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• Replacing my Audi Convertible 13 May 2024 (Forum)
    Looking for something similar, convertible or coupe but now want an automatic. I like the A5 but understand the multitronic gearbox is to be avoided, which leaves BMW or Mercedes. Looked at a C class coupe and E class convertible over the weekend. The sad thing is that 4 years ago I paid £3,600 for an 11 year old car with 100,00 miles now I am looking at £7,000 for a 12-14 year old car, also with 100,000 miles.
• Is there extremely reliable used car under 10k gbp 8 Dec 2020 (Forum)
  Is there extremely reliable used car under 10k gbp, i want to have distronic, the things i want - i dont want car to be stolen  so audi,bmw ,mercedess are automatically removed, hybrid cars are also stolen a lot if not whole car catalytic convertor... lambdas everything,..   my other concern is Car to  have great or extremely good rust protection, and i would love to have at least distronic so automatic cruise control i love manual gearbox, since automatic gear box are slugish but if there isnt any other option i would accept it also i dont think i will be able to pay for more than 200hp taxes fuel consumption so its very limited options,   about diesel vs petrol dillemma i dont know if there is a decent , recent diesel which can last forever compared to old ones so i do think petrol is more reliable..
• James Ruppert 26 Apr 2020 (Forum)
  This week he has written an article about buying a car for the price of an annual bus pass (£625 from memory) but instead of suggesting a list of robust, simple, reliable petrol engined mass produced cars for which parts are cheap and available he’s went off on one with a list of the worst cars you could possibly buy on such a tight budget from a turbo diesel Renault Espace to big BMW’s, Mercs, Jags, a V8 Audi through diesel Volvo estates with interstellar mileages and Saab Convertibles even an Alfa Romeo. It is in fact a list of cars you shouldn’t buy for £625. The slightest thing goes wrong with most of them and it’s a write-off.
• Mazda 6 - Mazda 6 2.5 - thoughts? 20 May 2019 (Forum)
  Hence top specced interiors Powerful engine, good acceleration a bit different and unusual from the normal run of the mill cars Perhaps a BMW / more expensive car like experience, on the cheap?   Cons Higher road tax, insurance and servicing costs About 5 mpg lower fuel economy compared to the 2.0 model (31 vs 36 mpg) Harsher ride and comfort?
• Audi A3 Sportback - Advice from owners for used premium car purchase? 2 Aug 2017 (Forum)
  Thoroughly reliable but thoroughly ordinary, plus some quirks that make me hate an otherwise accetpable vehicle. So am considering moving to a premium make, which I'd say are Audi/Merc/BMW/Volvo, with a budget of around £10K used. This will be the most we've ever spent on a car, and I've typically had Citroens, which have been unreliable. From what I've read, an Audi A3 will suit but the field's wide open.
• Suggestions for a big engined luxobarge? 28 Jun 2017 (Forum)
  In summary Budget =About 10 k Requirements-Large engine preferably large car Short lists so far- Audi A8(too many electric gremlins  and suspect reliability)                              -BMW M5(bit too unsubtle)                               -MB CL500   Something that has minimal added equipment would be fine ,no need of fancy gadgets or modcons.
• Any - Motorway Etiquette 17 Jun 2016 (Forum)
  Just to clarify further, I am not advocating acting as a motorway vigilante law-enforcer - where the lanes are relatively clear I have no problem maintaining 70mph in whichever lane is clear and moving over as soon as possible, allowing the speedsters to wind up their Polos / Golfs / Audis / BMWs or Mercedes to whatever illegal speed they choose. (I’m not really biased against German cars, having owned a couple in my time – it’s their drivers who seem to feel the need for speed, just as drivers of red Italian cars did a generation ago!)
• Audi TT - TT vs 2 series 29 Dec 2015 (Forum)
  I test drove an Audi TT and pretty much fell in love with it - the only issues being that the rear seats are even less practical than I thought and there's a hell of a lot of options to get the car where I want it. I tried a BMW 2 series as well and was underwhelmed, especially at the dealer who seemed to really not care if I bought a car or not. Decision made, I thought. Until I got a 1 series as a rental car (was meant to have a Golf but got uppgraded) and had an absolute scream driving it round some curvy bits outside Salisbury at 1am.
• How to decode your VIN Number 16 Dec 2015 (Forum)
  For example: U.S.A.(1or4), Canada(2), Mexico(3), Japan(J), Korea(K), England(S), Germany(W), Italy(Z) 2nd character- Identifies the manufacturer. For example; Audi(A), BMW(B), Buick(4), Cadillac(6), Chevrolet(1), Chrysler(C), Dodge(B), Ford(F), GM Canada(7), General Motors(G), Honda(H), Jaquar(A), Lincoln(L), Mercedes Benz(D), Mercury(M), Nissan(N), Oldsmobile(3), Pontiac(2or5), Plymouth(P), Saturn(8), Toyota(T), VW(V), Volvo(V). 3rd character- Identifies vehicle type or manufacturing division. 4th to 8th characters- Identifies vehicle features such as body style, engine type, model, series, etc. 9th character- Identifies VIN accuracy as check digit. 10th character- Identifies the model year.
