May 2007
I'm going to look at a car tomorrow. If all goes well I would like to buy on the spot. The car is 50 miles away and I would like to drive it home. I can update my insurance by telephone but I won't receive the new documents for 7 days-so how can I tax the car? Read more
Hi everyone, this is my first post so please be gentle with me :-) I've just been to look at my local Nissan dealer today as I'm looking to get a new Nissan Note 1.6SE automatic. I'm learning to drive but hopefully will be taking my test soon and want to get a car now so I can practice in it.
The dealer has an ex-demonstrator model available with the spec I want, metallic paint (which I wasn't too bothered about). It's a 56 plate and has 3,666 miles on the clock. They are asking £10,800 for it - is this a good price?
For info, the dealer's OTR price for a brand new one is £12,940 and I've been told I won't get much discount on this as I want an automatic. He said the only thing I'm likely to get on a new one is free metallic paint.
Should I go for the ex-demo car or pay the extra for a brand new one, or should I be looking elsewhere? Thanks.
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Which? has 12 Best Buy car seats. 10 of these are not Isofix.
Just read the new report (May 2007) - of the 12 Best Buys, 4 of them are or can be used in Isofix mode. The report also says this:
"Isofix - This system reduces the likelihood of the child seat being installed incorrectly, while providing a rigid contact between the seat and the car body. It gives better crash protection for children as it attaches the seat to the car more securely.
Isofix is the standard system for all new cars and seat manufacturers. If you are buying a new car, make sure it comes with Isofix mountings.
An enhancement on two-point Isofix is to have three-point Isofix, where the third (top) tether attaches to a fixing point to the rear of the car's seat back, preventing it from pivoting forward in an accident.
The three-point fixing should work even better than two-point fixing, because it holds the child seat even more securely. However, the two-point fixing is still generally much better than using seat belts to secure car seats".
Personally I don't mind paying extra for an Isofix seat if it means my daughter will be better protected. We won't be using the seat in any other car than our own so it doesn't matter if it's not universal fitting.
I've seen a couple of 'he's crashed, he's crashed. he's crashed' programs recently where some in-car video footage has been shown of 'incidents'. I think they were American clips, where such recordings are being made to help with insurance and/or litigation issues. They were all just ordinary citizens, not law enforcement types.
Has anyone implemented such a system here in the UK? Would you consider it? And what about the legal standing of such 'evidence'? Read more
Our Citroen Berlingo Multispace has recently developed what I would describe as a "scrunching noise". It seems to come from the rear of the car on the passenger (left) side.
It only occurs when going over dips / undulations at speed, and when sometimes when turning - particularly when turning right. It doesn't happen often when there is just a driver in the car; it happens a little more when there is a passenger; it happens most of all, and most noisily, when the car is fully laden. The tyre pressure had been a little low, so I inflated the tyres, and while it didn't make the problem go away completely, it seemed to help a bit.
I reckoned it must be something to do with the suspension (possibly worn bushes) but when I got a mechanic to check it over, he couldn't find anything.
I suppose I could load the car up and take him for a drive, but in the meantime - any ideas? Read more
Hi all,
When I manage to sell my car I want a Golf mk4 GTI 25th Anniversary. I wanted the Petrol model as I thought it had a bit extra power (180)and probably sounds better, but have now heard due to one of HJ's pages, the diesel has a lot of torque but has 30 less horse power. Am I right in assuming that those 30 bhp don't really make a great deal of difference? Obviously the mpg is much better too? If someone knows a bit about the performance of both of these versions I would be grateful, and also which version you think is better.
Cheers Read more
Just to let everybody know and to discontinue this thread, I have just part exed my golf for a GTI Anniversary and went for the petrol version in silver with 24,000 miles on the clock - worth the extra wonga. Spent £11995 - not bad for someone with a 6 grand budget!! Cheers for everyones help and advice
Jon
I've just returned from a BCA auction and was amazed that of all the cars entered in the main dealer section, only two had the hammer fall. Everything else was provisional. This mirrors the recent report in the news section. Some of the cars were decidedly rough, yet they appeared to be looking for above book!
Are they just getting greedy, or do they know something we don't! Read more
Leasing companies will do that to discourage private buyers,they do not want people moaning about the car that they have bought that then develops a problem and expect the lease co to pick up the bill.Too much expectation and 'its not fair'these days and the leasing companies cannot be bothered with it.
I was mulling over the idea of cheap transport recently, preferably something that's got room for a family but only as a second car.
Would a London Taxi fall into this group I wonder? Let's consider the case for a Fairway model with the 2.7 litre diesel engine:
- Parts are cheap
- They're fairly simple
- They should be reliable
- errr, that's it.
Downsides are:
- Motorways will be a test of human endurance at anything over 60mph
- Everyone will wave at you
- It probably won't go south of the river at night
I've ridden in the back of a few and I understand it's basically an Austin Westminster underneath so it won't be the last word in comfort by any means. Do any backroomers have experience of running one?
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">Rover V8 transplant,<"
Mid-engined, Lud?
im having problems getting into all gears on my vw polo 1.4. 02 reg. but wen the engine is off it goes in smoothly. any ideas?? Read more
Sounds like the classic symptoms of clutch drag - ie the clutch isn't freeing off properly when the pedal is depressed. Many possible causes. Not sure if this car has hydraulic or cable clutch and what the adjustement method is (if any) but it could range from the expensive (Faulty clutch pressure or friction plate, rusty splines) to the cheap (incorrect manual adjustment) through intermediate (faulty cable adjuster, faulty hydraulics).
JS
My 97000 mile Nissan Primera 2.2dCi T-SPEC cruise control appears to be faulty. I bought it a few weeks ago, private deal, and wonder whether it might be my misunderstanding of how it works. I have not owned a car with cruise before, but I use a Peugeot 806 at work that has it.
I switch cruise on, the light illuminates, but often I cannot then set it. It sets eventually, but I might have travelled ten miles by the time it does. I had thought it was a faulty switch, but once it is running I can use the same button to slow the car down. That seems to work every single time, without fail.
It doesn't appear to have anything to do with speed or gear, I have tried it when in 4th, 5th and 6th at speeds varying from 30 to 70mph. I keep my feet completely off the pedals.
Apart from that the car seems to be in extremely good order.
Any ideas anyone? Read more
I got it once I heard from the previous owner. Just before I bought it the car went in for a clutch check. I figured it was the switch on the clutch pedal. It's working every time now.
my passat 1.8t sport(auto) refused to start the other day, there was no clicking from thr starter solonoid as i would expect if the starter was on the way out, i ended up reattempting to start about 10-15 times then it started ok? any ideas?
Thanks Ray Read more
I tried moving the gear stick,to no avail.
i was thinking ignition switch as all connections to batt` and starter appear ok.
There is a static camera on Chicheley Hill, near Newport Pagnell, that reads number plates. If your car is caught on it without tax you will be fined I am pretty sure. So obviously avoid this location and any other fixed cameras of this ilk if you have no tax. And if a camera equipped traffic car is behind you, sods law it will be, then you are going to get pulled. As long as you have actually paid for the tax then plate recognition cameras in fixed locations and on traffic cars will not be triggered, and when was the last time you were stopped by the police to check your tax disc. If the vendor taxes it and doesnt send the disk you can always obtain a replacement from the DVLA when you have done the V5.
Oh watch out though, traffic wardens have the power to report you to DVLA too, as I found out on my old LR 109" when the tax disk slipped down the front of the dash and a warden left me a notification I had been reported.