Help me choose the right car!???

Morpheus

need help...

As you all know Ive got a Fiat Punto, im trading it in with the company i got it from.

I went up the other day, test drove an Alfa 146, smashin car, but a tad too 80s on the inside and mileage was in the late 40s.

Basically ive got a budget in the region of €9000 - €12000 (that includes my car as part exchange BTW!)

ive been offered €6000 by the company for trading it in against another.
not bad at all for a 01 bog standard punto with 30K on the clock?

Im considering a 2002 3 door sporting punto, 1.2 16valve engine, its mettalic blue with el windows,sunroof and alloys. theyve offered it to me at the trailing edge of my budget, €12000. it only has 6000 miles on it.

Should i go for it?

initially i was gonna go for a second hand, Seat Leon, VWGolf or Fiat Stilo but i fear these are all out of my range, had a look at Almeras and Primeras too, but honestly i dont really want anything older than 2001. so with my price range im probably stuck with a small car???

So is it the blue punto, or do i go for somethin else you know about???

Id prefer to stick with dealers rather than private sale and im probably gonna go buy it somewhere in the North County Dublin (close to Boyne Navan Trim and drogehda too) areas.

as usual your advice is seriously appreciated.

trurl

Originally posted by Morphéus
need help...

As you all know Ive got a Fiat Punto, im trading it in with the company i got it from.

I went up the other day, test drove an Alfa 146, smashin car, but a tad too 80s on the inside and mileage was in the late 40s.

Basically ive got a budget in the region of €9000 - €12000 (that includes my car as part exchange BTW!)

ive been offered €6000 by the company for trading it in against another.
not bad at all for a 01 bog standard punto with 30K on the clock?

Im considering a 2002 3 door sporting punto, 1.2 16valve engine, its mettalic blue with el windows,sunroof and alloys. theyve offered it to me at the trailing edge of my budget, €12000. it only has 6000 miles on it.

Should i go for it?

initially i was gonna go for a second hand, Seat Leon, VWGolf or Fiat Stilo but i fear these are all out of my range, had a look at Almeras and Primeras too, but honestly i dont really want anything older than 2001. so with my price range im probably stuck with a small car???

So is it the blue punto, or do i go for somethin else you know about???

Id prefer to stick with dealers rather than private sale and im probably gonna go buy it somewhere in the North County Dublin (close to Boyne Navan Trim and drogehda too) areas.

as usual your advice is seriously appreciated.

I drive a Focus, and I'd buy the same car again (but with the 2l engine). If you go for comfort and extras, get the 5 door ghia, if you prefer enjoying the drive get the 3 door Zetec. Try to get a 2 liter version, but if you're too young for that form insurance point of view, get the 1.6.

Trurl

P. S: Don't believe me, just test-drive one;-)

Trurl

rs

I'd assume you can find a 2001 Seat Leon for less than 11,000, and certainly less than 12,000.

I have a 2000 Leon (1.4) and am very happy with it so far, but I've only had it a few months.

A golf will cost a few grand more, not sure about a stilo.

I'd take a Leon for a test drive and see what you think at least. You never know until you drive one.

The biggest complaint I read about the Leon was that the window seals can leak, but I don't think it's a huge deal to get them fixed.

Have a look on http://www.cbg.ie or http://www.carzone.ie

Dr Pepper

Originally posted by Morphéus
Im considering a 2002 3 door sporting punto, 1.2 16valve engine, its mettalic blue with el windows,sunroof and alloys. theyve offered it to me at the trailing edge of my budget, €12000. it only has 6000 miles on it.

Should i go for it?

NOOOOooooooooooo!!

Think about it!! 6 grand for the same car that's a year newer and electric windows / sunroof??? Are you mad?

That's the problem with dealers. They give you a price a couple of thousand short on trade-ins and add 3 or 4 thousand to second-hand ones they sell on.. They are giving you 6,000 for a 2001 Punto and charging you 12,000 for a 2002 (granted with a couple of extras). Wtf?

Please.. Check out prices for both cars in the buy & sell and see how they compare to the trade-in/purchase prices you're getting!!

Brian

PS - Get a real car!!! The last thing we need is another Punto

Morpheus

well suggest somethin then!!

just saw a 1.4 comfortline golf for €11500, its a 2000 with 40,000 miles on the clock...

any opinions on that!?

