July 2024
I want to replace my current Volvo and posted details via the CarWow website. Started getting offers but noticed that some, in particular Volvo and Merc, were all identical in price. It seems that both are no longer Franchises but are an Agency of the car manufacturer without any independence or flexibility whatsoever. The car manufacturer decides the price and all their outlets cannot vary anything. I've spoken to a few sales people and they hate it. This sales model is more like being in indentured servitude. I can't understand how this is even legal under competition law. In effect Volvo and Merc have a monopoly in the UK selling their product. The fact that a number of other manufacturers have or will in the future implement this "Agency" model indicates the possibility of a Cartel.
I'm an ageing primate and I don't want or expect to drive beyond 80, so a new car this year was to be my last hurrah. Instead, I'm going to buy Extended Warranties and keep my current car until either I or it drops. Read more
Sort of semi related to another post
I have a 2005 1.9tdi passat estate. I can believe how much it swallows in its boot...sofas you name it. Better than some vans..only cost me £1200, engine brilliant , bodywork shot but still holding together lol... Read more
It's a 2005 VW Passat estate b5.5 1.9 TDI 100
Main issues are rotten front wings , rear arches and bottom of doors ...
After completing just 6,961 miles in the 1st year the remaining tread depth was measured during its service. Both front tyres had remaining 5.0mm, 4.0mm, 5.0mm (outer middle inner) of tread whilst the rear tyres had 5.6mm, 5.0mm, 5.6mm (outer middle inner). Tread depth on new tyres is generally 8mm, the minimum is 1.6mm allowing a total wear of 6.4mm. I immediately swapped over front and rear tyres but I will be very lucky if I can get 15,000 miles out of these tyres. They are Falken 310A Eco Run. I always drive as economically as is possible currently averaging 57.933mpg over 9,154 miles. I do not slew around corners or roundabouts, I do not accelerate quickly nor brake heavily and this mpg better than VW quote. I have not yet contacted VW. I would like to hear what others here have to say. Regards, Pete. Read more
Thanks for all the comments, some of them very interesting. At the moment I think I can't do anything more than continue to monitor the tyre wear.
Chatting to my trusted local Independent today, I gathered that in order to access the systems on a 2013 Dacia to fix a lighting issue there was a fee to pay to Dacia.
This kind of thing is becoming more common, he says, reminiscent of the former reluctance to give independents technical information, which I think was outlawed as anti-competitive. ... Read more
Maybe a question of degree. Refusing to supply a workshop manual is anti-competetive, charging for one is not. So how much to access online info would seem to matter.
Sometimes its a question of culture....
Just curious - I have noticed a trend recently (post-COVID) in sales ads for used cars. Increasingly, vehicles with 80-90K miles on the clock being listed as Low Mileage. Is this the new bar now for modern (better build?) cars - as compared to say 30-40 years a go when 80-90K would have been a high milage range? Or are people just doing more driving nowadays so that 80-90K is just not that much in distance terms anymore?
Just curious. Read more
I had a Micra, inherited with stupidity low mileage. Gave it a good clean and (slight) polish and asked a premium. Flogged it straight away (should've asked more).
Interested in the above 2nd hand car on sale by a very large (multi) dealer. It's not cheap at £16K and the dealer provides a 4 yr warranty for close to £900. I've just been asking google various things to do with second-hand cars and come across this statement by google: Reliability Survey. The Jazz did well in the small car category too, finishing in seventh place out of 19 models. Every Honda comes with a three-year warranty as standard for most parts, but the hybrid system in the Jazz is covered for up to five years or 90,000 miles. I wasn't informed of a three-year warranty as standard.
The additional costs involved for a 4-year warranty, paint protection, ... Read more
You need a warranty which SPECIFICALLY covers the braking system. AND ALL its associated electronic systems. And with a £3k limit.
There is a flaw with it, it fails and after Honda Warranty of three years,it is NOT covered....
My car was stolen from the drive last week, broke into the house, found the keys and away when we were on holiday. We are going to give a pole a go, one of those that folds up and down. I know nothing really stops thefts completely but making stealing yours a hassle hopefully makes them look elsewhere. The insurance payout was excellent so no gripes there and I have got another car the same as the gone one coming. Read more
Very kind of of you to point that out.
You're welcome. -)...
Can anyone advise on trackers? I have a car coming Friday and don't want another one disappearing. I've got a stoplock now to hopefully at least delay any more thieves.
Assuming the tracker.is not needed for insurance, I would also just go for an Airtag.
Hi all,
Apologies for the long first post but have been reading through the forum and found lots of really great content.
My wife and I have a 2 year old, 1 year old with another on the way. We now need a larger car and have been sopping the market for the past month. We narrowed it down to X5, VW All Space, XC90 and Discovery Sport of cars we liked within our budget.
We wanted all 3 baby seats to fit across the middle row and it turns out surprisingly that the X5 and VW All Space couldn't accommodate that. That leaves the XC90 and Discovery Sport
Within our budget there are 2018 and 2019 XC90s with roughly 110,000 miles on the clock or 2020 Discovery Sports with 60,000 miles on the clock. Both would be 2.0 Diesel and would be purchased through dealers with full service history and 1 year warranty's.
Our main concerns were about space and reliability and we are now wondering which would be the better pick factoring in age and mileage? Any advice or experience would be really appreciated? Read more
Have you looked at the "Multimac" which is a triple child seat which fits in the back of any reasonably sized car?
This then opens up many other options in terms of cars to buy, meaning you can get a normal estate car or a 5 seater crossover which will be significantly newer and lower mileage than for an XC90 or similar....
I drive a boring petrol Hyundai i30 which nobody wants to steal. It's been parked outside my house for at least 4 years (except when I use it !!). Just over 70 years old, retired, 5000 miles pa, insured by Aviva for at least 7 years now. No claims bonus stretching back to 1997. Clean licence until 3 points last year for 24mph in 20 limit.
Its renewal time and Aviva write: " We're sorry to inform you that due to our underwriting rules, we are unable to offer you a renewal quote for car XYX 123 this year. Our inability to invite you to renew should not be considered as an insurance refusal or cancellation and does not need to be disclosed ... etc etc."... Read more
Apparently only in London .
Around here it’s around £2750 per annum for a new RRover
Browse
Is there no scope for regional price variation ? There used to be plenty in the used market, making it worth some people's time to cross the UK to save a few £'00s. Are new cars cheaper in the Black Country (say) than in London ?