July 2009
I have been looking at s/hand C'eeds and there is quite a good selection around in the £6.5 - £8K range. Some say the i30 is a better car, but I think the C;eed looks much classier.
A recurring theme though is approx 13,000 miles on the clock.
Why would that be?
Woody Read more
Times are lean and I am going to have to part with my BMW to replace it with a Kia C'eed.
It is an 07 320D SE, Auto, 24K, good nick bar a few stone-chips, recent new tyres and service.
I want to sell rather than do p/x and cash back so:
How/Where will I achieve the best price when selling within 2-3 weeks?
Thanks Read more
Whilst not offering any real help could I ask that you report back how you sold it and what you got for it.
Your car must be one of the most desirable and saleable on the second hand market.
In normal times you would have had a line of buyers bidding each other up for this vehicle.
Could be a useful indicator of how far the market has fallen.
Hi folks,
I'm looking at fitting the iO PLAY Bluetooth system myself, to a factory fitted car stereo in an '04 Focus.
I have fitted car stereos in the past, so am not a complete novice, but the non-standard shape of the Focus stereo is one issue.
I believe I need DIN extractors - two U-shaped bars - to first remove the stereo.
What I'm not sure of though is whether the Focus uses standard ISO connectors, or whether I will need adapters to connect the iO PLAY?
If I need adapters, what types will I need and where is a good place to get them from?
TIA Read more
Thanks for the reply.
The iO PLAY connects to the car stereo, so I understand it needs this adapter/wiring loom. Great to hear that Halfords have it, as that makes things easier.
Not sure how much space there is behind the car stereo though, so perhaps ought to buy the extraction tools first and check that.
Hi folks,
I'm thinking of getting a convertible. I have a budget of around £15k and downwards of course. Engine size ideally 2.0 and diesel, with a BHP of 100+ (the more the better!).
I like the look of the EOS and the Ford Focus, but are there any others I should consider?
TIA Read more
Personally, i'm not a fan of the way hard top convertibles look. The huge bulbous rear that the roof requires makes them look totally out of proportion. But thats just my opinion.
If I were in the fourtunate position to have £15k to spend on a drop top, then it would have to be an A4 Cabriolet, a BMW 330CI , or a BMW Z4.
My dad has a 330i and the sound the engine makes is incredible, such a low growly purr.....mmmmmmm straight six.
I know Audi certainly do the A4 cabriolet with a diesel engine, and im pretty sure BMW squeezed their diesel lumps in too..... both in 2.0 and 3.0 guises.
Audi also do the TT with the 2.0TDI engine now, but maybe a little out of budget (and not sure if its in the roadster yet?)
Has anybody mentioned the Volvo C70 yet?
Or totally left field (just becuase I fancy it...) a Lexus SC430.......?
On 8/06/2009, I bought a 1999 Vauxhall Astra from a trader for £850. I purchased this car as a surprise gift for my wife?s 30th birthday. I kept the car at my work address until the 25th of June, just before my wife?s birthday. The only driving that was done during this period was from the garage to my place of work (10 miles). On the 25th of June I drove the car to my home address (20 miles). I gave the car to my wife on the 26th of June. On the morning of the 29th of June at 7:30am the car stalled, engine light came on and the car would not start. I called the RAC who inspected the car and advised me that the timing belt had broken. Since I purchased the car on the 8th of June until the date of the incident the car has done less than 80 miles.
The car came with a part service history up to 76k, it had all MOT was in good nick and was told that it had no know faults. Knowing the car is 10 years old and has 96k miles on the clock my expectations were different from if I was buying a newer car with low mileage. When I purchased the car I accepted some risks and that in time I would have to carry out some repairs and replace some serviceable items as per the manufactures recommendations. I bought the car in good faith and accept that there is normal wear and tear for a car of its age and that there will be some serviceable items that require replacing. I accept there are some risks from buying a used car. However, I did not expect to have such a major fault after only driving it for such a short time and have only done less than 80 miles.
I brought the car back and hoped to get a refund or at least get it repaired. The trader is having known of it saying he could not foresee that the timing belt would have gone so quickly and that I should have had this checked. He has offered to carry out the repair if I buy all the parts and pay for some labour. He has confirmed that the car needs a new cylinder head and timing belt to get it to run. I have got some prices form a local breaker for the part and as no breaker will just sell a cylinder head I have to get an whole engine cheapest I have been quoted is £250 + belt kit £150 + labour charge, the car cost me £850, unsure if its worth the hassle. At the moment the trader is saying if he was given the car he would just scrap it as its not worth him repairing it, so I have a dilemma
Do I have a case under the sale of goods act 1979 to claim through small courts? I am getting mixed advice from trading standards. If this was a know faulty maybe id have a case but as its a timing belt and being a serviceable item im just not sure. I would be happy with a repair but not happy to pay for it. Do i ahve a leg to stand out our is this a simple case of buyer beware.
Can anyone help.
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Hindsight is 20/20, I agree.
Most people don't understand the importance of the cambelt change. When we sold the Scenic last year, it was coming up due. I told the buyer it would need doing in the next 6,000 miles and got a confused look and a shrug. I hope (for his sake) he didn't ignore my advice.
Sneaked into a Skoda showroom when 'er indoors wasn't looking today to have a look at the new facelift VRS. I've had my 407 coupe for two and a half years now and it's been faultless. However, I'm 6'2" and like my seat right back, the kids are growing and my particularly tall eldest son is moaning about his legs!
The new car is very impressive. It felt very well put together and has superb seats. The interior materials were high quality, touch screen stereo and it certainly had a 'feel good' factor. Having driven them at work, I know they handle well and are very robust. Also looked very nice in metallic blue. List price is a bit steep at £19000, but I could definitely see myself in a pre-reg one with a tidy discount.
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Still saves £19k though :-) Depends on the priority. Spending the £19k might not go down well either.
(OK this probably should go in Biker's Caff but it is of general motoring interest...)
Pointer to the film on BBC1 10:45 tonight. I caught the second half by chance when it was shown at Christmas - the title put me off - and it was superb. Read more
I watched this film last night using a now defunct apparatus called a VHS VCR mated to a 100Hz HD LCD TV.
I don't watch the idiots lantern much these days, especially in the summer, but my regards to the op because I enjoyed the film immensely + Anthony Hopkins is a truly Great British actor ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burt_Munro
Can anyone cofirm where the filler/level plug is on my 53 plate Focus please ?
Is it under the plastic box-cover on the front of the gerabox ?
{typo in header corrected} Read more
please help, my air con/climate blows ice cold on the right and hot on right.. just fixed particulate filter , air mass , turbo boost diaframe, and a leeking vac hose air con was working but regassed as it appears summers actually going to happen this year after the regars and system clean this fault has accured,, getting some what peeved with the car now!!! Read more
What colour do you think is best for a new Golf MkVI - plain black or candy white? Bear in mind that the bumpers are not plastic black - but body coloured. Do you think it makes a difference on how sporty the model is? I have a Diesel 105PS 5 door on the way...What about resale value as well as ownership - keeping white looking clean is easier!
Hope the consensus is what I have ordered - not too late to change though!! Read more
>>> Real Men go for Black. <<<
Yippie! ... I must be a 'real' man then ;o)


I wish people wouldn't fall for this marketing hype. It wasn't the same price as the Petrol, they do special editions for the petrol only which just happen to be the same spec but thousands cheaper.