May 2007
My son who is a bricklayer wishes to rent a van, preferably a Ford Connect, paying on a monthly basis with maintenance included. He would also like unlimited mileage if possible. He doesn't want to buy the vehicle i.e.lease purchase etc but just wants to rent one for a three year period. The van will get dirty and possibly "mucked up" as he will be carrying materials. He is not registered for Vat. Would appreciate advice please on the best way forward on this one. Thanks. Read more
Are there any snags in using these? For a new Fiat Grande Punto diesel I am contemplating, Drive The Deal, which seems to be the one favoured by HJ, offers a mouthwatering 16% or so off. The same rate applied to extras, although the choice of them is limited. According to what they say, the car might well be supplied by my local dealer. Showroom salesmen must know about such savings - so maybe I should ask them for 16% off to start with? Read more
Yes, if the physical dealer can get close to the internet price, I would rather use him. At least you know where to go to moan if delivery is delayed or there are other problems.
Inspired by Flying Red's thread, and not wanting to hijack it.
I know several people who, on or near retirement, have bought a car to "see them out" - in other words they're not planning a replacement cycle and hoping it will last as long as they do.
Is there a car/marque, that you could buy now, that you could reasonably expect to be economic to maintain for 10 -15 years? Or is it rather a case of just buying the most likely to be reliable and hoping it fails later rather than sooner? What would you buy?
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I guess for a "keeper", the key would be something reliable, not rust-prone and simple -- as few toys as possible, and nothing that could potentially cripple the car if it did break down the line.
I suspect this is why a lot of people end up buying things like the Daihatsu Sirion, in my experience living down the road from an OAP bungalow block, the Daihatsus seem to run and run.
Thing is though, if you know you need to make a car last 15-20 years, you'll look after it. Even old rotboxes like the original Metro can be made to have a ridiculously long life if treated properly.
The only question mark being, if you bought something like a Daewoo Kalos, would the parts be readily available in 15 years time. Other than that, as nick1975 says I'd be surprised if any new car treated properly didn't last.
I had a slight accident in the car a few weeks which resulted in the wing mirror glass on the drivers side breaking. Got a replacement from wingmirror man (great service) and fitted it. Both mirrors are continually hot now even though the heater is switched of? Is this a fault with this car or have I missed something? . I have tried changing wire position round but still hot any ideas please
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I may be wrong but I seem to remember that the wing mirrors on my 2004 320d were always on as well. If I was driving down the motorway, rain/mist never settled on the mirror surface regardless of if the rear demister was on or not.
Like I said, I may be wrong but I think BMW have designed it this way.
For years we have had to put up with inappropriate use of fog-lights, front and rear. More recently we have the flashing blue HID phenomenom. Then there is the current fad of blue washer nozzle lights (??). However there is now a new menace on the roads, and it had to come from a German manufacturer, didn't it?
I am talking about the Audi S6 (or is it RS6) with the multiple LED sidelights. They look like multiple fog lights to me and are far brighter than they need to be. I don't know if they are day-running lights like the Volvos, but every Audi S6/RS6 I have seen so far has then on. But perhaps it is just the owners showing off in that usual German 'prestige' car way. They are a pain, and are bound to become more widespread.
You have been warned! Read more
Total bonkerism - bikes stand out in the urban environment because they have lights (actual factory fit running lights in the case of mine). Motorcyclists will evolve and up the ante to remain visible. This stupid idea will increase the so called carbon footprint of motorists and cause needless light pollution as well as reduce the life of difficult to replace lightbulbs. Why not make it compulsory to have auto-lights ?
as above, could someone advise some trustworthy companies to source a gearbox from for a 1999 volvo s40. it's a 2litre 16v petrol with the renault m5p box fitted. it has been jumping out of 5th gear regularly and after alot of time trying to adjust the linkage and replacing bushes. etc. ive concluded it must be an internal box problem which isn't unheard of with this box.
need at least a 12 month guarentee as ideally the car needs to do another 2 years
cheers
chris Read more
Chris
I might being pedantic but I think you mean you want a rebuilt gearbox, not a reconditioned gearbox. Most so called "reconditioned" gearboxes are simply secondhand boxes that have been removed from accident damaged or scrapped vehicles. You will not get a guarantee on a secondhand gearbox, but you might get a 3 month one on a rebuilt one. If you want longer than that you will need to buy one from Warranty Direct in the box to the left of the screen (do use the link as HJ gets a small fee to help keep this site free to use).
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Roger
A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.
Hi all,
Got home this evening and noticed a dripping from the car (2004 Almera 1.5) after I'd reversed it into the garage.
On closer inspection there appears to be a leak under the car - further back - slightly to the nearside in the engine bay of a liquid which isn't oil. It disappeared (dried up / evaporated) from the block paving outside the garage pretty quickly, hence me knowing it's not oil!
Could it be fluid from the suspension? The only thing I did different tonight was hit a pothole on the NSF on the way home - although I more rolled in and out of it than actually hit it (going less then 10mph at the time).
