March 2008
Hi
I am looking to buy a new car having had problem after problem with the last 3 used cars I have purchased.
Been looking on the net and I am interested in the lease plans where we pay a deposit and then pay a monthly payment for a period then hand it back at the end/pay to keep it.
We need a family car and have a budget of around £230 per month - can anyone recommend suitable vehicles? I like the look of the Nissan Qausqai
Subject line tweak Read more
Traffic Cops - M way special 26March08
On now - 8pm - on BBC 1
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>>mlc
Believe it or not........we actually do a bit more than that.
>>
I think this weeks programme covered that very well.
A very sad task carried out very well in really difficult circumstances.
There were also examples of trying to resolve things simply .
>>As for the penalty, blame the court.
>>
It would appear that some of these individuals do not respond to anything the courts throw at them.
When i checked the water i have found what appears to be foam in the watter bottle (header tank) there is no obvious smells,etc etc, no leaks, all the heating is fine, temp gauge fine. i have no idea as to what may be the cause, do you guys? Read more
ml
Can be an early sign of a head gasket failing. Change the coolant and have the air in the header tank sniffed for combustion gases.
Getting a bit off topic here, but who else thinks the demise of the UK car manufacturing industry mirrors that of the UK motorcycle industry......only 30 years later?
Lack of investment..............management lining their own pockets! Need I go on? Read more
Its a totally spurious comparison. If Northern Rock had sunk, most if not all of the UK's banking and financial infrastructure would have gone into total meltdown, you would have been buying bread with a wheelbarrow full of pounds. We have to get away from this comparison.
And everything in this country would have gone too, I agree. Its all we have got left is our money pits!
HJ is posting some interesting research confirming what I think we have all talked about for a while now in terms of what frustrates other drivers the most.
I have to say that the point about using mobile phones is the one that really annoys me now when I see people doing it.
I refuse to have a hands free cos I want some me time in the car and as it's now illegal to use it I turn it off completely when driving - but when I see others using them it makes my blood boil - I know it should not bother me but I already put it up there with drink driving. Funny that because before it was illegal I used to do it.
Nothing so queer as folk - hey ? Read more
I try not to let anything much annoy or frustrate me these days. Much easier to just sail along in the sure and certain knowledge of one's own perfection and look kindly upon lesser mortals. Some of them simply can't be helped.
My cash was ready and waiting, price almost right, deal nearly done. Then I got put off by the smallest of things.
The Colt CZ1 is almost 2 years old with no problems (apart from a few rattle in the dash), with the Mitsubishi service deal at £150 it doesn't cost much to trade in for exactly the same car again, so I was ready to have one after a few calls.
Browsing the pictures of the latest model, I've found a difference or two. They've replaced the gear stick surround with a black one, no problem. Then I found out they've removed the little storage area from around the seats; oh dear, it's left me puzzled and put off buying another. I'm sticking with my present motor for a few years now; funny how little things put me off.
The old version had no coat hooks and the big metal bar in boot is dreadful but why Mitsubishi did you take out such a useful feature so save a few pennies more...
Anyone else been put off for buying a car for little reasons? Read more
"Little things that prevent a purchase" ..........I married one !
There may have been discussions on this before, but I can't find them.
With the growing differential between petrol and diesel, is there any trusted formula that can decide which fuel (and running costs) will be cheaper in the long run? In my area, it is currently 8p a litre in favour of petrol. I was beginning to think about changing from petrol to diesel, but would like more hard information to make a decision. At 4p difference, I was up for it, but at 8p (and rising?) I'm not so sure.
I've nothing against diesel power, as my wife has a 2-year old 1.4 TDI Polo, which I think is the mutts. Personally, I would prefer a 1.9 TDI from the VAG stable, as my current motor is an 2001 Octavia 2.0l. Read more
See
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=61518&...f
or
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=61440&...f
Both very recent discussions. My personal view is that both petrol and diesel can be the right choice, depends on circumstances and personal choice.
Shouldn't be too difficult to work out expected real-world mpg from these forums, for example 41 for an Accord Tourer Diesel, or 50 for a VAG 2.0. Put that with your expected mileage, fuel costs and purchase costs and work out whether it's worth it for you. Easily done in 5 mins with a spreadsheet, and if you really want to check, a 30 second phone call to a garage will give you comparative servicing and consumables costs.
In my opinion, diesel probably makes sense if you drive more than 20k a year, but that's a massively rought figure that could easily be argued either way. Careful not to compare apples and pears tho - test drive anything you're considering, most diesels are a lot real world faster than they look on paper.
G
Hi,
I am really confused, I have found a good deal on a Mini Cooper S (2002 £7995) and I thought it had private plates. When I asked if these were included in the sale the dealer explained that the car has Irish plates and had been imported at some point.
My mum works at a BMW dealership and they have advised not to touch the car as it is imported? It has Northern Irish plates so this is UK isn't it?
They can't seem to explain why I shouldn't buy an Irish import, though it is orginally from a BMW dealer. Are they just in huff cause I'm not buying the Mini one they offered me and missing out on commision?
Is a car on Northern Irish Plates a major issue?
Many thanks in advance for any advice. Read more
"""Can anyone explain why??) and the critical date of registration: a Dec 31st "2008 57" is worth hundreds more than a Jan 1st "2008 57". """
Because the 31st Dec 2008 would be a 58 reg and not a 57 reg so instantly worth more
I have water getting into my rear hatch, and don't know where it's coming from. The spare wheel well was half full of water. Has anyone had this problem. Thanks
{subject header made less vague} Read more
Thankyou to you and everyone who replied. I siliconed the rear light cluster and the leak is gone. Much appreciated
I had a discussion with a friend and was talking about potentially selling my Mazda MX5 (1998 MK 2), which is great fun but thinking about getting a bigger car. I had an engine replacement last August after engine failure and although it's running great now I said I thought I wouldn't get what it was worth because it has had an engine change. He stated he wouldn't mention it, which I think isn't fair for an unsuspecting buyer.
If I was to trade it in at a dealer (who would give me a low price anyway) would you mention it? I'd feel too guilty if I sold it privately without mentiong it to someone. Does anyone have any views?? It's all theoretical at the moment, as I say I haven't decided to sell yet anway.
Matt Read more
The only "common" failing that an engine swap would be economical for is a failing on the first year or so's MK1's where the crankshaft nose fails (short nose crank failure). This would appear to be a shared failure of design and maintainance. where an incorrectly torqued front crank bolt lets the main timing pulley hammer on the woodruff key and wear the slot cut in the crank.
If I got an HPI check I'd compare the Reg and VIN, but doubt I would be able to find the engine number.
Browse
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Op, check out www.lingscars.com
Shocking website, but I have heard good things about this mad woman's company....
Lots of lease companies advertise good headline rates i.e. "£99 a month" but don't tell you (until the small print) that you have to pay £1k or £2k deposit, plus a fee for this and that...
From what I understand of lingscars, you just pay what it says i.e. £99 including VAT 3+23 = 3 x £99 up first payment followed by 23 payments of £99...
Check for yourself but thats how I understand it.