• Agrressive drivers How long - before somebody dies waiting in an ambulance? 22 Oct 2015 (Forum)
  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3283037/The-shocking-moment-BMW-driver-blocks-ambulance-getting-patient-hospital-stand-right-way-Tesco-delivery-van.html Another silly incident of people refusing to reverse. Should fall under the offence of driving without due consideration for others and BOTH should be fined.
• MINI Cooper S - Should I have to pay to replace my sunroof? 18 Dec 2014 (Forum)
  I was quoted nearly £2000 to replace both! This was then reduced to £1200 (70% of parts cost paid by BMW / MINI). Upon protesting the girl said she'd talk to her manager and phoned back less than two minutes later asking if I'd pay £500. Does anyone know if they are actually taking me for a ride?
• Swapping S-Max for Kia Sorento 16 Jan 2014 (Forum)
  Having looked around I don't like any of the other seven seat MPVs and apart from the Grand C-Max you cannot spec them up to the same level as my car with all the bells and whistles. So its back to the larger 4x4s and the BMW X5, Audi Q7 are way too expensive, I had a Volvo XC90 and thought it awful so have arrived at the Kia Sorento or Hyundai Santa Fe twins.  The Kia appears to offer better value for money for the same spec and engine/gearbox combination.
• Diesel Auto for under £4500, What would you buy? 25 Dec 2013 (Forum)
  Second choice is 2003 onwards Audi A4 1.9 TDi multitronic which again i like but its CVT Ive worked with Mercedes all my career and dislike older C classes because of there poor quality, rust issues and old mans image so we are running out of options! I like VW Boras, all BMWs and theres not much else opinions?
• 318d sept 2013 - car allowance own vehicle + fuel paid TAX Help!!! 6 Oct 2013 (Forum)
  Also; As i am currently driving a car valued under 2k this may be a good opportunity to get on the pcp ladder so to speak.. Here comes the head in the clouds bit.. Feel free to tell me:) A 2013 new 318d bmw sport will cost 2k up front 400 month, inc servicing 50k miles etc.. While i will have to cover some of the amount myself after three years (warranty expires) i can trade in at a hirer value than say a 90kmiles Hyundai i40 tourer??
• First fill of biodiesel 28 Apr 2013 (Forum)
  For those who don't know, I've been using biodiesel in a Seat Leon TDi for a year and in a Renault Clio dci, both with no ill-effects and both from new. Anyway, I had about a third of a tank of derv when I brimmed the BMW with biodiesel for the first time yesterday evening (both fuels are completely miscible), and drove the 50 miles home with another 100 litres in containers in the boot. So far, so good - the engine seemed to run a little quieter, and the mpg needle seems to be a little less frightening.
• Most Economical Petrol car over 2000cc? 3 Mar 2013 (Forum)
  I've had lots of Alfas, vauxhalls, fords, Peugeot, Ford, Citroen, Fiat, and am impressed by Japanese motors at the mo. I currently have a 2000 BMW 530d Touring E39, with 140k on it, a 3.0l Subaru Legacy Spec B 2005 Estate which the wife uses for the baby and get a bad 23-28mpg so can't use for that mileage, and an 2005 LPG Suzuki Ignis Sport 1.5 with 70,000 on it but it's too noisy and firm for occasional 400 mile round trips, frequent 200 miles/day..
• Advice on which car to buy. 27 Jul 2011 (Forum)
  I am hoping to have a budget around £4000 (roughly a maximum of £4250) with the funds I will have saved and the ST as a part-ex. I have my eye on a few cars - BMW 330D, Jaguar X-Type 2.0D, Vauxhall Vectra SRi CDTi 150, and a few others. I need a diesel, as I do the miles. Going off what I currently get on LPG and with the price of LPG, I need around 41MPG average from my next car.
• Honda CRV 2001-2004? - New job requires a new car 12 Jan 2011 (Forum)
  Carry family (2 adults 2 young kids and potentially a dog...) intermittantly Be reliable & comfortable (& practical) With the recent weather my head has been turned by an old CRV or a Freelander (or even an FRV, or other 4x4 - open to suggestion completely) However the in-laws (more petrolheads than me) suggest a BMW 3 series type if I must buy - they recommend a HP or even leasing a car. I have no idea about mileage, however the office is London based and I suspect most of my time (80%) will be there. I am open to any suggestions and opinions - having been a steady commuter for the past decade a second car is a bit of a novelty.
• Focus TDCi - New set of alloys at 35K - road humps to blame? 17 Jun 2010 (Forum)
  I've just got my car back after a week at the main dealer. (Was given a BMW 116 courtesy car, so every cloud...) After a recent tyre change I'd noticed a lot of vibration from the steering. Two visits to the tyre place failed to solve the problem, which turned out to be not wheel alignment but damaged alloys - there were a total of about a dozen dings and flat spots .
• £11k to spend on a sporty Golf or A4 diesel? 17 Jun 2010 (Forum)
  I would want to remap the A4 to make it as quick as the Golf but would that increase the risk of DPF issues, or does the 140 engine not have a DPF like the 170? Ideally I wanted a BMW 320d M Sport but with an upcoming wedding to pay for and a holiday its not going to happen! Im not going for the newer Octavia vRS or Leon FR as the missus is a badge snob and dont need the grief as ive had loads already plus ive read reports that the build quality isnt as good as the Golf or Audi.