March 2005
Well, not entirely, but number one son has finally decided to buy a car, having resisted until the ripe old age of 24. He has a wife and a forthcoming infant, and would like some advice on suitable transport. I have my own views, but as these are obviously based on limited experience, it would be nice to know what you all feel.
The only real criteria are that it has five doors and an engine, but it would also be nice if it cost less than £3k and was not too barge-like. I think mid-size is preferable to mini (and likely to be better value) and my happy experience with the family Mazda makes me look favourably upon 323's and similar. I like my old Audi, too, but I cheerfully admit to bias, which is why I'm asking you lot...
What say you all?
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My friends 3yr old sri has developed a poor running problem...coughing,spluttering and flat spots. His local garage have had the injectors sent away for stripdown/clean, removed and inspected the inlet manifold and even tried another e.c.u. They say that it seems to be drawing in excessive air as it carries on running when the air filter inlet is temporarily blocked with a rag!!?? The car has done 77000 miles. Has anyone got any ideas?
Thanks
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If it is doing as the garage says, it points to a detached pipe, split hose, leaking inlet manifold etc. The fault is between the air mass sensor and the cylinder head. The engine is running lean because the ecu is only supplying fuel for the air it is detecting via the air mass sensor. The "leak" is then effectivly making the mixture weak.
Saw a VW Phaeton at Canary Wharf today. Surely this car will suffer world beating depreciation. To me VW means the peoples car and the badge looks silly on a luxury car. Read more
This is very interesting. Small cars will as they get older will actually cost more than large ones. This has been the case for a while and personally I like large cars and it suits me fine. I don,t do great mileages so the fuel difference is eroded by the cheaper purcahse price and of course larger cars last longer as the engines etc don,t work so hard. This means over the years I have had the luxury of a large car and don,t change them as often as I would the smaller ones.
I'm thinking of getting an S60, as the S/H prices look reasonable, any advice would be welcome:
What model (Engine/S/SE) to go for, are they reliable, etc. Read more
Hi Spinner,
I did a lot of research on this and have a new S60 on order.
Most common and desirable seems to be the SE as it is dripping with goodies, but the S is also incredibly well specified (Climate Control or Aircon at least, CD Player, Alloys etc). The SE gets Leather, dimming rear view mirror etc.
Much depends on your budget, not just for the car but the insurance as well.
The D5 diesel is a corker but all the petrols swift as well (base 2.0T has 180hp!).
I have seen a few on Ebay recently going for sensible money and www.volvocars.co.uk has a good link for used cars that will enable you to track down a dealer sourced one or at leas let you see what you get for the money. It is suprising how the prices vary from one dealer to another.
Have fun and let us know how you get on!
When I had the car tested today the mechanic said the front service brake had an imbalance of 25% which was on the legal limit. Can anyone tell me what this means, what causes it, how it affects the car and how you correct it. Thanks.
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Drivethru
Yes, wise of you to get that work done. If they are that bad the fault may lay there, and most of the other potential problems will be corrected in a disc and pad change. Given the pads have probably been in for quite a while, it's quite common to find that a combination of corrosion and brake dust makes them tight in the calipers.
JS
Some friends of mine own a Peugeot Boxer camper van . It's W [99] reg and they've had it in for a service before the summer.The mechanics have said it needs new front disks and have charged over £200 upfront to order them .I have checked the disks through the wheels rims , have'nt had time to take the wheels off and they have the usual rust grooves at the edges but otherwise seem OK.I have allways lightly skimmed my disks with a small angle grinder to remove rust and finish off with emery paper and there as good as new. Do you think this is necessary for a vehicle that has only done 30k to require new disks or are they being ripped off ? Any ideas on the matter ? Read more
Many thanks for your replys chaps.I thought the cost for the disks were a bit high. I shall be passing this info onto my friends.thanks again.
I don't know whether my insurance company is behaving in a reasonable manner, wondered what you think.
On Feb 19th I skidded off a moor road on the snow and unfortunately wrote off my pride and joy. It was declared a write off 6 days later. I promptly sent the insurance company all the requested documentation. They then sent an investigator last fri, who asssured me he was going to send his report straight to them on the saturday (he was happy everything was above board). Its now thurs, and for the second week running they have said they're awaiting my license details from the DVLA. Last week I was told they were waiting for it, only to recieve a letter the following day telling me I needed to talk to their investigator. They are now saying they're still waiting for the licence clearance and it will be "next week".
All the time Im left with no car. Is this normal behaviour or are they stalling? Read more
Update (again!)
It will be 6 weeks tomorrow since the incident, still no sign of an offer. Im now getting conflicting dates from them as to when they've recieved the required "stuff" from the DVLA, the latest being 2 days ago. I have everything written down, including dates. I think this may be one for the ombudsman.
Anyone have any cheap ideas on how I could get a non-running car from Hull to Worthing? Read more
.....so to answer your question get it running if poss even temporarily.
Anyone know for Road Tax Frozen purposes what the Government classes to be a small or medium sized cars and more importantly if they are exempted what the increase in RFL is for larger vehicles. Read more
so has tax gone down or up cos i taxed mine the other day cost £160 but the VCA site says i am in band D this is £125 or have i lost the plot , i really am confused now, i have 02 plate avensis 2litre auto cdx saloon. any help with what i should be paying appreciated...cheers...keo.
A fully loaded Mercedes Benz E320 AvantGarde in Black, with nappa black leather ( soft as a babes bum), satnav, panaoramic roof with solar panels to run the a/c or heating when youre not in it, Bose auto change cd and 12 speakers, parktronic back and front, sports set up, massaging seats, auto boot opener, each seat with its own air con control (upgraded)auto boot opener and closer, rear window blind, full telephone kit, radar on the cruise control that applies the brakes when too close to the car in front!!!
This car is fantastic, 6 months old ex demo with 7k on the clock, I cant wait to pick it up and Im as excited as hell. I know the extras are gonna hit the residual but you know what.... Lifes a bitch then you die so now at 45 Im gonna start living....Thanks for listening
Yours A very excited GrocerBoy Read more
Me Lord Morrison...No just a hard working geezer who has spent most of his life working long hours and driving too many hours in cars that have been "Practicle"
Now I have decided that life is way too short, and seen too many good people save and save for retirement and die 6 months after they retire. This little treat will last me a long time and as I spend more time behind a wheel than I do at home its time to improve my surroundings!!
Browse
Good point, expat. Happily, he works in for an insurance company, so he may the inside track on that, although I expect he'll still have to part with a fair wedge. It's certainly worth checking groups, though, as some cars fall into unexpectedly high ones.