February 2008
We about to trade our 2004 Vectra CDTI 117k miles for either a 9-3Sportswagon Diesel, A4 Avant TDI, Volvo V50 2.0D or a Honda CRV diesel.
The car is for my partner and whilst i'd prefer the Audi because of build and proven running gear, her in doors prfers the Swedish or Japanese option.
Any information/ opinions would be appreciated.
Billy Read more
Hi,
I just thought I'd post regarding the hassle I'm having trying to sell my car privately. Perhaps others can share their experiences and offer some practical advice.
I basically started with the price a little high and am now almost down to top Glasses trade price for the car, a Golf GTI.
Most people want to negotiate on the telephone without even seeing the car, is this a modern trend? I thought most people would look first? Perhaps its just time wasters?
I also get lots of people calling from a blocked number who then dont bother leaving a message. I think this says something too.
Dealer has offered me about a thousand below top trade glasses price and the way things are going I might have to accept.
What do people think of bankers drafts? Would you accept one as long as you could call the bank to check the numbers etc or would you insist on CHAPS transfer or something?
i've had 2 people now agree a price over the phone, only for them to not bother turning up..... Read more
I'm not sure I like the tone of your question drbe.
However, I was driving a little 1.2 car and my new one had a long waiting list. At the time it seemed that I could get myself into a used Golf GTI and only lose about £1000 over say six months, maybe even avoiding tyres and servicing if I found the right one.
In fact the difference in Glasses Guide values bears this out. The book price only dropped a grand over the time and I didnt need to service the car or put tyres on it.
With the benefit of hindsight I obviously paid far too much for the Golf. I assumed that it was fair for a private seller to expect a bit more than a trade price, else why bother selling privately.
The cars mileage means it wouldnt even fetch top glasses book as its not really suitable for a main dealers forecourt - I presume.
Hopefully my expensive and very hard earnt lesson will benefit others on here.
The car has stayed in the family, I thought I might as well let someone I care about have the benefit of a rock bottom price.
Hi, I have a renault Laguna 02 plate which is about 5 years old. I am finding that the gears seem to be jumping slightly when changing however not jumping right out of gear. Can anyone help, will this need sorted by a garage and a rough cost would be excellent.
Thanks
Manual Auto ?? engine? I've put the year in the subject line for you. Read more
I've (well, the car has) developed a squeak which appears to be from the nearside, I can't work out if it's front or rear (OH swears it's offside rear though!!).
The squeak is only audible above 20mph up to about 50mph. Wind noise prevents me from working out if it's still there above that!
Presumably it's wheel-related, it sounds as if it's constant and in time with wheel rotation.
Bearing in mind that I'm not really technical by any nature, my first worry was that it's a wheel bearing. How would I know / check for this? I doubt it could be suspension because it's also audible on a flat road (then again, I drop to under 20mph when going over bumps!!)
Any suggestions would be appreciated, and if there's a cost involved I think I need to be prepared; so if any guesses can be put in place........ that'd be ace too. Read more
Thank you. Thought I'd pop back to update.
Did have a bit of a wiggle this morning, no movement at all so hopped down to my local (well respected) independent place to get it checked out.
Turns out that it was the discs after all that; the pads had worn down and there was a bit of damage to the discs as a result. I had an inkling that they needed changing soon so it was no great shock. Things are all quiet again. Thanks for the advice!
i have vectra 1.8 ls 2000 , starts 4.5min and cuts of, and dont start again ,after 1.2 hours
Moved to Technical from Discussion, engine and year varient put in subject line & duplicate posting in Tech removed. Read more
i have a 2.4T on a w plate,with an alarm message saying it needs a service,also the cruise control does not work.Any ideas?
{year+engine details added to subject header as per the 3 separate requests asking to do so} Read more
its the new shape model.When i first used to press cruise it would light up cruise in the mileodmeter,but now nothing.Hope this helps.
According to what car
4x4s safer ? but more dangerous
27 February 2008
4x4s safer ? but more dangerous
? 4x4 drivers less likely to be in accident
? Better view of road thought to be the reason
? Chance of injury is greater in an accident, though
New research shows drivers of 4x4s are less likely to be involved in crashes, but when they are, injuries are more serious.
The survey was conducted by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) on behalf of Transport for London (TfL).
It found that the collision rate for 4x4s was 30% lower than that for other cars. This is believed to be because 4x4 drivers are higher up and have a better view of traffic, allowing them to react to incidents quicker.
However, a TfL spokesman said the study highlighted that pedestrians, in particular children, motorcyclists and occupants of small cars, were significantly more likely to be killed or seriously injured when in a crash with a large 4x4.
The report found that, for those hit by a large 4x4, there was a 26% chance of injuries, compared with a 22% chance when hit by a smaller off-roader. When hit by a family sized car, the rate of injury was 21%. Read more
"Re: modern 4x4s. Even if they are well designed, they are generally more likely to overturn than an ordinary car "
I agree but I suppose the same can also be said for the higher people carriers too?
Hi ive a problem with the nearside rear tail light, its does'nt work....I have changed the blub, checked the fuses all other lights in the board are working fine, its just the tail light, I checked for broken/loose wire but it all looks ok, could someone please advise me on what to do? many thanks
Gedskel
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Hi thanks for the advice I went up my local scrap yard and luckly I got a light cluster for a fiver and fixed it up and it works so it must of been a fault on the original cluster, so alls well
1992 1.8 diesel. I replaced the rear brake cylinder recently as the old one had seized. Yesterday I removed the brake drum to inspect the condition of the shoes and give a dust out to discover that the fairly new cylinder is leaking. The shoes have done 17000 miles Given that the Fiesta shoe are not that thick in lining to start with, they still don't look that much worn. I suppose I could have a faulty cylinder. Are there any other reasons for this? Mileage of car 80000 miles.
{year/engine added to subject header - 3 requests to do so overlooked!} Read more
Even with completely worn-out shoes,the pistons should not come out of the cylinders-neither could the adjuster cause a leak.
I've recently changed from a 1.1 Active to a 1.3 Multijet (brand new). It has about 2k miles on it now. There is no way it is faster than the Active, although it should have a bit more hp, and should have a good bit more torque. I was expecting a diesely 'low down shove' with acceleration at around 2000rpm, but it is very lifeless till it gets towards 4000rpm, and even then not as good as the Active.
It seems to be ticking over OK at idle. Any ideas? Is this a running in issue? What else can go wrong with a diesel?
Thanks
Peanut
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I understand that the petrol Panda100 is a real blast to
drive
Ohhhh yes :-) My mother has one and I very nearly carried out a very silly idea of chopping the Mondeo for one a few months back, such was my impression of it. Particularly amusing over 4,000 rpm. Close-ratio 6-speed gearbox is spot-on and the handling is very sharp. Downside is jiggly ride, of course, and the range isn't brilliant, especially if you use the upper part of the rev range a fair bit.
Definitely sounds like the turbo isn't doing what it oughter in yours. I took ours out earlier and it pulls very well from 1,500 rpm. 107 lbs ft with low kerb weight works very well. It took until over 10k miles to run it in fully, though.
Browse
Oh, the depreciation is terrible.