Trade-in time

Eglinton

Ok folks,

I want rid of my current motor before the tax is up in March. I like big high spec cars but at the same time I'm a bit tired of poor fuel economy. So I'm going to have to compromise a little. A switch from petrol to diesel is definitely a runner. I have a '99 Saab 95 2L Turbo which I've gotten sick of. (23 mpg and unreliable)

On my potentials list are:

'03 / '04 Passat highline 1.9 TDi
'03 / '04 Avensis (whatever the high spec is called) 1.8 petrol or 1.9 diesel
'03 / '04 Mondeo Ghia
'02 / '03 Audi A4
'02 Merc C180 hatchback

and just to throw it out there, the '01 BMW Z3

I see a lot of cars are being imported from the UK lately. I also see the Revenue are taking a keen interest in this. Would it now be a good time to consider a car that's imported as the cowboys might have cleaned up their act?

My ideal budget is 15K inc. trade-in but I'm willing to go more or less.

Pros / Cons on any of the above welcome.

Many thanks.

Altreab

Eglinton wrote: »

Ok folks,

I want rid of my current motor before the tax is up in March. I like big high spec cars but at the same time I'm a bit tired of poor fuel economy. So I'm going to have to compromise a little. A switch from petrol to diesel is definitely a runner. I have a '99 Saab 95 2L Turbo which I've gotten sick of. (23 mpg and unreliable)

On my potentials list are:

'03 / '04 Passat highline 1.9 TDi
'03 / '04 Avensis (whatever the high spec is called) 1.8 petrol or 1.9 diesel
'03 / '04 Mondeo Ghia
'02 / '03 Audi A4
'02 Merc C180 hatchback

and just to throw it out there, the '01 BMW Z3

I see a lot of cars are being imported from the UK lately. I also see the Revenue are taking a keen interest in this. Would it now be a good time to consider a car that's imported as the cowboys might have cleaned up their act?

My ideal budget is 15K inc. trade-in but I'm willing to go more or less.

Pros / Cons on any of the above welcome.

Many thanks.

ok i HAVE to say it Skoda Octavia 1.9 Diesel and you would get a 05 model for the money your talking about

P.S. Have a Very Happy Christmas one and all

Eglinton

Altreab wrote: »

ok i HAVE to say it Skoda Octavia 1.9 Diesel and you would get a 05 model for the money your talking about

Yeah, that sounds pretty good too. Forgot about that one. Haven't seen too many of them listed at the garages I've been checking though.

I think I'm leaning more towards the Passat at the moment. Any particular problems with the '03 / '04 models?

_Kaiser_

I've a 02 Automatic 1.9 TDI (130 Bhp) Comfortline model and in the past year I've had to get the following done on top of the usual servicing requirements:

- Leaking water pump replaced (apparently should have been done with the timing belt at 80k but wasn't - check this)

- Faulty front left door lock replaced (apparently fairly common for problems with these)

- Oil sensor replaced as was constantly showing low oil level on the dash (again fairly common)

- When cold the auto box occasionaly stalls between gear changes from N to 1st (ie: drive to the top of the road and turning right.. it will occasionally pause for a few seconds before slipping back into gear). Once it warms up though it's fine but again a fairly common issue from reading online.

- Currently have warning lights referring to the engine management system but the car is running fine. Just need the faults cleared from the computer.

- Turbo is "worn "(currently 108k miles) and will probably need replacing at the next service (March/April). Downside of this is it's adversely affecting the fuel economy. Other downsides are the parts and servicing costs are fairly steep.

On the plus side, it's a very comfortable, very roomy car (huge boot and plenty of space in the back) with most of the toys - mine has electric windows, ESP, Climate Control, 6 CD in-dash changer etc.. only thing it's missing really is Cruise Control and steering Wheel controls).

There's also the tax implications although if you're buying one before July you'll be paying around €600, otherwise (based on the CO2 emissions) it'd be €1000 if you brought one in from the UK after this. :mad:

Overall though I'm happy with mine, although it does seem like there's constant "niggely" issues with it that all add up when it comes to fixing them.
I'm probably/hopefully gonna change it by the summer. I like the look of the (newer shape) A4's and A6's but as they're still VAG cars I'm a bit wary of whether I'll have the same sort of problems.

Eglinton

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

There's also the tax implications although if you're buying one before July you'll be paying around €600, otherwise (based on the CO2 emissions) it'd be €1000 if you brought one in from the UK after this. :mad:

Cheers Kaiser. Some really good info. Do those tax implications apply to cars imported from the UK even if they're 2nd hand? I would have thought the tax for a diesel would reduce post July?

_Kaiser_

Eglinton wrote: »

Cheers Kaiser. Some really good info. Do those tax implications apply to cars imported from the UK even if they're 2nd hand? I would have thought the tax for a diesel would reduce post July?

No it applies to 2nd hand imports as well if they're registered here after July. There were links posted here a few weeks back to the various emissions ratings and my Passat rates at 192 whereas the threshold for the higher rate is 190.

unkel

Eglinton wrote: »

Cheers Kaiser. Some really good info. Do those tax implications apply to cars imported from the UK even if they're 2nd hand? I would have thought the tax for a diesel would reduce post July?

The new regime will have a big impact on tax / vrt. See the sticky called "New motor tax and VRT regime. Links + calculations" on the front page for all the details

Eglinton

OK, well I've changed my mind a little now. I want to move up quite a few years ('04; '05, '06?) so I'm willing to forget about the bigger cars above. So I'm looking for a bit more advice. Lets say something with lots of features, minimum of 1.6L, reasonably roomy, impress people a little bit (well sort of)

15K to spend - What would you buy? I have some things in mind but I'd like to hear suggestions first.

Muchos gracias

Oilrig

Sorry for the drift...

Kaiser, you said your Passat rates at 192?

If thats the CO2 output then surely that must be a mistake?