Changing car.....but what to pick!?

ninty9er · 01-01-2008 8:50pm

I don't think any of those comments were aimed specifically at you.

tuxy · 01-01-2008 8:51pm

Did that corolla have a full service history when you got it?

aoife2k · 01-01-2008 9:04pm

ninty9er wrote: »

I don't think any of those comments were aimed specifically at you.

I know they weren't but it annoyed me.

I bought the car at a local car dealer, it was his nephews car who was married and had a kid so he obviously looked after it (the muck the guy told me). I never went near him after the alloys incident, he accused me of abusing the car in the first 3 months I'd had it. I must have been going too fast over 'bumps'. The problem was solved when I figured it out myself and bought some new alloys.

The car had a full service history, he bought it off his uncle and it was serviced there everytime. But i brought it else where.

_Kaiser_ · 01-01-2008 9:22pm

Well I have a 02 1.9TDI Passat (much like the one in the CBG link above) and she's an automatic. Great car and very good for long distance driving - I do at least 250 miles a week and have been up and down the country as well and can't fault the performance. Overtaking etc isn't an issue as she has enough power/torque to do it - even more if you get it remapped

The only thing I will say is that VW aren't as rock solid from a reliability standpoint as they used to be. I've had lots of "little things" go wrong with mine, and a few larger issues and the costs do mount up. Of course, it could be just my bad luck, but it's something to be aware of...

I'm hoping to change it this year but will probably buy another VAG car and definitely an automatic.. I haven't driven a manual in years and don't intend to start now

aoife2k · 01-01-2008 9:27pm

I'm seriously going to have to take one out for a spin sometime it sounds exciting!

I've wanted an A4 for a long time...I like the look of this one but I'm confused about how it's so cheap compared to others of a similar age and milage being more expensive??? http://search.autotrader.ie/www/cars_advert?country=IE&sort=5&currency=EUR&modelexact=1&make=Audi&model=A4&min_pr=1000&max_pr=15000&county_list=3_4_5_6_7_10_11_12_13_14_15_16_18_19_20_21_22_23_24_25_26_28_29_30_31_32_33&x=67&y=12&id=200752187680647

what do you think cantdecide? I'm just wondering though how much would it be to clear it?

Biro · 01-01-2008 9:49pm

aoife2k wrote: »

I'm seriously going to have to take one out for a spin sometime it sounds exciting!

I've wanted an A4 for a long time...I like the look of this one but I'm confused about how it's so cheap compared to others of a similar age and milage being more expensive??? http://search.autotrader.ie/www/cars_advert?country=IE&sort=5&currency=EUR&modelexact=1&make=Audi&model=A4&min_pr=1000&max_pr=15000&county_list=3_4_5_6_7_10_11_12_13_14_15_16_18_19_20_21_22_23_24_25_26_28_29_30_31_32_33&x=67&y=12&id=200752187680647

what do you think cantdecide? I'm just wondering though how much would it be to clear it?

My comments weren't aimed at you, like ninty9er said. No need to snap. My point was mainly trying to clarify as to when you said large cc cars, did you mean 1.9 diesels, as you seemed happy with a 2 litre petrol. I was just trying to clarify. And I'm not criticising your driving, sure you don't have a diesel car yet, how can I say you drive it in any particular way? Sure I don't even know you!
That car will cost €4117 to clear. Just a heads up, there are a massive amount of cars coming in from the UK by people who sell them on for a quick buck, most are Passats and A4's as they are in demand over here. Of what I've seen, a large percentage of them are clocked. Any car you buy that has a full dealer service history in the book, you're best bet is to ring that dealer and ask them if they have it in their records and do they have the recorded milage from the service intervals. A dealer stamp can be faked.
If you're buying from someone who bought in the UK to sell for profit (Don't get me wrong, no harm in making money, I'm not criticising!), then just remember that most poeple who buy a car to sell for a profit find and buy the cheapest they can, not necessarily the best they can. And that can be a big difference.

Biro · 01-01-2008 9:55pm

aoife2k wrote: »

2nd -> 2 ignition coils and a battery is serious to me if i'm stuck in the back arse of nowhere. CD player wasn't serious but i was just giving an over view of the mishaps with the car

That's a good point. You should consider joining the RAC or the AA (although from what I've heard from people's experiences, they prefered the RAC). The benefits of this would be that you'll get a rate if you decide to buy privately from them to go and give the car a check before you buy, and then you'll be covered no matter what happens or where. It's worth considering.

aoife2k · 01-01-2008 9:56pm

Apologies Biro....

You've a good point though. I need a man to be with me searching me thinks, one who is in the know!

cantdecide · 01-01-2008 9:59pm

As a rule, doubling the sterling price will give you an approx cost after VRT is paid. For your budget, it could well be from a UK main dealer at your budget.

