Buying a car

EricTheWeary

p90fool said:

Emp_Fab said:

I’m really not a brand snob.  I don’t care what name is on it as long as it’s well constructed.  I won’t deny that a significant element in my decision making (or perhaps ‘indecision’ would be more appropriate!) is the psychological effect of my redundancy.  I went from a well paid job with a bit of status and a BMW to nothing with no car.  My new job has no car, no status at all and pays six grand less.

Accordingly, I’m trying not to compound the ego bruising that would come with having to drive around in a cheaply constructed shopping car.  Again, it’s not the brand, but the impression of quality the car gives to me.  Hence my trying to find something with a few toys like heated leather etc.

The Kia I looked at yesterday was nice enough but it was like tools from Lidl...  They look the part from a distance but on closer examination, you see they’re poorly cast from cheap materials.  I don’t want to drive a car that feels like that.  I want a car that makes me feel I’m still doing OK, even if I’m on my way to a no-status job for less money.

I can and do totally sympathise with this, having had "proper" jobs for years and now earning £5 per hour less than I did in 1988, but speaking from personal experience, it's time to STOP basing your self-esteem on what tin box you're seen in at the supermarket, or how many thousands of pounds you can afford to leave rotting on the drive. 

I mean this in no way as a criticism because I've been there and I sincerely applaud your honesty, but when you give up that shallow, pointless, expensive fight and re-prioritise what makes you happy life suddenly gets much simpler. 

Having gone from a management position to unemployed to little above office junior in the last 30 months I couldn't sympathise more although I'd also agree with P90. 

Diesel depends on the type of driving you do, I do more motorway driving than I've ever done in my life now so it works out well for me. If I wanted to go into a city with a LEZ I'd park up and get a train. As I live on the outskirts of Birmingham this is going to be an issue for me very soon but already if I want to go to the city centre I'll park and ride.   Worrying about the future of diesel vehicles when buying a car that'll be turned into shopping trollies in a few years is, IMHO, a complete red herring. Who knows, if they run a scrappage scheme it might even be worth a few quid. 

randella

I was being serious about the manufacturer's marketing dichotomy.  Not everyone can be Audi - in a few years' time even Audi won't be Audi, it'll probably be Mercedes.  It's got to be their turn next.

So Kia make decent, reliable cars built to a price point.  Then they glam up their image a bit with the hot versions which are going down well with the press.  They don't have Audi's lovely soft-touch interiors, nor BMW's refined handling but they do the job.

I'll freely admit that now I own a nicer car than I did I feel better.  I feel better because it's a nice looking car that drives well, is comfortable, and has lovely alloys.  Yes, I'm the vain idiot who went for the 18" wheels that do nothing for the ride but look cool.  There's a bit of vanity in us all.

I do stop at the point of giving a monkey's what anyone else thinks, mind - someone who judges your worth based on the badge attached to the front of the tool you use to get to work isn't worth the time of day.  Bollocks to that.

I suppose you have to work out if you want posh, old and leggy, or bland, newer, and workaday?  It's a miracle there's even that much choice in the used market given you can now spec a new Fiesta to over £20k.

EricTheWeary

If you want distinctive on this budget you could look at grey imports. Often not stupid mileage, some warranty, some toys. Certainly turn a few heads driving through the valleys... 

 https://alljapanesemotors.co.uk/japanese-cars-for-sale/?price=5000&listing_order=date&listing_orderby=DESC

Veganic

Please, please, please buy a car!

Then we can move on to the "Did I buy the right car" thread, followed by the "How do I sell a car thread," and then finally on to the "false alarm, I am keeping it" thread.

ICBM

Emp_Fab said:

I disagree.  As long as the bits that are expensive to repair are reliable, they won’t lose money.  It’s about finish and detail - that’s where they’re saving money.  A poorly finished weld on a door is no more likely to fail than an invisible one on a Merc.  Likewise a plasticky interior - these things won’t be the cause of any warranty claims.  They have a reputation for reliability, so mechanically they are undoubtedly sound.  It’s the illusion of a high quality interior that falls flat.

Why does the appearance of a weld seam on the top edge of a door matter? Does it affect the strength of the weld? Do you even see it normally? Why does the inside of the glove box door matter?

You're on a limited budget. Why not concentrate on the things that really matter - practicality, reliability, economy and condition - and forget about the stuff that doesn't...

On the budget you have, if you want a *good* car then you have to forget about all the crap that makes cars expensive and accept the stuff that cuts costs without affecting the good stuff. If you can afford a posh car then by all means get fussy about the trivial nonsense.

Or buy an eight year old Renault Grand Scenic, you'll get one for under £4K now. And no I am not selling mine!

Emp_Fab

I've made my decision.

I think.

I want a Honda CRZ.  It just appeals to me!

