October 2007
A fair few posters on this forum have appeared to be suffering from what has recently been coined 'choice anxiety'. More and more people are now stressing over whether they have made the 'right' decision, and mostly it's not concerned with life-changing events - but rather 'consumer-related' issues (such as car buying). I believe people can even pay for counselling.
So we get people endlessly stressing over whether they go for a particular make/model/spec of car, as though their life is going to end if they erroneously choose the "pre-'05 facelift", or whatever. Then there's the folk who've actually done the deal and still post the details, apparently seeking reassurance that they've 'done the right thing', or 'got a good deal'......
Things have probably been made worse by the rise of the internet. In the 'good (not so)old days', you might buy a copy of Autotrader, Exchange & Mart or Which? and choose from something locally. Having made that choice, you wouldn't bother consulting these 'learned journals' except for a bit of browsing in WH Smiths. Today, you can see on a PC anywhere that you could have bought that very same model of car for £800 less - albeit with a 500-mile round trip. The anxiety begins.....!
There can be few modern-day cars which are so execrable that they can't be enjoyed just because a different 'rival' doesn't (for example) understeer quite so much in the wet.
Very few decisions in life are irredeemable - with the possible exception of, "I think I'll walk off this cliff" - so buying the 'wrong' car is easily solved by selling it. Chalk up any financial cost to experience - and move on.
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Clutch has been getting loose over last couple of days and then today started put clutch in but won't go into gear. I phoned a local dealer and they said it is probably the clutch and will cost £900 plus. However, I had a new clutch put in a year ago when same thing happened - could it be something simple? Please help I know nothing about cars! Read more
It could be the clutch slave cylinder which resides in the clutch housing I believe so just as expensive as getting at a worn clutch.
I have to flush out my diesel engine, before filling up with some good stuff. So I want the cheapest of the cheap diesel oil.
How much do you think I could get a 4.5 or 5 litre can for and where from?
Thanks Read more
local factor (proper factor not halfords) should sell you something for about £5. Personally I would mix it with a can of engine flush as it would help emulsify the water in the oil and ensure that you drain it well. It would also desludge the bottom end of the engine too.
Have I missed a major social or cultural event? I'm seeing more and more cars with two stripes running front to back on them.
The cars are usually blue, the stripes usually white. I've seen it on lots of Minis but it doesn't seem to be model specific (also Focii, Peugeots etc).
Was it the Italian Job remake (which I never saw)? A new version of Starsky & Hutch that I've missed? Or just a fashion statement, like a Mullet haircut?
Paul Read more
that's the Yanks for you - the same people that brought you 'warning, this coffee may be hot'
I have never seen bonneted (like cars) lorries in UK.
In USA, they are in good numbers. I think many other parts of the world (incl. continental Europe) both cab forward and bonneted lorries/trucks are used.
Is there any legislation that they can't be used here?
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helicopter
I think he still has his Peterbilt "Preening Posers Special-Edition." [5th wheel removed; so he can "drive" it on his ordinary car licence.]
So, with his record of regularly hitting things with it, if he wants to earn as a driver; he'll only have two problems.
Getting insurance and finding someone mad enough to let him near their [under 7.5t] truck!
I'm just preparing my car for MOT and everything else seems fine except the reverse lights. Both lights aren't coming on when the car is in reverse gear. I've checked the bulbs they're good, changed the fuse but that didn't make difference. I've been told it could be the switch somewhere on the gearbox. Does anyone exactly where it is and how hard/easy is it to replace it. Its 98 S40 1.9TD manual. Thanks Read more
Ok that's good, one less thing to worry about in the future.
But I still would like to know where and how to change it.
Will the current postal strike invalidate thousands of issued NIPS which may not be delivered within the required timescale?
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"Anybody who posts a letter during a national postal strike must be assumed not to care too much when, or indeed if, it is ever delivered."
Except that our post (East Mids) seems to be as normal - got my Auto-Express (motoring link!) as usual on Wed and a book I ordered on the internet on Sunday arrived today (along with my credit card statement and phone bill , worse luck!)
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Phil
I've just bought my first Porsche - Boxster 2.7. '03. I've had conflicting advice on what petrol to use.
