Car hunting, URGH

[Felly Magic]

Well the insurerers are going to cough up around £700 for the Crocus, so it's time to find it's replacement. Went to look at an 02 plater Crocus today, seller wanted £700 for it, but it had a borked clutch, and it looked scruffy too, 130k on it, there is very little in this area on budget, and we don't have time for long distance kollekshunfredsYo, as the rental car has to go back very shortly. Gives us feck all time to source a replacement. Spotted an Almera in budget, but it will be needing the infamous crossmember doing after checking MOT history. 

 

Criteria means needs to be capable of long distance motorway work, and be reliable, with long test, reasonable on juice, preferably Y plate or newer, and NO DIESEL due to moderns not being reliable in the slightest. 

[hairnet]

http://autoshite.com/topic/23827-vtec-y0-for-sale-2001-civic-16/

[KruJoe]

Come and get this, free to you!

 

 

Drive back to a pre-booked test, spend a hundred or two having the brake pipes done and some fresh boots on it, job's a good one!

 

 

Genuine.

Been reliable for the PO, and it's new enough, right?

 

http://autoshite.com/topic/23820-another-day-another-free-car-free-to-you/page-1

[Felly Magic]

Not got any time to sort any issues, car needs to be fighting fit and ready for the hard slog straight away, commute use 6 days a week @80 ish miles a day, an Over with a kettle wouldn't last 5 minutes, the commute even managed to kill the engine on an Almera! 

[bub2006]

Offer still stands in and around Derbyshire/nottinghamshire

[SiC]

I know I am a Honda (and strangely Renault) fan, but if it was my money, I needed a very reliable transport and I only had that to spend, the Civic generation that Hairnet is selling would be top of my list. A boringly reliable thing. Parents had one in the facelift shape, never put a foot wrong in 110k from new. I had the same shape as hairnets, but as a 3dr and Isuzu diesel. Only issues were MAP sensor (Bosch part) and a pipe sprang a small leak in 90k/5yrs. Hammered constantly as a 18-23yr old male driver does. Also know a couple of other people with the similar generation Civic's and similar stories to tell.

 

Not a lot of toys on them though, and the electronics are a bit old fashioned (good thing!). For example, the brake switch actually powers the brake lights directly - rather than going through 3-4 different computers!

 

They're cheap as standard Civic's (i.e. not a Civic Type-R) don't have a lot of street cred.

[eddyramrod]

What about that cheap Neon advertised on this very forum?  It's even auto!

[hauserplenty]

Rovers. Can't GIVE 'em away...

[SiC]

What about a Avensis too?

 

Something else that is solid and dependable, but due to having little street cred, cheap.

 

Mazda 6 can be had cheap now, but watch out for the tin worm!

[eddyramrod]

Found it...

 

http://autoshite.com/topic/23818-mate-of-mine-selling-a-2002-chrysler-neon-20-badermatic/

[Bren]

Pictures please of cars you look at - especially the ones that are'nt as described ie fooked.

 

We can hold up imaginary placards with numbers on them a la eurovision.

 

Rover? Nul point.

[Felly Magic]

Sorry Eddy, that Neon will simply be too heavy on fuel, and bum raping for tax & bits. I no longer feel comfy in anything small on the A14 either, too many fucktards and HGV drivers who do not know what mirrors are for. I do think I dropped lucky with the Focus, Copart said it was in VGC when they assessed it,  giffer owned etc. I basically have 1 day to find a car and purchase it, (Next Sunday), as it is the only day off I have with the Mrs. 

 

I did spot an Avensis locally, but it's got 212k on, and the seller is wanting top money, and had it for sale quite some time, as it was for sale back in Jan when I got the Focus. 

 

I took one look at the 02 plate Focus, and walked, it was dumped in a yard and filthy. Wasn't even worth taking a photo of it was that bad. 

