Buying a car

TTony

celentium said:

 But I am interested in the anticipated running costs as I could see myself in one as a weekend car. You sound like you've done your research so it would be good to hear your thoughts. 

A good friend of mine ran a s/h Boxster for a few years.    He sold it when it developed an oil leak from a reasonably inaccessible part of the already inaccessible engine, so the estimated repair bill was in the £000s.

Beyond that, if you've got a decent independent garage nearby, aren't too hard on the tyres & brakes, and don't have a collection of points & disquals on your licence (or live in a dodgy area!) it's not a mad proposition.

My 3.2 Quattro TT was quicker though

digitalscream

Emp_Fab said:

digitalscream said:

Emp_Fab said:

There can be only one....

Give me your postcode. I'll find you a car in 15 minutes.

Just put Swansea in, that's close enough.  This is a dangerous proposition mind...  I am a hard man to please  

Toyota Avensis - 35k miles, £7396

Mazda3 - 54k miles, £7490

Focus ST - 53k miles, £6903

Alfa Giulietta - 50k miles, £6999

Pretty much all the bases covered there. Yes, two of them break the colour rule, but...well, I wouldn't buy either of those anyway. All three are peanuts in tax (£145 or less, I believe), pretty fuel efficient and plenty fun.

Given your restrictions, I personally think you'd be mad to get anything else.

RaymondLin

celentium said:

RaymondLin said:

celentium said:

Could he afford to run that Porsche? What would be a sensible repair pot fund to run it? 

He can take the bus if he needs to, he proved that is an option for the last 3 months.  I mean he almost bought a Mercedes SLK twice, which would carry a similarly maintenance and running cost.

Good points, we both know Emp would never get one... But I am interested in the anticipated running costs as I could see myself in one as a weekend car. You sound like you've done your research so it would be good to hear your thoughts. 

A Porsche comprehensive warranty can be had for £1200 which covers everything, so you can either put say £2000 as a slush fund which might never get used, or put £1200 a year into a warranty and you can run it like any other eco box.  

TTony

digitalscream said:

Toyota Avensis - 35k miles, £7396

Mazda3 - 54k miles, £7490

Focus ST - 53k miles, £6903

Alfa Giulietta - 50k miles, £6999

On page 16, Emp explained, quite rationally, that you should never buy a car that has a "3" in the price, or the model.

It's well known* that those cars are really unreliable.

(*Emp's sure -ish- that someone he knew once told someone who knew someone else who'd read it on the internet.  So it's fact.  Alternatively it could just have been the voices again, but no sense taking the risk).


So that leaves the Alfa.  And that's got 3 9s in the price!

You'd just be asking for trouble with that one.  Given that it's an Alfa, you probably wouldn't even need to ask.



See how difficult it is - buying a car in Emp land is not just about look at ads and picking random cars that seem to fit a criteria.  There are other things that you have to take into consideration.

Emp_Fab

For all those querying the rather odd engine size criteria, it's because that's what Ebay uses.  Ideally, I would select something like 1.0L to 2.2L, but it won't let me get that granular.

As for the Porsche....  It's black, it's 327 miles away, the insurance will be insane and I'm not bothering to check the mpg.

 @RaymondLin ; You said my filter criteria choices were the reason diesels keep appearing.  I asked why.  You've not responded.

Right... onto @digitalscream's selection.....

>Toyota Avensis - 35k miles, £7396
It's in Northern Ireland ya plonker !!

>Mazda3 - 54k miles, £7490
Now that is one lovely looking car....  if it wasn't for the colour.  However, it is the only black / dark grey car I've looked at where I momentarily considered dispensing with my colour bar.  It's also too far away.  Taunton is 125 miles from me.  Bear in mind I have to either get public transport to the car, which is a pain if it turns out it's not as described / I reject it for some other reason - OR - it has to be close enough for a mate to give me a lift there, or I view it in Mrs Fab's van, buy it, park it somewhere on the street near the seller, drive her van home and then get her to drop me off there when she comes home from work.

The latter options are only workable within, say, a 20 mile radius.  Outside of that, it's choo-choo time - and I have to be pretty sure I'm going to buy the car if I'm getting on the train.

I've been looking everywhere for a new-shape Mazda 3 (not in black) and I'm failing.  There's one that I keep seeing on the road around my way, in a lovely candy red - bloody gorgeous !

>Focus ST - 53k miles, £6903
Again - black....  Also, it's a sporty thing.  Highly likely to have been driven fairly hard in its life.  I don't want to take the risk of inheriting the problems caused by a twat in his 20's gunning the thing everywhere.

>Alfa Giulietta - 50k miles, £6999
Me likey.  The blue is lovely - almost a purple (to my dodgy colour perception).  I will investigate this forthwith.  It's also a good price - just below bottom book.

Emp_Fab

Hold that....  I've just found a red Mazda 3 locally....   I'll be back... !

Edit: Fuck.  It's got the notorious 2.2 Diesel lump in it.   

digitalscream

OK, admittedly I wasn't looking at the exact location - I did have it set to 30 miles, so I've no idea why it came up with those!

