May 2005
I am looking to trade in my car in a few weeks. According to Parkers the price i should be looking at is around £1200 at the mileage. My question for the forum is that I have a minor cosmetic crease on the front wing, and a crack in the bumper. How much is reasonable to expect to be knocked off as a result of these. Otherwise car in good nick, service history, averasge miles etc.
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Afternoon All,
Some of you may know that I like the old VW Beetle (I?m not asking for comments on how rubbish they are, before you all start furiously tapping away on your keyboards?!)
I have been offered a 1972 Beetle for free, on the understanding that I collect it. It?s been laid up for over 5 years and is pretty rotten. Anyway, the downside is there are no keys (it is unlocked) and no V5.
I will be given a letter from the current owner (a local radio station) to confirm they have the legal right to give it away, but are there any other problems anyone can think of?
I was either going to a) break it to sell individual parts and then scrap what is left, or b) sell it on whole to a fellow V-dubber to do exactly the same, or if they are very brave, restore.
What do you all reckon?
Cheers,
DB
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Ah well - that was a load of fuss for nothing. Had a phone call to say they'd been offered £400 for it, so I couldn't have it.
Somebody must have been really daft to pay that for what is essentially an assortment of spare parts fixed to a terminally rusty floorpan....
It takes all sorts....
Having hired a few cars in my time and had some pretty 'standard' cars given to me I was agreeably suprised when I went to Germany for the day yesterday. For 51 Euros for the day I got an alloy wheeled,6 speed Golf GTdi(?). Seperate temp control for driver and paseenger on what seemed to be full climate control, traction control, comfortable autobahn cruising at 100 mph for a lot of the trip, rural roads for the rest and 13 litres of fuel for 190 km. Very hard suspension but a real bargain for the day. I am asking if it is normal for hire firms to offer such well specced cars? For my 51 euros I was offered a Primera, a new Golf auto and the TDi which I actually took. Read more
Pretty much 100% chance I would say.
Just back from mot centre where i received a fail due to "worn rear suspension link".
car in question is 1997 Carina e. is this a big job for someone with an average toolkit and mediocre mechanical ability?
i really need the car back on the road as soon as possible as it is my livelihood.
many thanks. Read more
The mechanic doing the testing usually takes something like a large screwdriver or a prybar under the car and applies pressure on those sort of joints, in a controlled manner, of course. Experience tells him, together with guidelines, which way to apply pressure and what is acceptable.
I have found that if you show an interest in what is going on, then the tester will usually give some pointers to both faults found and "things" starting to go awry. I usually ask him if everything looks ok, apart from the mot test bits. Of course, you have to "trust" the garage.
I am desperately trying to get my 1980 Mini 1000 back on the road and need your help. To cut a long story short, a so called 'friend' offered to fit a 1275 engine, I bought the exhaust system to use with it, but my 'friend' then disappears leaving me with a half completed job - and as it turns out an engine which is completely seized.
We have now reverted back to the 998 engine (which worked perfectly well before removal) but struggling to get it set up correctly. Whatever we do it seems to be running very rich, and although it will start, it dies again once its warm leaving all the spark plugs soaked in fuel.
I have the following kit:
Exhaust bits from Mini Spares:
Manifold Std bore exhaust long centre branch
Large inlet manifold for HS6 drilled + plug for servo
S/Steel side exit DTM twinpipe
S/Steel downpipe LCB to rear box
Plus
K & N cone filter & HIF 44 carb
Pipercross cone filter & HS4 carb (currently in the car)
Someone suggested I just ditch the cone filter and re-fit the big air box filter, but others run their cars using a cone filter so I am sure its not impossible.
My last resort is to pop it into the garage, but he advised me none of it will work and I would have to get the head bored out at a cost of £400 - definitely out of my price range.
Thanks
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As far as I know the main difference between the heads is valve size,also the 1275 has a higher CR.The HS4 does use the Capstat jet,the HIF a bi-metallic arrangement,as you are replacing the jet there is no need to worry about it.Don't forget to centralise the jet before making adjustments and doing up the locknut.
