The Car thread

[FOXYTALK]

Looking to purchase a car in the new year for around £10k mark. Looking to see what options are out there, i do around 12,000 miles per year for work. Open to all options ideally low mileage. Any help most welcome.

[UpTheLeagueFox]

22 minutes ago, FOXYTALK said:

Looking to purchase a car in the new year for around £10k mark. Looking to see what options are out there, i do around 12,000 miles per year for work. Open to all options ideally low mileage. Any help most welcome.

If you're not fussed about 'cool cars' then I would recommend a Vauxhall Insignia.

Had mine four years (the one before that I had for four years as well), I do about 14/15k miles per year.

I paid £12k ish in 2015 and it had 17k on the clock.

Not given me any trouble and neither did the previous one.

It's dull for car aficionados but reliable and comfortable for people like me

[simFox]

3 hours ago, FOXYTALK said:

Looking to purchase a car in the new year for around £10k mark. Looking to see what options are out there, i do around 12,000 miles per year for work. Open to all options ideally low mileage. Any help most welcome.

Kids? Golf? Trout fishing? What body style, SUV, compact, saloon, coupe, estate, etc.

Do you need tech or not bothered. I've got Android auto in our new car and it's great, especially Waze, so I think 2017 plus with some 2016 should have it, but worth keeping in mind.

 

We rented a qashqai for a few days and I really liked it, nice driving position, the blind spot function was handy as was the 360 degree camera, the panoramic roof was great. The new tech is worth having.

 

Edited 24 September 2019 by simFox

[Kopic]

On 23/09/2019 at 14:36, Kopic said:

Not having much luck with cars recently, now mine. Driving past police hq, hit a pothole and tyre immediately shredded. I'm still suffering from when I dislocated my shoulder but i thought I'd try and change it. Couldn't get the locking wheel nut off because the key is mangled. Call out my breakdown cover, they arrived really quickly but couldn't get it off. Now sat in my car in grove business park, desperate for a drink and a piss, waiting for another truck to come and recover the car. Yipee.

Got the car dropped off at my preferred garage. Guy who came out to me and tried for about 3 minutes to get it off told me it was ****ed and if we got the car dropped at his garage it would "only" cost 50 quid to get it off and I could pick it up in the morning. Fortunately my garage of choice was only round the corner from his so I elected to get it dropped there. Turned up 15 minutes before closing, he had the wheel off in no time using the original bolt, put my spare on, and sent me on my way for no charge. Local garages do my head in, it's like they have a licence to print money. At least the recovery was part of my insurance and I don't have to pay. Got two new front tyres today for £70 so not too bad.

[RoboFox]

Myself and the other half decided to clean the car at the weekend. I've been into detailing for about six months, I've accumulated a few products and I find it pretty rewarding to keep the motor looking shiny.

 

Anyway, my pressure washer died, so I bought a new one. 

 

We used it on my canvas cabriolet roof on a low setting (as I have many times before) and boom... Weird lines all over a pretty large section of the roof. Not the worst thing, but annoying and pretty visible close up.

 

Doesn't seem to be much in the way of explanation as to what happened online, lots of opinions, but I've had to get in touch with a drop top specialist who say they'll be able to restore it... For a small fortune.

 

Lesson learned, I won't do that again... But FML. 

[Footballwipe]

Car aficionados, please advise. How many miles is too many on a used car to consider buying it.

 

Looking to get rid of a PCP car and go to a Diesel, Low Tax SUV body type (Qashqai etc) on a budget, around £8k. It's a challenge but there's some decent potential out there. Just browsing atm but mileage is my stickler. There was a 64 Nissan with 144k miles on, which just seems ridiculous.

 

How many miles am I aiming to find on the clock? Internet says 15k miles a year on average, but these types I assume invariably have more than a small unleaded thing.

 

Get your opinions in!

[RoboFox]

2 minutes ago, Footballwipe said:

Car aficionados, please advise. How many miles is too many on a used car to consider buying it.

 

Looking to get rid of a PCP car and go to a Diesel, Low Tax SUV body type (Qashqai etc) on a budget, around £8k. It's a challenge but there's some decent potential out there. Just browsing atm but mileage is my stickler. There was a 64 Nissan with 144k miles on, which just seems ridiculous.

 

How many miles am I aiming to find on the clock? Internet says 15k miles a year on average, but these types I assume invariably have more than a small unleaded thing.

 

Get your opinions in!

 

I've always bought used, and never bought with more than 60k miles on the clock (both petrol & diesel)

 

Personally, I wouldn't go near a car with 144k miles, Diesel or not.

