| Motoring Discussion > Bought a convertible for the summer, a bit late | Buying / Selling |
| Thread Author: Dave_ | Replies: 10 |
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New Sun 10 Jul 16 21:03
Bought a convertible for the summer, a bit late - Dave_
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So we've had half an eye on Auto Trader for a while, looking for something to replace the Morgan with that might actually work for longer than a week in one go. Our criteria were: convertible, quickish, good-looking. Budget of 5k. Four seats nice but not essential. We looked at MX5s and MG(T)Fs by the garageful and Audi TTs too but without finding any non-shafted examples. Widening the net led us to mid-90s Merc SLs and Boxsters, but their potential repair costs could be awful; likewise S2000s and RX8s. We looked at metal folding-roof designs; Tigras, Focus CCs and all Peugeot variants were dismissed but the VW Eos wasn't immediately cast out of hand. A left-field choice, in the same mould as a Saab. Looking around at values, the Eos does seem to be coming down to sensible prices lately. Most examples are diesels, many are automatics, and a good many have been modified, but that still leaves a few pearls amongst the swine. And so... Yesterday I headed by train to a used car dealer 100 miles away from here, to pick up a slightly scruffy but very honest 57 plate Eos 2.0TFSI 200 DSG, 114k miles with full stamped history, 4 new tyres, new pads and discs, cambelt and MoT for a sniff under 3800. It's silver with red leather seats(!), all the panels match and fit, and everything (bar the a/c) works as intended. First impressions are very good. It had the correct tyre pressures and the levels were all on max. It skipped home up the M11 without a single squeak, buzz or rattle. It goes like a Golf GTI (unsurprisingly) and can fit four of us in relative comfort. The body and wheels have a few marks, but from 10 feet away it looks amazing. The roof was watertight in last night's downpours too. I'm going to enjoy spending a day or two this week properly cleaning and assessing it; I've already ordered the special roof seal lubricant that it supposedly needs. Any thoughts or advice from the forum are most welcome. Last edited by: Dave_ on Sun 10 Jul 16 at 21:05
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New Sun 10 Jul 16 23:11
Bought a convertible for the summer, a bit late - legacylad
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Hope you enjoy it... Is it an every day car like my '04 330 convertible which I sold a few months ago to my nephew for £5k? I know zilch about the Eos but imagine it's nicer than the ones you mentioned. I too was tempted a few years ago by a friends Boxster but was scared away by the possibility of huge repair bills, and although not having the outright performance of the Boxster it was incredibly reliable in my 6.5 years of ownership. A nice engine by all accounts that 2.0 TFSI. Please keep us informed about the DSG as many are wary of them, including myself. Should my nephew sell my old 330, which I miss soooooo much, at least I have first dibs on buying it back...fingers crossed for lots of sun so you can get the roof down. |
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New Mon 11 Jul 16 09:52
Bought a convertible for the summer, a bit late - Dog
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My first car was a convertible Triumph Herald 948cc with twin SU's, bought for £30, on which I spent another £30 on repairs, mainly welding work on the chassis. I did look into acquiring an Eos a few years ago, but quickly knocked that idea on the head due to potential problems with the "multi section roof proving almost impossible to seal against leaks" - not a good idea when one lives in Cornwall where it rains every day and twice on Sundays. And then there's THAT gearbox (DSG) not that I've ever driven a car with one, although I have driven an automated manual Citroen, which was okay, but I prefer a conventional slushbox really. So, mucho interested in hearing how you get on with the car that "goes and handles well with space for four adults". Good Luck! www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/volkswagen/eos-2006/?section=good PS ... It's raining!! Last edited by: Dog on Mon 11 Jul 16 at 09:53
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New Mon 11 Jul 16 14:24
Bought a convertible for the summer, a bit late - Slightlyfatdirector
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My wife has had her Eos for a few years now and loves it. It is a '08 that we bought from Motorpoint in late 2009. I have tried to suggest other cars to replace it with, but there is nothing like it that she likes as much. She likes the security of knowing she has a proper roof in the winter, and we have had no issues with the roof mechanism. I think there will be some cars that may not have been looked after and not had the seals treated with the Krytox stuff (I think that's it's name), but we bought a bottle and I got the dealer to show me where to put it and I think of you do it regularly enough there should be little issue. We have had a small leak in the boot that was sorted by them squirting some gunk into a place where it is known to leak occasionally and this is a known and quick fix. We always get it serviced at VW as the dealer is local, is not expensive and they have an Eos guy there who knows the cars inside out. Any issues? A temperamental window switch that meant that the window which drops a few mm when you open the door did not shut, but the switch was £30, so not an issue. Ours of the same 2.0 petrol turbo 200hp TFSI motor that is in the GTI and in your car, and it is smooth and very powerful in such a small car. Goes like the proverbial off a stick and yet the car does not look high performance. Has surprised a few people who have tailgated us once or twice when a firm prod on the accelerator pedal has had us shooting off into the distance. Ours is a manual, so I can't comment on the DSG.... It is very quiet and the ride comfort is exceptional, even on the 18" wheels. Love the glass roof which has a pull back cover, so it seems really airy and spacious inside. Ours has the cloth seats instead of the leather ones, but they are both comfortable and grippy. It has 4 proper and usable seats, and the boot is fine. They did make some suitcases of which two fit perfectly inside the boot, even with the roof down. We got them cheap from Ebay and they are excellent. The sound system is probably the most powerful of any car we have ever had, but seems to be the factory-fit version. The aircon is good, so worth fixing for the winter demisting if nothing else. Fuel consumption on the short trips my wife does is not great, and the tax is a bit high, but it only costs £180 a year to insure full comp for the two of us, so that is not the end of the world. If they were still making them I am sure that my wife would replace hers with another one, but as ours has only just gone past the 30k mile mark there seems little point, and if the roof needs repairing in the future, so be it. I am sure that these things can be repaired for sure, and it will cost what it costs. Congratulations on the car though. I hope it serves you as well as ours has. |
