Hi

I've recently purchased a C-class MM, pre-reg and running fine. I have read about the car pulling and accelerated suspension wear.

My family has the new s and E class cars and some have the old c-class, no problems noted.

However, speaking to a guy at work who has a 18 month old c-class with 12k on the clock from new - pulling to the left and knocking noise, reparied a few weeks back by repalcing bushes on track rod ends? and re-tracking the car all under warnty. He told me of another guy he knows who had similar problems on a similar car just under 20 kt - he had many front suspension parts fitted, but car still pulls and makes noises but not as bad as before - the noise may also be coming from the rear springs.

Have I bought a good car, or should I think of selling the car?

Thank you. Read more

Hello there you all-knowing, all-seeing, all-driving wonderful people, I need your assistance.

I need to buy my first car to commute to university about 57 miles twice a day, 5 days p/w. Ideal car VW Polo/ Lupo post-2000 but I know i'm pushing my luck with my budget. I need it:

To be VERY economical on fuel (BTW should it be diesel or petrol...?)
To be no more than £2000
To be in the lowest of the low insurance bracket (I'm 22)
To be small and nippy
To be reliable and sturdy - I know nothing about car maintenance and don't really want to learn.
To be quite gorgeous - I have my streetcred to consider.

Any ideas for makes/ models would be greatly appreciated, recommendations etc etc. If anyone's flogging a car fitting the above description let me know :)

Thanks Read more

A bit early for a mid-life crisis, but I face a "problem" that is causing no end of angst.

In the next 2-3 months I need to make a decision on my immediate motoring future. In a nutshell it boils down to this: Should I

a) Sell the Alfa and buy a new Nissan X-trail SVE DCi as my main personal transport, running up 25,000-30,000 miles per year

or

b) Keep the Alfa until the wheels fall off, using it as my main car, and spend a not dissimilar amount to the purchase price of a new X-trail on the purchase of a secondhand Maserati 3200GT (likely to be a 1999 or 2000 model, with perhaps 30,000-40,000 miles on it), using it for no more than 5,000-8,000 miles per annum. This would be a "keeper" for as long as I have breathe in my body. Or that's the idea anyway.

I've advanced all kinds of arguments and counter arguments for both options. Bizarrely, option 2 makes more financial sense..... Provided nothing truly horrible goes wrong with the (diesel) Alfa within the next 60,000 miles (it has 61,000 on it at present and has had a couple of niggles, but both fixed immediately under warranty. I can buy an additional year for £169, which seems a bargain). In a nutshell, option (a) exposes me to £15k of depreciation over 4 years combined with 30-33mpg whilst option (b) involves a lot less depreciation, 36-40mpg for 80% of my motoring and, er, 15mpg for the remaining 20%. Servicing costs aren't as much of an issue on the Mazzer as you might think.

I shan't bore you with my tortured thoughts for now. Instead I thought I would throw this one open to the floor for your thoughts. Help me! Read more

Whilst new cars are becoming cheaper to purchase, in real terms, thier subsequent second hand values are really tumbling, and anyone prepared to take a risk on major mechanical problems, after expiry of warranty, can pick up a real bargain. A friend rang me yesterday to offer me his saalesmans 3 year old Mondeo estate TDci Ghia, with 89k, for £5000.This is what he had been offered in part ex.
Following the acquisition of a retail business, my own Legacy GLS estate, also with 89k,'97 on an R plate, is surplus to requirements. After 2 months,I cannot find a buyer at £2500, cheaper than anything else in the ads. It stands forlornly next to my commercial, unused but not unloved. Apart from sending it to an ignominious end at the auctions,and receiving a pittance, how on earth do I dispose of it? Answers on a postcard please.
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Seen in a car ad. What does

"has had damage on cat D v car but now repaired,any inspection welcome"

Does it mean it has been involved in a slight knock and that there should be no problems or that the previous occupants of the car were released from it by firemen using a spoon. ie. this would be a good choice if I wanted to buy a money pit. Read more