replacement car question

[Alison]

Writing while classes are crap.

Is a car 10years old with 35 miles on the clock better than a car 5 years old with 125 miles on the clock. You know what I mean if you had £2500 to spend what would you go for?

Alison

 

[suburbanreuben]

Don't be put off by mileage. Look for a complete service record, preferably at a dealer. All those little things like skweeky door hinges and smeary wipers get done at the dealers.
Little old lady owners? pah! Do they ever check the oil?
Remember, Nice people sell nice cars! Not always true, but never buy one off a git!

 

[sylus]

agreed...history and a wad of bills is a good starting point. it normally means one of two things

the car is always breaking down or you had an owner who paid to have it maintained properly

More and more I'd recommend a check on it for damage,outstanding credit/loans etc

also, have a few clear types of car in mind to stop an impulse buy, read the reviews on that model so you know what particular faults that model has...they all have them.

 

[legrandefromage]

when was the cambelt last done? If it was done, were the followers and water pump done at the same time? Little things like that to look for before you like the colour.

 

[Alison]

Anyone got an opinion on the Vauxhall Zafira?

It is what we are thinking of getting in perhaps a 1.6 or 1.8 flavour

Alison

 

[daugs]

when was the cambelt last done? If it was done, were the followers and water pump done at the same time? Little things like that to look for before you like the colour.

definitely for a VW Polo or Golf, timing belt needs to be done every 60,000 miles supposedly so if 120,000 check done with waterpump, things like this change a good (cheap) deal into an expensive one

the problem with older cars (we have a VW polo on 51 plate with 130,000) is that all the electronic sensors etc play up and they are expensive (often uneconomic) to replace

 

[Russell]

I've bought two new cars this year. One has been a disaster, the other so far good as gold. I'll write more later when I'm not on a phone!

 

[legrandefromage]

Petroll vauxhauls seem to destroy their engines. Personally I would avoid but that is me. What does the local taxi firms use?
The mk3 mondeo is robust but you have to watch for the dreaded dual mass flywheel death rattle. I am curreently in a 52 plate mondeo with 407000 miles on it. The mk4 version is actually less reliable. Some flywheels went as early as 17000 miles.skoda octavia are good value.

 

[Alison]

Petroll vauxhauls seem to destroy their engines. Personally I would avoid but that is me. What does the local taxi firms use?
The mk3 mondeo is robust but you have to watch for the dreaded dual mass flywheel death rattle. I am curreently in a 52 plate mondeo with 407000 miles on it. The mk4 version is actually less reliable. Some flywheels went as early as 17000 miles.skoda octavia are good value.

Last time I had a Vauxhall it was an L reg Astra It was only 5 years old when we bought it, so going back some years there but we had no probs with it, had a Nova before that. We were thinking of an MPV as we have four children although the oldest is 20 and off to go an look at cars himself today. but it would be nice to be able to go out with the whole family in one car occasionally.

Alison

 

[legrandefromage]

Do an ebay completed items search on 'spares/ repair' and do a poll on what is the most common make/ model and go from there.