Large amount of 06 Astras

NiSmO

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crosstownk

A lot of these would be ex-rental cars that were used for the summer period and are now for sale. They'll all most likely be 4 doors if they were used by the rental companies.

blahblah06

hi nismo im actually selling a 1.4 red sports hatch. pm me if interested. can swap pics r what not i love it. upgrading to the opc

NiSmO

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Fey!

Would agree with Crosstownk as per them being ex-rental/lease/fleet. Popular car in their class.

I really like the look of them. Particularly the 3 door.

Very sporty and agressive looking. Ford really dropped the ball with the new focus looks wise.

pm.

ronoc wrote:

Ford really dropped the ball with the new focus looks wise.

i agree but only look wise! the diesel engine in the tdci focus is much better than the 1.25 fiat diesel opel are using and the comfort is a lot better, its a much nicer car to drive handling wise, my 05 focus has just over 106000k on it now and never gave a bit of trouble.

NiSmO

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blahblah06

no prob. you will love the car when u get one good choice

NiSmO

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blahblah06

you can get the styling kit which my car has. i dont think u can get the opc kit. not from opel anyway. bro works for them trust me i tried

blahblah06

theres mine..

Lorax

I'd say they are used commercially a lot, apart from what has already been said - I have noticed a lot of gardai using them as unmarked cars. The 5 door h/b usually in the light navy colour.

NiSmO

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bazz26

NiSmO wrote:

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Alot are ex leased fleet cars which came back after the tourist season ends at the end of September. Also alot of them may be from Opel's 3 day test drive earlier in the year. I would avoid these as many people drove the crap out of them for 3 days.

NiSmO wrote:

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How much driving experience do you have? If you are relatively new to driving them maybe buying a brand new 2007 car is not the best thing to do. You will only end up crying if you bump, scrape it or worse. Might be best to buy a relatively older car and hold it for a year or so just until you are used to driving and confident you will not have too many little incidents.

bazz26

NiSmO wrote:

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I would avoid white myself. It is an extremly hard colour to keep clean and could be worth less than a regular colour, also harder to sell when you go to trade the car on as alot of people just don't want white cars.

crosstownk

bazz26 wrote:

Alot are ex leased fleet cars which came back after the tourist season ends at the end of September. Also alot of them may be from Opel's 3 day test drive earlier in the year. I would avoid these as many people drove the crap out of them for 3 days.

Sorry, but I'm being pedantic here. There is a difference between lease and rental. Both can be considered fleet - anything more than one car is a fleet.

But, rental cars are exactly that, out on rent to tourists, replacement cars while the owners car is in for service/bodywork. Lease is different. A lease car is usually driven by one person for the period of the lease, unlike the poor rental car which sees more punters than a red light brasser. There is the argument that the rental car is abused (same applies to the Opel 3 day test drive). The opposite to this argument is that the renter/tester is afraid that they will be hit with a damage bill when the vehicle is returned, so, consequently, they treat the car well in order to avoid the damage charges. This is not always the case, but it is a real factor.

Personally, I would sooner buy an ex-lease car rather than an ex-rental. Its unlikely that either will have a recorded service history, but the lease car will have had a lot less drivers.

Slightly off topic, but worth mentioning.

bazz26

crosstownk wrote:

Sorry, but I'm being pedantic here. There is a difference between lease and rental. Both can be considered fleet - anything more than one car is a fleet.

But, rental cars are exactly that, out on rent to tourists, replacement cars while the owners car is in for service/bodywork. Lease is different. A lease car is usually driven by one person for the period of the lease, unlike the poor rental car which sees more punters than a red light brasser. There is the argument that the rental car is abused (same applies to the Opel 3 day test drive). The opposite to this argument is that the renter/tester is afraid that they will be hit with a damage bill when the vehicle is returned, so, consequently, they treat the car well in order to avoid the damage charges. This is not always the case, but it is a real factor.

Personally, I would sooner buy an ex-lease car rather than an ex-rental. Its unlikely that either will have a recorded service history, but the lease car will have had a lot less drivers.

Slightly off topic, but worth mentioning.

Maybe I was a bit confusing but don't the likes of Hertz, etc lease cars from main dealers for 3 - 6 months and then hire them out? Aren't they then returned to the dealer once the duration of the lease has finished and sold on their forecourts.

crosstownk

bazz26 wrote:

Maybe I was a bit confusing but don't the likes of Hertz, etc lease cars from main dealers for 3 - 6 months and then hire them out? Aren't they then returned to the dealer once the duration of the lease has finished and sold on their forecourts.

You are absolutely right. They do lease them - but for rental purposes - and with a view to reselling them as you point out. The fact is that they are still rental cars, unlike a corporate lease where one driver has the car for the lease period (usually 2-4 years). Like I said, I'm being pedantic!

milltown

Faced with a huge choice, as you would be at this end of the market, it may be prudent to avoid ex-rental/lease cars. On the other hand, if you are looking for a particular colour/trim/spec level you need to ask yourself with modern engines and oils how much damage can be done by a careless driver once the car is serviced on the button (as would be the case with any hire co.) and driven by people in fear of scraping and losing their deposit.

My Grandad, bless him, rarely had his car over 40 mph, even though he spent every weekend and most of the summer in his mobile in Wexford. After he died, a number of members of the family had occasion to drive his car and all commented that it didn't feel right, that it had never cleared it's throat! It was an Orion/escort 1.4 btw, precisely the class of car the hire co.s buy in the hundreds.

JohnBoy

the quickest car in the world is a hire car...

i've seen that quote attributed to someone famous and i'd certainly agree, although maybe i'm the exception to the rule. but hire cars that i drive get worked hard.

i wouldn't buy one, an ex lease car, would imho have a better chance of not being abused but still no guarantee.

it's not so much the engine that i would be worried about, but the clutch, brakes and to a lesser extent gearbox having higher than expected wear for their milage.

they would all have service history as it's normally a condtition of any lease agreement so the engines should be fine

RedorDead

Alot of these cars could be pre-reg 06 Astras. Some manufacturers (and opel are one of the big culprits here) pre reg cars at month end just to meet sales targets set to them by their manufacturer.

It works two ways, garages will register them to meet their target with the head office and head office will request them to be registered to meet their targets with GM Europe.

If you got one of these it wouldnt be so bad. Check the mileage.

G Luxel

4 door astra? I presume you mean the hatchback as the saloon was unveiled a few months ago but may not be for sale here. I dont see any of the new Astras with the panoramic glass roof? Are these very expensive and is this option only available on the 3 door hatch or on other astras?

jimmycrackcorm

The idea that rental cars get abused is a myth in my opinion, just as much a myth as ex-lease cars have been driven by people who treasure them as much as their own.