Buying a car

LordOxygen

I love how everyone recommends their own car as if that in some way comfirms reliability for the model.

RaymondLin

LordOxygen said:

I love how everyone recommends their own car as if that in some way comfirms reliability for the model.

In the internet of honesty, my car threw up a “alarm system require service” message today on the dash.

could be a battery or dead siren.  May be a £8 part or a £140 + labour.

Emp_Fab

TTony said:

Doug said:

 The Scirocco is the car you want

Actually, a guy Emps knows, well, the next door-but-one neighbour of his stepson’s dog had a Scirocco and it was a real pos.  No way he’s going to get one of those!

You’re only retaliating because I proved your namesake to be consistently below average in the reliability stakes.

vasselmeyer

LordOxygen said:b

I love how everyone recommends their own car as if that in some way comfirms reliability for the model.

Confirmation bias. The only car I've ever owned that I wouldn't recommend to anyone is my 1977 Morris Marina. All the rest were serviced regularly and less than 10 years old and never broke down.

Emp_Fab

I can see it coming now....  I’m going to end up with a French shopping trolley that does 20mpg on a tiny Diesel engine and looks exactly like every other car on the road, and each of you individually is going to throw your arms up in the air and exclaim “Oh, what’s the bloody point!!”.

TTony

Emp_Fab said:

I can see it coming now....

Well done for catching up.

I think most of us saw that coming a while back.

Deadman

So the brief is car required but MUST be different and power is unimportant. 

Octafish

Deadman said:

So the brief is car required but MUST be different and power is unimportant. 

Which takes us back to my suggestion several pages back....  http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/2232652/#Comment_2232652

Seriously, pretty much all modern cars in Emp's budget will look unremarkable. The CRZ is in no way sexy or different. I'm a petrol head, but to me it just looks like some Honda hatchback and an old man's hatchback at that. I can guarantee the vast majority of people will not give it a second look.

If looking different is really that important then Emp needs to spend either a lot more money than he has or go for an older/classic motor. Cars that stand out in modern traffic have to either be ostentatious flash wagons or a classic that will make people think 'I remember those, my dad/I used to have one', everything else is just a modern box. The other option is not to give a fuck what people you don't/will never know think about the box you drive around in, makes life easier....

joneve

I'm baffled that anyone would think the CRZ looks a.) "unusual" and b.) Sporty or Sexy!? 

RaymondLin

Most newish (less than 10 year old), £6k cars are either

1 - was cheap to begin with like under £20k so now £6k

2 - was really expensive, all the parts still expensive, expensive to run so nobody wants them. 

Option 1 is unremarkable but reliable

Option 2 is remarkable but potentially come with eye-watering bills. Depends on the car, you would need a slush fund on hand to fix anything.

It's very hard to find a reliable and remarkable car that is out recently for £6k that is rare on the road, cheap to run, good mileage. Almost everything with 4 doors will be a bit boring.

The REALLY left field is a Hyundai Veloster. That is my last suggestion. I mean when was the last time you seen one of those?

ICBM

RaymondLin said:

Most newish (less than 10 year old), £6k cars are either

1 - was cheap to begin with like under £20k so now £6k

2 - was really expensive, all the parts still expensive, expensive to run so nobody wants them.

Or 3 - French, so no-one wants them for largely exaggerated reasons.

That’s one of the main reasons I like them. I paid only £4K for a 7-year-old car that would have been £25K new... because it’s French.

steveledzep

Good call for the Hyundai Veloster.

randella

ICBM said:

Or 3 - French, so no-one wants them for largely exaggerated reasons.

That’s one of the main reasons I like them. I paid only £4K for a 7-year-old car that would have been £25K new... because it’s French.

  The very tactic that got me a nine-month-old, 6k mile dealer demo with £10k off the list price.  Let's not rock that boat *too* hard

Emp_Fab

Funnily enough, I've been looking at the Veloster!  

jaytmon

RaymondLin said:

The REALLY left field is a Hyundai Veloster. That is my last suggestion. I mean when was the last time you seen one of those?

Had to look that up, never heard of it. Bit weird looking rear (like the crz) but it does seem to tick all of Emp’s boxes. Probably best suggestion yet especially as Emp has been secretly looking at them already. I’m beginning to think he’s toying with us!

p90fool

Taking bets now on which comes first, new car or new Prime Minister? 

30hertz

Picking my new baby up on Saturday. Skoda Octavia SE L in metallic Moon White, with the 2.0 190PS petrol engine and 7-speed DSG 'box -- it's the dealership's ex-demonstrator, so it's loaded with expensive extras like the range-topping satnav, big sound system, full leather, reversing camera, etc etc.  5 months old and 4k on the clock, and 10 grand cheaper than it would have been new.

My missus had a weekend test-drive of the new BMW Z4 M40i earlier this month. What an absolute hooligan of a car. Put it in Sport+ mode and nail the throttle, and all hell breaks loose. 0-60 in four and a half seconds, and a fabulous noise. Absolutely intoxicating.

RaymondLin

jaytmon said:

RaymondLin said:

The REALLY left field is a Hyundai Veloster. That is my last suggestion. I mean when was the last time you seen one of those?

Had to look that up, never heard of it. Bit weird looking rear (like the crz) but it does seem to tick all of Emp’s boxes. Probably best suggestion yet especially as Emp has been secretly looking at them already. I’m beginning to think he’s toying with us!

It's uncommon.
It looks kinda cool and sporty.
It's petrol.
It's quite economical.
It's cheap, can get it under £6k easy.
It has quite a lot of tech for the money.
It's relatively reliable.
It has 4 seats but only 3 doors.  It's a bit weird but not the end of the world.

Plus honestly, when did anyone here seen one of those? (although one of my mate's wife just recently bought one, traded in her Honda Jazz.   She's a bit quirky, being Brazilian." 

30hertz

Emp_Fab said:

• Has some extras... All my life I’ve driven cars with blanking panels where switches would be for kit that only comes with the higher spec models.  I want to feel a little luxury, fancy lighting, heated seats, that kind of thing.  Something that’s going to make me feel less poor, even if it’s on an older car.

Try to pick up a dealership's ex-demonstrator if you can. I've had two so far. My old 2002 Mondeo Ghia X had every single optional extra possible, the whole lot. They'd basically gone down the list and ticked everything, it must have cost them a fortune. And the Octavia I'm picking up tomorrow has got a whole heap of expensive goodies too. It's definitely the way to go.

boogieman

30hertz said:

Emp_Fab said:

• Has some extras... All my life I’ve driven cars with blanking panels where switches would be for kit that only comes with the higher spec models.  I want to feel a little luxury, fancy lighting, heated seats, that kind of thing.  Something that’s going to make me feel less poor, even if it’s on an older car.

Try to pick up a dealership's ex-demonstrator if you can. I've had two so far. My old 2002 Mondeo Ghia X had every single optional extra possible, the whole lot. They'd basically gone down the list and ticked everything, it must have cost them a fortune. And the Octavia I'm picking up tomorrow has got a whole heap of expensive goodies too. It's definitely the way to go.

You’re not going to get an ex demonstrator for Emp’s budget though. Unless it’s a moped.