Buying a car

RaymondLin

joneve said:

RaymondLin said:

joneve said:

RaymondLin said:

gubble said:

Fretwired said:

My neighbour had a new Audi - just as bad. His car was off the road for over week at one point - he's just traded it in for a new car.

Only a week? That's not bad my 2018 Audi is currently in the garage, took them a week to diagnose the problem, another week to try and fix it, and now it's going to take a further two weeks to get the parts they think they need to fix it.

I'm working my way through their courtesy cars. They initially gave me an A4 that only did 25mpg which isn't much use when my Audi is a PHEV so i now have a Q3 Diesel until they need that back and give me something different.

This is the fourth problem needing fixing under warranty in less than 12 months. It's put me off the brand completely

These stories are one reason why sometimes getting barely used cars are the way to go.

1 - The worst depreciation has already happened
2 - All these little niggle problems should have been ironed out under warranty

Audi sound a lot like Nissan. We bought our X-Trail "nearly new" (18 months old ish), and had problems with it from day one basically. Start/Stop never worked for more than a day or two and had been back to various Nissan dealers twice to be sorted. 

We eventually took the decision to cut our losses and get rid (which ended up costing us money in the short term) before it fell out of warranty and we ran the risk of continued problems that would end up costing us money (and time, more importantly. I'd already lost at least 3 days pay because of breakdowns and having to arrange for the car to be taken into the main dealer)

As I've said, we've replaced with a Skoda, which is brand new. We got a good deal (nearly 6k off the list price of the car), which removes the VAT depreciation straight away. We'll still lose some depreciation, but we plan on it being a long-term car, so I'm not really too concerned with that at this point. 

If it's reliable as skoda have the reputation for (which I'm hoping!), we should have less headaches than we did with the X-Trail. 

Ironically a Skoda underneath is pretty much a lot of Audi !

Indeed! I don't get how VW and Audi can come so low down in reliability scores but Skoda are much nearer the top of the pops. Makes absolutely no sense! 

I think a lot of it is to do with expectations, the more premium a brand seems, the more people expect from it.  So a tiny creeking sound in a Skoda will be overlooked but the same creek in an Audi would be in the shop to be investigated.  

One will get a negative in the reliability score, one won't.

fob

The Mitsubishi approved car scheme is supposed to be up there with Kia's. This one's a little bit further than you were thinking but (I think) ticks a few of your boxes.

https://used-cars.mitsubishi-motors.co.uk/advert/201907250440352/9598?postcode=sa28pp

gubble

RaymondLin said:

I think a lot of it is to do with expectations, the more premium a brand seems, the more people expect from it.  So a tiny creeking sound in a Skoda will be overlooked but the same creek in an Audi would be in the shop to be investigated.  

One will get a negative in the reliability score, one won't.

Or in my case. various sensors failing when it rains and most recently when you turn the ignition off the aircon turns on full blast. You then have to leave the car for at least 20min before going back to it and being able to turn the air con off.

The dealer was quite happy to say this problem had never been experienced before and even H/O in Germany were stumped. They thought the problem was a faulty heater control panel - part ordered (e-tron specific). Part then couldn't be coded to the car which caused another problem bricking the replacement control panel. They took another contorl panel out of a customer's e-tron (i'm sure they'd be happy to know that) and the problem still ocurrs - so i think they really don't know what's going on.

My car was one of the last A3's E-Trons to be sold and given the trouble I've had with it i'm fairly sure it was a Friday afternoon car.

Do Skoda still use the previous generation of Audi/VW bits in their cars which would mean that any issues have been ironed out after the first release?

BeardyAndy

At sub £2.5k i'd ignore anything that wasn't made in Japan, my choice would be a Mazda 3.

Electro_Ham

gubble said:

RaymondLin said:

I think a lot of it is to do with expectations, the more premium a brand seems, the more people expect from it.  So a tiny creeking sound in a Skoda will be overlooked but the same creek in an Audi would be in the shop to be investigated.  

One will get a negative in the reliability score, one won't.

Or in my case. various sensors failing when it rains and most recently when you turn the ignition off the aircon turns on full blast. You then have to leave the car for at least 20min before going back to it and being able to turn the air con off.

