This might be a bit weird

[New POD]

Anyone remember this : The handing over of the Keys to the 1.6 16V club with only 19K on the clock to my son by my father in law.

 

 

 

Well, if there's no hitch

 

This car, will be mine tomorrow.

 

http://www.gumtree.com/p/vauxhall/vauxhall-astra-sport-16v-twinport-/1127771316

 

Yes a 1.6 16V with only 33K on the clock.

 

[mrbenn]

That's a bit of alright! Very late model G too.

 

How is the red one doing, out of interest?

[New POD]

That's a bit of alright! Very late model G too.

 

How is the red one doing, out of interest?

 

 

He's taken it up to about 24K, and he and it are back home for one week, when it will have a quick engine service, before he starts his first real job post graduation.  I think his main use was from North London (Mill Hill) to Harbourne (Birmingham) to see his Girlfriend, about once a month.

 

The Battery failed in January, and he managed to sort it himself. I think it was the original 15 year old Vauxhall one.  He's polished it a couple of times, and it's still immaculate, despite living outside now.

[greengartside]

Lovely pair of Astras there. Talking about batteries, my Astra is still on its 12 year-old battery - although that's done 150k!

[mrbenn]

Sounds like it's got a good home! The people that bought my grandads old car (on 20k miles) seemed to treat it as nothing more than a tool and it disappeared from the dvla site not too long after. It was a Rover so we can take a guess at what happened....

[New POD]

Quote from my son:

 

Dad, I don't think spending £1000 on a car is going to get you a car that lasts 3 years with no major repairs. You do a lot of miles. You should have a diesel.

 

 

This following my discussion about man maths.

 

Honda Accord Deisel cost £4600, repairs £2000 fuel 11p a mile - total miles before death 55K comes to 24p a mile

Petrol Astra costing £1000 will require zero repairs and will last 40K (this before I found one with low miles) and therefore 2.5 years. Fuel will be 15p a mile. Therefore costing 19p a mile. Therefore I can afford to spend £2000 on repairs should I wish to.

[Captain Slow]

 

 

 

Quote from my son:

 

Dad, I don't think spending £1000 on a car is going to get you a car that lasts 3 years with no major repairs. You do a lot of miles. You should have a diesel.

 

 

 

I don't see this as a logical approach. Because anything modern has horrific depreciation.

 

I bought a fleet of six including my Triumph Stag for less than you'd lose in the first 12 months on a Vauxhall Meriva. With that sort of pricing difference, does a repair bill really matter?

[Guest Lord Sward]

Its the grief involved in a repair.

[Captain Slow]

I've never found grief in maintaining an old car I like, personally.

[Tamworthbay]

I've never found grief in maintaining an old car I like, personally.

it depends whether it's a summers day on a car that can be finished whenever, or lying under a car in January that needs to work to get you to your job the next day. I live close enough to walk to work now so the latter never applies anymore.

[New POD]

 

So I viewed it yesterday evening as it was starting to get dark, had to get my jump leads out to get it started, but it felt smooth enough once going.

Owner had a reasonable reason for sale and was open to offers.

So I knew that I'd almost definitely buy it.

 

Went back at noon, had a good look and decided that the history and the condition were about 15 to 20K apart, and I reckon, that just before the 1st MOT in 2007 it was clocked. I've seen enough Vauxhalls to spot one that's done 50K and not 30K.

So I pointed out all the faults and made a bit of a play about the battery, and we ended up at £950, which I feel is about right, but not an absolute steal.

Paid a small deposit in cash, went away and sorted insurance and did a history check, and then went back with laptop dongle and pin entry reader.

Transferred the money and got him to drive it back to my digs about a mile away.

Then sorted out tax and went back to work. No one missed me.

 

I shall drive Mx5 home tomorrow (with it's new clutch) and come back on Sunday night on the train.

I've parked it facing downhill, and put my jump leads in the boot. Hopefully the battery will survive.

 

 

[Ghosty]

Long way from a Lexus that!

 

Good buy though, it being potentially clocked is understandable but a shame.

[Christine]

I didn't know electronic odometers could be clocked . If i'd have known that , i'd have a one owner low mileage vw t4 

[New POD]

Long way from a Lexus that!

 

 

 

Yeah, I started off thinking "big old auto barge" and ended up thinking "Go for what you know"

 

Having owned 3 off Mk3 astras (all of which I wrote off), 4 off mk2 cavaliers, and 1 off mk3 cavalier, plus the boy wonder having an mk4 astra, and my brother in law having a W Reg Zafira (with 210K), I sort of am drawn to _(all) Vauxhalls ^{(are shit)}

[New POD]

The great thing is that my car tax is LESS than his. £180 vs £250 (is that what it is?)

[chaseracer]

it depends whether it's a summers day on a car that can be finished whenever, or lying under a car in January that needs to work to get you to your job the next day.

 

This is why it's important to own multiple shite.

 

[Captain Slow]

This is why it's important to own multiple shite.

 

 

Took the words right out of my mouth!

