So, much excitement in apm towers. Two potential new car purchases!
1) Mother-in-law has come into some money. Currently drives a 2.0 litre petrol Honda Accord, 2000 Y, on about 130k. Great car, very reliable & in excellent nick, but long in the tooth and not economical. She does alot of local journeys and the mpg is killing her. Mileage is probably 12k per year. I KNOW that this is low for a diesel, but she is capital rich and income poor, so it sort of does make sense. Looking at a focus-sized replacement, diesel and preferably auto. She'll have £5-6k plus the Honda (hope to get £1k with 12m MOT). My shortlist: Ce'ed, i30, Mazda 3, Auris, Leon, Octavia, Focus. She doesn't like cars that feel small and likes comfy seats. She'll keep it for years, so reliability a priority. Thoughts/ opinions?
2) I'm selling my motorbike. My commute is miserable and dangerous, and I don't get time to just ride! The £1200 or so it will fetch will be put towards an interesting second vehicle (may be able to add a couple of hundred if I can bamboozle SWMBO). Classic insurance is a must, and we'd like a ragtop, but fairly open otherwise. May be able to garage it if small enough (just about fit a mk 1 focus). Ideally 4 seats, and preferably rear belts if there's a back. Classics are possible, but can't be too big for the garage. I'm focussing on: Saab 900 convertible, Mark 1 golf cabrio. Doesn't need to be fast, just a bit interesting. Again, thoughts appreciated!
Many thanks in advance,
Alex.
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Diesels need to warm up before they reach efficiency so for short journeys will a diesel be a good idea. This is especially a problem in winter if your MIL is hoping to save on fuel. Automatic will also harm efficiency. How about a small petrol turbo from VAG with DSG, e.g. 1.4TSI Golf.
If she's really rich then about about a Tesla ;-)
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1)a. Keep the Accord, she's not got that much to spend.
1)b. Get petrol as she'll get newer, less leggy car, or a similar car for much less ££. Going diesel doesn't always mean lower running costs.
2) MX5.
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1a. Keep the car. "Capital rich and income poor" is just deluding yourself. You need to look at total costs over the lifetime of the car. And if her budget is only 5k she's not capital rich at all.
I'd be amazed if you get 1k for the car too.
1b. Yes indeed.
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I agree the plan to change the Honda doesn't make a lot of sense.
Even if it did, there are not many diesel auto Focus-sized hatchbacks about.
Maybe a new or nearly new Panda or Picanto auto?
More chance of tracking one of those down, particularly the Picanto.
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>> I'd be amazed if you get 1k for the car too.
And yet, on another thread, you marvel at 10 year old cars with high miles now all being worth...................1k.
Huh?
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>> And yet, on another thread, you marvel at 10 year old cars with high miles
>> now all being worth...................1k.
Absolutely right. It was writing this which made me ruminate and conclude that it isn't so and indeed OP might get 1k for it.
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1) Punt the Accord, it's old, it's time for a change after that length of ownership.
An off-the-wall idea: Use the £6k to buy a lease for 3 years, she'll get the change she yearns for, minus tax costs and it'll be something nice too.
I would however avoid diesel for short journeys totalling 12k a year, in fact, i'd avoid it like the plague for that usage.
A nicely equipped 1.4TSi Golf Match edition which comes with plenty of toys thrown in, plus the 3 year servicing plan on a contract lease should knock her socks off.
2) mx5's are silly cheap, for 1k you can be choosy and go for a good one. I'm just about to swap my 7er for one.
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I think Alex wants a 4 seater cabrio, which rules out MX5s, so here are my nominations:
1 VW Bora - 1.9TDi 130 with TC Auto.
2 Volvo C70.
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On a pure cost to change/run basis, doesnt seem worth changing the car, better to hang onto the capital in the bank for now, perhaps stick it in premium bonds and hope ya get lucky.
I think if you sit down and work out the fuel savings plus some extra for unforseen garage time, it will be quite some years before you save £5-6k.
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Thanks everyone.
Update: MiL has become rather fond of a Hyundai i20 1.4 comfort on a 10 plate. A little over budget, but has 4 years warranty, will be economical and cheap to tax & insure. Seems a good car, and well reviewed by Which? and HJ. I can appreciate the argument for hanging onto the Honda, but I think she's worried some big bills are around the corner, and would like to change now while she has the chance.