Bluehair

Originally posted by Morphéus
initially i was gonna go for a second hand, Seat Leon, VWGolf or Fiat Stilo but i fear these are all out of my range, had a look at Almeras and Primeras too, but honestly i dont really want anything older than 2001. so

Obviously you pays your money you makes your choice but I think you're crazy

Dr Pepper is talking sense. Whatever way you look at it you're paying a huge premium to drive a not-very-different car with a 'slightly' newer number plate. You need to ask yourself is that really worth thousands of €€€.

An 00 or 01 reg will have suffered the most depreciation and is a great buy. You seem to have been thinking along these lines and I really think you should go for that. You could sell your own Punto privately and then put some cash to it for a really nice 3/4 year old Seat Leon or similar.

If you really really feel the need to go for a newer punto then you might as well go the whole hog and buy an 04 but take advantage of the 0% finance Fiat are offering for upto 50% of cost.

[but please don't trade in an 01 for an 02 and €6k!!]

Morpheus

i think ill wait and check out the golf,

but keep suggestions coming, im not gonna take the punto, ill call and tell em to forget it.

The Leon is ok, i looked at focus but theres so many of them around, even moreso it seems than bloody puntos!!

trurl

Originally posted by Morphéus
i think ill wait and check out the golf,

but keep suggestions coming, im not gonna take the punto, ill call and tell em to forget it.

The Leon is ok, i looked at focus but theres so many of them around, even moreso it seems than bloody puntos!!

It's up to you how do you make it unique... I just counted the mods I've done on mine, it's more than 20, and I still have plans for another 5-6. (no blue leds, no "No Fear" stickers, no neons).

I agree with the Leon though, it looks really nice, which is not a big surprise - the same guy was involved who designed the beautiful Alfa 147

Trurl

Morpheus

I dont believe it,

I just called them, they sold 2 golfs both at same price,

they only just got a Leon, 00 reg, 34K mls, few extras that the Golfs didnt have, silver mettalic.... €10800

F*CK!!!!!

now what!! ive to go find another Golf... or do i go see the Leon, ive heard about the probs with the doorseals and window seals.

Going Demented

I had a 01 Fiat Punto with all the extra's and when i traded it in in Novemeber 2002 with 22K miles on it i got a trade in value of E6300! I was screwed or your getting a good price.

I drive a Focus 1.4 (was getting the zetec 1.6 but my insurance company put a spanner in that idea). Only problem i've ever had with it was the coil went last year (still under warranty) and apparently that is a known problem with the Focus according to the garage. My brother and cousin drive the Focus Ghia 1.6 and both of them have had to replace the coil also.

Nice car to drive, if i was buying again i'd buy a Focus again but bigger litre.

So i have to agree with trurl

ando

if your getting a focus, get the 1.6. They are a lot more lively than the 1.4
IMO the focus should of not been made with a 1.4

rs

Originally posted by Morphéus


they only just got a Leon, 00 reg, 34K mls, few extras that the Golfs didnt have, silver mettalic.... €10800

F*CK!!!!!

now what!! ive to go find another Golf... or do i go see the Leon, ive heard about the probs with the doorseals and window seals.

I'd take the Leon for a spin, but don't even think about buying it before you are sure.

From what I hear most dealers are not doing all that well this year. And what they tell you is seldom the whole truth. They will try to push you into making a quick decision. Take your time and wait for the right car and always be prepared to walk away if it's not right.

But always take a test drive. You can't really compare 2 cars unless you have driven them both.

If you do buy a Leon, make sure you mention your concerns about the window seals, and find out how much it will cost to have them replaced if there are problems. You never know, they might guarantee them for 12 months or something like that just to make the sale. Make sure you get any guarantees in writing though.

Good luck.

ZENER

I've just had a browse through buyandsell.ie and there are hundreds of cars there for around 10,000. Is buying private not an option for example are you getting a credit deal etc. I saw an 03 1.2 Punto there for 10,000 ono, sounds a much better deal than your dealer to be honest.

Tinky

Dr Pepper

The Golfs are always a good bet.. Expensive but reliable and hold their value well. Don't know much about the Focus/Leon but I drive a Mondeo and it hasn't given me a whole lotta trouble (that hasn't been a result of me 'James Bond' driving it!!).

I'd never buy/trade-in at a garage.. You pay way more and you don't get much for it (a clean-appearing car) and a warranty (which isn't worth much IMO cause they will always find a way of screwing you). MUch better cars available private for thousands less!!

Good luck

Morpheus

im stuck with a finance deal, not a lot of cash to play around with, but i do need to change it.