 

A quick search on AutoTrader around Leicester brings up a 2014 VW Tiguan diesel, full history etc. for £7990 with only 50k miles.

 

There's plenty out there! 

[Izzy]

8 minutes ago, Footballwipe said:

Car aficionados, please advise. How many miles is too many on a used car to consider buying it.

 

Looking to get rid of a PCP car and go to a Diesel, Low Tax SUV body type (Qashqai etc) on a budget, around £8k. It's a challenge but there's some decent potential out there. Just browsing atm but mileage is my stickler. There was a 64 Nissan with 144k miles on, which just seems ridiculous.

 

How many miles am I aiming to find on the clock? Internet says 15k miles a year on average, but these types I assume invariably have more than a small unleaded thing.

 

Get your opinions in!

Depends what type of mileage it's done IMO.

 

If it's 144k of motorway miles at 70mph then I reckon you'll be fine. I once bought a Rover that had done 120k miles but it was an ex company car and all motorway driving. I sold it a few years later at 170k mileage and it was still going fine (and this is 20 years ago)

 

If it's 144k miles of a boy racer thrashing it or some old biddy going around town in 2nd gear then I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

 

[FoxesDeb]

3 hours ago, Footballwipe said:

Car aficionados, please advise. How many miles is too many on a used car to consider buying it.

 

Looking to get rid of a PCP car and go to a Diesel, Low Tax SUV body type (Qashqai etc) on a budget, around £8k. It's a challenge but there's some decent potential out there. Just browsing atm but mileage is my stickler. There was a 64 Nissan with 144k miles on, which just seems ridiculous.

 

How many miles am I aiming to find on the clock? Internet says 15k miles a year on average, but these types I assume invariably have more than a small unleaded thing.

 

Get your opinions in!

I'd want to know it's been looked after, a company vehicle is likely to have been serviced properly, and had everything replaced when it's needed it. A high mileage vehicle with no or little service history would put me off, but if it's had money thrown at it, it's less of a risk imo

[potter3]

If they've been looked after it should be fine. Last car I bought had done around 250k in 10 years, 15 thousand later and still going strong. 

[Suzie the Fox]

On 25/09/2019 at 16:44, Kopic said:

Got the car dropped off at my preferred garage. Guy who came out to me and tried for about 3 minutes to get it off told me it was ****ed and if we got the car dropped at his garage it would "only" cost 50 quid to get it off and I could pick it up in the morning. Fortunately my garage of choice was only round the corner from his so I elected to get it dropped there. Turned up 15 minutes before closing, he had the wheel off in no time using the original bolt, put my spare on, and sent me on my way for no charge. Local garages do my head in, it's like they have a licence to print money. At least the recovery was part of my insurance and I don't have to pay. Got two new front tyres today for £70 so not too bad.

I have been using the same garage in the village i live in for years. Dropped the keys off to him Tues night as exhaust was being a bit loud. He dropped the car off weds lunch and said one of the brackets on the exhaust had come loose and there was a small hole in the exhaust so he fixed the bracket and filled the hole. While the car was in he checked my oil and filled up my water bottles. I asked him how much he said £0. Tried to give him £20 for a pint and pizza and he would only accept £10. 

 

I'm quite sure if i had taken the car to another garage they would have put on a new or part of a new exhaust and it would have cost me a damn site more than a tenner. 

[Mickey O'Neil]

9 hours ago, Footballwipe said:

Car aficionados, please advise. How many miles is too many on a used car to consider buying it.

 

Looking to get rid of a PCP car and go to a Diesel, Low Tax SUV body type (Qashqai etc) on a budget, around £8k. It's a challenge but there's some decent potential out there. Just browsing atm but mileage is my stickler. There was a 64 Nissan with 144k miles on, which just seems ridiculous.

 

How many miles am I aiming to find on the clock? Internet says 15k miles a year on average, but these types I assume invariably have more than a small unleaded thing.

 

Get your opinions in!

Apologies to the French car lovers but I have little faith in the engines in the Qashqai when they start hitting high miles. 

 

Not gospel, obviously, but I have a mistrust of them. 

[Jattdogg]

The wife and i both got  used Nissan Sentras for our first cars (before we got married). Bought my 03 sentra in 2007/08 and it died in 2012. Had maybe 31k miles on it and died at 115k miles or so. I was putting 105 miles a day commuting to work  (55 minute drive, 1 way).

 

The wifes had similar  miles  but we traded it in few months before my car died as we had a baby on the way and wanted a more reliable car. Got a 2010 honda civic (in 2012) and its drives like its brand new to this day. Fantastic reliability. Not sexy or fast buy great on gas.

