Buying a car

Emp_Fab

Oh FFS - I'm going blind searching Autotrader's website !  I'm sick to death of looking and I haven't even physically gone to check a single car yet !  Arrrgggghhhh !!!

steveledzep

I meant to respond to your previous post Emp, but slipped my mind (forgot!).  I've bought my last seven cars (4 Saabs & 3 Lexus) on description and travelled on the train from Swansea to collect them.  I've been to Wickford, Wrexham, Milton Keynes, Reading, Mansfield, Southport and my current vehicle from Wolverhampton.  Many years ago I worked in the motor industry and traders buy unseen and on trust.  I approached the sellers on this basis and asked for a "warts & all" description as I was proposing a long journey to collect.  I've never been let down once.  I've mostly bought from independent (not franchise) traders and in general they are understanding and helpful.

Further congrats on the job btw.

Shrews

This baby would be perfect for your needs. It's 1.7k under budget and a year younger than your last motor

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C897051

Loved the 80's!

Emp_Fab

OMG - I had to do a double take then !  That is my last motor !! (bar the D reg) - same colour too !!

I'm struggling as to what to get.  I look at the most reliable brands, Lexus, Toyota etc, then I look at the fuel consumption, then I look at the models that fit both of those and go "Ugh - what the hell were they thinking !".  On the rare occasion I find one that meets the first two criteria, I look on Youtube for reviews and find a bunch of proper reviews calling it a bag of shit.  Either that or I can't find any at all in my budget (which I keep increasing in the hope of finding something).

I can't get a car that does less than 47mpg (real mpg, not the Narnia-esque bollocks the manufacturers quote).

I know everyone has said Honda Civic - but.....   I'm really struggling to like the look of them.  The new shape is better, but it still reminds me of a slice of cake on its side.

I keep coming back to this Lexus LS220D in Cardiff.... but it's too thirsty...



https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/lexus/is-2005/220d

ronnyb

A mate of mine has a car lot. Sells seconhand stuff between £4 - 8k. He has been in the trade for 30 years. He really rates Kia Hyundai and Toyota, never gets them back for warranty claims. He says he tries to steer clear of German cars, nothing but trouble. 

steveledzep

DON'T...DON'T...DON'T   (sorry for shouting) buy a Lexis IS220d,  riddled with problems.  DPF repeatedly blocking, fifth injector problem, head gasket, sixth gear too high unless you're doing over 80mph.  Do a search here:
www.lexusownersclub.co.uk
The IS250 auto (petrol) is virtually bullet proof (I've had two).  Not too good on mpg though, 28 to 38 mpg depending on your journeys.
I'd definitely stay Korean or Japanese.

Emp_Fab

Indeed.  I've been looking at the Hyundai i40 estate (and the saloon is very pretty too).  Over 60mpg, £30 tax.....

I've got my eye on this one right now...

steveledzep

That looks lovely, do you have a link ?

Emp_Fab

https://bit.ly/2Uaq2Ay

BUT.....  I've now done some digging online and all references to the seller come up with 404 errors (looks like they've pulled all advertising) and looking at the place on Street View, I wouldn't fancy walking down there at night....   They look like a right grubby setup - so I might keep searching !

https://goo.gl/maps/UsKBAYHhzzG2

strtdv

Emp_Fab said:

Any love for the Hyundai i30 ?  I was quite impressed when I had one as a hire car once.  Honest John's site doesn't ring any alarm bells for build quality or commin faults.

I had one and had no significant issues in 4 1/2 years of ownership. Good mpg (I could get near 600 miles out of the fairly small tank if I was careful) and not horrendously slow.
Headlight bulbs are a PITA to change though as you need to remove the headlight unit from the car to do it.

strtdv

I'd say get a Golf diesel but sadly they hold their value very well and you'll likely be looking at a Mk5 which had some issues with rust in the front wheel arches.

My wife had a Mk5 1.9 tdi which she bought at 3 years old, and it was cheap to service (good independent), economical (about 52mpg) and very good to drive too. We gave it to a friend when it was 10 years old and it would still have sold for about £3700 at the time. It's still running well. Proper good reliable car.

We both currently drive Golf GTDs although I'll be changing to a petrol when my commute gets shorter (I really fancy a used RS4)

Emp_Fab

Well that would be an improvement on my BMW 116 - you had to take the front wheels off to get to the headlight bulbs !!

steveledzep

Yes, I wouldn't worry too much about premises though.  Glossy showrooms and led lights = overheads.  The integrity of the proprietor is key.  You can glean a lot from quality of emails and how they come across in conversation.  The cars you are looking at are likely bought from auction as main dealer part exchanges that don't meet the main dealer criteria for retail.  One assumes he is an experienced dealer and wouldn't have bought it for his stock if it was crap !  Full service history is paramount in this age/mileage of vehicle.

Emp_Fab

Yeah - but....  unless it's main dealer FSH, god only knows what was actually done.  "Jeff's Motors" down the road could have done nothing but engine oil & filter and checked the pads and called it a 'full service'.  It's just not worth it IMO to go for anything other than main dealer FSH.

steveledzep

Yes, you should find main dealer service history, there are loads of people around who always have their car serviced at the dealer.  With respect Emp, your expectations for your budget are on the high side.  Nothing wrong with aiming high, just be prepared to compromise on one or two things when you find a suitable vehicle.

PolarityMan

RaymondLin said:

You need to know

1 - how many miles you do

This lead to whether you go petrol or diesel

2 - what kind of journey is it

Similar to Q1

3 - how many seats and space do you need

This will determined the style of car

4 - what tech do you want

self explanatory 

5 - how much you want to spend or afford to spend

Buy outright, lease? PCP? Bank loan?

6 - do you want it to be fun or purely practical

Incorrect, you ened to know cabinet size, weight of head, amount of auxilliary PA equipment you ened to carry etc.

Emp_Fab

Well - I've just stumbled across an i30 hatchback in my home town....  86K, 2013, £5K, FSH, £0 Tax.



Carbuyer gives it an excellent review....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WDrp-g3bHM

An estate would have been better but this is local....

Snags

randella said:

digitalscream said:

Get an old Mondeo ST220 or similar. Plenty practical, but ludicrous fun too and usually in the £1.5-2k range.

I was going to suggest a Mondeo - they go for (comparative) buttons.  They are also absolutely bloody massive though, at least the more recent ones are. 

If my friend’s car is anything to go by, they’re also indestructible - that one of his was treated with utter contempt and just soldiered on with 150,000 showing on the clock. 

Hope the job scene is looking up for you Emp!

 You can kill a Mundano by:

a) being violently t-boned by some cunt cutting across 5 lanes of dual carriageway without looking

b) hitting a deer at about 50mph when it runs out in front of you at night

Don't ask how I know

steveledzep

My daughter has had an i30 for the last two years without problems.  Does what it says on the tin sort of thing.
Doesn't matter whether the car is local or not, you must be prepared to travel for the RIGHT car.  Travel for an estate as that's what you really want.  Guitars can be flipped every two weeks or so, cars tend to loiter for a little longer....get one you'll be happy with for a while.

Emp_Fab

To be honest I don't really know why I want an estate!  The missus has a van so we’re covered for moving larger items and we’ve got a big van for the band and store all the big stuff at the warehouse where the van is kept, so in retrospect, I would almost certainly be driving a completely empty estate around 99% of the time.