June 2005
Polo is due for replacement and a provisional car shopping date has been set for the August Bank holiday, but something tells me I wont be able to wait that long!
There are very few cars I actually will consider, so lets not turn this into another thread where people tell me I should be FiestaGirl or similar. It's just not going to happen.
I need a car that is:
a) As safe as possible
b) Supremely reliable, I can work call out as part of my job so can't afford to be without my car.
c) Probably diesel, given the amount of miles I do.
d) That little something that makes it stand out.
I think I'm going to have about £6-7000 plus Polo to spend - have given up all hope of being able to afford a house so I might as well have a car instead!
The shortlist is:
1. A Seat Leon. I would love the FR diesel but suspect I would have to settle for a used tdi or similar. Am I mad to get one just as the new one is coming out, or will that mean I'll get a decent deal? The only thing that puts me off is that they don't seem to come in 3 door variety.
2. Skoda Fabia vRS. I still want one, but not sure if I could live with the Mk3 golf lookalike interior that is out so out of date. Also might be a tad out of budget unless I get one that's been ragged to death.
3. A Renault Megan diesel. Probably the only car I could afford new as the car supermarkets are full of them. Just a bit concerned about Renault reliability although it ticks all the boxes for safety and is a little bit quirky.
4. Another Polo, probably of the shape before the current one, with the cheeky little grill. Might be a bit small for what I need now though, and I can't afford the GT!
5. A Mk4 Golf Tdi - surely if I get one of the last ones to be made they will have ironed out any of it's faults? Just a bit reppy and boring though.
It was very hard to come up with that list - there's just nothing out there that I really want at the moment, but really can't keep Polo much longer as he's starting to feel his age.
Any thoughts on any of those?
Thanks! Read more
Saw one of these yesterday in the Black Forest, with minimal camoflage on the nose and back lights. As far as looks go, inside and out ´mini-Maybach´ pretty much sums it up. Very impressive indeed. Read more
Im a bit thick I think . Can anyone tell me where the cars driveshafts connect too ? Reason being Im having a recon gearbox done shortly , and basicaly was curious as to weather I will still have play in the driveshafts . Read more
Not unless the play is where the inner cv joint goes into the gearbox. If the play is between the driveshaft and cv joint, then it's the cv joint that's worn.
Hi everyone,
Have been lurking on these boards for a while and very impressed.
Have just been to Costco in Leeds and seen the following, both for 234.98 including VAT
NAVMAN icn610
Snooper S6
Bought the NAVMAN, not sure how it compares to TOM TOM and others but appears pretty good so far.
Hope this helps someone
Dave Read more
Halfords is advertising the Medion PNA 175 Integrated Sat-Nav system in today's Mail for £279.99, a cut of £70, which can be used with a cigarette lighter socket or fitted FOC (usually £40).
It will be a rebadged sat-nav product and someone will no doubt recognise who actually produces it.
Also advertised at £349.99, a cut of £50 along with a free AutoGlym valeting kit, is a new Road Angel covering accident blackspots and safety cameras; I'm not sure if it is the same model to which teabelly refers. It can be updated online using a USB cable.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Morgan of all people are to develop a high tech fuel cell, in conjunction with several other companies and with D.T.I. funding, which will power 4 electric motors at a cost of £1.9 million.
www.theengineer.co.uk/Articles/291205/Fuel+cell+sp...m Read more
Whilst I'm not a big fan of the styling and it's not my cup of tea, the Aero 8 is a massive departure in the way its designed and built so, in effect, Morgan have already replaced their traditional cars.
The Aero 8 has even now been "federalized" and is on sale in the USA.
Although they did rather dismiss John Harvey-Jones I suspect they did/have recognised the need to change to survive. They've just done it in their own time and way.
I needed to have my car recovered last week due to putting a hole in the sump !!!! and called my breakdown service (I know that I am not allowed to name them, but they drive DELETED {So, you're not going to name them, but you still think it's ok to mention what colour vans they drive - think again. Mentioning their colour is as good as mentioning their name, hence the deletion. DD]
When the driver and tow truck arrived I was informed that due to a change in their rules they are only allowed to tow a maximium of TEN MILES to the nearest garage. Luckly I was fairly local to my main dealer, but I asked what would happen if I was in the middle nowhere in Scotland, and was told the same rules would apply
The driver told me that now that they are a PLC with profit to make fot the shareholders, the accountants have been in and looked at everything that they can cut back !!! No doubt there is cover where I can be towed anywhere, which used to be the case, but you can bet that they want even more money for that!!!