 

Mother in law had a Nissan Maxima (bought brand new)  and it lasted 3 or 4 years before the engine died. It was on warranty so engine was replaced but they got rid of it and now have a honda accord. No issues.

 

My honda CRV has also been fantastic.

 

3 nissan cars in the family and all were shit. 3 honda cars and to date all have beem fantastic. 

 

Save your dough. Id rather  get a better car with more mileage then a Nissan  but thats my biased opinion.

 

Also, this is in Canada so i know cars might not be the same.

Edited 26 September 2019 by Jattdogg

[The Bear]

Noticed a slight low rattle coming from the know the engine of my Audi A1 a week or so ago. Took it in to the garage Thursday and after a while they have found the bearing on the water pump is on it's way out, which means a new water pump, which isn't cheap. Around £240 for the pump and kit, plus around 4 hours labour as it's not easy to get to. Bill of almost £600 coming next week. 

 

I wish I could just get rid of ICE cars and just buy a Tesla, but I don't have the infrastructure at home to do it, i.e no drive or garage. 

[Mickey O'Neil]

4 hours ago, The Bear said:

Noticed a slight low rattle coming from the know the engine of my Audi A1 a week or so ago. Took it in to the garage Thursday and after a while they have found the bearing on the water pump is on it's way out, which means a new water pump, which isn't cheap. Around £240 for the pump and kit, plus around 4 hours labour as it's not easy to get to. Bill of almost £600 coming next week. 

 

I wish I could just get rid of ICE cars and just buy a Tesla, but I don't have the infrastructure at home to do it, i.e no drive or garage. 

5 years or 120k on the timing belt while you're  at it mate 👍

[The Bear]

42 minutes ago, Mickey O'Neil said:

5 years or 120k on the timing belt while you're  at it mate 👍

It's a chain on those so doesn't need changing, or I'd have done that and the water pump already by now. 

[Mickey O'Neil]

4 hours ago, The Bear said:

It's a chain on those so doesn't need changing, or I'd have done that and the water pump already by now. 

Newer engine then 👍

 

The older A1 has a belt not a chain. 

[The Bear]

Aye it's a 2012 1.4 TFSI. 

 

Thought I'd get away with no expensive belt/pump change but this pretty much equals it any way! 

Edited 29 September 2019 by The Bear

[Ian Nacho]

Noticed a strange noise coming from my exhaust. At first I just ignored it but a day latter it got gradually worse. The hole for the screw for the heat shield had completely corroded so I just pulled the ****er off.

[SouthStandUpperTier]

2 minutes ago, Ian Nacho said:

Noticed a strange noise coming from my exhaust. At first I just ignored it but a day latter it got gradually worse. The hole for the screw for the heat shield had completely corroded so I just pulled the ****er off.

Heat shields where fitted as standard are now mandatory for the MOT so if I were you I'd look to get that refitted. Hope you haven't thrown it away.

[RoboFox]

Took mine into an Audi specialist yesterday to have the heated seats looked at. They haven't functioned since I bought the car, something we didn't know until a couple of months into ownership (we bought it in the summer, so no need to use them)

 

They pulled the seats out, and the control units and tested the connections. I was then told that all wiring and switches seem to be working normally and that it's likely the elements have blown. I was looking at the best part of £1000 to get both replaced. Gutted.

 

I went to collect the car yesterday (paying £220 for the diagnosis / labour), started driving home, and lo and behold, my arse starts to heat up. Turns out both are now working perfectly. Seems like they've inadvertently fixed a wiring / connection issue that was preventing them from functioning.

 

On the upside I got it fixed for £220, and avoided a grand repair bill but it also might have been a totally unnecessary, expensive mistake. Not sure whether to be happy or annoyed with the garage! 

 

Edited 3 December 2019 by RoboFox

[Bilsthorpe Blue]

Just had a safety recall for the airbag inflator on my Ford Ranger - It's 13 years old and done 252k miles FFS!!!!!!

Has anybody else had a later safety recall?

[UpTheLeagueFox]

3 hours ago, RoboFox said:

On the upside I got it fixed for £220, and avoided a grand repair bill but it also might have been a totally unnecessary, expensive mistake. Not sure whether to be happy or annoyed with the garage! 

Take it as a win, sir.

Always cherish the small wins in life.

[Raj]

2 hours ago, UpTheLeagueFox said:

Take it as a win, sir.

Always cherish the small wins in life.

Just fecking waking up in the morning is a win for me!!! LOL

[UniFox21]

The contrast in service between garages is beyond me. Some go above and beyond and others you just find more corners they've cut