May 2009
Hi there,
I'm looking to buy a used car, preferably a reliable brand like a Honda or a Toyota but I can't decide whether I should go automatic or not. I've been driving a manual since passing my driving test a few years ago, but I've been thinking of getting an automatic after test driving a few in the past. I don't drive that much, maybe once a week, it will be mainly my wife who will be driving back and forth to work (about 3-4 miles only) every day.
I have driven an '06 1.4 Jazz, '06 1.6 Kia Ceed and 04 1.6 Civic, all automatics and I think I liked the Ceed and the Civic, but not the Jazz because of it's 1.4 engine.
Recently I drove a '06 1.6 Ford Focus and it felt to me like the Focus needed a *lot* more accelerator when taking off at traffic lights and junctions. This annoyed me slightly and I can't remember properly but I think the Civic and Kia didn't have this problem to the extent the Focus did. Am I mistaken about this? I assume all automatics have this issue to some degree?
The Jazz also felt this way, but it had only a 1.4 engine whereas the Civic and Kia were 1.6. I'm thinking if I should go back to the Jazz and try a manual version? Even though it's 1.4 only it might feel better to drive?
I was also thinking about Toyota automatics but I seem to get the general impression that their MMT is something a lot of people are advising against, what is so bad about this gearbox anyway? I was thinking of getting an '06 Corolla Hatchback.
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Can anyone tell me when mercedes benz first fitted an electronic auto gearbox
many thanks Read more
Hi Number cruncher
I have posted the latest on the mercedes forum petrol to deisel 7 months on.
I would be grateful for your comments
Lizzy
For those who want a laugh, read the first few lines, I almost fell off my chair!
tinyurl.com/q586g3
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A nice Pagani Zonda....
I took the idea for this thread from another Backroomer who has just changed a 4X4 for an estate car.
"No presence," he observes, and I think we all know what he means.
The only vehicle I have ever driven with presence was a six-wheel Transit pick-up which I used to do deliveries around London.
It had loads of presence, I could even out muscle the black cabs.
Despite its size, I could make faster progress through London in that Tranny than I could in the Metro I was running as a private car at the time.
Can small or medium-sized cars have any presence?
People notice me in the CC3 with the roof down, but I don't think that's the same thing.
What are your thoughts on presence?
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IMO, the old style mini and the Fiat 500 have "huge presence" on the road. I cannot agree that 300c drivers are anything other than pretenders to owning a Bentley I'm afraid. A bit like the Chinese imitation Rollses if I have to be polite. They don't have presence in my eyes, just pretensions, but I accept that this is a little rude and probably not genuinely reflective of 300c drivers.
Hi to all.This is my very first message.I have Renault Kangoo 1.9D with Lucas injecton pump.I need pluger travel setting for this pump.Autodata 3.18 does not help.Any information may be very helpful. Read more
This is difficult to describe.
It doesn't always do it and only does after a while, when slowing, or having slowed. I haven't detected it during braking yet but it does make the noise when not breaking. The noise is quiet and COULD be something rubbing (friction). It is a single, medium high pitched tone whine that lasts between one and several seconds and is not the powered steering as it does it whilst on a straight, I assume. It appears not to be serious, but I am curious and it is annoying. Your thoughts are appreciated. Read more
Have you resolved this issue. Regards Peter
Hello two you all, What mileage shoud i be getting from my 2006 3dr Petrol 1.3ltr Yaris.
1st time user of this Site. Read more
Whenever I get one of these over-rated tin boxes as a hire car I know it won't do more than 35 mpg or the metric equivalent... The latest 1.33 6 speed variants seem to be even thirstier than the old ones despite the official figures suggesting an improvement.
This evening whilst waiting to start my voluntary work, I was sat in the car listening to some music as I had arrived a little early.
Parked up behind a "Ford Wildtrack" I've never seen one of these before, right hand drive with private plates on.
I'm very sure that when it pulled off and got to the bottom of the street there was no middle "high visibility" brake light
I thought it was EU regs that all cars sold in Europe after 1998 had to have one
The car looked modern so I'm guessing it was made in the last 10 years
Don't get me wrong I don't go round checking I just happened to notice as I was admiring it as it drove off Read more
Sorry redviper, sometimes pedantry gets the better of me;)
If you back off the throttle and then go back on the car is very jerky. It will also occasionally be hesitant when accelerating. It has had new plugs, distributor cap and rotor arm; the leads are about 3 years old. It feels more like a fuelling/metering fault. Any ideas? Read more
Hiya
Thanks for letting us know - its interesting as my GTI does this as described. Hmmm.
J
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1115117_pro...s
I cannot beleve how thick these people are. I am not a fan of these cars in the cities, they are too big and they cause a safey to threat but environmentaly I am not sure they are anyway worse than any other car in real terms.
All this brain dead idiot has done is cause more C02 as these people now may need new tyres.
I wish these people would get their facts straight. If they want to pick on people then target 2CV drivers with their smokey 2 pot engines.
{Typo in header corrected} Read more
Panda Cross?
You`re more likely to get a commendation from them Chris due to its size.
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Any configuration of car is better than a train. Went on one of those the other day. Expensive, crowded and inconvenient. Guy who would have to sit next to me smelled of BO. He spent the entire journey drinking strong lager from cans and rolling home made cigarettes. Two youths with tattoos on their heads sitting in front of me were trying to avoid paying and had a heated and foul mouthed exchange with the ticket collector and then proceeded to follow me off the train making loud comments along the lines of "let's do the old geezer over for our train fare".......
Manual or auto, either would have been fine.....