Thanks for the advice. The relays didn't seem to be fully seated and the problem hasn't recurred in the 2 weeks since.

I've enjoyed a 320 coupe for the past 5 years or so. It's now over 10 years old with nearly 100k miles and still runs as sweet as a nut.
It's the 24 valve with vanos variable valve timing which should be an improvement over the earlier motors.
Usual things are water pump impeller failure, weak viscous fan coupling, split rear shock bushes and front ball joint wear.
Fortunate for me all these were done in the first year or two under the BMW fantastic warranty.
Still the original exhaust and the battery lasted 10 years.
It's the 5 speed swithchable auto which is great in the London traffic and more economical on a long run than the manual due to the mechanical lock up in top and taller gearing.
Does about 30 mpg generally but nearer 40 on a long run.

Sorry Mods, maybe should have said MOTORbike in the title??

Someone I know traded in his old Metro (no MOT and probably not road legal)and the price given for it was an odd amount like £62.

He thought it was a good price as he considering scrapping the car anyway until I realized that the amount they were offering him was the amount that the tax disc was worth. When I told him that he took the disc when the salesman wasn't looking.

Depending on how old the used car is, don't be conned into paying more for a 1 or 2 year old used car than you can for a new car exactly the same spec.

A few useful approaches:

If the car you're looking at is nearly new, contact the main car brokers such as DrivetheDeal.com etc andget some decent guide prices for new. Remember you are looking at the OTR (On The Road) prices.

Use this as a guide for your used car - ie if the best new price is say £9995 and the garage is trying to sell you a used car for say £9495 that is 6 months old, you have some real barganing weight. Also work out the benefits of any interest free deals for new cars etc.

Remember, car manufacturers are so desparate to achieve their new registration figures, they will often create situations where you can get up to 30% discount on the list price. My new van with a list price of £14,400 plus VAT cost me £10,900 plus vat and I got 0% interest with 30% deposit. That's just under 25% discount.

If the car is say 4 or 5 years old then the best benchmark for a screen price is what that car would cost at other dealers and priveately.

Expect to pay more from a reputable or franchise dealer as you'll be getting warranty etc. Franchise dealers have used car warranties backed by the manufacturer eg Citroen have Hallmark used car warranties.

Look in the papers to see what similar cars are being advertised privately for, knock 10 to 15% off these and that's what the buyers may accept.

Now compare these figures with the screen price of the car you're interested in. Consider what discount you can get to bridge the gap then decide whether the difference (if any) is worth it. If it is buy the car, if not either try and haggle some more or walk away.

Honest John will no doubt improve on this. If he doesn't come by this thread then maybe an e mail to him for a bit of advice may be in order??

H

If the