Buying a car

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  • VeganicVeganic Frets: 673
    edited May 2019
    So you are going for a pretty niche car that is also a hybrid but isn't free to tax. It is basically a 2+2 sports car but you are not sure about the hard ride or low profiles? And you recently had problems with your back, or was that someone else (I think it was someone else, sorry)?

    And you trust anyone's judgement but your own?

    I think you should have both - then you will always have spare parts. Or none.

    Edit: and it takes over 10 seconds to get to 60?  L.o.l. etc
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  • ronnybronnyb Frets: 1742
    Emp_Fab said:
    OK Guys...... this is it...  the FINAL decision is upon me (well - you really !).  I'm down to two examples of the Honda CRZ.  I can't decide which one to go for.

    One is a 12 plate with 95,000 miles on for £6,000.  The other is an 11 plate with 68,000 miles on for £6,500.

    They both have full service history and good MOT history.  Visually there's nothing between them in terms of bodywork or interior.

    The 11 plate one does have the factory Sat-Nav / Multimedia touch-screen, an extra bit of sporty trim down the sides and 17" Honda Speedline alloys with low-profile tyres and it's done 27,000 fewer miles - but it's a year older and £500 more. 

    The Sat-Nav / Multimedia thing is neither here nor there really as I would possibly fit a more modern touch-screen unit to either car.  I'm also a little concerned about the low-profile tyres.  Jap cars have a rep for having firm rides and the low-profiles will make that worse I suspect (though I've never driven a car with low-profiles on, so I'm just guessing here).

    Anyway - here are the two;

    In the Red corner.....  
    https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201904096801021 

    In the Blue corner.....
    https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201904277383754

    What would the baby Jeebus do ?

    I did mention in the thread a bit earlier that spares may be a problem given their rarity. Buy 'em both so if one goes wrong you can take parts of the other. Same colour as well so you can swap the body panels!
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71952
    Show the dealer with the 11-plate the ad for the 12-plate one for £500 less and ask him to match the price, then buy the 11- plate .

    I'd probably buy the 11-plate even without a price match, the mileage difference is substantial and probably more important than the age. The dealer with the 120 reviews and 4.8 stars is probably a safer bet than the one with only 6, even though the 6 reviews are all 5 star. If you read right through the reviews there's only one bad one, and that was for something that was really outside the dealer's control.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27343
    IIRC, those CRZs rev quite high.  Redlines at 7000 or something similarly daft.

    Not a problem per se; engines are Honda-reliable (as long as the service record is main dealer to ensure that the right spec consumables have been used throughout - you cant bung any cheap oil in there!) ... but how’s the noise level when compared to your old BMW, and how tiring do you find the constant rev-rev-rev after 20 mins of driving?

    If the BMW was diesel (I really don’t remember), it’ll be a bit chalk-to-cheese as a driving experience.

    Also make sure your back is OK,  They were intended for the 20-something market (who only went to the supermarket car park *after* closing time!) who had spines that hadn’t been troubled by life.  

    :)
    Having trouble posting images here?  This might help.
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  • steveledzepsteveledzep Frets: 1172
    The 11 plate with lower mileage is my choice.  As @ICBM says play the 12 plate off against the dealer for a price match.
    Wouldn't worry about Hondas revving to 7,000rpm, most other cars rev to 6,000 anyway.  You don't need to rev a car to the limit.  As a petrol Honda it will be smooth and quiet, unlike the oil burning tractor engine in your BMW.  Good luck.
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  • underdogunderdog Frets: 8334
    I can't imagine the tyres are that low profile on 17inch rims. What profile are they? 50 or 55s or something like that?
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  • Emp_FabEmp_Fab Frets: 24208
    I can't see from the pics.  The standard rims are 16", so, assuming the wheel arch to tyre gap remains the same, that's 0.5" of sidewall less on the 17" rims, which is....  carry the two....  divide by 6.7....  erm......   lower profile tyres.

    As for laughing at the performance of it - I'm not interested in performance, I'm more interested in how it looks - inside and out, how economical it is and how cheap it is to tax.  Find me a better looking car with £20 p.a. tax, equivalent mpg and heated leather seats for £6500.

    It's got more horses than my Beemer had and the same 0-60 time.

    I love it for it's weirdness.  There's nothing else like it on the road.  It's like a concept car that somehow made it into a production run.  
      
    Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
    Also chips are "Plant-based" no matter how you cook them.
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  • Emp_FabEmp_Fab Frets: 24208
    underdog said:
    I can't imagine the tyres are that low profile on 17inch rims. What profile are they? 50 or 55s or something like that?
    I just checked the spec for those rims - 205/45/17.
    Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
    Also chips are "Plant-based" no matter how you cook them.
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  • underdogunderdog Frets: 8334
    Emp_Fab said:
    underdog said:
    I can't imagine the tyres are that low profile on 17inch rims. What profile are they? 50 or 55s or something like that?
    I just checked the spec for those rims - 205/45/17.