The old 1.2 engine just doesnt cut the mustard and the car aint large enough if i decide to roadtrip (which i do a few times a year).

Im stuck between Leon Focus and Golf... ill get some specs and prices up here in a few minutes and let u all give me your opinions.


hmmmm just noticed the Alpha 156 is in the same range!!

wonder would a 2000 1.6 litre (€11K) 44000 mls be a good choice, probably heavy on fuel tho.

Dr Pepper

Hmmm.. my uncle had an Alpha 156 and he says it was riddled with small problems from the beginning. :dunno: It may not have been that bad tho.. He's very fussy! Nice looker of course..

Morpheus

any opinions on Nissan Almera Hatchbacks?

im down to
Golf
Focus
Leon
Almera

Not 156, nice car but i dont fancy having probs with it.... although i wish i was in the situation where i knew it would be trouble free.

trurl

Originally posted by Morphéus
any opinions on Nissan Almera Hatchbacks?

im down to
Golf
Focus
Leon
Almera

Not 156, nice car but i dont fancy having probs with it.... although i wish i was in the situation where i knew it would be trouble free.

This is only my opinion, but here is what I think:
I'd never buy a Golf, it's way overpriced, and you won't get any extra unless you pay high price for that.
I drive a Focus, and if I have to buy another car again, it will be a Focus. It provides the most enjoyable drive in its category, and you can get some nice extras.
Leon is nice, and it's a cheaper and better looking Golf at the end of the day. I don't know nothing about the servicing.
Almera - no way. I was driving one for 2 weeks, and I didn't like it, especially the 1.4 version. And one more thing: advertising a "sport" version of a car by adding a spoiler, and a coloured rubber to doors? this is ridiculous...

When I was about to buy my car, I did a bit of a research. There are some really useful pages on the channel 4 "4car" website and the motoring section of the bbc homepage, read it through. Also, do a calculation of the parts and labour charges for each car. How much is the service interval, how much a regular and major service costs. How much are the parts like air filter, break pads, break disks, the timing belt, etc.

And when you will have your midlife crisis, insteadof a Porsche buy an Alfa 156 GTA
Trurl

P. S: check the Skoda Fabia or even the Octavia, you'll be surprised by the value and the quality of these cars - simply excellent! You can also have a look at the Renault Clio, the disel version is quite good, and although a small car, 4 people can sit there comfortably

Morpheus

ok,

its either the

VW Golf
Ford Focus
Seat Leon

in that order

ive looked around and the average details for these types that would suit me are...
year 2000
engine 1.4
price 10-11K
mls 20-35K

If anyone has (other than trurl, we know u love the ford ) driven these or hears of any of the above for sale in north county dublin (dealers only)

please let me know ASAP?

ill be checking and updating here often and ill let u know what i think as i test-drive and finally purchase one of them!

regards
morpheus

Morpheus

Oh yeah,

any thoughts on the Fiat Stilo?

They look ok, and ive heard that theyre pretty good for a fiat, theyre prices are quite tempting for my budget too,

Atomic Pineapple

I drive a 1.4 Focus myself and after driving a 1.25 Fiesta i think its not too bad in the power dept. its not as quick off the mark as the fiesta but is far better overtaking, theres loads of them around but thats cos there a fair good car, ya could always mod it a little to make it look unique (mind you i dont mean any stupid bodykits or neon lits or led crap)

The Stilo is a nice looking car, dont know much about it though.

unkel

Originally posted by Morphéus
hmmmm just noticed the Alpha 156 is in the same range!!

wonder would a 2000 1.6 litre (€11K) 44000 mls be a good choice, probably heavy on fuel tho.

Go for it, get a real car

What's your mileage? Around 10k and fuel consumption is practically irrelevant. Over 30-40k and it starts getting very important. And yes, it is heavy on the juice

You are buying from a dealer, so get warranty. After that you just need a little bit of luck. The 156 is a well built car and way past alfa troubles from the last few decades. It's driving characteristics are almost as good as a BMW 3 series

If you want something more reliable and cheap to run, get an Octavia. Go test drive one and you won't be disappointed. It feels and drives like an Audi. The typical taxi was a Toyota Corolla 10 years ago. Now it's an Octavia - go figure why

Morpheus

Well??

any thoughts on the Stilo? Im very close to getting an excellent deal on one with only a couple of thou on the clock, its 03 aswell, very nice looking car, ill be test driving it later this week.

Mick L

I got a 00 Golf in January, very happy with it. Only problem I've had so far is a rear brake bulb blowing, cost €1 and 10 minutes to fix.