The dealer was quite happy to say this problem had never been experienced before and even H/O in Germany were stumped. They thought the problem was a faulty heater control panel - part ordered (e-tron specific). Part then couldn't be coded to the car which caused another problem bricking the replacement control panel. They took another contorl panel out of a customer's e-tron (i'm sure they'd be happy to know that) and the problem still ocurrs - so i think they really don't know what's going on.

My car was one of the last A3's E-Trons to be sold and given the trouble I've had with it i'm fairly sure it was a Friday afternoon car.

Do Skoda still use the previous generation of Audi/VW bits in their cars which would mean that any issues have been ironed out after the first release?

That's what I was thinking. Parts have been tried and tested.
I hired a new Skoda for 11 days last fortnight. I asked for a Fabia Estate and was pleasantly surprised to get a well specced Octavia Estate. Took it from Prague through Czech to the east of Slovakia and back. It was petrol, possibly 1.5? Decent 'holiday' car that returned 54 to 61mpg. Motorway limits are 80mph there, so mpg was impressive and the car had enough poke to pass trucks on A and B roads safely and fully loaded. 

octatonic

Under 3k I’d be looking at Honda Civic first.

It is hard to remember back to the beginning of this thread but I’m pretty sure I said as much way back when.

crunchman

LastMantra said:

Should have got the bike. 

Saw a motorbike in that lime green colour yesterday.  Problem solved.

welshboyo

Slightly over-budget (and my form on suggesting actual cars ain't that good.....ahem)

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201906259385054?radius=25&sort=sponsored&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&price-to=4000&advertising-location=at_cars&make=HONDA&postcode=sa43ab&price-from=500&page=1

EDIT  - Ooh hang on - last pic looks like the drivers door is a different shade...hmm, could just be pic.. 

Emp_Fab

OK - this really is the final countdown....  I absolutely, must, without any exception, be the owner of a car before midnight Friday.  There is no alternative this time, no delay, no excuse.  If I don't own a car by midnight Friday, I'm a dead man.  ....and a single dead man at that.

Right now I'm concerned only with not wasting (up to) two and a half grand on a rustbucket that has a poor reputation for reliability.  In other words - I just want 'safe bet' suggestions.  My colleagues in work are suggesting a diesel Mondeo.   Oh - and one small change to my tiny list of requirements - no convertibles!  (and that means no bloody MX5's !!!!  ).

I don't give a shit what colour it is.  I just want a normal 'safe bet' motor that is unlikely to sieze or explode on me.

£2,500 ABSOLUTE limit.   No more than 15 miles away.

GO !!!!

WiresDreamDisasters

Wait, so the wife is pushing you into this?

Bridgehouse

WiresDreamDisasters said:

Wait, so the wife is pushing you into this?

She’s sick of him spending so much time on here updating this thread...

TTony

WiresDreamDisasters said:

Wait, so the wife is pushing you into this?

Emp_Fab said:

If I don't own a car by midnight Friday, I'm a dead man.  ....and a single dead man at that.

I read that more as she’s pushing him under something if he doesn’t get it sorted out.

joneve

Emp_Fab said:

OK - this really is the final countdown....  I absolutely, must, without any exception, be the owner of a car before midnight Friday.  There is no alternative this time, no delay, no excuse.  If I don't own a car by midnight Friday, I'm a dead man.  ....and a single dead man at that.

Right now I'm concerned only with not wasting (up to) two and a half grand on a rustbucket that has a poor reputation for reliability.  In other words - I just want 'safe bet' suggestions.  My colleagues in work are suggesting a diesel Mondeo.   Oh - and one small change to my tiny list of requirements - no convertibles!  (and that means no bloody MX5's !!!!  ).

I don't give a shit what colour it is.  I just want a normal 'safe bet' motor that is unlikely to sieze or explode on me.

£2,500 ABSOLUTE limit.   No more than 15 miles away.

GO !!!!

The mk4 mondeos are great cars. Mine did 104k before we sold it. Diesel is fine if you’re doing a decent journey that will clear the DPF (only issue we had) 

RaymondLin

I’ve heard that before, good luck!

