they are a model/age/condition which is the sort of thing they usually sell - local Ford main dealer has Mondeo's as old as 96P on their forecourt, yet they often send the odd 98R through the auction..

Am I right in thinking if there are less cars to choose from the price is going to be higher? I'd have thought if 2 people want Ghia X's and 5 people want LX's, and there is 1 Ghia X and 10 LX's, the LX's are going to go, comparativly, cheaper becuase there are more to go round..

Finding out when/where/how many Ghia X's there are at any one sale is prooving to be a nightmare. I can't seem to work out if they are 'common' - ie, turn up to any sale and there will be a couple to choose from, or the sort of thing which perhaps goes through once or twice a fortnight at best. I'd not want to travel all the way to Manhiem to find they've got nothing. I've used the BCA auctionview service but throwing £5 at it each week I want to see if they've got anything is going to get expensive and irritating - and it does seem a tad odd I have to pay THEM to see if they have anything I wish to buy from them.

So, err, how common are they?

My second question is which is the best auction house - the BCA auction, or the Manhiem auction? People seem to rate the latter higher than the former, but with the latter you can't even pay a fiver to find out what's going to be there unless you a trade - it seems to be a case of 'turn up and take pot luck'.

I don't suppose there has been much change in the values in the last 3 months or so, has there? What would you say I should currently be aiming to pay for a good condition 97/98 2.0 Ghia X hatchback? Mileage is not important to me, but condition is - I don't want something that rattles or creaks or is covered in scratches, if you know what I mean ;)

Should I just give up and buy something else? I don't want to go for a GLX, Si or a Ghia becuase I know I'll just be thinking 'If only I'd got a Ghia X' further down the line ;) Read more