Strange isn't it that if it were you that canceled buying a new car after signing a contract, the dealer would keep your deposit AND sue you for loss of profit on the new car.
Now the boot is on the other foot, if you really want the Hyundai, then I would insist that they stick to the contract or pay substantial damages.
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Can you keep us updated - closure is good.
Rob - Moderator.
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I will report back, hopefully with good news!
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Just a couple of points in support of the i10:
It has a 4 star NCAP result which isn't bad for a cheap, small car.
In a recent Autocar group test it easily beat the Panda, Twingo and Agila.
It has a 5 year manufacturer warranty.
It currently is the 4th least depreciating car.
I believe it is currently the cheapest 5 door car with airco as standard (could be wrong though).
It has scooped many awards in India, even their car of the year award (bear in mind the disposable income available and it is amazing how many are selling there).
Of course the downside is that in the UK they are difficult to come by.
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"don't know how anyone could tolerate something like an i10 after owning a 520."
We got our new i10 yesterday, having traded-in a 2002 Saab 9-5 estate. The Saab was a lovely car - great car to be chauffererd around in, big, safe and comfy. However, OH is thrilled with his Hyundai - £35 VED, nice to drive, spacious, easy to park, nice radio, no worries for 5 years. It's a bit plasticy inside, but you don't feel like you are in a bargain-basement, cheap-skate motor.
It depends what you want and what you need. If I was driving 20k miles a year on the motorway I wouldn't buy an i10. For holidays we will use my Primera. But for getting to work and back, local driving, supermarkets etc. I believe they are excellent value.
We ordered in July I think, and the garage honoured the price they offered on our trade-in then. The saleswoman said that Hyundai expected to sell about 5,000 in the first year, but had sold 4,000 by April (or taken orders, not sure which).
I would definitely have another Saab, but at the moment the i10 suits what we need, and is actually a funky little thing to boot.
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Staying with the i10 thread, Hyundai are supposed to be bringing out the i20 - Getz replacement - this month but have put it back to early next year. If they have the same trouble producing those cars as they are with the i10 then the Hyundai image is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.
Edited by stevekay on 03/09/2008 at 12:07
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I think it's rather mad how many people care about £35 road tax. I mean really, why is this so important to people that they'll use it as plus point when buying a car? Of all the costs of a car, the thousands of pounds it takes to buy it, the petrol, the insurance, etc etc, why are people so bothered whether the road tax is 35 quid a year or 200 quid year? It's a complete non issue, some people spend more than the difference on packets of fags over a month.
It's the same as fuel economy - oo I dont use the car much, I just pop into town, dont want something that drinks petrol. Hang on, isn't that when you DO want something that drinks petrol? If you hardly drive it does it matter whether it does 20mpg or 40mpg? Of course it doesn't.
What you DO lose by downsizing into a pram is flexibility. If you decide one day you wish to visit your friend who lives in 200 miles away well you may as well get a train than take something like a Hyundai i10 on a journey of any reaosnable distance. It's Euro NCAP score is a con as well - 4 stars? Lovely, sounds good. Until you realise its only 4 stars when tested against an object the same size as an i10. Most cars on the road are bigger. How does it perform in a crash against a properly sized car? No idea. Never mind though, road tax is cheap.
5 year warranty? If thats so important you seem to be expecting the car to be unreliable?
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After months of increasingly irresistible temptation I finally Googled for a picture of the Hyundai i10 that lots of people here keep on about.
I've changed my mind (see above).
OP, don't do it - get your deposit back from the dealer (if you paid one), hang on to the BMW and see what the next year brings in the way of financial circumstances. You might well find that it is worth more when the UK's panic-stricken reaction to any news has abated a bit and a degree of sanity has returned. Even if it isn't you'll still have a car, not - as has been said above - a pram.
'Car of the year in India'. Well, oobli-oo. Beats the pants off the Hindustan Ambassador then...
Is 35 quid road tax important enough to see you left driving around in a puddle-jumper?
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I think it's rather mad how many people care about £35 road tax. I mean really why is this so important to people that they'll use it as plus point when buying a car? Of all the costs of a car the thousands of pounds it takes to buy it the petrol the insurance etc etc why are people so bothered whether the road tax is 35 quid a year or 200 quid year? It's a complete non issue some people spend more than the difference on packets of fags over a month.
Many people have tight monthly budgets and cashflow is important. Come road tax time, I'd rather have a bill for 35 quid than 400.
I do agree though that it's daft to go out and buy a more expensive car for that reason alone - unless you were going to change anyway. When I realised my 1.6 petrol hatchback was going to cost me 260 quid for road tax next year, I switched it for a diesel car which will cost me 120 quid when the time comes, but I didn't spend any more money than my original car fetched (in fact I came out 200 quid up on a slightly newer, larger car with better fuel economy but a less fashionable badge). Seemed the sensible thing to do to me.