[New POD]

So my Lad is coming home at the weekend, to attend his cousin's birthday party, and I said :

 

Joe, I'll get the stuff, and we can service both Astra's at the same time. Are you okay me getting Genuine Vauxhall Parts? I should be able to blag trade club prices, but might still be slightly more than a motor factors. It'll be about £40. But I'll let you know.

 

To which he said :

 

I'm not paying for the parts Dad.

 

At said birthday bash will be the Man that gave him the car. Should I tap him for the £40 ?

 

Went to Pentagon in Derby, and the nice bloke behind the parts counter, gave me trade prices. Insisted that the computer says the earlier 1.6 16V have twin electrode spark plugs and semi-synthetic oil, and the later twinport has quad sparky plugs and fully synth. All filters are the same.

[JohnK]

Bank of dad innit. Still works for me - my dad pays for my 2 garages each month!

[andrew e]

Sod the service, let it blow up, mention it at every family gathering thereafter for EVAR.

 

What could possibly go wrong*?

[Felly Magic]

If he won't pay for simple service items, simply take the keys from him, because he isn't fit to own such a nice car, then bray him round the lug holes for being a cretin

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I choose and buy what they drive so I pay for and service/ repair as necessary, it's just the way it is in my house.

The older two pay their own insurance and pay towards servicing, but the younger two are still at uni or school so I pay it.

It's a bit like Phil Daniels feeding the pigeons- It gives me an enormous sense of well being.

It's also the reason I don't have a Granada or SD1, thing is they'll be grown up and driving PCP Audis all to soon and I can spoil myself then.

[John F]

I wouldn't bother putting 'genuine Vauxhall parts' on a car where the oil change service items represent more than 5% of the car's value.

 

Re. your lad: "Sorry dad, I'm too skint" would have been OK, but to flatly say "I'm not paying for the parts dad" sounds like a piss-take to me.

[andy18s]

I didn't know electronic odometers could be clocked . If i'd have known that , i'd have a one owner low mileage vw t4

Chap on a local Fbook page keeps posting "mileage correction " services on lease cars that have gone over their allowance.....the amount of stick he gets Every time he posts is quite remarkable! !

 

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[NorfolkNWeigh]

Chap on a local Fbook page keeps posting "mileage correction " services on lease cars that have gone over their allowance.....the amount of stick he gets Every time he posts is quite remarkable! !

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You'd have to be really dodgy to do that ,and maybe put a set of eBay rims on it for 60,000 miles , so that the tyres are the same ones it should have with 18,000 miles worth of wear.

[taxi paul]

I looked at a zafira un a main dealer for my daughter last year. Ex mobility , 3 yrs old and genuine * 24,000 miles. It had four part worn tyres of different makes, shiney steering wheel ,worn pedal rubbers and a worn and ripped drivers seat. I asked the salesman if he thought it was genuine. He said the service history matched up so yes. I think it had been corrected once or twice or lived on a farm. Needles to say it was a no from me. Well I actually laughed and asked him if people where really that stupid to believe him. She bought a Kia instead.

[New POD]

Do you still pay for his Uni fees, accom etc?

 

Because of the interesting way that university is funded, he was able to get student loans and a full grant and a York University Bursary, because for the years that counted our income was erm low (ish).  

 

He is so tight, that he admits to saving all the grant, and the bursary, which he intends to spend on the deposit of a house. 

 

The problem is my wife, wants to spoil him, but he's got a job, money in the bank, and can stand on his own 2 feet.

[New POD]

I wouldn't bother putting 'genuine Vauxhall parts' on a car where the oil change service items represent more than 5% of the car's value.

 

Re. your lad: "Sorry dad, I'm too skint" would have been OK, but to flatly say "I'm not paying for the parts dad" sounds like a piss-take to me.

 

If the difference in price over ECP or GSF or Culmac, is the same cost as 15 miles of petrol, and the car has only done 25K, you may as well haggle with the Vauxhall parts man. At least he's more likely to sell you the right parts.

 

I think it is a piss take.  We will have words. Gentle Dad like words, including "don't take the piss" and "wait til I tell your granddad"

[New POD]

Chap on a local Fbook page keeps posting "mileage correction " services on lease cars that have gone over their allowance.....the amount of stick he gets Every time he posts is quite remarkable! !

 

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I'd suggest that soliciting that he can help commit fraud is a criminal offence.  I guess it's how you word the advert, but if he makes it clear that he can help you defraud the lease company, then he's taking a fucking great risk. Only takes one person from Lex-leasing to spot it and he'll have investigators up his arse before he can say "twat this for a game of soldiers"

[Pillock]

And if he thinks that in a modern car, that's got more ECUs than I've had pork pies, there's only one chip that knows how far the car has travelled he's doubled the stupidity he started with by posting his services on Facebook.

 

The dealers will also have a record of when it was serviced. If they're doing such megamileage they need it faking, I mean "correcting", then it must have been serviced at least once. Audi TDIs which I imagine are the mainstay of an operation like this still have an oilchange every 9k or 1 year if they're on fixed servicing, my Peugeot long-term hire car was 16k / 1 year.