April 2007
Hey all, sorry to grace you with another whatcar thread - but i'm at loggerheads and could do with some outside advice. I'll try and summarise so i dont bore you.
- Currently drive 2003 T3 1.6 petrol toyota corolla
- Thinking of changing for something more sporty and thrilling
- But i do 15k annual mileage and thats just for work (if had something more thrilling would probably do more)
- Thinking fast diesel, something sporty looking, under £500 to insure cheapish road tax (if there is such a thing :) )
Cars i would love given my 17k budget and maybe taking out a little finance
- 2ndH Audi RS4 (dream car) very impractical on fuel, tax and insurance :(
- 2ndH Audi S3 : same deal as above :(
- Ariel Atom : hah shall we move on
- Honda s2000, love this but probably similar to run as S3
Cars on my shortlist - with my mini review
- Toyota Auris T180 : Can get it new, goes like absolute stink, prob fastest hatchback diesel, hothatch type performance and cheap to buy and run in comparison to other; however not really as sporty as the rest
- Audi A3 170ps (not sure what trim) : Would pay extra for Audi (not keen on VW's) but i couldn't get this new and 2ndH 170ps' are as rare as rocking horse poo. Looks nice all round, rather sporty, just very decent car but would cost more than toyota and not as fast.
- Seat Leon FR : Sporty inside and out, same engine so as quick as Audi but not toyota. Some skimping on interior and quality but better value then the VW's.
- Honda Civic Type-R : The petrol oddball on my list but would save a bucket of cash, have a car i've always liked but have to settle for a 04 model, higher running costs not to mention fuel.
Cars i sort of discounted based on manufacturers i'm not keen on
- Ford / Citroen / vauxhall / VW / renault
- Honda (New) Civic : Guy opposite has one, design when new was wow thats pretty nice but now its just the same old new honda civic, very odd and spacey.
So i'm left thinking, do i go for diesel, shall i buy new (depreciation i hate that word) or just forget and enjoy, shall i consider another car or shall i just stick with my trusty run of the mill car that has never let me down and is stupidly cheap to run.
:D
cheers Read more
ive just had the injector pump worked at on the car as the car was down in power since rebuilding it im getting an intermitting hard knock ive had the injectors checked and they are spraying fine ive double checked the timing any one any ideas im exhausted stripping it down and rebuilding it to still have the same problem the diesel specalist said its not the pump! i asked him what he actually done with the pump and he said he replaced the metering valve if this helps Read more
can anyone tell me if the pump can alter the timing when the car is running the knock only really comes when the engine has warmed up and i wanted to know what exactly the plug on injector 3 is for i suspect its monitoring the timming but if i unplug it it seems to have no affect on the running of the engine
This site must have more traffic than I reaslised, or more fans of big Japanese cars than I anticipated!! I put an ad for my QX in the Classified section and had 10 enquires of which 3 appeared to be serious. One of them was very serious indeed and the car is now sold (subject to cheque clearance which I am sure will not be problem!).
I do not know whether the purchaser is a regular here or not (I have only his real name) but he can rest assured that he has bought himself an excellent car and I believe that I have obtained a fair price. Not only that but I have not had to bear any advertising cost!! So a big thumbs up to the HJ site! I am indebted to the man himself.
All that remains now is to wait for the delivery of my Impreza in June. I will post more information on it and a review of the dealer's service (Allbrandsnew.co.uk in Hull). I am just praying it turns out to be as problem free and reliable as the QX. Read more
Just hope that HJ doesn't want commission for the website's role in the sale...:-)
Don't go there!
Seriously though, the response was probably better than I'd have got off Autotrader, and at infinitely lower cost!
Im looking for advise from the usual experts on 306 hdi air con
Ive been chasing a leak on my air con for a few weeks/months now and up to the minute have had a condenser, short and long pipe etc fitted.
After firing some gas through there was a large leak on what ive been told is called the pressure release valve fitted to the bulkhead.
Apparantly peugeot have never sold one of these parts but it costs around £120. There are 2 rubber grommets surrounding the fitting which are completly perrished. However peugeot wont sell these as seperate parts. Im hoping the valve is fine and its just the rubber seals that are leaking
Im unsure what to do as nobody seems to ever have fitted this part before.
Does anybody have any more info on this part/system that could help me.
I really want to get the aircon going as its cost a small fortune so far
thanks Read more
i think its time to cut my losses? ive bought pipes and a condenser and paid to fit it but the dash would cost a fortune
maybe i should save the money to upgrade later
thanks dave
I am intrigued by what appears to be dry cleaning methods used by mobile valeters when cleaning cars.
My neighbour has both of their black monsters cleaned using one of these mobile firms. However, I never seem to be looking out of the window at the right time, or so it seems, as I never see any significant amounts of water running away from said vehicles and was therefore wondering how these dirty cars are changed into gleaming black cars apparently with a showroom finish.
Again, I am not in the position to be able to examine these cars closely, to see whether there are a lot of fine surface scratches caused by, what appears to be, cleaning methods using very little (if any water). Perhaps some of these mobile firms use a product similar to those shown on those TV shopping channels, which seem to comprise some sort of Carnauba wax suspension/emulsion which 'wraps up' gritty particles thus avoiding scratching the paintwork - Oh yeah!!!!
Read more
As mentioned the shopping channels regularly run demos of stuff like this www.netparts.co.uk/store/index.php?main_page=produ...w
Apart from the dry grit factor I can't understand how they use a wax-like substance on glass, rubber trim & unpainted plastic as well as the paint.
I have been thinking about suitable sized cars for those with kids (and a large wallet), who think they may have to miss out on all things exciting being responsible parents. I came up with the following using the new Motor Match feature; www.dealdna.com/grid.cfm?gridkey=de12610b. Any others I've missed? Read more
I meant any of the cars in the post immediately above mine.
Dear all
Has anyone got any recommendations for reasonably priced roof bars? I had a look in Halfords at the weekend and their seem expensive - £70 for the bars and £20 for a fitting kit.
Are any other manufacturer/suppliers better value?
Thanks Read more
Also look at www.roofbox.co.uk. They were quick and helpful when I bought a box and bars a few years ago.
I have a 2001 Peugeot 106 and for some time the battery warning light has been flickering or constantly on whilst driving. I have checked the battery connections which are fine and the battery is not flat. I have checked the alternator belt and this is fine and am aware that it could be the alternator itself. However the power steering makes a whining sound which is audible when the keys are in the ignition and just before (and after, but less audible over the engine noise) the engine is started.
Before I take it to the garage and spend a fortune on (uneccessary!) repairs does anyone have any ideas?
Regards. Read more
Just got a convertible. The interior of the headlining is rather mildewed so that SWMBO won't sit in the car. Any tips on the best way to clean it please. The exterior is fine.
TIA Read more
the previous owner didnt happen to be keith moon did it ?
I noticed that someone has carelessly jacked my car up in the past as the schutz and paint has been damaged and scraped back. (There's also a dent but I guess nothing can be done about that)
What will the best thing be to repair this? Can you re-apply schutz or will it need to be paint?
I was thinking of using silver Hammerite or maybe ordering some POR15 but any advice would be welcome. Repairing car bodywork confuses me, so many different materials and methods... Read more
Cheers Aprilia!
Car is not worth all that much (But a fair amount for me) - I just loathe rust with a passion.
Browse
Ah yes - sorry for swearing, i notice it is the policy of this forum not too swear :(
In terms of cars i think its still going to be my top 3
T180 in black
A3 SLine 170ps in black or blue
Leon FR in black but i like Yellow too