r.welfare Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 I know someone with a Leon 1.4, the engine is so gruff I had trouble working out what fuel was powering it. It's also epically uneconomical for such a small engine - high-20s MPG is quite normal for her.That's odd - my wife had a 2001 Fabia with this engine and over the 62,000 miles we owned it (24k to 86k) the thing averaged about 45mpg. Mind you, the 1.4 16v has zero torque so if you live in a hilly/twisty area it would be much worse, my wife's driving was mainly flat A-road stuff.It was a noisy lump all right (not to the point I confused it with an XUD though) and it did suffer from annoying electrical faults, with the engine management light coming on every other week (a cheap code reader to reset it helps). The 1.4 16v belt tensioners are also made of chocolate and needed changing (with both belts) every 40k. We didn't suffer the broken piston ring issue, thankfully - oil consumption was negligible.I'd still go for one with a 1.9TDI though.Otherwise the Fab' was pretty reliable and didn't suffer many of the usual maladies (leaking window and door seals, dead electric PAS, etc) of the model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Lobster Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Colleague has a Mk1 1.4 Leon and is really happy with it, cheap to run, reliable and whilst it's not fast it's ok. I've got a 1.8T Toledo - essentially a Leon with a big boot - and am absolutely chuffed to bits with it and would highly recommend one.@ Watanbe - Ford love. I know what you mean and I was a confirmed Ford cynic but then I got a job with Ford in 2000 and was really surprised with the Mk1 Focus. Yeh the dashboard arrangement is a little unusual but certainly when new they did drive really well and could really be thrown about with confidence. What they are like as they get old I'm not as sure although two people at work have them (04 and Y platers) and neither have anything in the way of rust so I would assume they must be better rustproofed than Kas or Fiestas.Focus Mk2 - Zzzzzzzzz. Very dull, very unexceptional, nothing special at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthonyG Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Is a early example of the current BMW 3 series a totally stupid suggestion John? Don't know much about prices, but they are pretty solid and reliable cars - the only real gripe I've heard is hard suspension, which given you drive a Citroen, might be a big turn off.Alternatively Jaguar X type? or do you deffo need a hatchback? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pogweasel Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Just catch the bus. With your mum. And her tartan trolley. No hassle, no finance + balloon payments, no difficult decisions about what is a 'good' or 'bad' car to drive, no having your pointless twats of neighbours looking down their noses. I've read through this and can only conclude that it's your only option. Any suggestion I could possibly make (which isn't much) would doubtlessly be pissed on from height anyway. Pretty much every car that I have driven built in the last 10 years has been really quite horrible, with the exception of the Ford Focus Mk1, which are perfectly adequate. Not bowel-shatteringly great, but perfectly adequate in terms of space, economy, handling, comfort, reliability etc. But as they are just a 'rip off' of a 306, no point in suggesting one of those, hey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad D. Conelrad Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Buses in the 1990s were fine, modern buses are shit. There's always a bunch of kids blasting Kanye West at 96dB through a mobile phone speaker with a diameter of 1mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autohausdolby Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 You don't get MCW Metrobuses round here anymore either. I stopped riding the bus when the early ones with asymmetric windscreens started getting pensioned off. Imagine my delight when I went to university in Manchester and found some hiding out there (ex South Yorkshire's Transport no less!) in the hands of a third rate operator. Joy was unbounded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autohausdolby Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Yes! After constantly searching since my last post I've found a photo of an early Sheffield Metrobus. Some quality car tat on here as well. Is that the back of an NSU going away from the camera? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Bo11ox Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 I don't think there is a suitable candidate out there unfortunately! I dont think a car exists that will meet your requirements. Simply rattle off an A4 drawing of a cock & balls and advise your family to travel round in/on that, while you cruise the blacktop in your Pizza flicking the V's at the chevette crew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gallondrunk Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthonyG Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Actually that whole mobile phone as portable audio thing annoys me. Makes me often want to say "Get a fucking ghetto blaster you cheap bastards! Make some Run DMC tapes and do it properly!"LOL - too true!These bloody modern kids just don't take the time to do things properly these days . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Yes! After constantly searching since my last post I've found a photo of an early Sheffield Metrobus. Some quality car tat on here as well. Is that the back of an NSU going away from the camera? Looks like a Doloposhite chasing a Metro to me. Travel West Midlands are still running Metrobuses but again, they got rid of all the assymetrical windscreen ones. Some seem to have followed me East though into the hands of smaller operators while finding an open top one up in the North East somewhere caused me much joy (and worried the missus quite a lot...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r.welfare Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 I haven't been on a bus since I left school  Back OT (a bit), my mate has just told me he's ordered a C30 1.6; got £2k off the list apparently, and that's for a factory order rather than something up to it's wheelarches in weeds on a disused airfield somewhere. I'm not a big fan of 'em, but it's his money* so what can you do? Money generated solely from horseracing bet profits as well. Jammy barsteward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Cade Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 What about a Hyundai I30?I work in an independent garage,on all makes of cars from Ferrari's to Allegros. I'm seriously thinking of a change in career as I'm sooo bloody pissed off with new cars. They are SHITE.Broken springs,wheel bearings,turbos exploding, inlet manifolds exploding,cars locking themselves, &*%$ managements lights, ABS lights.- That was just in the last few days. I hate it now. Used to be a big Merc and VW/Audi fan, now they are as bad as everything else. Ford has raised their game, but still have issues.Everyone else is owned by someone else, with dubious parentage,and when you look back the family tree,it stops at Shite.The cars now that genuinely impress me are Hyundai and Kia. long warranties,top notch quality,and decent prices. I was very impressed by a 3 year old Sportage the other day, surprising kwality and finish.That old Sonata I had was fault free,and every single gadget on it worked like new,at 12 years old. My mate has just bought a 02 Passat. it doesn't lock, the windows are busted,it smokes and rattles,knocks and bangs over bumps...I ran an old GL5 estate up to 230,000 miles,and just occasionally changed the oil and washed it.I now drive a kia Pride, shite car, but 110% reliable,faster than you'd think, economical,roomy,and the pintwork is beautiful! I know its a Mazda underneath,but thats from when before Mazda's were Fords... In 50,000 miles its had 4 tyres, brake pads and a few sevices.That is all.Stick yer scrappage scheme up yer arse, the goverment should be paying US for saving the planet by getting rid of the shite that clutters up our roads now. and promote recycling by ending useage of raw materials to cause the public misery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gompo Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Honda Jazz? Toyato Auris? Neither very exciting but must be relatively reliable?If you want a GTI-6 then get one - have you had/driven one before or just diesel 306s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew e Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I still don't get the 306 thing. Shite awfull car, Mrs E's cabrio has the 16 valver too, but step from it to the 5, is like going from horse and cart to the Eurostar. If its any use the BMW has just eaten a wheel bearing at 137k; £110 supplied and fitted... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete-M Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I like 306s. They're the next best thing to a Mk1 Focus.My brother had a 306 S16? when they were new - That went remarkably well. I'd have one (if I could find a cheap one with fully working AC) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Has anybody suggested a Mazda 3 yet? Like a Focus but less Focus-ish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autohausdolby Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 What about a Hyundai I30?The only thing that'd put me off is people might think you drive a 1-series BMW if they see it from the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthonyG Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Has anybody suggested a Mazda 3 yet? Like a Focus but less Focus-ish.Was going to do so, new one coming out so should be good deals on recent 'old' models. Didn't actually realise the blanket ads on ITV 4 were for a 'new' one, looked like the same model with a Peugoet-esque (yuck - why Mazda, FFS?) front grille. Maybe they are just a facelift?Watanbe - buy your folks a 3 year old Kia Rio or something, and then buy whatever you want to drive with the rest .Surely there must still be some good GTI-6's left? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 I like 306s. They're the next best thing to a Mk1 Focus.Wind up!I'll look about. I'm convinced two thirds of this board think I'm a sociopathic malcontent, but on my hitlist now includes a Ford Focus.Sorry teH pog, but I do think the interiors of the first Foci were 'orrible. I know that isn't much coming from a 306 owner (mmm, PSA velour and elephant arse plastics), but there you go.For the record, my 306 went wrong with depressing regularity, but I liked the car so didn't massively resent spending money on it. The C4 seemed like a good idea at the time, but time has proved me wrong. I've managed to put 3 people off work from buying one.The rear wheel bearing let go and has just cost me £148 to put right. Before you cry foul, this is because you can't just buy the wheel bearing for £20 and lob it on. It's part of the hub \ disc assembly, which is a main agent only part, and as I've discovered previously, 249mm discs are very fucking expensive indeed. So one rear disc (part