Is it best to use the 'super' unleaded or just the bog standard. My dealer says just use any unleaded but the manual seems to infer that the higher RON is better.
Does it really make the difference that the petrol companies say in fuel economy, efficiency and power?
I'd be interested to hear your opinion.
Mike
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It'll be OK on cooking unleaded but I'd use the SUL the engine was designed for.
I don't claim credit for finding this, spotted elsewhere.
Tucked into the documents at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/B/9/pbr_csr07_chapter...f is:-
Electronic vehicle licensing
5.91 To facilitate the use of Electronic Vehicle Licensing,from 1 September 2008 the
requirement to display an up-to-date tax disc at all times will be waived for the first five
working days following re-licensing.
Tackling VED evasion
5.103 To assist in the fight against vehicle excise duty (VED) evasion, the Government today
strengthens VED enforcement powers,to include motorists driving unlicensed vehicles and
parking in certain areas where enforcement is not currently permitted. Therefore,in addition
to public roads,from 1 September 2008,VED enforcement will also cover vehicles parked in
public places that are not intrinsically part of a private dwelling,where a Statutory Off-Road
Notification has not been made.
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Nice bit of common sense.
I agree. Most unusual, but welcome nonetheless.
Cheers
DP
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04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
I'm looking at getting a 335Ci SE on PCP in the next few months. As was to be expected I've had a load of conflicting advice on how to go about getting the best deal.
Basically I've got three options:
1. Haggle a price with a finance company (freewaycars.co.uk and car-finance.net have been recommended), then go to the dealer and get them to match/beat it.
2. The opposite of the above - haggle with the dealer then get the finance company to match/beat it.
3. Haggle a price with the dealer on the basis that I'd be paying cash, then go back to the PCP company and get them to finance a deal based on the discounted cash price agreed with the dealer. Then when it's time to drive away, the finance company make the lump sum payment to the dealer on my behalf.
Obviously with 1 and 2 I could go back and forth all day.. week.. month..
Am I generally better off avoiding the dealers or the finance companies? I don't like either on principal but know it's a necessary evil to deal with one of them (or spend years saving up). Is there normally any glaring differences between the T&Cs on finance company vs dealer PCP deals I should watch out for?
Any other advice on the finance side of things? I know I'm likely to get conflicting advice again but the more there is the better.
Thanks Read more
Thanks to all for the advice - understand the options now.
Taking a different angle on the question, what experiences have people had with dealers vs finance houses?
I know it's impossible to answer this objectively, but in general is the stereotypical image of the car sales world correct? I get the impression that:
- A dealer's salesman will lie through his teeth, beg, chase you around, etc. (this has been my experience with dealers so far, anyway).
- The finance houses are generally cheaper and friendlier on the sales side of things, but may let you down on the after sales care.
Basically, if dealer and finance company end up at the same price, who's the safer bet?
Browse
This is a well known and understood condition referred to as "cognitive dissonance", the internal stress that arises around a significant decision. Significance is a factor of "involvement", the degree to which the person is emotionally engaged in the purchase. This has been the subject of much research in the area of consumer and branded goods. Clearly what any brand owner wants is a high degree of loyalty, however it has been established that products vary in their degree of involvement. Baked beans are typically low involvement products but for women, for example, cosmetics and personal care products such as hair shampoo can be very high involvement. The level of involvement is not necessarily related to cost, although it is easy to see how it can be. Hence we can see some posters in anguish over their intended or recent purchase as they prevaricate and then maybe later beat themselves up over their purchase (the long running post about the merits of buying a Mercedes by Cattleman (I think) is a classic example of this). Others see no problem and a car is just a means to an end, but they will almost certainly have other higher involvement products in their buying portfolio - brand of newspaper, favourite drink etc etc. Much of the advertising for high involvement products can be aimed at this post-purchase dissonance, reassuring buyers that they really have made a smart decision. Of course there are those who dismiss all this as just psycho-babble, all their decisions are rational and objective. Such (post) rationalisation can be a large part of a purchasing decision, but for consumer purchases there are often more expressed preferences that can be found - so even if you think you are not influenced by advertising you often are!
MGs