Any suggestions or tips on what to look for would be gratefully received. Read more
It did seem like an awful lot of liquid (enough to leave a puddle on
the floor) and was consistently dripping but I will monitor the liquid and if it
continues then I'll get it checked.
As it warms up ready for summer, the air gets more humid. Air-con cools the air down, condensing that humidity, so your car will leave puddles! If they're clear and non-oily, that's all your puddles are. Having been in Hong Kong in the height of Summer, the water actually runs out of buses' air-con like the flow from a tap so I don't think a small puddle is anything to lose sleep over!
Almeras aren't prone to oil-leaks etc. Check all the levels under the bonnet (which every car-owner should do every couple of weeks anyway), and if nothing looks suspicious there's nothing wrong with the car. If the a/c blows nice and cold, don't get it regassed - just run it every couple of weeks for a few minutes, to keep the compressor seals lubricated then hopefully the refrigerant will take longer to escape! When it needs regassing (when the air's not being cooled properly) don't pay a penny over £40 to have it regassed.
Health reasons? You won't catch Legionnaire's Disease from your car! My air-con needs regassing because it barely cools the air, but I'm averse to spending £40 for the sake of the one week per year that it's beneficial in the North East of England, so it's being left as is! :-)
A couple of comments on the Phantom thread recalled some thoughts I've had for a while on the subject of car makers' attempts to forge a visual identity. I've jotted a few examples of what I think works and what doesn't, and I'd be interested in other people's thoughts on the matter. Remember that these are just personal opinions and concern only style, not engineering substance.
* From the moment the retro grille appeared in 1991, Rover got steadily more obsessed with the 1950s look. The forward-looking 3500 and 800 gave way to progressively tweedier designs, culminating in the ridiculous 75, which would have come with a pipe and an RAF moustache if the likely buyers hadn't had them already.
* Jaguar saloons have a similar self-made image problem. The 1994 XJ looked dated but elegant, and at least did a good job of re-introducing the fluting around the headlights. But it had no room inside, so the current model is taller to correct that. But the marketing department didn't dare change the basic shape, so the car now wanders around with its tail in the air. The S-type is just awful - a blatant attempt to cash in on Inspector Morse's 60s Jaguar that starts with a grille shaped like a lavatory seat and gets worse from there. And the X-type repeats the timid failings of the XJ - although it can look quite svelte in metallic blue-grey, provided it's not a Sport, when it looks like a geography teacher in trainers and tweeds.
* The Jaguar XK on the other hand, shows what can be done. It's unmistakably a Jaguar and yet looks content to be its 21st-century self, rather than a clumsy 60s hommage. The new S-type is supposed to be a looker too, so let's hope it works - I like Jaguar, live near its factory and would love to see it doing well again.
* Aston Martin and Bentley can probably be bracketed together, in that they've managed to modernize their look without losing their roots. (Although both managed a few horrors in the 80s and 90s.)
* Alfa Romeo is another that's dug up an archaic styling device but got away with it, I think because the retro theme is confined to the front end. I'm not entirely sure I like it - the offset number plate looks clunky with a full-size UK plate rather than a dinky Italian one - but it's certainly distinctive.
* Saab is a pet subject of mine and would have got my vote in this section until 2005. A 9-5 then was recognizably related, inside and out, to a 1967 99, while still being and looking modern. The 2005 facelift has thrown away a lot of that good, subtle work in the vain hope of beating the Germans at their own game. Volvo (or is it Ford?) has held its nerve much better and had the courage to remain distinctively Swedish.
So, discuss! Read more
The new Fiat 500 (small cars being what Fiat does best), I believe released next February, looks pretty good and captures the feel of the original. Unfortunately a start price of £11k isn't so good.
Reading HJ's answers in the last two weeks, I was horrified by his statement that modern cars have an economic life of 7 years due to uneconomic repair costs beyond that point.
Which cars are simple to maintain, have relatively inexpensive parts and have an almost indefinite life expectancy (if properly maintained)?
I was thinking Morris Minor and maybe Volvo 240 series (although parts may be pricey). Read more
"wiped out by environmental and "safety" regulation absurdly hostile to old cars"
Indeed. I find the environmental considerations particularly hypocritical, as the environmental impact of building a new car is vastly greater than that of running an old car for a few more years, however 'inefficient' it might be.
I'm beginning to wonder if the same applies to these 'low-energy' light bulbs that cost little to run but incorporate electronics and use light-emitting phosphors...
hi dos any one know if a pug 205 roland garros is oberon green? ta Read more
In 1999 the 206 Roland Garros was advertised as having "Exclusive Tie-Break Green" ie a tennis connection!
You could get a rental based on ZERO residual value however this is a could as it would depend o him being able to prove he hasa good credit status and that may be difficult if he is self employed and has no accounts etc. A lawyer/dcoctor/dentist would be OK