If you send any enquiries to UK main dealers, make sure you ask them if any warranty would be transferrable. I don't know if they would be for a car out it's manufacturer's warranty. If they won't give you a transferrable warranty, they'll probably give you a better deal.

Biro · 01-01-2008 10:01pm

aoife2k wrote: »

Apologies Biro....

You've a good point though. I need a man to be with me searching me thinks, one who is in the know!

Ah no worries, it's hard to get tone across in text!
Ya, be careful buying no matter what it is. The majority of sellers, both private and trade are genuine, but there is an increasing amount of chancers out there with cars for sale with shady history or none at all. And often if it looks too clean, there may be a dodgy reason for it!

aoife2k · 01-01-2008 10:23pm

Defo, only thing is i'm fussy and if i'm lookin i won't look for plain. I won't have the money to add bits and bobs (not many but to make it look nicer) so if it comes with it already that's a bonus

bazz26 · 01-01-2008 11:03pm

aoife2k wrote: »

I've wanted an A4 for a long time...I like the look of this one but I'm confused about how it's so cheap compared to others of a similar age and milage being more expensive??? http://search.autotrader.ie/www/cars_advert?country=IE&sort=5&currency=EUR&modelexact=1&make=Audi&model=A4&min_pr=1000&max_pr=15000&county_list=3_4_5_6_7_10_11_12_13_14_15_16_18_19_20_21_22_23_24_25_26_28_29_30_31_32_33&x=67&y=12&id=200752187680647

what do you think cantdecide? I'm just wondering though how much would it be to clear it?

Be careful looking at UK imports over here, alot of them can and have been clocked. Make sure you do the relevent HPI checks on them yourself which means you need the car's chassis number and old UK reg number. If the seller is giving you bull**** excuses or the runaround then walk away.

Personally myself if I was looking at a UK import I would not buy anything from a middleman over here trying to make a fast return on his investment. I would go to the UK and pick out my own car and do my homework.

BFassassin · 01-01-2008 11:32pm

What about something like this
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=849095
I would like to get one myself and was wondering should the very high mileage be a concern?

ninty9er · 01-01-2008 11:36pm

BFassassin wrote: »

What about something like this
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=849095
I would like to get one myself and was wondering should the very high mileage be a concern?

Wouldn't be worried about that mileage on a diesel Audi??

aoife2k · 01-01-2008 11:50pm

That high milage would put me off.....I found this little beauty on carsireland.ie. It's from the toyota garage where I get my own serviced...what's your thoughts?

http://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=98517&r=s.php%3Fm%3D7%26amp%3Bh%3D2%26amp%3Bg%3D1

I think it's nice looking, alright miles and grand price. Showed it to Mum and she did a complete U-turn on me. "you don't need a big car like that" etc... In fairness, now it's not like my corolla is huge, but it's not a small car either....

BFassassin · 01-01-2008 11:57pm

ninty9er wrote: »

Wouldn't be worried about that mileage on a diesel Audi??

Yeah i thought that. Its kinda hard to understand how someone can do that sort of miles in 6 years though. I know of cars that are 15 years old with similar milage to that audi

ninty9er · 02-01-2008 12:14am

BFassassin wrote: »

Yeah i thought that. Its kinda hard to understand how someone can do that sort of miles in 6 years though. I know of cars that are 15 years old with similar milage to that audi

Quite Conceivable; 20k a year on a diesel like that is nothing. It could also be a 40k a year rep car for 2 years and then 4 years at 10k with a family driver.

aoife2k · 02-01-2008 12:21am

Ok so what you guys are saying is that high milage on a car like shouldn't put me off?

cantdecide · 02-01-2008 12:24am

aoife2k wrote: »

That high milage would put me off.....I found this little beauty on carsireland.ie. It's from the toyota garage where I get my own serviced...what's your thoughts?

http://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=98517&r=s.php%3Fm%3D7%26amp%3Bh%3D2%26amp%3Bg%3D1

I think it's nice looking, alright miles and grand price. Showed it to Mum and she did a complete U-turn on me. "you don't need a big car like that" etc... In fairness, now it's not like my corolla is huge, but it's not a small car either....

One of my pet peeves is actually people asking 'need little car for my little wife/ girlfriend'. Why must women go second class when it come to cars?? OP, your mum surely knows you are doing high mileage and long trips on probably not too many good roads. If someone like you doesn't need a better, more comfortable car, who does?? I certainly wouldn't be spending €15k on a toy car for your requirements.