My wife had an accident last Novmeber where the car couldn't be driven. They wanted £140 to tow the car home, and wouldn't even come out unless you pay up front with a credit card. Thankfully she had her purse with her, otherwise that would have been it.
I certainly won't be renewing my policy with them, and wonder if anyone else knows of other breakdown companies with similar rules to avoid.
Read more
To be fair the terms and conditions do state that Relay will only be provided if your vehicle cannot be made driveable at the roadside, or if a prompt local repair in an appropriate garage cannot be arranged, which is usually defined as four hours from the first patrol arriving to the car being repaired.
However although this is the rule, it isn't often strictly enforced.
Sudden change in temperament of all my indicators,has happened once while driving on an A road.All four of them stopped working,did not respond to the indicator stalk,however the bulbs themselves were working since pressing the hazard control turned them on.
However after stopping and turning on the engine again somehow they started working again!Thankfully.
If this were to happen again while on a long trip,what would your suggested course of action be??
1)Stop on the roadside immediately and call for breakdown services.
2)Keep going until the next exit driving on to a quieter road,then call for breakdown services.
In the second alternative,would that be construed as an instance of putting others at risk?
Alternatively is this a valid indication to call for the breakdown services and would they place this lowest on their priority of emergencies,meaning many hours spent waiting for them??
Any senior backroomers know how they prioritise the calls they get.I know that pregnant women and children get the highest priorities but would the nature of the vehicles fault or its location have any role in it.
Also any ideas on the possible reason for this happening?
P.S-The car in question-a 1999 1.6 Nissan Almera GX. Read more
is this a valid indication to call for the breakdown services
The last time I had to call the AA, the patrolman told me that his previous call had been to fill a woman's windscreen washer bottle. Said he could not refuse, since the car was unsafe without washers.
Hi guys, I'm just thinking aloud really, but I was wondering what you guys think of the MG ZR/Rover 25 cars. With their values now seriously hit, I was thinking about trading in the 1.6 Focus for a 1.4/diesel one of the same 51/02 year and releasing some £££...do you reckon they'd be significantly worse? (I understand space, but quality/drive etc...and what's the diesel actually like - someone told me the 111bhp version is the 75 one, which has an old BMW engine??? Cause I may choose to go derv...)
And another question is, would I actually be getting value for money? I mean, the value is depressed now, so in a few years time, would it be significantly worse, or do you reckon they'd stabilise? Read more
It's a shame isn't it? I wouldn't mind if I hadn't gone along so excited at the thought of buying it only to so bitterly disappointed!
Blue
Just a little bit of fun,
Who is the first to give the registration number of the car in the two pictures:
www-astro.physics.ox.ac.uk/~ijl/pictures/mystery/i...l
(Click on image for larger version, click again for full scale image if you have broadband)
StarGazer Read more
It was designed by production designer (also for the James Bond films) Ken Adam. It was built by Alan Mann Racing around a Ford V6 and automatic transmission. The wheels were specially cast to look like wooden ones but with brake drums hidden inside.
All the dashboard parts, boa-constrictor horn etc were taken from various Edwardian wrecks.
I think there were 5 cars built, the racing car from the start doesn't survive but the others all do.
Friend has 2 keys for his car but only one of the plips operates the central locking / immobiliser.
Having followed advice on a previous post, I have checked using my camera phone that the plip is actually transmitting which it is.
I assume this means that it has lost its "code" or whatever. Does anyone know if this can be done without going to a dealer? I remember reading a post somewhere about pressing the internal locking button in a certain sequence either gave you the key number or let you program but I can't find any link?
Scenic is the original one, R Reg, the one that you had to turn the ignition on within a short space of time or you needed to plip it again.
Any thoughts? Would hate to pay a dealer to do a job that could be done myself ! Read more
Cheers RF its off to the dealer then!
Browse
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Polo a he?
But surely a Polo is the mint with a ?
Sorry, couldn't resist it. Leaving now..