On the second car front, what does the team think about the Porsche 924/44? I know it wouldn't be a soft top, but a lovely car. Likely to be big bills? Is the back seat useable?
Ta,
Alex.
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I20 is a pretty safe bet for predictable car ownership, not a bad choice for a MIL :-)
Porsche, nice cars, plenty of dogs out there, 924 esp prone to penny pinchers but its a simple enough car.
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Alex - the i20 should make sense for your MiL, although assuming that she is of what the Prayer Book so charmingly calls 'riper years' she should get a good test drive and make sure that the seats are comfy enough and the performance isn't too much of a comedown after the Accord (it shouldn't be).
If she wants to look elsewhere, she could add the Golf and Fabia to your short-list, with the Auris a strong contender. The best engine in the Auris, the 2.0 diesel, has been withdrawn by Toyota for reasons known only to themselves, but MiL could find one within her budget.
I'm not sure what your budget is but it sounds like £1500 - £2000: surely any Porsche you could find for that price would be so clapped-out as not to be worth the trouble. The original 924 had a 2-litre engine from a VW van, and looked much better than it went. If 4 seats aren't essential, the MX-5 sounds good, or an early BMW Z3: if they are, then a Golf convertible, or a pre-GM Saab convertible would be tempting.
Last edited by: Avant on Fri 22 Apr 11 at 19:58
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Agree, i20 sounds good choice, although check out i30 1.4, which seems excellent value and gets good reviews. No advantage going diesel over a smallish petrol engine and lowish miles.
I'm sure Avant is right in that any Porsche in that price bracket is going to be more trouble than its worth. Go for an Mx5, fantastic fun car,easy pattern spare parts and massive fan/forum base to keep it going on the cheap.
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Looking at the original soft-top choices, the Saab is hard to ignore.
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Well she didn't like the i20, felt too small and insubstantial. Heigh ho.
She's settled on a SEAT Leon 1.9TDI Stylance, on an 08 plate, 16k. Good deal, with a nice trade in on the old Honda. Rather a nice motor. I'm pleased, as I will be driving it fairly frequently.
After my thoughts on Porsches, I think we will be following Stu's advice, and looking for the nicest 900 convertible we can find locally.
Thanks for your helpful comments, all.
Alex.
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i borrowed a seat leon a few weeks ago and really liked it. good engine and a pretty design
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>> and a pretty design
>>
I agree, and i can't help but wonder why anyone buys the Golf when every Leon has looked so handsome in comparison.
Hope the lady is pleased with her new car, keep us posted APM.
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Thanks all.
We popped back to look at the Leon yesterday, and her eye was taken by a 2.0TDi sport with DSG, for around the same price. It's a year older (07 v 08) and has 35k v 16. Nice car, but the HJ write up suggests an issue with the oil pump? I think it will be a whole load of fun to drive!
Any experience/ thoughts?
Thanks again,
Alex.
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The 1.9 TDI will be more reliable than the 2.0, if less fun. There are various versions of the 1.9, some with more bhp than others, so MiL needs a good test drive to see if the 1.9 has enough oomph for her needs. If it has, she'd do best to go for that.
DSG is great but I'm not sure how long it lasts before it gives trouble.
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Thanks Avant, that was kind of where my thinking was at. She'll be keeping it for quite a while, so reliability is important. She likes an involving drive, but was pleasantly surprised by the grunt of the 1.9 (@105BHP) so should be fine.
Alex.
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So we test drove the 2.0TDI with the DSG. Fine vehicle, quick and great to drive. The example we tried (07, 35k) felt rather tired and was well-used. As we drove, I noticed a graunching noise coming from the front end. When I drove the car (after MiL), it became obvious that it was not the brakes (as the salesman suspected), but the gear box. Very noticeable on the over-run, got louder as we progressed, a truly horrible metal-to-metal grinding. At one point, I was hoping we would just make it back to the showroom! Obviously a serious fault. Needless to say, we didn't buy that one. I was concerned about the longevity of the DSG, and it's typical that the one example we try had a problem! Interestingly, the car went back on display with the price back up (although the salesman said it would be going into the showroom).