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New Mon 11 Jul 16 14:30
Bought a convertible for the summer, a bit late - WillDeBeest
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The sound system is probably the most powerful of any car we have ever had... This from a former S60 owner. Praise indeed. }:---) |
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New Mon 11 Jul 16 17:38
Bought a convertible for the summer, a bit late - Slightlyfatdirector
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Ah, but WDB, I only had a basic 'S' spec S60 with an OK-ish sound system, not an SE or upgraded version. :( I seem to remember you had something better spec'ed than I did. Interestingly I did splash out on a upgraded system on the newer V70 which is branded as a Harman Kardon system with something like 600w of power. I thought it would be mind blowing, but it is just OK. I even commented to the dealer that it was a bit so-so, and they looked at me in surprise. Yes, it shakes the rear-view mirror so much you think it will fall off, but everything in the door-pockets rattles away and the door cards are not up to the job of holding the speakers still. The problem with a huge range of equaliser settings (and even the surround-sound system) is that you might have it set up perfectly for one type of music, but it is the wrong set up for my rather diverse musical tastes, and so it is never really set 'just right'. Ho hum. I have had bigger problems! :) In the Eos the power of the hifi seems better than in the V70 (much to my disgust!). Perfect with the roof down and a suitable summer track blaring away down the country lanes / dual carriageways. It is really very, very loud, and with virtually no distortion, and I can't help but think that it's previous owner might have fiddled with it. It seems to be the stock model, and not an up-rated one but it really is something quite special. It's just a shame that the CD's left in my wife's car when I do occasionally borrow it for a blast to work to get some sun in my hair and 'give it a run' are absolutely terrible. Wham anyone? Ho hum x 2. Oh, also the headlights on the Eos are exceptional too. Really bright, and only just beaten by the Xenons in the V70. Prior to that the best headlights on any car we had were bizarrely on a Lada estate my wife had when we first got together. They were like ex-army search-lights..... |
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New Mon 11 Jul 16 17:42
Bought a convertible for the summer, a bit late - tyrednemotional
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>> They were |
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New Tue 19 Jul 16 15:28
Bought a convertible for the summer, a bit late - Dave_
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Thanks SFD, I didn't know about the tailored cases but may well look into acquiring a set. I've Krytoxed all the seals on the roof, I didn'tt find any evidence of long-term water ingress whilst doing so. Hopefully the "almost impossible to seal" description is a bit of hyperbole on HJ's part. The DSG gearbox is fine, I have one in the Skoda (and the better half has a similar EDC in her Captur). It benefits from being used in manual mode when pressing on, only because its default behaviour* is to err on the side of economy at the expense of instant response. I believe that, like the roof seals, correct and timely maintenance is the key to a long, issue-free service life. Time will tell, I guess. An evening out for a meal and a late film on Saturday was properly capped by a 20-mile drive home post-midnight through the countryside with the roof down and heater vents pointed at the floor. If it conks out tomorrow, I reckon I've had my money's worth already. *I understand that most electronic gearboxes "learn" from driver behaviour; I drive like a nun most of the time so it's entirely to be expected that the shift program will be lulled into a stupor which takes some shaking off. |
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New Tue 30 Aug 16 13:42
Bought a convertible for the summer, a bit late - Slightlyfatdirector
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| So Dave. How is your summer in the Eos? Still pleased with it? |
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New Wed 31 Aug 16 22:00
Bought a convertible for the summer, a bit late - Dave_
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Loving it, thank you. It went into the garage to investigate a rumble from the rear on right-hand bends and non-cold AC; they diagnosed and replaced a deformed tyre and replaced the AC pressure valve before a successful regas. Cost me £180 all in and came back with a clean bill of health all round. It's grin-inducingly quick, and has done around 800 miles with us so far - almost all with the roof down. Definitely a keeper. |
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New Mon 5 Sep 16 13:46
Bought a convertible for the summer, a bit late - Slightlyfatdirector
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Sounds like you got an absolute cracker Dave, good for you! They feel very solid, roof up or down with none of the scuttle shake that other convertibles have. I don't think that we will ever sell ours as there is nothing my wife likes as much, and if it costs a bit in the future to have anything done with the roof, then so be it, but by the sound of it they wear the miles well, especially if you give it a bit of tlc - especially with the seal liquid. That engine is great too. I love the whoosh of the turbo! ;) |
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