As regards mileage, you have to ask yourself how many miles you will put on this car yourself. Buy it with 115k and put up 60k more in 3 years- not such a good situation. Buying with 70k is a much better situation if you can. When these cars are relatively new they have an artificially higher price even with big mileage so for marginally more, you could get a lot less mileage.

littlejukka · 02-01-2008 12:24am

i'd be looking at an IS200 Sport for that sort of money, around 2003, maybe even 2004. to hell with economy.

bazz26 · 02-01-2008 12:36am

aoife2k wrote: »

Ok so what you guys are saying is that high milage on a car like shouldn't put me off?

The mileage on the odometer is not always a good indication of how good or bad a car is.

For example, a 100k miles ex company car that spend most of it's life up and down motorways may have been better looked after and maintained than say a 20k mile car owned by an old granny who grinds gears to and from the shops but never had it serviced.

I would be more concerned with looking for a service history and/or receipts for maintenance/repairs. This gives an indication of how the car was cared for by previous owners. Also have a mechanic check the car out before buying.

People tend to put too much emphesis on mileage as being a good judge of what is or what isn't a good car.

cantdecide · 02-01-2008 12:44am

bazz26 wrote: »

The mileage on the odometer is not always a good indication of how good or bad a car is.

For example, a 100k miles ex company car that spend most of it's life up and down motorways may have been better looked after and maintained than say a 20k mile car owned by an old granny who grinds gears to and from the shops but never had it serviced.

I would be more concerned with looking for a service history and/or receipts for maintenance/repairs. This gives an indication of how the car was cared for by previous owners. Also have a mechanic check the car out before buying.

People tend to put too much emphesis on mileage as being a good judge of what is or what isn't a good car.

The best outcome is a car that has 70/80 on it with FSH, receipts etc. These cars are out there so you shouldn''t have to settle. The regulars here will probably tell you that they wouldn't almost expect to find one in the UK.

E92 · 02-01-2008 12:52pm

That A4 is now being advertised as having 79,000 miles on it, hardly excessive for a 6 year old car. Or was the mileage different yesterday(only saw this today)? In which case could the car have been clocked?

BFassassin · 02-01-2008 12:57pm

We were talking about this A4 having high mileage
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=849095
Its still not too bad though.

siralfalot · 02-01-2008 1:36pm

Audis are boring, you need one of these!!

cantdecide · 02-01-2008 2:05pm

An alfa with 105k. As Clarkson said, a car you'd buy yourself but couldn't recommend to a friend. Nice though.

Ps, you've mixed up boring and understated, sirchavalot:D

siralfalot · 02-01-2008 2:42pm

cantdecide wrote: »

An alfa with 105k. As Clarkson said, a car you'd buy yourself but couldn't recommend to a friend. Nice though.

Ps, you've mixed up boring and understated, sirchavalot:D

nah, Audis are decent cars alright, but the styling is just not "for me" its very conservative

as for that alfa, its my own, its kind of, perhaps, maybe, not really, for sale.... haven't decided yet, it will take a special kind of nutcase to want to buy it :cool:

chav? I think not

cantdecide · 02-01-2008 2:51pm

siralfalot wrote: »

nah, Audis are decent cars alright, but the styling is just not "for me" its very conservative

as for that alfa, its my own, its kind of, perhaps, maybe, not really, for sale.... haven't decided yet, it will take a special kind of nutcase to want to buy it :cool:

chav? I think not

Phew!! I'm glad I didn't tell you what I really think of it:D I'm just yanking your chain, she's gorgeous. I'd say you should keep it.

aoife2k · 02-01-2008 3:30pm

cantdecide wrote: »

One of my pet peeves is actually people asking 'need little car for my little wife/ girlfriend'. Why must women go second class when it come to cars??

Here here! I totally agree, I always have a little laugh to myself when I see a nice new built house. A Passat or someother kind of car out the front with a little corsa/micra beside it, it's so obivous who owns what!

My thinking on it is if I can get a car I like, good price 2nd hand, what's the point of down grading myself with a brand new 'smaller' one that I don't like. My mum would say 'it's not about what you like or what you want, it's about whats goin to be reliable in the long run' (serious broken record syndrome) but i think a lot HAS to do with what you like and want. If i had the car I really really wanted and liked, i'd be much more careful with it and look after it more than one i didn't like/want

cantdecide · 02-01-2008 4:52pm

aoife2k wrote: »

..a little corsa/micra beside it, it's so obivous who owns what!...

Knowing your station and all that malarkey:rolleyes:

You should tell your mum (from me!) for €15k, to end up with a car you don't like and doesn't suit your needs would be downright bloody careless.

Most used hatches represent the poorest value for money in the car market IMO.

€15k is more than twice what my car is worth and I never shut up about the bloody things. Most guys here are the same. If she's so worried about unexpected expense, spend less on the car you need and give yourself a safety net. Newer doesn't mean more reliable. Most of the corsas /micras I think she would have you buy never get serviced because the owners idea of motoring is drive around with gay abandon then trade-in.

Changing car.....but what to pick!?

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