It's looking like the end of the road for shite motoring for me

[D-Dubya]

she did at one point want a smart car, I'd rather plait shit than have one of those, I'm 6ft tall and "cuddly", I don't look right in smart cars!

[purplebargeken]

No one looks right in a Smart car, they are evil and will try and kill you at the earliest opportunity.

[londonm]

You can get a brand new Hyundai i10 for £55 a month, if you want hassle free new car motoring theres plenty of good deals out there on new cars.

Don't be daft, get a j reg proton and spend all your spare time under it trying to fit that spare part you had flown in from North Korea all weekend whilst your other half looks elsewhere for entertainment.

[Doctormop]

Think my first ever trial of the ignore button is about to commence, is londonm deliberately trolling or just on a trial membership of postlikeatwat.co.uk??

[rml2345]

Don't be daft, get a j reg proton and spend all your spare time under it trying to fit that spare part you had flown in from North Korea all weekend whilst your other half looks elsewhere for entertainment.

Don't be daft. The J reg Proton is a paragon of reliability and style. You'd be beating pussy off with a shitty stick man.

Aren't they South Korean anyway?

To return to new cars for a moment, I can see why folk like the Adam/Mini/500 as it's something a bit different that they can personalise and that appeals to a lot of folks in a way that a more 'normal' hatch doesn't. If it was my money though it'd probably go on a new Panda or a recent Yaris or something. The Toyota in particular seems to have excellent residual values but I'd reckon on the Panda being more fun.

I think a brand new car is generally seen as less hassle than a 10 year old one as new cars are pretty reliable nowadays and if it beaks you can always ship it off to the dealer for mending (hopefully) under warranty.

[londonm]

Think my first ever trial of the ignore button is about to commence, is londonm deliberately trolling or just on a trial membership of postlikeatwat.co.uk??

Go ahead, like I care what you think.

[Sigmund Fraud]

I am shocked and appalled by the lack of fundamental Proton knowledge displayed by certain Autoshite members ! They come from Malaysia, a country with rich* automotive tradition, going back as far as the 1980s !

[londonm]

Don't be daft. The J reg Proton is a paragon of reliability and style. You'd be beating pussy off with a shitty stick man.

Aren't they South Korean anyway?

To return to new cars for a moment, I can see why folk like the Adam/Mini/500 as it's something a bit different that they can personalise and that appeals to a lot of folks in a way that a more 'normal' hatch doesn't. If it was my money though it'd probably go on a new Panda or a recent Yaris or something. The Toyota in particular seems to have excellent residual values but I'd reckon on the Panda being more fun.

I think a brand new car is generally seen as less hassle than a 10 year old one as new cars are pretty reliable nowadays and if it beaks you can always ship it off to the dealer for mending (hopefully) under warranty.

I agree, the only new cars I've bought have been chosen on their residuals. I have had a new mini, a 500, simply because they hold value well. The Adam is a marketing ploy to harness the appeal of the afore mentioned cars but being a GM tin box can only plummet in value. You may also get sucked in to Vauxhall service and warranty, which by my experience is not great. A few years ago I bought a 500, because the road tax is £30.00 a year and it's easy to park around cities. My girlfriend got a new shape Agila, which has been really good in all honesty apart from the attitude of the local Vauxhall dealer which we pretty much gave up on because of them asking for £100 to fit a new pollen filter etc. We now use a great local garage. When I bought the Mini, the dealership said that lots of people had traded in 'new' Range Rovers and were shocked how much they lost. The Mini returned well over half what I paid for it five years down the line. Suggesting to anyone that buying a new MG is a good idea defies belief to me, when as you quite correctly point out a new Panda can be bought for probably 5/6 k if you shop about and Fiat have raised their game in recent years. What I don't like about the majority of new cars is the money you automatically lose, my girlfriends car was bought in the downturn and had a list price of 10k but the dealer was desperate for a sale and let it go for 7.5k. That tells a lot to me of profit margin versus true worth. They most likely buy the car for 5k to pass on at 10k. The reason I like this site is the people who know what they're talking about, and I read it because the next car for me will most likely be an older one.