Bridgehouse

joneve said:

Emp_Fab said:

OK - this really is the final countdown....  I absolutely, must, without any exception, be the owner of a car before midnight Friday.  There is no alternative this time, no delay, no excuse.  If I don't own a car by midnight Friday, I'm a dead man.  ....and a single dead man at that.

Right now I'm concerned only with not wasting (up to) two and a half grand on a rustbucket that has a poor reputation for reliability.  In other words - I just want 'safe bet' suggestions.  My colleagues in work are suggesting a diesel Mondeo.   Oh - and one small change to my tiny list of requirements - no convertibles!  (and that means no bloody MX5's !!!!  ).

I don't give a shit what colour it is.  I just want a normal 'safe bet' motor that is unlikely to sieze or explode on me.

£2,500 ABSOLUTE limit.   No more than 15 miles away.

GO !!!!

The mk4 mondeos are great cars. Mine did 104k before we sold it. Diesel is fine if you’re doing a decent journey that will clear the DPF (only issue we had) 

Cornwall and back would be a decent journey.

joneve

Lexus IS220D 

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201906058691046

manual box isn’t as refined as the auto if memory serves...but Lexus reliability if it’s been looked after. 

steveledzep

joneve said:

Lexus IS220D 

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201906058691046

manual box isn’t as refined as the auto if memory serves...but Lexus reliability if it’s been looked after. 

NO...NO...NO...!  I've driven Lexus for the past seven years and the IS220D is the worst vehicle they've ever produced.

Have a look around here:
https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/

TimmyO

Emp_Fab said:

  My colleagues in work are suggesting a diesel Mondeo.   

I had a diesel mondeo that I bought at about 16k miles and ran to about 120k and it was pretty much faultless. I think I needed a water pump once and the guy said that was a bit of a random failure not "a thing" 

any now-cheap diesel largish car is going to have done a lot of miles and seen a lot of wear potentially but I'd say it's a decent shout for what you say you're now after 

TTony

There are 724 cars for sale, on Gumtree, 15mile radius of your postcode, under £2500.

The "I'm not buying from a trader" limit is daft.  At least buying from a trader you've got some hope of comeback if it blows up as soon as you drive off the forecourt.  You've zero chance of anything once you buy off a private drive.

At £2500, your priority is a year's MOT.  Get a year's driving out of it, and you're good.  Get 2 years, and you're a lucky man.  Get it past 3 years and you should have bought a lottery ticket - ie this is a disposable vehicle, not your life-long love.  In fact, if you can find something <£1k with 12mths MOT, buy it and then throw it away in a year's time (we'll be ready for another thread then).

So, accept that it's likely to have a less than perfect MOT history, will have dings and dents and scratches, etc.

I'd say avoid VAG cars only because they're always pricey because people (allegedly) always want them.  And if you still want to avoid Frenchies, then so be it (though the counter argument is that, having survived this long, it's probably one of the better Frenchie cars).

I would avoid diesels, just because you've never been clear on your intended use, and you'll soon kill a diesel with lots of little trips.

If you can find a one/two owner car - great.

Mitsubishi.  Simple, Small, reasonable miles.  <£2k.  And from a dealer so if you don't like this car, he's got others to have a look at.

Volvo c30.  High miles but looks good. and it'll go for just over £1k if you haggle well.

Focus.  Simple, cheap, 12mths MOT and  £600.  It's disposable.  Wait for a scrappage scheme and you can double your money.

Hyundai Coupe.  Says "good for its age" which sets expectations, but it's <£1k with the year's MOT.


There are hundreds of cars listed there.    Accept that it will come "with issues" but that it's going to save your life.

joneve

steveledzep said:

joneve said:

Lexus IS220D 

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201906058691046

manual box isn’t as refined as the auto if memory serves...but Lexus reliability if it’s been looked after. 

NO...NO...NO...!  I've driven Lexus for the past seven years and the IS220D is the worst vehicle they've ever produced.

Have a look around here:
https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/

I knew there was something about the IS220D, that wasn’t good, just couldn’t place it