    They will be fine, I run my van on 50s and that's 2 tonne of van and 18 inch wheels, plenty of rubber to soak up the road with 45s.
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  • RaymondLinRaymondLin Frets: 11805
    Emp_Fab said:
    OK Guys...... this is it...  the FINAL decision is upon me (well - you really !).  I'm down to two examples of the Honda CRZ.  I can't decide which one to go for.

    One is a 12 plate with 95,000 miles on for £6,000.  The other is an 11 plate with 68,000 miles on for £6,500.

    They both have full service history and good MOT history.  Visually there's nothing between them in terms of bodywork or interior.

    The 11 plate one does have the factory Sat-Nav / Multimedia touch-screen, an extra bit of sporty trim down the sides and 17" Honda Speedline alloys with low-profile tyres and it's done 27,000 fewer miles - but it's a year older and £500 more. 

    The Sat-Nav / Multimedia thing is neither here nor there really as I would possibly fit a more modern touch-screen unit to either car.  I'm also a little concerned about the low-profile tyres.  Jap cars have a rep for having firm rides and the low-profiles will make that worse I suspect (though I've never driven a car with low-profiles on, so I'm just guessing here).

    Anyway - here are the two;

    In the Red corner.....  
    https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201904096801021 

    In the Blue corner.....
    https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201904277383754

    What would the baby Jeebus do ?

    You can easily haggle that £500 and a year older is NOT a problem, the mileage difference is basically like 3 more years of driving for you.  Take the 68k miles one.
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  • blobbblobb Frets: 2914
    edited May 2019
    Don't get the one with multiple cup holders.
    Feelin' Reelin' & Squeelin'
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  • thumpingrugthumpingrug Frets: 2890
    Go for the one in Peterborough.  Its a nicer place than Blackburn - well, its not Lancashire, which has to be a bonus.   (Yorkshireman speaking).   


    PS.  Both cars have lots of buttons, so should be fine.

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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    The lower mileage one. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • Emp_FabEmp_Fab Frets: 24208
    Now I’m trying to work out how to get there.  I’m going away to Menorca on Monday, back Saturday.  I’m starting the new job the Monday after.  It’s a 7h train ride, plus a 5h drive back.  They are open Sundays, which helps.  I could go up this evening, stay overnight, drive back tomorrow, or do the same thing next weekend after we get home from the airport.

    I could do it in one day if I try to sleep on the train on the way up...

    A mate suggested hiring a car and driving up and back in the same day...  I’m not so sure that would be safe.
    Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
    Also chips are "Plant-based" no matter how you cook them.
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  • steveledzepsteveledzep Frets: 1172
    Whichever way you do it, put a refundable deposit on it £250.  That way they'll keep it for you and know you're serious.  I'd go today because I'm impatient once I've made my decision.
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  • Emp_FabEmp_Fab Frets: 24208
    Also, I can’t see how I can haggle the £500 with the guy - his car has 27K less on the clock, the ‘Dynamics Plus’ extras pack, the optional 17” alloys and the optional sat-nav touchscreen.  The other car is bog standard apart from having the “Glow pack” (pretty interior lighting).  The only disadvantage to the first car compared to the second, for use as bargaining leverage is the 11 months difference in age.
    Plus, he says he has someone coming to look at it on Sunday, which could be true.
    Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
    Also chips are "Plant-based" no matter how you cook them.
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    I just spent two minutes getting quotes on getting that car delivered from Peterborough to Cardiff - £225. Presumably a dealer could get it cheaper. If you are going to buy it completely sight unseen anyway why not say you’ll buy it if he includes delivery? Would save you a lot of time and train tickets would have been a chunk of that money. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • wibblewibble Frets: 1083
    You done your research on what to look out for? eg

    It costs £1000 + labour to replace the hybrid battery - the battery had a 5 year/90K mile warranty from new so I imagine a lot of owners would have got rid as it was expiring. How long they actually perform for I don't know but owners forums would be a good source of info.

    Have you had a look on any owners club forums/facebook groups for similar info and/or cars for sale?

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  • strtdvstrtdv Frets: 2356
    edited May 2019
    I'd definitely go for the lower mileage one.

    The VTEC engine should be very reliable. 

    The hybrid bit is more of an unknown. On one hand they are older battery tech (NiMH vs Li-ion), but actually NiMH batteries are much cheaper to replace (I'd still budget £1k plus fitting). Honda have said they expect the batteries to last 10-14 years so with a bit of luck you should have plenty of life in it yet.

    I have to say I quite like it. It's fun, the interior looks nice, you certainly don't see them every day, and in a small and low car like that it'll be fun to drive even if it's not very quick. It's more fun driving fast in a slow car than driving slowly in a fast car.
    Robot Lords of Tokyo, SMILE TASTE KITTENS!
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  • MajorscaleMajorscale Frets: 1553
    At that age of car the plate gets less relevant, I’d base my decision purely on mileage and condition.

    Unquestionably go for the lower mileage one.
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