For what it's worth, the Alfa is the one I'd go for. Economical, low tax, quite torque-y and fast enough to be fun. Also, very good-looking cars IMO. Its only fault from my perspective is the lack of leather seats, but it's nice enough that I'm pretty sure I'd let go of that.

digitalscream

I would like to point out, mind, that I suggested a Giulietta five pages ago...

steveledzep

The Alfa it is then.  "Oh hang on a minute, the front number plate is not in the middle.....I don't do asymmetric".  Seriously Emp, that looks a great car for the money and just down the road from you.

Kilgore

That Alfa is gorgeous.

SouthpawMark

Not sure about the brown seats in the Alfa. 

digitalscream

SouthpawMark said:

Not sure about the brown seats in the Alfa. 

Don't you start, I've almost won!

celentium

I'd be disappointed if you got the Alfa. I was looking forward to laughing at your final choice but the Alfa looks pretty decent. 

Emp_Fab

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCcbLDul5DI

Electro_Ham

RaymondLin said:

celentium said:

RaymondLin said:

celentium said:

Could he afford to run that Porsche? What would be a sensible repair pot fund to run it? 

He can take the bus if he needs to, he proved that is an option for the last 3 months.  I mean he almost bought a Mercedes SLK twice, which would carry a similarly maintenance and running cost.

Good points, we both know Emp would never get one... But I am interested in the anticipated running costs as I could see myself in one as a weekend car. You sound like you've done your research so it would be good to hear your thoughts. 

A Porsche comprehensive warranty can be had for £1200 which covers everything, so you can either put say £2000 as a slush fund which might never get used, or put £1200 a year into a warranty and you can run it like any other eco box.  

Does it matter were you purchase the Porsche for it to qualify? Are there other criteria for the car to qualify for the warranty?

digitalscream

Emp_Fab said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCcbLDul5DI

I'd suggest going to have a look at it - the one you're looking at is a later model, with quite a few trim changes (including the stereo), and better seats, which are his main gripes with it.

Bridgehouse

digitalscream said:

I would like to point out, mind, that I suggested a Giulietta five pages ago...

I would like to point out that every car ever including the model T, the allegro and a Lamborghini have been suggested in the last 35 pages..

boogieman

digitalscream said:

Emp_Fab said:

digitalscream said:

Emp_Fab said:

There can be only one....

Give me your postcode. I'll find you a car in 15 minutes.

Just put Swansea in, that's close enough.  This is a dangerous proposition mind...  I am a hard man to please  

Toyota Avensis - 35k miles, £7396

Mazda3 - 54k miles, £7490

Focus ST - 53k miles, £6903

Alfa Giulietta - 50k miles, £6999

Pretty much all the bases covered there. Yes, two of them break the colour rule, but...well, I wouldn't buy either of those anyway. All three are peanuts in tax (£145 or less, I believe), pretty fuel efficient and plenty fun.

Given your restrictions, I personally think you'd be mad to get anything else.

All decent suggestions but you’re forgetting Emp’s maximum budget is £6902. 

  

RaymondLin

Electro_Ham said:

RaymondLin said:

celentium said:

RaymondLin said:

celentium said:

Could he afford to run that Porsche? What would be a sensible repair pot fund to run it? 

He can take the bus if he needs to, he proved that is an option for the last 3 months.  I mean he almost bought a Mercedes SLK twice, which would carry a similarly maintenance and running cost.

Good points, we both know Emp would never get one... But I am interested in the anticipated running costs as I could see myself in one as a weekend car. You sound like you've done your research so it would be good to hear your thoughts. 

A Porsche comprehensive warranty can be had for £1200 which covers everything, so you can either put say £2000 as a slush fund which might never get used, or put £1200 a year into a warranty and you can run it like any other eco box.  

Does it matter were you purchase the Porsche for it to qualify? Are there other criteria for the car to qualify for the warranty?

No, all it needs is go through the 111points Porsche inspection check and if it passes, that’s it.  There are strict criteria for oils, and tyres mind.

Electro_Ham

RaymondLin said:

Electro_Ham said:

RaymondLin said:

celentium said:

RaymondLin said:

celentium said:

Could he afford to run that Porsche? What would be a sensible repair pot fund to run it? 

He can take the bus if he needs to, he proved that is an option for the last 3 months.  I mean he almost bought a Mercedes SLK twice, which would carry a similarly maintenance and running cost.

Good points, we both know Emp would never get one... But I am interested in the anticipated running costs as I could see myself in one as a weekend car. You sound like you've done your research so it would be good to hear your thoughts. 

A Porsche comprehensive warranty can be had for £1200 which covers everything, so you can either put say £2000 as a slush fund which might never get used, or put £1200 a year into a warranty and you can run it like any other eco box.  

Does it matter were you purchase the Porsche for it to qualify? Are there other criteria for the car to qualify for the warranty?

No, all it needs is go through the 111points Porsche inspection check and if it passes, that’s it.  There are strict criteria for oils, and tyres mind.

Thanks. Appreciated.