It's so weird and wonderful.  I don't think I've ever even seen one on the road.  There are two within an hour's drive of me.  I'm currently making a shortlist of the thirty-odd that are currently on Autotrader.  The top dog GT models that I lust for will require train journeys of at least six hours and a leap of faith that they turn out to be as good as they appear in the advert.  Otherwise I'm in for a very long day return trip on the choochoo.

randella

Emp_Fab said:

I've made my decision.

I think.

I want a Honda CRZ.  It just appeals to me!

It's so weird and wonderful.  I don't think I've ever even seen one on the road.  There are two within an hour's drive of me.  I'm currently making a shortlist of the thirty-odd that are currently on Autotrader.  The top dog GT models that I lust for will require train journeys of at least six hours and a leap of faith that they turn out to be as good as they appear in the advert.  Otherwise I'm in for a very long day return trip on the choochoo.

You'll certainly spot that in the supermarket carpark.   I like it, but then again I like the previous generation bubble-butt Civic which, if I had to guess, probably underpins the CRZ.

steveledzep

Emp_Fab said:

I've made my decision.

I think.

I want a Honda CRZ.  It just appeals to me!

It's so weird and wonderful.  I don't think I've ever even seen one on the road.  There are two within an hour's drive of me.  I'm currently making a shortlist of the thirty-odd that are currently on Autotrader.  The top dog GT models that I lust for will require train journeys of at least six hours and a leap of faith that they turn out to be as good as they appear in the advert.  Otherwise I'm in for a very long day return trip on the choochoo.

Go for it.  Choose the best one, mileage, spec, service history etc irrespective of distance.  It's only one day out of your life and I really enjoyed the train journeys when I went for mine.  If it's from a dealer tell them the distance you're travelling and ask for a warts and all description.

PeterOne

Not read all 9 pages so I don't know if it's been mentioned but Mazda do nice cars - nice to drive and from my experience usually nicer interior than other cars in their price range.

ronnyb

Emp_Fab said:

I've made my decision.

I think.

I want a Honda CRZ.  It just appeals to me!

It's so weird and wonderful.  I don't think I've ever even seen one on the road.  There are two within an hour's drive of me.  I'm currently making a shortlist of the thirty-odd that are currently on Autotrader.  The top dog GT models that I lust for will require train journeys of at least six hours and a leap of faith that they turn out to be as good as they appear in the advert.  Otherwise I'm in for a very long day return trip on the choochoo.

It would be an idea to check parts availability for those being as they are so rare. A lot of the running gear and mechanicals are probably shared with other mainstream Honda cars but not so the bodywork and interior etc.  According to 'how many left' there are fewer than 1500 in the uk. 

iseverynamegone

PeterOne said:

Not read all 9 pages so I don't know if it's been mentioned but Mazda do nice cars - nice to drive and from my experience usually nicer interior than other cars in their price range.


I think the Mazda 3 was ruled out around February due to having the wrong shaped gearknob

iseverynamegone

I think CRZ looks nice. Please buy one 

PeterOne

iseverynamegone said:

PeterOne said:

Not read all 9 pages so I don't know if it's been mentioned but Mazda do nice cars - nice to drive and from my experience usually nicer interior than other cars in their price range.

I think the Mazda 3 was ruled out around February due to having the wrong shaped gearknob

Ah, of course.

hywelg

9 pages and you still haven't bought a car!!!!   I skipped pages 2-8

boogieman

hywelg said:

9 pages and you still haven't bought a car!!!!   I skipped pages 2-8

I’m expecting this to run at least 50 pages, with Emp sharing his plans to whittle a car from a tree stump and power it by methane on page 43. 

EricTheWeary

hywelg said:

9 pages and you still haven't bought a car!!!!   I skipped pages 2-8

Back on page 2 we were still discussing the merits of the new Talbot Sunbeam versus the Vauxhall Chevette. 

hywelg

EricTheWeary said:

hywelg said:

9 pages and you still haven't bought a car!!!!   I skipped pages 2-8

Back on page 2 we were still discussing the merits of the new Talbot Sunbeam versus the Vauxhall Chevette. 

Don't go there,  I'm old enough for those to be new and desirable back when I had a Vauxhall Viva van.    

p90fool

boogieman said:

hywelg said:

9 pages and you still haven't bought a car!!!!   I skipped pages 2-8

I’m expecting this to run at least 50 pages, with Emp sharing his plans to whittle a car from a tree stump and power it by methane on page 43. 

Buying a hoverpack - WHICH IS SEXY HOVERPACK FOR 95 YEAR OLD MAN?

SouthpawMark

Mercedes AMG is sexy car.

Don’t get a Honda. They have a secret setting which makes you drive 20mph below every speed limit. 

Emp_Fab

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 ?