July 2007
hi everyone,
new to the forum...it looks great
am in a bit of a dilemma......want to buy a new car but not sure what exactly to get.
am looking for a car that will last me at least 5 years and my main concerns are that it will be reliable and not be too expensive to maintain. i do about 12-15k miles a year and hence am looking at a diesel. would this be about the right mileage to look at diesels?
the cars i'm thinking of are the new accord (perhaps 2-3 years old) 2.2cdti exec, 3 series(old shape perhaps 3-4 years) sport/se spec and the a4 2.0 tdi with a SE spec.
am not sure which of these choices seems the best option. presume that the bmw and audi are deemed to be more "upmarket" but are they better cars for the money. i guess that i would get a newer car with higher spec for the same money.
any help would be gratefully appreciated
thanks
slight tweak to subject line - PU Read more
Car parked, girl drove by smashed wing mirror and her own
Got licence plate number, but don't want to involve police, is there a way to trace owner ?
thanks
Being the school teacher type, I've improved on the grammar a bit. - PU Read more
Well yes Milky in a mere 27 posts later it all goes around full circle. See he was right.
I have wondered looking at a lot of cars which have passenger airbags concealed under a smooth dashboard surface that is continuous (rather than looking like they are in a separate box/cassette with a "door" or flap that opens) does it mean that if it goes off the entire dashboard has to be replaced?
Or have they engineered it so that a new "skin surface" can be attached over the dashboard structure?
I'd imagine otherwise even fairly low speed shunts could end up with a massive bill just to reinstate the airbags and dashboard. Read more
Any impact hard enough to depoly the airbags will often, but not always, be enough to write the car off on it's own. If you trawl through salvage websites there are lots of written off vehicles there that *haven't* had the bags deploy.
I always take the view that if I'm going to crash that badly I want to see more "bangs for my buck" so the more airbags the better :-)
Blue
Hi
I am looking a 2 different cars
One is a 2.5gx Subaru Legacy and the other is a Mitsubishi FTO
Can anyone advise me which it the better car as i aint drove any of them before.
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IMO they are both good reliable cars. A good example of either will not disappoint you. It all depends on whether you want a saloon-type car or a sports car. The FTO is actually a 2+2 and will seat two children (or small adults) in the back.
2003 Ford Maverick 3 Litre V6 - all the toys but how much is it worth?
2003/53, 28,000 mls - 1 owner - FSH @ supplying main dealer
So few about it is difficult to know what it is worth. Read more
Excellent condition:
£5940
Average condition:
£5360
Below average condition:
£4610
According to Glass' on the Vauxhall site.
(Some guesswork involved)
Been on this site for a while and have come to the conclusion that it is a motoring site for those who want to pick at the trade rather than be helped by it. Especially having seen the bit by HJ about trade rip offs. If he feels that is helpful then its below words!
Had enough of the people who all feel that the motor trade is against them!
I prefer sites where people want help and listen to it so I am off!
Probably not missed by many (not concerned anyway) and probably cheered away by others (also not concerned).
But I just cannot justify my time for such attitudes. You get what you give is so true in all aspects of life; no wonder the world is against so many people!
Duplicated posts deleted - PU Read more
Locking this now - all debate in the other thread. May have lost a few posts in the move, but hey you know the risks ! - PU
click below to go there if you want to add anything.
Thanks.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=54...7
Following on from HJ's post 'Big drop in used 4 x 4 values' I am shortly off to the States for several weeks backpacking, and have sold my '95 Defender to a friend who collects it a few days before I fly. When I return in October I shall scour the auctions/small ads for a replacement Subaru (will be my 4th) within my budget of £5k and hopefully a lot less!
A pal of mine starts a new job and is being provided with a company car, so has to sell his 04 Forester 2.0X, 42k miles c/w All Weather Pack.He has told me that he will dispose of it through the auctions...no hassle with private buyers etc etc and I/we wondered what he could expect to receive for it. The Vauxhall website lists Glasses 'trade in part ex' values, but what relevance have these figures to what he can expect to receive in payment at auction.
