October 2003
Hi all
Looking to choose from a small (supermini) size car.
A broker site has the following..
Yaris T2, <£6500 + plus free insurance.
Ford Fiesta 1.25 Finesse, £6650.
Taking into account the Yaris reviews and reliability and satisfaction is there any better car available for £6K. Is there any problem with the Yaris I mention? Most owners seem to think they are great.
Would the Fiesta be better? for around £700 more? And does the Finesse now have ABS ? The ford site has it as yes, what car as no?
Are there any other good quality cars which are cheapish to buy?
The new Corsa looks Ok and so does the Polo, Fabia.
Which is best.
Mileage will be non-motorway, short journeys a couple of miles and maybe the odd 10 - 15 miles. Low mileage, so it's hardly worth buying a diesel.
Ideally would like a CD player, split rear seats, ABS etc. Passenger and side Airbags, central locking, electric windows and Aircon not really bothered about.
Anyone have any ideas?
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Here we are again, lashings of rain on the M6 today all the cars are slowing except a huge artic who was going faster than everyone else, then woke up, luckily we all missed.
I now think driving on a wet skid pan should be part of the test, so many people think their car is still going to grip like glue on greasy wet roads.
Please slow down before you hit my nice shiney little car and kill yourself. Read more
I have a chance of a Rover 618 1999 with full leather interior ,Air con, FSH. Mint condition but with 107,000 miles on the clock priced around £1800 (buying from my company) Do these cars stand up to high milage? Im really tempted but the milage is doing my head in!!! Ive had a couple of BMWs with this kind of milage but it never bothered me as people always say they can go round the clock if looked after. Any input would be much appreciated.
Cheers
Cliff Read more
Thanks for all your input, I am getting the car on loan today for a test run and to get it checked out, Ill let you know how I get on!.
Is there a better built, comfier car than a T reg Peugeot 306 1.9 diesel 5 door h/back?
If so. What?
All suggestions welcomed.
den. Read more
Elderly friend of mine who spent his professional life driving 50k/year bought a 306 shortly after they came out and pronounced it the best car he'd ever driven. He's unlikely to change...
This is an old classic question, which do you prefer to own, The Subaru Impreza 22B or a Mitsubishi Evo 6? I am a Subaru man through and through and i just want to see what everyone else thinks. I love the design and quality of a Subaru not to mention the burbelling noise as one goes past! Thanx!
Dan
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Neither is my sort of car, but if you're a scoobie fan, then I guess you won't be disappointed in sticking to what you know and love best.
I'm perhaps considering one of these. Can't seem to find anything bad written about them - any comments welcome.
Anybody know the answers to these questions?;
How are valve clearances maintained and what intervals do they need attention (if any) - E.g. Buckets/shims 100,000 Miles?
Is it a cable operated clutch or hydraulic.
Are routine maintenance parts easy to get at ,access to oil filter etc.
Prices for maintenance parts or visits to dealer for service work?
Average MPG of 39 quoted by most reviews - is this realistic - seems excellent for a soft roader to me!
Thanks in anticipation. Read more
Thanks for this Aprilia.
A further question for anyone out there - anybody know where the oil filter for the 2.2Di actually is? I had a look around one at the weekend and couldn't find it!
Hi,
I am thinking of buying a Golf 1.6 GL A reg MKII.
Can anyone tell me what to look out for in inspecting these cars? And whether £400 is a good/bad deal.
The car has had 4 previous owners, bodywork is fine, no mayonnaise on the oil cap, 66,000 miles. The Fan belt (or that is where the noise is coming from) is a bit squeeky. The rear silencer is blowing and the dealer has said that he would have this replaced before selling me the car, or I can take it now for £350.
I am going to have a proper look at it on Saturday and it would be nice to have a list of things to look at, and ask the dealer.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Stuart
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Had a C reg a while back with lower than expected mileage, and had nothing but hassle with it. Don't get me wrong, the MK2 is a fantastic car and I'd say one of the best midsized hatches ever made (relative to it's time), but once they start to go wrong, they never seem to stop...
Check the shock tops very carefully - they're famous for cracking and rotting which will lead to seriously twitchy handling. Make sure there's no slack or stiffness around the centre point on the steering column (common sense I know, but I've driven a couple that have become seriously sticky). make sure the clutch cable isn't snagging, as they're prone to snapping. Be *very* wary of severe rattling or smoke.
Despite that lot, get a good one and you're laughing - they really are superb for their age and put a lot of the cars of that era to shame...
Well, a lot of cars from *this* era too now I think of it ;)
While filing some papers, I've just noticed that on each invoice from my local Vauxhall dealers (just around the corner from me and therefore very convenient for MOTs of my non-Vauxhall cars) is a notice: "Please note that Vauxhall now recommend the replacement of all 16V/24V timing belts at 40,000 miles or 4 years." Read more
BTW My local seemingly reliable garage informs me these belts definitely
will not last and if u r unsure when last changed
better safe than sorry.
I can assure you that the Belt on my Astra was still in good condition at 80k, just before it was changed (I checked it & put the obligatory dab of white paint on).
For the omega u need the rollers
to be changed as well and every 80,000 water pump to
be on safe side. If pump fails so does cambelt!
Pretty naff design for an 18.5k in my opinion.
Agreed. But Vauxhall's attitude seems to be that their customers are just a never-ending source of revenue.
Al.
I have 17" alloys and was running on 235/45 radials(supplied new by the garage I purchased the car from.) Just fitted via Motosave,and on their advice, 235/40 radials. I have now no idea which is the correct tyre for this car. My handbook doesn't mention 17" wheels so no help there. Miata.net shows me that my speedo will over read a little so thats fine and already I notice the handling is improved on bends etc. Since I tow a caravan with this car, is there likely to be any effect there. Can anyone help with these two questions? Read more
... still unsure if fitting 235/40 tyres is correct....
In a nutshell - No. The correct size is as mentioned above 235/45R17. Though in reality fitting 235/40R17 all round shouldn't make much difference. The speedo will over read by around 3% due to the reduced rolling radius (640mm Vs 620mm). You may notice that the suspension/handling is a little firmer due to the lower profile but again this is probably negligible.
Check the correct pressures for 235/40's elsewhere, as the Vx documentation will state pressures for 235/45's - probably only a max difference of around +/- 2psi.
Finally, you may want to check with your insurance whether these tyres are OK........
Chad.
The car is a 2002 Golf V5 Tiptronic with 16000m on the clock.
I've already had one pack go faulty which showed up as juddering on acceleration. Now I've noticed a fairly rapid rattling noise, rather like a rattling tappet,which occurs between 1800-2000rpm only when the engine has warmed up. I think it must be pinking because it improves quite a lot, but doesn't go, if I use Optimax petrol.
I wonder if anyone could tell me whether this could be an early sign of another coilpack going bad? Read more
I think you either need to get it to VW or find someone competent who can use the VAG-com system to find the fault. I am still fairly new to VAG-com so I am not sure if the octane rating or base timing can be adjusted to eliminate your problem but it seems likely. Dont waste too much time as detonation can cause engine damage.
Andrew
Simplicate and add lightness!!
Browse
Try driving a Caterham 7 in the wet, its often easier letting the tail hang out and driving it sideways than it is keeping the rear wheels in line. This driving style does tend to panic oncoming drivers a little even though the car is under complete control.
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