Buying a car

Nitefly

Emp_Fab said:

At the moment I’m sort of torn between a lovely Alfa Spider convertible in ‘Midlife Crisis Red’ and Honda Civic or Seat Ibiza, both in ‘OCD White’.

WHAT???!!!  8 pages or so ago you hated the Civic ("wedge of cheese" did you call it?)  AND the Seat (boring interior, I think you said)...

We're just going round in circles now!

FWIW, When I retired and lost the use of a company car in Jan 2015, I bought a 9-month old Peugeot 208 with 8000 miles on the clock.  I paid £8k for it, with the remains of the manufacturer's warranty - this came in handy because I took it back 3 times for them to find/fix a squeak (turned out to need a new roll-bar).

Since then it has cost me 1 new tyre (puncture) and a new exhaust bracket, and 3 MOT pass fees.

It's no fanny-magnet, but it does the job brilliantly and economically, getting 48 - 50 mpg most of the time.

And it's blue.

ronnyb

Buy the Alfa Emp, just make sure you’ve plenty of overalls and a comprehensive set of spanner’s.

FX_Munkee

Well we can rule the Spider out, because you haven't bought it. Alfa's are not for people who spend months deliberating over what car to buy. They're for people who buy the car on impulse whilst managing to ignore all the reasoning voices in their head going "what are you doing!!" It's kind of like a mental illness, except more fun.

Yours sincerely, a recovering Alfisti.

ROOG

If you are interested in a Hybrid, you could look a  Toyota Prius or an Auris Hybrid. Not the last word luxury, but smooth and quiet if driven with decorum.  They seem to fill the gap until full on electric cars become the norm.

RaymondLin

I don't think Emp still know what he wants and have narrowed it down anything at all.

If he is buying from the heart then he would have bought that CR-Z regardless of visibility.  Now he is looking at an Alfa Spider or Honda Civic?! WTF.   Emp, do you want sensible or do you want to play russian roulette everytime you want to start the car?  If you want to stand out in a car park then a Honda Civic is not it, it is many things, reliability, space, economy but standing out in a crowd is not one of them.  Unless you are getting the new Type-R with that massive wing.

I am so confused as to what you are looking for, which makes it impossible to make suggestions.

Emp_Fab

I just wis’d you for that because you’re spot on - I haven’t got a fucking clue what I want!

Having said that, I do want something that looks a bit sexy, but is also reliable and does more than fuck-all to the gallon.

So, given that the Japs have it stitched up on the reliability front, it’s probably going to be one of theirs.  However, they do have a predilection for making tiny ugly cars that will fit the narrow streets of Japan.

I disagree with your judgement on the Civic...  I’ve clocked a few that have turned my head - e.g. the new shape in Pearlescent White or “Arrggggghhh, my eyes, Green”.

strtdv

The new shape civic is quite eye-catching, but diamond cut alloys need to stop being a thing.

Emp_Fab

The CRZ was right up my street except that it was just tiny. My mate called it “Captain Kirk’s rollerskate”.

robgilmo

Not wanting to put you off but we have a Honda in the work shop at the moment, VSA issue, some might say they are reliable, no car is reliable, but some are cheaper to fix than others and I doubt this one will be cheap.

Emp_Fab

VSA ?

robgilmo

Vehicle Stability Assist 

Emp_Fab

I’m looking at MX-5’s again now....

RaymondLin

Get a 911, it stands out in a crowded car park.

ICBM

RaymondLin said:

Get a 911, it stands out in a crowded car park.

So does a brown Renault Grand Scenic! It's quite tall, and... brown. Can't miss it.

And unlike the Porsche, it will definitely be where you left it when you come back .

ROOG

I love this thread, I'll be back soon, don't buy anything whilst I am away.

btw: have you thought any more about a Prius?

Emp_Fab

I wasn’t thinking about a Prius in the first place!  I love the idea of having an eco-friendly, high-tech, electro Johnnycab of my own with a spaceship style dashboard, but the Prius isn’t it.  The Japs are great with the tech and the futuristic dashboards but they usually pair it with a pig-ugly body shell.

The Prius is hideous.  The CRZ was lovely, but designed for oompa-loompas.

 I’m thinking maybe it’s time to abandon all sense and get something insane, like a 911, or an old Merc convertible.  I don’t mind fixing the things but if the insurance is going to be mental and it drinks petrol like a refinery on fire then I can’t justify going down that route.  I’m not a millionaire.

Crazy, I can do, but expensive crazy is out of my league.

Emp_Fab

I’m also considering a motorcycle.  Something hefty like an 1100.

Kilgore

Emp_Fab said:

I’m also considering a motorcycle.  Something hefty like an 1100.

Face it, you're not really fussed on any car, you want a Cessna. 

RaymondLin

Emp_Fab said:

I wasn’t thinking about a Prius in the first place!  I love the idea of having an eco-friendly, high-tech, electro Johnnycab of my own with a spaceship style dashboard, but the Prius isn’t it.  The Japs are great with the tech and the futuristic dashboards but they usually pair it with a pig-ugly body shell.

The Prius is hideous.  The CRZ was lovely, but designed for oompa-loompas.

 I’m thinking maybe it’s time to abandon all sense and get something insane, like a 911, or an old Merc convertible.  I don’t mind fixing the things but if the insurance is going to be mental and it drinks petrol like a refinery on fire then I can’t justify going down that route.  I’m not a millionaire.

Crazy, I can do, but expensive crazy is out of my league.

E86 BMW Z4, get a 30i.  They are actual fairly reliable.  Can get one for under £5k.

strtdv

Get a banana yellow Volvo 850 R