August 2024
Hello,
Looking at second hand SUV market, it seems my budget could stretch go secure a base trim model Hyundai Tuscon 1.6 T-GDi.... Read more
Hi all,
My son is turning 17 this November. My neighbour's car has come up for sale, but she really wants to get rid of it ASAP as she has a new car lined up already.
I am happy to take the car now and insure it in my name in the interim three months between now and November, but when we notify the DVLA, can I register it to my son as a 16-year-old? Or will I have to register it to me now, and then change it to him in November (once he is 17) thus adding another owner onto its history.
Also, having leased my own cars for years now, I'm unsure about the difference between registered owner and registered keeper. If we notify the DVLA of the purchase, do we tell them about the owner and keeper separately? Basically I just want the car to be insured in the meantime, but want to avoid adding another owner onto the history if possible.
Maybe I could put my 16-year-old as the owner and myself as the keeper? Would that work for insurance purposes? And how do I notify the DVLA of this?
Thanks for any advice :) Read more
I suggest you do this backwards and find the cost of insuring it your son's name or if it work better as a named driver, if the car is owned by you.
Suggest you get the car serviced and the battery might drain down. Some cars can be sensitive batteries. ...
I'm always open to new technology and exciting trends in car design, but there are three that I find utterly tedious. Press-button parking brakes and space saver wheels (and their truly evil half-brother, the puncture repair kit) have been covered amply in other threads.
The three-cylinder engine, seemingly adopted as yet another weight-saving, CO2-reducing measure, has found its way into Stellantis products, including a number of cars I have hired over the past year or two. I found the cars to be rough-running, throaty and thrashy. A C3 I hired in the Canaries seemed about to stall whenever I pulled away at the lights, and uphill gradients needed the full 5,500 rpm to make any progress. Come back, Wartburg, all is forgiven - although unlike Ford and their "seen and not heard" V4, the East German maker never pushed smoothness as its USP.
I'd be more than happy to hire a BMW or MINI on my next trip away, to see if they have found the magic formula to get their three pot to run smoothly. Read more
<< The only advantage alloys have is that they're worth something when you sc*** the car. I'm not sure about the unsprung weight advantage either, I haven't noticed steels being heavier than some of the alloys I have taken off. >>
Exactly. Magnalium alloy is much less dense than steel, but loses all that advantage as it is more brittle, so has to be a lot thicker. But it can be cast into all kinds of trendy shapes which stylists love !!
I am in the nice position of looking forward to buying a virtually new premium hatchback. Shortlist is Merc A class, BMW 1 series and Audi A3. Are there any I’ve missed?
Want an auto, preferably diesel and nice quality interior. Not a fan of small petrol engines so ruling out 1.3 and 1.5 engines in Mercedes and BMW. Audi 1.5 seems a better prospect as a petrol so not ruled out.
Just test driven the A200d on a 73 plate - loved it. Interior was fab, love the ambient lighting and general quality of it. Felt quality. Liked also that bright stainless steel inserts brightened up the dark interior nicely. Why do cars have to be coal mine black inside?! Still want to test Audi and BMW before making a decision. Budget is £28k. Any thoughts, tips or ideas welcomed.
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Well after testing different makes and models I finally chose one!
Audi A3 1.5 was decent, nice quality, just didn’t have any wow factor about it.
BMW 1 series I liked. Tried 1.5 petrol and it was pretty sluggish and revvy. Just as I remember a 2 series I tried with that engine a couple of years ago. 120d was much more like it. Quiet, quick, nice interior. Very nearly got myself a 23 plate one.
Merc A class, 200d was very nice, quiet and relaxed drive, but I also tried the 180 and 200 petrols - which use the 1.3 merc/Renault/Nissan derived engine. 180h was pretty sluggish - fine if just gently wafting along but very loud and intrusive if you wanted to overtake or accelerate up to motorway speeds. 200h with 175 bhp felt stronger, and noticeably nippier, but still noisy when pushed a bit. Was pretty efficient though - I reckon 45mpg would be achievable if driven reasonably sensibly. Eventually the small engine large car concerns of longevity niggled me enough to put me off.