Cost wise, they are expensive but hopefully it won't depreciate too much more by the time I sell it, even with the new model out.

Morpheus

well this is a 2003 fiat stilo,
1242 cc 16 valve engine
lots of mod cons etc
3 door
color red

2500 miles on the clock, retailing at 14800 (finance on 13800)

insurance quote was 1100 euro....

what you all think?

i am utterly utterly confused as to what to do...

older Golf, focus, Leon (00 or 01)
or
newer stilo (03) ??

i do like the Stilo, but im afraid ill make the wrong decision, theyre quite a cool drive (but then so is anything bar a punto) not too many of them on the road either (unlike the puinto) and ive heard some good reports on them too.

i kinda have to decide this week...

Mick L

I know the feeling, its a lot of money so you want to be really sure you get what you want. The deal you have sounds good to me, personally I like the stilo, the nicest of the fiats IMO. I have no idea how much they drop in price over their first year or two, you may want to check out the prices of older Stilos and see how much you can expect to lose. Another factor would be the reliability of the Fiats. Being a Punto owner you can probably guage this well enough yourself. I was put off Fiats from experiences of other Fiat owners I know, but they may have just been unlucky.

Bottom line, get a car you can afford and like. I spent a bit extra to get the car I liked but it was well worth it.

Good luck

Morpheus

Theres a 6 speed gearbox in a 1.2 stilo!?!
isnt that overkill??
ABS
EBD
6 airbags,
electric front windows,
side impact protection,
nice looks....

hmmm... lookin like a stilo
might take a half day tomorrow and go for a test drive

Morpheus

okay im driving up in a punto
and (barring the test drive being sh*t or some other disaster)
hopefully im driving away in a stilo tomorrow!!

Morpheus

hmmm, im the only one replying to my own thread!
no problem,
i love talking about myself to myself....

I took the Stilo for a test drive, its a dream to drive. Cannot collect it tho, there was a large chunk of plastic cut up on the cover over the top of steering column, apparently they had a "small" problem whereby the steering wheel was squeeking and rubbing as it was being turned. They are waiting on a part to fix the squeeking/rubbing and a new cowling for the steering column.

Overall i was blown away by the amount of features on the "Active" which is pretty much the standard version of the car.

Bodywork is pretty cool looking (not hard tho compared to the trusty punto)

Safety features are excellent (always important for me) ABS EBD ABC XYZ dunno what they all mean but theyve somethin to do with anti locking and traction control.

The car handles well, granted it feels a heavier than the punto (but then it is isnt it!)nevertheless its surprisingly nifty at cornering and has a little bit more grunt (altho not much as it is a 1242cc engine... albeit a 16 valve one!), but thats what i wanted.

Lots of electrical gizmos and features (windows close when u immobilize it, no alarm tho... only bad point for me, dunno if that will effect my insurance much...

Nice trim and dash, very clean and only 2K on a 03 car (yes 2000 miles!!!) on the clock, and its only €13800 (with my trade-in) so i got €6200 :rolleyes: for my 01 punto with 30K on it, and they never even looked inside!! that up from the initial 5K offer... not bad considering im financing it!! managed to get repayments of 300 a month, not too bad i suppose, considering how much i used to pay with insurance etc.

Im waiting for the bubble to pop, the dream to end, something to go wrong, so i am armed with the following questions...

"Your sure that there are no problems other than what you have shown me with this car?"

and

"Is there a 1 year warranty with it?"

took a golf that was there for a test drive, 99D 65K on clock, in comparison, it drove like a lemon... a bad foul smelling fungus covered lemon.... not what i expected, probably a bad car in fairness.. cannot deny my love for golfs... still im happy, very happy!! with the stilo.


what you all think?

Tommy Vercetti

I like the 3 door Stilo, the 5 door is absolutely horrible though, and they look good in red. I'd probably choose one over a 1.4 Golf, but then I'm of the opinion that the last Golf was waaaay over-rated anyway. It would probably be worthwhile getting an alarm installed, some insurance companies will knock off a few quid. Good luck with it.

BrianD3

I've always liked the look of the Stilo 3dr, especially in red or some other strong colour. There aren't many of them about which is good in one way cause you've got something a bit different. However this lack of popularity could have implications for resale value, which seems to be poor anyway with FIAT (even popular models like the Punto) Main thing is that you like the car though. They do seem to be quite solidly built and yeah the equipment is good although I believe the 1.2 Active lacks alloys which is a pity.

BrianD3