What to ask?

Gillo

I'm looking at buying my first car, and unfortunately need to buy one pretty quick, ie in the next few weeks, the thing is I'm not really into cars.

All I want is something cheap & relaible, I'm not interested in a boy racer machine, just something to get me from A-B.

What should I be looking for or asking when I visit dealers?
So far, I've been asking the engine size, ntc & tax dates, but surely I should be looking at more than just that

I've kinda narrowed it down to a Fiat Punto, I know they come in for a little stick, but they seem to represent value for money and are a bit cheaper than other models.

Also insureancewise, what should I be looking at, Quinn have come back ust over 1300 and Hib we a little over 1700 both for comp, are hibernian generally better than Quinn, if its worth the extra 400 I'd pay it.

greglo23

if your looking for something reliable go for a toyota. the fiat punto's are cheap because they are very unreliable. i know of one guy who replaces the headgasket on any punto he sells as a matter of course.

Anan1

greglo23 wrote:

i know of one guy who replaces the headgasket on any punto he sells as a matter of course.

With respect, this is complete & utter nonsense.

OP - What's your budget? What kind of driving will you be doing? What's the largest engine size you can go for? How long are you planning on keeping the car?

RobAMerc

gillo

Before taking anyones advice on this forum with the pinchyest of salts please ask them to qualify what they are saying.

<i>"All fiats are craps coz my dad knew a fella down the pub and he had awfull trouble with it - it was broken into twice..... "</i> kinda responses are rampant from people who know pretty much dick about anything.

I cannot help you with regards the punto as I have had no experience with these I am afraid but I can advise you to get good advice !

As for questions
1: How many owners, would they mind if you contacted the last owner
2: Ever crashed or damaged
3: Are they open to having an indepandant inspection ( Look at face when you say this to see reaction ) If no walk
4: Are tyres good? check these yourself and make sure same tyres and sizes on same axels
5: Timing belt done ? Milage dependant but anything over 60k defo needs this
6: Service history available
7: Any sort of guarentee with it.
8: I presume your buying straight (Not trading) Tell him this straight up and ask whats the bottom line on it. Hint you may need finance and may be willing to go through him if the deal is right. (They get commision)

Good luck

Mr.Diagnostic

RobAMerc wrote:

gillo

Before taking anyones advice on this forum with the pinchyest of salts please ask them to qualify what they are saying.

"All fiats are craps coz my dad knew a fella down the pub and he had awfull trouble with it - it was broken into twice" kinda responses are rampant from people who know pretty much dick about anything.

I cannot help you on this as I have had no experience with these I am afraid but I can advise you to get good advice !

I will second that and add one more bit. Get it looked at by a QUALIFIED EXPERIENCED person that you KNOW and trust.

HTH

greglo23

as a qualified mechanic for more than 30 years i know of which i speak. i deal with vehicles of every sort shape and description every day and i can tell you that the most reliable cars out there are No.1 Subaru and No.2 Toyota. a Subaru would surely be too expensive for the op to insure so for reliability and value for money Toyota would be my choice above all other cars. if he wants to be on first name terms with his mechanic by all means recommend him to buy a fiat.

Anan1

greglo23 wrote:

i know of one guy who replaces the headgasket on any punto he sells as a matter of course.

greglo23 wrote:

as a qualified mechanic for more than 30 years i know of which i speak.

Which is it, greglo?;)

gavin1990

be weary of fiat puntos, they have a habbit of overheating and often need head gasket replacements! Mabey a Toyota Starlet or Nissan Micra

Gillo

Anan1 wrote:

What's your budget? What kind of driving will you be doing? What's the largest engine size you can go for? How long are you planning on keeping the car?

Thanks for the advice.
My budget is small I am looking around 3000, for a number of reason's, I don't have a lot of cash at the moment, also as a friend put it "if it's your first car there is a good chance you will get a few knocks" which does seem to make sense.
The largest size I would go for is 1.5, ideally 1-1.2 as it'll keep the insurance down. As I said I'm not into speeding down the road's, it'll mainly be for short trips (typically Skerries to Balbriggan, into town once of twice a month, then a long run down the country once or twice a year).
I plan on changing the car in 2-4 years, realistically it'll be closer to 4 years.

The punto seems attractive price-wise, as for people saying I know this guy who had trouble, my dad drove a skoda for years and never had a problem, we all know what stick skoda's got. The punto also scores high on the Euro N-cap.

Any opinion's on buying between a dealer or an individual? I know the dealer will give a warranty but if I get the car checked out then chances are nothing is going to come in in the next few months.
I'd also like be interested to know your opinions on Third party, Fire & Theft V's Fully Comp. A few people have said that chances are you won't claim on Comp?

Sorry to be asking the questions, but it's a fair bit of money so I want to get it right.

Anan1

I think around €3,000 is enough to get you a solid, reliable car. Your friend's advice is also sound. In my experience, Puntos seem to fall into two camps: A friend of mine bought one new and had nothing but trouble with it. On the other hand, my brother also bought a new one and his behaved impeccably for the 3 years he had it. There's no disputing that they're very cheap at the moment, but I'd exercise care. A one owner car would be a good start, on the basis that they wouldn't have kept it for so long if it wasn't a good one. At the €3k end of the market I'd personally be in favour of buying privately. Firstly, the kind of dealer who works at that end of the market is not the kind of person you want to be doing business with. Secondly, a privately purchased car is less likely to be tarted up to cover problems. Thirdly the car will be cheaper. Finally, you will get to meet the owner. Even if you know nothing about cars, talking to the owner can give you a good insight into how the car has been treated. Ask about servicing. Mr Diagnostic's advice is good, though - have the car looked at by someone you trust. With regard to insurance, the argument against comp is that, as it's not worth losing your NCB for a small claim, you probably won't claim for a rub off a pillar etc. On the other hand, if you have a big accident and are liable for a 3rd party claim then you might as well be paid for your own car too. I suppose it really depends on the difference in premium and the value of your car. I'd advise you to look at lots of cars and go heavy on the questions (both to us and to the sellers) - as you say, it's a big decision.

Hotwheels

I had two Puntos, the old shape and the newer type, both of them gave me no trouble, but then again i looked after them and serviced them right...
The 1.2 16V is the one to go for, the ELX ver will get you electric windows CD etc, like everyone else has said, get one that has history, and get a proper Mech to look it over. Not someone who thinks he knows it all...

If you can, spring for fully comp with the bonus protector, that way if something silly happens your Noclaims will still be intact, tied up to the insurer, maybe, but still intact...
There's loads of secondhand cars out there, don't be in a rush to buy, there's always a better one just around the corner...
Good luck with the car

Anan1

Hotwheels wrote:

If you can, spring for fully comp with the bonus protector, that way if something silly happens your Noclaims will still be intact, tied up to the insurer, maybe, but still intact...

I was kind of thinking that too, but I'm guessing that the OP doesn't yet have a full bonus to protect! If they do, though, then your advice definitely makes sense. I've just been having a quick look at Punto prices -seems like a good one really would be a bit of a bargain.