MiL liked the 1.9 (which she had another go in), but hated the colour (dark grey). But there was a 6-month newer (58) car, post facelift, which was a similar colour- she liked (and has bought) that one, because apparently it's a bluer shade of grey...
Will post a road test once we've taken delivery and I get my grubby paws on it.
Cheers for all your advice,
Alex.
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So having sorted the MiL's new SEAT, I'm turning attention to the Saab.
Test drove a 98S 9-3 2.0 turbo auto today. Low mileage (83k, matched the documentation), good spec pretty much everything working. Didn't feel very fast though- certainly not as quick as the E220 CDI estate we have as the main car. It felt quite saggy, but then the merc does feel very tight and new (despite it's 5 years and 80k). Put it down to the torque of the diesel.
I'm going to look at some more Saabs before choosing, I suspect they will all be like that, and it's a matter of choosing the best.
I did see an ad for a 205 Cti (G plate, looked good), but I'm concerned about the safety- the HJ review seems to suggest crash protection is on a par with a wet cardboard box. If it was just me I'd be happy, but my little chap will be riding from time to time, so it feels too much of a risk. Thoughts?
Thanks again,
Alex.
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>> If it was just me I'd be happy, but
>> my little chap will be riding from time to time, so it feels too much
>> of a risk. Thoughts?
Agree - where little ones are concerned I always think that you should do the best you can reasonably can. Its highly unlikely that anything will ever happen but if it did then you would be left with the "what if"
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So, looking at the convertible, I'm still keen on the Saab 900. But I'm also looking at alternatives, specifically the E36, probably in 323 or 325 format. Thoughts?
There also seems to be a strange situation regarding what can qualify for classic status and what can't (for insurance purposes- I'm keen for a classic policy). For example, Mk 1 golf = proper classic, pretty cheap, say £120. Saab 900 (Cavalier based) = modern classic, quite cheap (<£300). Saab 9-3 (early, ie like a 900), modern, very expensive (£600+). This is despite the fact that the 900 and the 9-3 can be 1 year apart and almost the same car. A Merc CLK from 1999 is a classic. Slightly perverse. I don't know the classic status of the BMW, but would assume that the E46 is modern, and the E36 is probably a modern classic, like the 900.
Cheers,
Alex.
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The Saab manages to at least look classy although some say the drive disappoints. I can't imagine being too upset about that on a sunny day though.
The BMWs would undoubtedly be a more involving drive. If you want top down motoring, I think I'd be happy with either in the end. More about finding the best kept car you can which matches your budget I'd say.
Hope you find something nice!
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>> I don't know the classic status of the BMW, but would assume that the
>> E46 is modern, and the E36 is probably a modern classic, like the 900.
You'll probably find 325's thin on the ground now, as they're getting pretty old, but it was the best engine being the indestructible iron block. As well as 323's, look at 328's. Not much difference in economy, but the 2.8 has more grunt. Have a look at some E36 buying guides as they do have their weak points, namely the nicasil bores on the later aluminium engines, although most should have been sorted by now. Make sure you test drive before committing, because it will feel very different to a Saab - firmer, sportier, heavier steering, but once you've heard that straight six you may be sorely tempted. Just get the best you can afford as always, because a dog won't be worth bringing up to scratch.
Assuming that you decide on an E36 of course. (An E46 is basically an E36 underneath, but a restyle and more electronics to go wrong later on, although they are slightly safer, if that worries you)
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So it's changed again.
Rather fallen for the E30 325i cabrio. Looked at a couple to day, and they just seem to have that bit more character and feel a bit more classic than either the E36 or the Saab. Downside is no power hood and less toys, upside is less to go wrong, dirt cheap insurance and being able to go to classic car shows!
I may be unhinged though.
In other news, MiL picked up her Leon today. Looks lovely, will report when I get my sticky paws on it!
BW to all,
Alex.
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Right- bought a 1989 325i cabrio in black. Pick up this evening. Report to follow...
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>> Right- bought a 1989 325i cabrio in black.
V. nice!
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>> Report to follow... <<
In the technical section...? ;-)
Nice cars.
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Two new cars to think about - rtj70