of set 4 har de har de har) has now had to be replaced with the offending bearing.This has meant I couldn't go and get my Volvo and subsequently couldn't go to the Combe. Which has pissed me off somewhat, given that it's the Volvo that's supposed to go wrong and strand me. What would have been an hour's job with a normal non shit French car turned into an overnight stay at my local indie because they couldn't get the parts in. And that £148 was at very cheap labour rates because I sorted the gaffer's computer out. It was a tight schedule (yeah, get back from holiday Friday morn, take in car Friday morn, get car back Friday afternoon, get Volvo Friday eve, set off for Combe Sat morn) but then again a wheelbearing ain't bloody rocket science.For the record, my folks can get around fine. They both have cars. I just still live at home because of a disasterous attempt to set up a recording studio in Crewe, which decimated my finances. So guess where I have to borrow money from. If an 'old' 'shit' car went wrong, I'd never hear the fucking end of it. It was bad enough when I had my 306 at Uni, and that was only five years old at the time.I'm not going to find a GTI 6 that hasn't been ragged to pieces.Volvo V50 is in the bin because I didn't like it. Not having a Golf because they're overpriced toss.Looking more and more like a 2 year old Octavia estate at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Don't get a Toyota Yaris then, I believe the cheapest you can get a rear wheel bearing for one of those is well over £200 and that's just buying it at trade price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M'coli Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Don't get a Toyota Yaris then, I believe the cheapest you can get a rear wheel bearing for one of those is well over £200 and that's just buying it at trade price.Being a Toyota, will it ever need one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Oh yes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pogweasel Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 What was the question again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket88 Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Looking more and more like a 2 year old Octavia estate at the moment.Buy a pre 2004 one, with the pompe deuse diesel engine, less powerful but far more reliable, we've got 2 2002 models, both auto 1.9 tdi's one's done 201,00 miles, the other 171,00, both ex taxis, and they've both been fine, Total cost of both to buy, £1500! Amount spent on repairs so far [in 6 months] £11.09! 40 mpg [in Jersey, which is crap for fuel consumption] comfy, torquey, most have simple aircon, and all the toys that are usefull, and apart from some malarkey with the central locking, both trouble free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vicsmith Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009  The C4 seemed like a good idea at the time, but time has proved me wrong. I've managed to put 3 people off work from buying one.  You buying a C4 has made 3 people not want to go to work any more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gallondrunk Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009   The C4 seemed like a good idea at the time, but time has proved me wrong. I've managed to put 3 people off work from buying one.   You buying a C4 has made 3 people not want to go to work any more? I really can't type legibly at the moment. Er, just re read that, yes, that's exactly what I've done. They're sick of me complaining about it and two have attempted suicide. The other works in a call centre and the third can't count because of me. What I meant to say was that several (indeed, three in fact) people wanted to look at my car because they were looking into buying a C4, 'because the prices are AMAZING!!!' We are talking of course about an office that thinks you've made it if you've got an Audi A3, so a certain amount of slack has to be cut. I put them right in no uncertain terms. 'Oooh, what are you on about, it's really nice, why do you keep saying it's a pile of shit', said one. 'Urrrgh, why do you prefer that crap wedding car [Amazon] to this?' said another. (I don't know, because it fucking works properly?????) The third beat himself to death with an abacus because I wanted a cup of tea and the fourth told disgruntled from Tunbridge Wells to go and fuck themselves with the latest M&S flower catalogue (great customer focus that I feel should be applauded). And so it rumbles on. Pre 2004 Octavia, check. Are the new ones toss or something? A mate of mine bought a new 2007 hatch at the time in full on Bangladeshi gold taxi driver spec (he even lost a wheel trim) and hasn't had any trouble with it. In fact he was complaining the other day because it needed a wheel bearing at 84,000 miles 'and it cost £30'. Bless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gompo Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I'm sure you will be able to find a decent GTI-6, you just might have to pay a bit for it. I've had a couple in the last 3 years - they werent without their faults but they didnt breakdown with me and would have been fine daily drivers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket88 Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Post 2004 Octavias are fine, but the old engine is pretty much bomb proof, and the bits are a lot cheaper. I wouldn't put anyone off buying a new one though, I think that the entire range is way better value for money than anything else out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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