Settled on a CLA 220d - 187 bhp, quiet 8 speed auto, 9000 miles, main dealer in top spec. 1 year old and saving £15k off of list. I look forward to picking it up next week.
Interestingly A class hatchbacks were over £4K off new list price - for a brand new model on the road an A200h sport exec. was £29k. I was tempted. Very tempted.
That’s less than a Ford focus!
I know one of the men at a local WBAC buying places and had a chat with him about a valuation for the Korando.
He gave me a couple of tips.... Read more
From the original post:
"He missed a service with the RR network and has been quoted £15000 for an engine repair."...
I'm looking to replace my Freelander 2 because my dog is getting older so I'd like something with a lower load height that he can jump in and out of easier.
I've been looking at estates but don't actually need much space in the back seats (no kids), just a big boot.... Read more
With your budget and requirements I’d have a Toyota Corolla hybrid estate - the hatch is too small in the boot for a largo dog to be comfortable, ditto most similar hatchbacks. These are compact and very robust, reliable and very good on fuel. The boot is big enough for a large dog and the floor is lower than an SUV. The estate is in big demand with taxi operators across the country so resale is a doddle, a Toyota estate is always an easy sell. It takes up no more road space than the hatch and to me it looks better too.
also comes with a mesh divider/separator as part of the tonneau as standard which should keep the dog from jumping over into the back seats.
Hi all, I'm in the market for an SUV. It's myself, my partner, and our 3 dogs. Also, possibly a baby on the horizon. We are brits living in southern Sweden. Probably something 2018 onwards, second hand from a dealer here.
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If you must have AWD then Subaru, but in my experience of 27 years living up a steep hill, half a mile off the road, winter tyres (not all weather which is marketing twaddle) on 2wd beats normal tyres on AWD. An XC60 under £30k might be quite old, but 2018 is probably doable for a fairly low spec one
Hi,
I am looking for some advice as to which SUV I should buy.... Read more
Personally I’d go Toyota, but rather than poverty spec, opt for an ex-demo?
As for Fords, I’ve a garage owner friend (award winning garage too) who has a very unfavourable view about the three cylinder engines - in fact any three cylinder engine. He says he’s repaired and replaced dozens, and they are junk.
The Kuga is a 4 cylinder 2.5 litre but personally, I’d expect a better 0-60 time for a 222hp hybrid than 9.2 seconds.
Other plus for a Toyota is if it’s serviced annually by a franchise, 12 months warranty in included- up to 100k miles. A manufacturer backed warranty like that is not to be sniffed at.
I am needing to buy a new car as we are welcoming our 3rd child imminently. We are leaning towards getting a 20 (ish) plate VW Sharan, but I have stalled a bit on the detail.
... Read more
This applies to all VAG brands.
Not necessarily so - while the enginering data is common source, each country's brand importer can, and does, do their own thing on service recommendations - so VW UK can differ from VW Germany as well as differ from Skoda UK.........
About to do my once a decade plunge into buying a car and wondering if it's worth getting an extended warranty? The car I'll be getting is just out of Mercedes warranty and dealer is offering 6 months It used to be that some providers were definitely better than others but last time Iooked at this dinosaurs still walked the Earth.
Thanks Read more
When I bought my B-class plug-in in 2021, a three year extension to the warranty had a list price of €808, reduced in a special offer by 50%. Have you made any inquiries at Mercedes? I would be surprised if the main dealer did not try and sell you the warranty package.
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As above re rust, rust is not a thing of the past despite what some believe so take some preventative measures.
Most normal cars (preferably avoiding poor designs such as wet cam or oil pump drive belts) will last a long time if driven and serviced sensibly, good servicing is not just changing the oil once a year, change the coolant every few years too, change the gearbox and any other transmission fluids periodically ignoring any sealed for life stickers (not guaranteed for life you notice) that might be seen, change the spark plugs before one corrodes in so tight the plug snaps off and have the brakes serviced by someone competent....