 

If you're after a new car, check for least depreciating models, and play the dealers off each other to avoid being left with a tin box worth jack a bit further down the line. Also tell them you're a cash buyer even if you're not, and watch the apr rate drop down to 1%. as they try to bleed every penny out of you.

[Lacquer Peel]

I think one of the cheapest cars I've had to run is my current 1993 Volvo 940 turbo diesel. They are built to last, and it hasn't needed anything other than consumables like the original rear discs and pads replaced. It passed the MOT test a few months ago with one minor advisory.

 

The road tax is relatively expensive, but it's outweighed by it not needing much attention otherwise, and has taken me all over the country from the north of Scotland to the south east of England on a mixture of fuels, mostly on waste vegetable oil at 0-10p per litre.

 

It also has bags of character because it's pretty rubbish - it sounds like a lorry, smokes like a steam engine and has the comfiest seats ever. 

It needs a wee bit of attention now, like a £10 cambelt and a £6 injection pump seal, I'm quite happy to splash out on it.

 

I don't think a new car would be such good VALUE.

[oman5]

I think one of the cheapest cars I've had to run is my current 1993 Volvo 940 turbo diesel. They are built to last, and it hasn't needed anything other than consumables like the original rear discs and pads replaced. It passed the MOT test a few months ago with one minor advisory.

 

The road tax is relatively expensive, but it's outweighed by it not needing much attention otherwise, and has taken me all over the country from the north of Scotland to the south east of England on a mixture of fuels, mostly on waste vegetable oil at 0-10p per litre.

 

It also has bags of character because it's pretty rubbish - it sounds like a lorry, smokes like a steam engine and has the comfiest seats ever. 

It needs a wee bit of attention now, like a £10 cambelt and a £6 injection pump seal, I'm quite happy to splash out on it.

 

I don't think a new car would be such good VALUE.

I agree. I had the 740 turbo diesel they are fantastically good. Aside from routine maintenance I didn't spend a penny on mine in two years. I want another one.

[rml2345]

I am shocked and appalled by the lack of fundamental Proton knowledge displayed by certain Autoshite members ! They come from Malaysia, a country with rich* automotive tradition, going back as far as the 1980s !

So they do... :$

Volvo 700/900s are pretty cheap to run, even if you factor in the costs of a petrol one. Apart from a distributor and a water pump it's really just been consumables. Quite a lot of consumables admittedly but that's just hard luck really...

Diesel for ultimate mingebaggery of course!

[cms206]

J-REG PROTONS FEATURE JAPANESE TECHNOLOGY AND MALAYSIAN STYLE AND MUST BE SAVED.

 

I'll add another vote for Volvo 700/900s because I have three and they're the bollocks.

[barefoot]

I have never owned or driven a Volvo.

[Rocket88]

Don't know if anyone has suggested an Audi A2 ? they seem to be pretty much depreciation proof, and may be suitable. Audi lost £1000s on every one they made, build quality is as good as you'll find

[Barry Cade]

Don't know if anyone has suggested an Audi A2 ? they seem to be pretty much depreciation proof, and may be suitable. Audi lost £1000s on every one they made, build quality is as good as you'll find

 

Read up on VW/Audi engine and gearbo issues before going much further. The Golf I've just bought for my daughter has a lot of issues, including the famous dodgy rivets on the diff. Anyone got a DUU Box? The tappets are just a little noiser than an attack rifle in a dustbin too. FVWSH FWW...

[For Fiats Sake]

I have never owned or driven a Volvo.

 

Me either.

 

What am I missing?

[Sigmund Fraud]

Me either.

 

What am I missing?

 

They are awful to drive and amazing to own. You should both buy one at the earliest opportunity !