If it is within my budget I may be interested, although we both agree that it is underpowered (maybe I could chip it?) and the mpg of the XT puts me off the turbo model. My preference is still an older Legacy estate...good value 2nd hand thanks to the intro of the new Sports Tourer.
Many thanks for any advice
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get your mate to put a high reserve on it (higher than you want to pay) and if it goes he's quids in. If it doesn't then you can buy it off him at the highest unsuccessful bid at the auction. Not sure that an auctioneer would be happy putting on a high reserve but it might eb worth a go.
O.K. I have a December 1999 Audi A6 2.5 TDI Avant. I like the car but a problem keeps arising. The car locks all doors when achieving a speed of about 15 mph. Infuriatingly, and quite frequently when turning a sharp corner or riding over a sharp bump in the road, the doors suddenly unlock and all interior lights come on, and there are a lot of interior lights. If the car is left in this condition the battery will just flatten. To get the system working again I need to turn the engine off and remove the key, open the drivers door and lock the car one or two times with the remote key. When the interior lights go off it is fine. Could it just be a bad socket connection or I suspect there may be a system where in the event of an accident, the central locking would unlock all doors automatically upon impact and there may be a problem with such a system. I do not know where the central locking module is in this car.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Regards, Michael Read more
I believe that the central locking control module on this car is located in the front passenger footwell. They are not a particularly reliable unit and the location doesn't help. Take a look at the unit and check for damage to the wiring loom and also check for possible water ingress/damage.
My 1992 Volvo 240SE haas just passed the 150,000 mile mark, following 2.5 years of ownership, bought for £400 (though about a £1000 spent in repairs first year, not much since). I've enjoyed care-free motoring with it; i.e. I don't care if I scrape it against the odd wall or if someone crashes a shopping-trolley into it in the Asda car-park. And, hopefully, no self-respecting car-thief would be seen dead in it: that's if car-thieves have self-respect.
I bought in when my former Toyota Enima (sounds to me like a medical procedure) failed its MOT on something that would cost too much to repair; and the mechanic (who I know personally) said "'ere y'a mate, wot about this Volvo we've got round the back of garage?" (used as garage run-around). I have definitely had my money's'orth out of it.
It's deffo time to get a different car. and I am prepared to spend up to £15000, but would rather spend no money whatsoever as I like looking at the numbers in my bank account. However, I don't mind splashing out if there's something I really want (yer can't take it wiv yer when yer die, etc etc).
The only car I have seriously considered is a Jaguar XK8 hard-top, I have always liked Jaguars and I like the look of the XK8, it's soooo curvaceous & filled out; like a voluptuous woman with 'child-bearing hips'. Phwoarrrr. I would either get one for about £12 to £15K; or one for about £9K and spend a few grand on its next services, probably at a Jaguar main dealer. This is what I did a few years ago when I bought a 3-year old XJ6 3.2 - my bestest most-loved ever car.
I don't want to get, say, a Mondeo cos I think they're too 'middle-of-the-road sensibly conventionalistical'. However, reliability is very important because I get very annoyed indeed if my car breaks down and I'm late for work / appointments.
I've also thought about a new(ish) Mini Cooper.
I'm DEFINITELY NOT a tree hugger but don't fancy a 4x4; despite the attraction of putting 2 fingers up to the environmentalists.
Does anyone have any suggestions, either for particular cars or for car-choosing strategies?
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If you do intend to get a Jaguar (XK8 hard-top), all of the company's models registered on an H-plate onwards are generally better built and more reliable as the Ford influence began to take effect.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
I need a vehicle moving from Birmingham to Gloucester. Does anyone know who can do this at a sensible price? The car is an MGB.
Cheers
Stuart Read more
Browse
Sounds to me a personal grudge with Honda or the intent that I'm going to hate Honda it doesn't matter what!
My next door neighbour has got a 2002 CR-V and the family loves it!
I'm not saying that Honda can't make a bad car but more often than not their cars are spot on and the JD Survey proves that!