hmm, 45 replies on de-icing techiniques while mine ,,zero. Just a speculation:)
45 replies on de-icing techniques over a period of 11 days.
1 reply to your post over a period of 13 mins.
Patience dear boy ;o)
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Oh, I thought the de-icing thread was posted after me.
By the way, I'm not a boy ;o)
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Oh, I thought the de-icing thread was posted after me.
No. The date you see is latest reply to a thread. If someone replies to a thread after yours is posted, it gets moved down the list, until someone replies to yours again.
By the way, I'm not a boy ;o)
That told me. ;-)
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OK here's one...
Have a search around the online brokers and discount sources for cars like the one you want. Print out their prices and take them with you to the local dealer as a bottom line to work towards. In the end you might even prefer to get a car online.
Why not look at other cars in that price range that may be discounted more. You could get a super Citroen C3 diesel for that sort of money.
In true forum tradition I have to ask...
Do you have a specific need for an auto gearbox, might be better to go manual if not.
Why buy new for a first car? You'll loose loads on depreciation and parking practice is better done in a £3000 vehicle.
;-)
MM
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I agree with MM about the brokers. HJ regularly puts a good list of example prices and links in the news on the right.
Incidentally, there will be a road test between the Micra and C3 automatics in next week's Auto Express.
James
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Yes, I only have an automatic license after failing twice on manual test due to poor clutch control.
The reasons I'm opting for a new car are
1. peace of mind (I need it until I become a seasoned driver)
2. planning to keep the car for good 5-10 years( depreciation doens't concern me)
3. well equipped for the price range
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Skoda Fabia, Ford Fiesta and Renault Clio are the other options. All are 1.4s but none is too bad on insurance, although it's not free on any of these.
Best prices are £8122 for the Fiesta Finesse, which is a bit sparse, or £9758 for the LX, which includes air con from www.drivethedeal.com Of the two, the Finesse is the better deal IMO, although it lacks the ABS, electric windows and side airbags of the Micra or Clio. It's also Group 2E for insurance and economical (42.5mpg).
The Fabia is a well put together, safe car, but it is thirsty. The Clio has some question marks over its reliability in the Back Room, but I have a friend who has 3 and they're all tough enough. A Clio 1.4 Expression 5 door auto can be had for £8295 from Dixon Motors and that's a great deal - it's well equipped, safe and fast, though insurance is a bit high.
The Skoda is well put together, safe and spacious, but it is a bit thirsty and probably doesn't justify costing £600 more than the equally basic Fiesta (www.drivethedeal.com again). It's very similar to the VW Polo, with the same engine and box, which is better equipped (adding air con and electric windows) at £10285. It's probably the best of the lot, but over your budget, which means that the Micra 1.2 is looking like a very sound choice, especially given the free insurance.
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No connection with any of these people but ukcarbroker.co.uk has the Polo for £9993 - still over budget though. I won't mention the Honda Jazz either, which is brilliant, but even more than the Polo at £10867... :-(
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this forum. My answer to your question is at the end of the list. And because I'm an inexperienced driver, my need for a New car is greater, ironical it seems. A few bumps on the new car can be easily excahnged for the peace of mind. Hope it explains!
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Do you mean peace of mind in terms of the car's reliability? If so, I don't think you're going about this in the right way. It's very unlikely that you'll keep a car for 10 years, and the fact that a car was new when you got it is no guarantee that it will always be reliable - after all, every car was brand new once. If it's peace of mind you're after, you could always buy an approved used car from any franchised dealer - these schemes usually include a 12 month warranty (e.g. my soon-to-arrive 1999 Passat will have a year's warranty even though it's 4 years old). Or if you really wanted to you could buy a warranty (for a new or used car) from companies like Warranty Direct - I think there's a link to their site somewhere in the FAQs or How to Buy & Sell on this site. But the best thing you can do for peace of mind is look at the various surveys of cars such as JD Power, Which? Reliability, and read the Car By Car Breakdown on this site. I think you'll find that the Japanese makes are usually the best for reliability.
A new Micra auto with a year's insurance for around £8k is a reasonably good deal. But new car in the hands of an inexperienced driver isn't a great idea. As others have said, you're much more likely to have an accident as a newly qualified driver, and "a few bumps" are usually a lot more costly than you might think, especially when a new car demands new parts fitted at the dealership (at main dealer labour rates) to maintain the warranty. Plus accident damage, repaired or not, will affect the resale value of the car, worsening depreciation at its steepest rate.
Why not consider going for a used automatic - under £4k to make sure depreciation isn't a major issue. Looking at the previous shape Micra on Autotrader, there are quite a few automatics in that price range at only 2 or 3 years old - they're cheaper now because the new shape one has just arrived. There's a T reg Yaris auto in there for £4995 as well, which although more expensive would be nicer to live with.
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I am being irraional but, my notion of reliailty applies to minor electrical problems as well.
But your opinion swayed me. I will keep looking both new and old.:)
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Just so you know, the warranty coming with my Passat covers electrics as well as engine/suspension, so I'd guess that any approved-used warranty will do the same. I'll post more details when I can. Any insights from those who've had good or bad experiences with after-market or approved-used warranties will be helpful here!
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impey - the only thing you can do buying a new car which you can't with a used, is choose the colour and the extras. In my view there are no other advantages, especially allowing for the earlier point of paying top prices just to maintain any dealer warranty. In any case new cars are not necessarily free of faults, but a used one should have had them sorted (if it's not too old). Good luck.
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