July 2007
I have been offered a Hyundai 1.5 mpi with a knackered head gasket.
Anyone have any experience of what sort of a job it is to do these?
Cheers
Stuart
slight alteration to subject line to clarify abbreviation - PU Read more
As I've never been in the market to actually buy a car new outright (PS I am not 12 years old before anyone thinks I am - just never had £30K burning a hole in my pocket) I've never had experience of the new car buying process and have always been puzzled as to how much when you order a car it already is sitting somewhere on a dock or in the dealers yard or whether literally an order is given to build it and how much this varies by car company.
A mate of mine has had a succession of BMW X5 3.0d models and seems to have to order 12 mths in advance and even to be on good terms with the garage to get one..Is this a freak occurence just with this model?
I am interested in whether if you go into the average BMW/Audi/Lexus/Merc dealer do they actually have "stock" cars that you could buy there and then or is it all "build to order". I read somewhere that all BMWs were done that way so they never had unsold stock sitting about...hence their famed profitability as a maker...then I read that in Germany BMW punt out a ton of vehs to stock there in all sorts of the usual sales wheezes and indulge in shifting metal like everyone else.
Each time they launch a new model the other volume makers eg Ford/Vauxhall talk about "only building to customer order" and not flooding the market with cars to keep the factories running. Yet that seems to be what they end up doing....
What common vehicles are currently with a waiting list/only build to order? Is it many? Have more makers managed to keep to build to order and still get the whole thing to work without getting wild swings in demand...?
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Yes compared to the UK certainly there is nothing like the old company car pecking order of badges which produce a myriad of model nos....
What is normal there is that the model itself might not be that well equipped but will be produced mostly in a "loaded" spec with typical options but then discounted back to a fairly basic price. For alot of midrange and smallish US cars (esp the Non big 3 makes) technically an automatic is extra yet all the deals at dealerships are mainly for autos and hardly anyone is ever asked to pay extra.
I get the impression as well that because of shipping distances and lack of patience among Americans who are generally more demanding that there's more of a culture of having stock available and doing deals on the spot. Also remember very few of them get company cars so alot more people are used to paying with their own money and doing deals. So even for the premium makes they can't just behave as order takers where nobody mentions money and just get the company to pay...
Some time ago (over a year I think) someone posted a fabulous link to an old film of Saab 9000's 'dancing' for want of a better description on a runway with musical accompaniment.
There was also a link for a tunnel in Russia where a camera had filmed the slippery conditions (and ensuing mayhem) that also was worth watching.
Looking at the (very funny) link with the Volkswagen ad with the swear word listed earlier in this forum that brought a big grin to my face I remembered these two past glories.
Are there other ones that I have missed could be compiled into one thread that would provide some of us with a smile when the rain-clouds come yet again to spoil our summer? Read more
Re the Russian tunnel video - there are, in fact, a large number of these videos of the tunnel.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Engine has slight mis-fire, which hasn't gotten any worse for about 6K miles. AS it is now due for a major service anyway I want to change plugs before changing anything else. Currently running Bosch Super 4 (FR78X I think), but have been told that these are prone to causing mis-fire as some can fail early (?). Does anyone have experience of this and what other plugs (NGK Model?) are recommended for the non turbo 1.8 20V Passat Read more
The FR78X's are the much rationalised/compromised Super 4 range that everyone is wowed by the
four earth electrode design.
HTH
HTH more info please
TIA
Over in West Africa, to be precise Sierra Leone at the mo for the BiL wedding. The BiL had hired 4 cars for the wedding transport, all were newish Kias. 2 were Sorentos ideal for the roads here & the others were Kia Opirus, which I'd never heard of! It's a big saloon looking vaguely Merc or S-Type.Interior is quite nice, not as much dead cow skin as my S-Type but nicely screwed together with lots of real tree wood & the leather looking as synthetic as any far eastern car. Full dual climate control, 6 disc CD & tape, with Infinity brand speakers & music. Massive amount of space, possibly bigger than my Jag. Good ride considering the rubbish roads here & seemed quite economical, as in we rode in it on & off all day on £5 gallons of petrol & the driver didn't ask for dosh for any more!
Ours was black & looked OK, apart from the Xmas Cracker grill, but that could be cured with a chromed mesh 300C type grill.
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$26,000.
I'm a non-smoker and have only ever smoked passively.
Now that smoking's been banned in public I find myself showing all the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
Is it just me or does anyone else have similar experiences? Read more
Aaanyway...