Mention of the Skoda Superb on another thread got me wondering. I never seem to see the things. Is it that they are not selling in big numbers, or that they don't happen to be selling well in my area, or that I am just unobservant, and that every time I see one, I mistake it for an Octavia?
So - does anyone know how the Skoda Superb is selling?
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The ones that are around look so like the Passat that most people would not recognise them as a Superb.
I bought an Octavia a couple of years ago, and toyed with the idea then of having a Superb instead. But I was put off by :
a) the silly name
b) the fact that the one the dealer was trying to sell me was in a dreadful grey colour and had no alloys (which are surely a must on what is supposed to be an executive car)
c) the wife hated it - loads of rear legroom, but very little space in the boot.
So we bought the Octavia instead - but I sold it about a year later, as it had so many squeaks and rattles!
The check control computer on my friends car is giving the message; 'brake light circuit', ' consult owner's manual'. The owner's manual is advising that we take the car into a BM garage. The brake lights appear to be working fine. Mystery! does any body know of a specilist BMW garage in South London or Surrey. Thanks Read more
thanks for the replies
When buying cars from auctions such as BCA, is it necessary to HPi check the cars after buying them or am I right in thinking they have already been Hpi'd before the sale?
What is the most economical way of HPi checking the cars, assuming you buy a few a month, is it worth subscribing to HPi as a small trader or is it more cost effective to use smaller companies such as car watch?
What are the comparitive costs?
Thank you. Read more
Yes it seems as though while HPi charges £39.95 for a full check, Car Watch charges only a tenner less. I guess it makes more sense to stump up the extra for HPi as they are the most recognised car data suppliers.
Can anyone tell me if it makes sense to register as a trader if only selling a few cars a month or if you are a small trader, do you have to pay the £39.95 every time?
Does anybody have an answer to this question?
Why does the circle on roundabout signs have a gap in it?
zrimsek.com/images/Roundabout_Sign1.jpg Read more
They could of course put arrows, like the recycling symbol,to help people who may not know that we go round clockwise in this country.
Hi
Ok well got a Audi A3, forgot about the service. and its now at 69k with the service as i remember due at 65k.
I dont think I will take this into the Audi dealers. If anyone can recommend a very good mechanic in East London/Essex then that would be great, otherwise I have spoke to a Mobile Mechanic to do the work.
Ok well i cant really remember, but if anyone knows or works for audi or knows about a3's i need to know exactly i need to do for the service to be done.
The List:
Sparks - I dont know what brand...Denso? NGK or Bosch
Air Filter - Genuine or OEM from third party?
Oil Filter - Genuine or OEM from third party?
Timing Belt - Genuine or one from 3rd party or only Genuine?
Fuel Filter - Genuine or OEM from third party?
Spark Plug Leads - Genuine or OEM from third party?
Distributer - Genuine or OEM from third party?
Ok well that list is poor, basiclly, is there anything that I have mentioned above that does not need changing, and is there anything i have MISSED off the list...?
The reason I asked Genuine or 3rd Party is because you can get stuff like Mann or Fram parts OEM parts, and i just need to know if they are as good, and if there are parts i should stick to very importantly as Genuine i.e. is it best to keep belt Genuine?
Thanks all..
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Go to Euro Car Parts. Their stuff is either original quality or similar. I have used them for 6 years, and have found them to be first class and literally a fraction of daeler prices. See www.eurocarparts.com . Their catalogue is very good.
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My advice is dont do it !
There is always a better deal to be had by just buying the new car outright and haggling like mad for the best CASH deal, and then selling your old car privately. Dealers may make it look as though they are giving you a good price for your old car, but you will pay for this on the price of the new car. I understand that there is an element of risk in this strategy, in that you have to 'front'all of the money for your new car, but on several occasions this has saved me £1000+.
On the most recent occasion, I looked at a PX deal on a new car that was £23,000. The cost of changing from my old car would have been £11,500.
By just buying the new car for the best price and selling my old car privately, I actually did it for £8,750 !!
I wasn't put on this earth for keeping the overpriced overstaffed high overhead dealerships in chips and beer !!!