 

This was a candidate til I did the MOT history check, needs a front crossmember for the next MOT, common on these

 

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201602151045062?price-from=500&price-to=1000&postcode=IP5%203PL&search-target=usedcars&radius=25&page=2&sort=default&onesearchad=used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew&logcode=p

 

 

 

This was another candidate until I spotted the advisory list too 

 

 

It's going to need some welding soon

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201603071718080?price-to=1000&search-target=usedcars&price-from=500&onesearchad=used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew&radius=25&page=3&sort=default&postcode=ip53pl&logcode=p

 

Windscreen has damage to an area less than a 40mm circle outside zone 'A' (8.3.1d)

Offside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (2.4.A.3)

Offside Front Anti-roll bar linkage has slight play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)

Nearside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Offside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Nearside Front coil spring corroded (2.4.C.1b)

Nearside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.4.G.2)

Offside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.4.G.2)

Nearside Front Brake hose slightly deteriorated (3.6.B.4d)

Nearside Rear coil spring corroded (2.4.C.1b)

Offside Rear coil spring corroded (2.4.C.1b)

Slight oil leak from gearbox

Some brake pipes have grease/underseal applied so unable to fully inspect

 

This was a candidate until I spotted the MOT expired early last year

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201512279675260?price-to=1000&search-target=usedcars&price-from=500&onesearchad=used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew&radius=25&page=3&sort=default&postcode=ip53pl&logcode=p

[Felly Magic]

This is for sale locally, poverty spec, £649 ono with Oct test, could do with a couple of tyres, sent seller a message, no reply yet, will ring em tomorrow, the idea of having the extra metal behind reassures me after having a rear end tap. Seats have seat covers on.....

 

 

MOT advisories : Not too bad

 

nearside rear tyre wearing low on outside (shallow grooves)

nearside front Anti-roll bar linkage has slight play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)

offside front Anti-roll bar linkage has slight play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)

Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases front flexi (7.1.2)

[AlabamaShrimp]

Shame you don't want anything small as I've still to get rid of a Ka

[Guest Lord Sward]

Car Mechanics still needs to sell its Pisshat which was used to visit Germany.

[Bren]

£650 for an 04 plate focus means it will have issues.

 

I gave £1250 for our 51 plate last year - but it had history and a clutch and flywheel and no structural issues.

 

Better sometimes to pay a bit more.

[Felly Magic]

Tried ringing about that Skoda and got the 'not been possible to connect your call, try again later' message. I mean what's the point advertising a car and not even having an answerphone set up? Just had a good nosey round it, it has 2 new coil springs on the rear, and a very recent although wrong exhaust, it has the hatchback back box fitted

[SiC]

Tried ringing about that Skoda and got the 'not been possible to connect your call, try again later' message.

That is actually usually is a network routing issue in the Phone Network. Often trying again straight after may make it connect through.

[Felly Magic]

Tried 6 times so far, same response. Frustrating

[Pete-M]

£650 for an 04 plate focus means it will have issues.

 

I gave £1250 for our 51 plate last year - but it had history and a clutch and flywheel and no structural issues.

 

Better sometimes to pay a bit more.

I was given a 56 plate Focus 1.8 TDCI Sport Estate last year. Owner had been given a £600 quote by a garage to get it through the MOT. He wanted it gone (he'd bought himself a new Peugeot on finance).

 

The Focus needed a coil spring and a couple of bulbs for the MOT. Cost me around £40 and half an hour of swearing to fix. It also needed a new battery as owner had left it parked up for a few months after test fail. Another £50.

[billyboy406v6]

Skoda looks superb ! Get it borted now !!

[Felly Magic]

I possibly would if the seller turned their bloody phone on! It is literally 2 mins from where I live as well! That makes it all the more annoying

[SiC]

Fabia ... I thought you didn't want a small car??

[Felly Magic]

It thankfully is the estate version, fuck all is turning up on budget around here, even on scumtree! 

[SiC]

That the 1.4 8v, 68bhp lump in that one?

[Lacquer Peel]

Fabia estate* is more like a slightly stretched five door hatchback. The SDI in these is a good engine, frugal and simple.

[Felly Magic]

It is the pushrod 1.4

[Lacquer Peel]

I meant if you find an SDI don't discount it because people say they are "OMG SLO"

[Cavcraft]

Pick any whole number between 305 and 307.

[Felly Magic]

There are 2 306's for sale locally, one is S reg'd, which tbh is too old and a cat C 2.0 HDi that is rather leggy, and we do not want a diesel, neither of us like diesels at all.