It's the same as fuel economy - oo I dont use the car much I just pop into town dont want something that drinks petrol. Hang on isn't that when you DO want something that drinks petrol? If you hardly drive it does it matter whether it does 20mpg or 40mpg? Of course it doesn't.
I don't think many people would actively want a car that drinks petrol - whatever their usual driving pattern. After all if you only drive around town a bit, what's the point of a big car which is more difficult to park and has more power than you're ever going to be able to use around town?
Edited by Alanovich on 03/09/2008 at 12:43
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Many people have tight monthly budgets and cashflow is important.
People with tight monthly budgets should swallow their pride and realise a new car is not a sensible place to put their money. I rather suspect that the OP is not somebody with a 'tight' monthly budget - if he's had his BMW for a few years he probably paid rather a lot for it.
I do agree though that it's daft to go out and buy a more expensive car for that reason alone - unless you were going to change anyway. When I realised my 1.6 petrol hatchback was going to cost me 260 quid for road tax next year I switched it for a diesel car which will cost me 120 quid when the time comes but I didn't spend any more money than my original car fetched (in fact I came out 200 quid up on a slightly newer larger car with better fuel economy but a less fashionable badge). Seemed the sensible thing to do to me.
Until you are plagued with the reliability troubles that affect modern CR diesels which wouldnt have affected your venerable 1.6 litre hatchback, obviously.
I don't think many people would actively want a car that drinks petrol - whatever their usual driving pattern. After all if you only drive around town a bit what's the point of a big car which is more difficult to park and has more power than you're ever going to be able to use around town?
The point is they are far better value and, in the OP's case, involve not having to shell out thousands of pounds for a brand new Hyundai.
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>After all if you only drive around town a bit, what's the point of a big car which is more difficult to park and has more power than you're ever going to be able to use around town?<
Because it makes you feel good. ;-)
Of course, that may not be allowed in future - I daresay there's a government department working on (official!) restrictive measures right now...
Edited by mike hannon on 03/09/2008 at 13:04
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All the points about the savings being little fiddly bits are absolutely true, and it's mad to turn in a big comfy car for a little a to b job.
Mind you, I'm now £2046 quid better off since April having made the swap, so that helps a bit.
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I think it is a terrible state of affairs when people who obviously have plenty of cash to burn have the cheek to be critical of someone less fortunate for trying to run a car as cheap as possible.
A modern small car is quite capable of long distance in reasonable comfort, able to maintain motorway speeds and allow the ability to hold a conversation at the legal limit without raising your voice.
Maybe certain backroomers should enter the new millenium regarding the capabilities of small cars. Sure they arent as good as a larger car, but they are acceptable unless you are especially soft and need ultimate pampering.
I have driven my Charade 500 miles in a day and will be taking it to Cornwall in two weeks time with no worries of lack of comfort. I can take four people with more than acceptable legroom so size is no advanatge and a disadvantage in todays towns.
Ive owned a Jaguar so I know what long distance comfort feels like, but in reality, there really isnt a huge gulf between the two these days. Its just an ego thing that small cars arent manly enough when infact, its usually the man who isnt and needs big toys to bolster themselves. Its ever so funny to the outsider :-)
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Assuming one needs a car for A-B motoring and not a humungous mileage:
Brand new 'cheap' car at - I dunno - 6 or 7k; depreciation slide begins here.
Older big, comfy, stylish motor at - say - 1.5k; most depreciation now history; bit more fuel over a year; couple of hundred extra in road tax.
Who's burning cash?
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Sometimes though the decision to buy a replacement smaller car is a no-brainer.
I have just bought a brand new Clio, and I will be paying 140 quid a month over the next 5 years for it. I have calculated that on top of saving 40 a month on petrol/ins/tax costs compared to my old car, I will have no repair or MOT costs for three years. So basically I am running a new car at a net cost of around 60/70 quid a month.
As for the "small cars are carp on motorways/long journeys" arguement, that may have been true 10-20 years ago in a Metro or Fiesta but nowadays this is rarely the case.
If you can afford to run a big car fine, just don't knock us for wanting to save a bit of cash!
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Yes, I ended up driving from Munich to Erlangen and back in one day last year in my wife's Ford Ka. It's a round trip of 500km and, contrary to my expectations, the world did not stop turning as a result, nor did I end up permanently crippled or deaf as I had feared.
I can see the logic in owning a bigger secondhand car, but my wife's motivation for wanting a small hatchback is not really financial, it's simply that she does not like driving or parking larger cars and I guess she is not the only one. Also, although older 5 Series BMWs offer really excellent value, when something serious needs repairing, the repair costs reflect the original new price and not what they are worth at 10 years old.
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Sounds to me as if the dealer has another buyer that wants a car quite quickly and a deal that will generate additional profit. I'd stick to your guns.
New i20 should be out early next year, looks to be a fine car with new fantasic engines.
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Just heard that there was a fire in the Hyundai paint shop on Monday (in India). Six robots are rumoured to be damaged. Not sure where i10 or another model has been affected
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