I am in the middle of deciding on a change of car, and have found one to look at in a private sale, he is asking £12750. After looking at the latest parkers guide and taking into consideration it has done 26000 miles in 11 months the guide figure comes out at £11430, the car has a few expensive extras such as a makers detachable tow bar, optional rear spoiler and optional rear bass speaker.
The car looks in good nick apart from 2 small marks at the rear which he is going to send pics of tonight.
I have spoke over the phone and he has said he would come down to £12500 maybe a little more, do you think there is too large a gap for hm to come down that much.
If I decide to look at it I will be making a journey of 400 miles in total, should I negotiate more on the phone or just try and get him down by "flashing the cash" when I see it. I am a complete novice at spending so much, always bought from dealers.
Should I stick to the guide price and not budge from that, this is the only one that matches my search but will not let him know that. Read more
>>"What on earth can be so special about this particular car that would make you travel such a distance especially as its over a £1,000 over guide price? I've bought many cars some at a great distance from home and , as others have said, when the buyer knows you have come a great distance he has the advantage, you will defininitely be on " his " territory. What ever you do take someone sensible with you. Your post worries me:- £12,000 private sale and you're a novice! "Lambs to the slaughter " comes to mind."<<
Ok, let me explain, the car in question, was a Mazda 6 TS2 diesel estate of which there are not many around and certainly none in my area. "Why that car" because as I have mentioned in an earlier thread I can not live without glass above my head and as such narrows my choice by a great deal considering how many manufactures have dropped the sunroof in favour of aircon / climate control.
The distance does not bother me and I would certainly have walked away if he had not closed the negotiations nearer to the book price.
The fitted detachable would have saved me a few pounds as I would have had one fitted anyway as that is what I have on my present car. Having said that I realise tow bars are not to every ones liking and this would not have influenced me to raise my price as I would have indicated to the seller that the fitted bar concerned me.
In my posting I was merely asking advice from other peoples experiences as to whether the seller would be prepared to drop nearer to the book price as I was unfamiliar with private buying of cars. I have received advice and thank you all for that.
Johncyprus, thanks for your well intentioned advice but I am no fool and do not need to take "someone sensible" with me. When it comes to buying cars I have come away happy in the past buying from dealers after holding out for the maximum on my trade in. I have walked away from a deal a few times before in the past and would have done so in this case had he not come down to my value of the car, as I say I have never bought private before on such a scale.
That said I have now dropped the idea of changing my car for the time being, instead deciding to spend the money on the house and I am keeping my "mint" Civic Aerodeck for the time being.
Now you all must agree THAT is "sensible"
Mal
'Afternoon all,
Sorry for my first post to be a question but...
Will shortly be changing jobs to include 100 mile each way journey (Mon-Fri). Employer will be paying £380 per month flat rate for fuel, but purchasing and all other costs for the vehicle will come down to me. I am hoping to pick something up for about £5K and have been looking at Pug 406 HDI's - pref an 02/52 plate with approx 60k miles. Any other suggestions or is this a reasonable way to spend my money?
Am also busy renovating our house at the moment so an estate would come in very handy!
Cheers all.
John Read more
OP do consider depreciation and potential repair costs carefully. It's easy to focus on looking for something that will do the mpg so that your monthly allowance covers your fuel costs, spend your own £5K on it, have a few repair bills and at the end of the year find that your car is only work £2.5K.
If finding something that will do the job for the least cost is your priority, you may find you will achieve that better by using some of your money to subsidise your fuel costs and choosing something that will loose much less in depreciation and repairs.
I expect Aprilia will be along to tell you that if you spend £1500 on a six year old 2.0 petrol Primera, it will still do 40 mpg on a run, will cost very little to service, is highly unlikely to break down and you can hardly loose much in depreciation when you only spent £1500 on it in the first place. It's a powerful argument, other people will tell you that you should be able to do the same with a Mondeo.
Just bought a new LHD Renault Espace with excellent xenon headlights. Can anyone explain how I can adjust them for driving in the UK to avoid blinding oncoming traffic? These new style headlights lights seem to move with the steering so the classic solution of beam benders does not appear useable any more. Read more
I have just been offered a 1995 Mercedes E220 auto estate with a genuine 59k miles on the clock. It has had 4 owners and the bodywork is in very good condition. Main problem is the cloth upholstery which is pretty torn/shabby. Can anyone give me an idea as to the cost of re-upholstering? Also, I think I can get the car for around £1,500. Is this a decent car for the money and what should I check out before buying it?
Many thanks, Charles Read more
I would be far more willing to own one which had double the miles of that one
Browse
I would go for the engine swap. These are normally quite reliable motors so you should be able to get a decent unit at a low price.