May 2013
I am learning to drive - fairly late at 30+ - and hopefully will get my licence reasonably soon and be in a position to buy a used car.
I don't anticipate doing a very high mileage (I cycle to work) - the car will be used mainly at weekends for shopping trips/days out/visits to family (across the Pennines and back) and the occasional holiday. Most of the time it will be just myself and my 8yo daughter so prob don't require an especially large car. However I anticipate moving my parents around more as they get older and it would be a plus to have something that can carry a road bike in the back.
I will have a reasonable budget (up to 10-12k if needed) but I'm not sure if I will be in a position to spend wisely as a new driver. As you can tell I'm not quite sure what type of car I want, but I'm also wondering if I'll be well placed to test drive cars with very little experience.
So, my question: is there any sense in buying something cheap while I get the hang of driving/reverse into bollards/get a sense of what I might want from a more expensive car? Can I get six months trouble free (and safe-ish) driving from a (say) £500 car? How much would buying and selling such a car cost me?
Thanks for any advice. Read more
Need some advice. Started up for first time today. Ran even then very uneven. Not sparks. Removed rocker cover and found one push rod? Was loose by one cm. 2nd cylinder from front rod on right side first of the pair. Slid rocker back and removed rod intact. Any help for an mg novice much appreciated ESP Missus reckons/hopes terminal. Read more
Dribble some redex through the carbs? That's cured sticky valves a couple of times for me on engines that haven't been run for a while.
If you've got neighbours, do it when it's dark - they won't be able to see the smoke screen!
Hi, can anyone tell me how to reset the oil change reminder,that flashes up each time I switch the ignition on, Oil and filter changed last week, about 300 miles early, regards Rev Phillip Read more
Thank you so much for your reply, I will see if it is possible for me to do that, regards Rev Phillip
I would like to get hold of a spare wheel for my corsa. Vauxhall quote over £300. Any suggestion? Read more
...or try the dismantling yards, I got a full size alloy wheel with a unused continental tyre on 214 45 r15, fo £70
Just taking off the bumper to make a small repair. On removing the offside foglight, a 2 wire sensor became unclipped and dropped into view. Any ideas what it might be ?
Many thanks in advance..............ebt... Read more
I bow to thee, oh sparky master.
In other words, many thanks.................ebt
The airbag warning light has come on again. This also happened a year ago but then cleared itself after a few days. Any suggestions as to what is causing this problem and what I can check before taking it to a Ford dealer to be relieved of my hard earned cash? Read more
Thanks Doc,spot on. The wire under the passenger seat had unplugged itself with the seat being slid back and forward. Plugged it back in and all was good again. Now why can't everything in life be that simple.
Not really a question as such but somthing to mull over.
Last October I went to look at an Ford Escort XR3 which I found for sale in Classic car weekly.... Read more
This whole process is frightenly common among certain Fords - many of the "original" RS2000's comprise of an Escort 1.3 shell with a Cortina 2.0 engine in - probably more like that than Ford themselves ever built !
I haverecently purchased my rover 800 n reg (1996). Runs like a dream with no problems until my srs came on and has not gone out since. Now it has failed the m.o.t . Has anyone got any soluion to this problem. I have been searching for information regarding this but can not find any solutions. Read more
Thanks. Ill look you up. I've only had the car for 6 months . Now you mention that the electrics are a bit fuzzy at time dash board light works when it wants to and so do the windows and the seat I try not to adjust . ( soldering eh now that's going to be fun more of a sledge hammer and stilsons user )
Looking for reliable, cheapish, good hatchback and I have narrowed it down to the Ford Focus (1.6/1.8) , Honda Civic (1.4/1.5), and Mazda 323(1.6)
It looks like I would only be able to afford around the 98/99 models. I has to be manual as I want to use it to help my son to drive... Read more
Then buy him some lessons and use the instructors car. A thousand quid will buy an awful lot of lessons and the professional tuition will be invaluable.
My corsa struggles to idle after starting from cold. You have to increase the revs when it's idling. When warmed up (in a mile or two) its fine.
If I increase the throttle speed it solves this but obviously it idles faster when warned up!... Read more
Your position doesn't seem too dissimilar to mine, I passed my test a couple of years ago aged 29 and resisted the urge to buy something fancy as a first car, 2 weeks after passing my test I misjudged a reverse and scraped the rear drivers side door leaving a small but noticeable dent. My car was an 05 Astra, hardly a banger but not the shiny new car that i could have damaged. If I had gone for something newer I would have been gutted. No matter how confident you are there is always the chance of these mistakes happening in the first year or so of driving until you get comfortable. The other thing to consider is that after 2 years I've upgraded to a 3 yr old Honda Civic and it's like a different world, that feeling of trading up after a couple of years can't be beaten! Good luck in your search.