Car hunting, URGH

[Cleon-Fonte]

Cleon-Fonte sounds like a Herefordshire village.

Me personally or just my name?

 

It should be Cléon-Fonte but the website said no to continental punctuation.

[John F]

A tax and insurance refund must boost the cash pot for buying a slightly moth-eaten push-along Airedale terrier.

 

 

EFA

[Partridge]

I think some of you are putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5,000. Most buses these days are Teflon (non stick) and have power steering so are probably less knackering to drive than ancient Skoda with a side exhaust.

 

Felly is a good bloke and probably can't see the wood through the trees right now, been there, done that, heading there again.

 

Don't kick a man when he's down just because he's not a "fashionable" shiter with 25 Citroens and a door shut cleaning obsession.

 

Bitter little Partridge, sighning out.

[Jim Bell]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/291202407778

[HH-R]

I'm genuinely concerned for Felly and hope everything works out OK.

 

I'll offer help, if I can, and the offer is there but I'm at the other end of the country so I'm not sure what help I could be.

[eddyramrod]

Felly:  I've been there, more than once, and you know it.  You've seen my threads on here.  406/Vectra, just for starters.  Both of those were emergency buys, when literally anything would have done.  In both cases I dropped lucky.  You can even ask Craig the princess about the Vectra, it's still in his family I believe.  Both cars were powerful petrols, comfortable, capable, and big enough that I didn't need to feel threatened in traffic.  That last is important, because I'm so easily intimidated I can be scared by my own shadow (and you thought that was just a cliche!).  Both had issues, but they were relatively minor and I managed to live with the ones that didn't affect daily use.  What they looked like, I didn't care.  The Vectra was especially ominous, having steel wheels with no hubcaps, on a dark blue car.  Apart from a pineappled VW, I can't think of many things less reputable!  But it was a long way better than trying to cycle to work at silly o'clock in the morning.

My advice, FWIW, is grab either the Avensis or the Elantra.  Either will do you a good turn and when your position eventually picks up, as it will, you can Roffle it on here and get your investment back.

[HH-R]

The Avensis does look good for the coin, perhaps you could knock them down a bit. If you're stressed, is there anyone who'd look on your behalf?

 

As others have said, the priority is getting yourself mobile again, be it a snotter or not - a nicer car can come further down the road.

 

I see it a different way and drive shitters to work because I derive absolutely no pleasure out of commuting, be it in a nice car or not -too many wankers on the roads - the main aim is that it's something that's got to be done so I'm looking to pay out the least amount to do it as possible.

[dieselassist]

...this thread, well felly magic's replies about his current situation, reminds me of a situation I found myself in a few years back; bills were mounting, n id not been in work for 2 months - financial meltdown was looming but a week away... anyways managed to secure a job 10 miles away on a building site on a Thursday afternoon; starting the following Monday - I had no car at the time having sold the last one to pay bills; still had some cash left; heavily guarded coin...

 

anyways, I searched high n low for a €400 motor n on sunday evening managed to find a localish tested n taxed 1997 Nissan almera; a white 1.5 petrol ex Garda patrol car with 240k miles on it, with dog bumper damage up front; on a local free paper in a friends gaff'randomly'... seller lived in a 'very rural area' so I met him at the local garda station - ironically enough...

got my friend motivated n met the seller, took a test drive, but I had no other option only to buy it; work in the morning; new job, n no public transport at 6.30 am... 

 

...the job lasted 4 weeks or something (temporary contact), n it got me back on my feet for a bit - sold the almera a few months later for a profit - it was a dull n reliable old ship; the wiper linkage kept failing on it (€5 scrapyard bits sorted this to full working order) in the time I had it n 60mph was barely possible due to its previous law assisting life, but it did the job...

...there's a saying over here "you have to cut your cloth to suit your measure"; which doesn't take much explaining... you just have to get on with it or find a way to do so...

 

Hope felly is alright, n sortin out his commuting to work problems - can be hard to see things 'sensibly n not feel cornered 'mentally' in such a situation  - in that frame of mind n with limited resources every suggestion seems 'undoable'  n 'impossible'.... its not for the want of help of assistance on here tho; im just saying in such a situation the 'dark/negative' thoughts n lack of pragmatism can take over....

[hauserplenty]

Cat can play:

[Mr A Lawrence]

soooo.....

 

If I've followed this thread correctly...

 

Op is on his financial arse, has £700 to spend on a car, has turned down offers of FREE cars due to distance/not good enough (free car not good enough?) also turned down offers of help to bring cars to his door, turned down suitable cars due to minor damage/paintwork distance etc

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Muppet.

 

 

Years ago I needed transport to get to Leeds for family business and couldn't hire a car so bought the cheapest taxed n tested car I could, a 1990 montego pez estate for £85!!

 

Did the job and was sold for £150 a week later.

 

 

Some people just don't deserve help imho.

[fatharris]

I'm just bitter he considers £700 to be banger territory, most of my cars have been well below that, and I treated them like royalty.

 

Felly mate, why not save £675 and buy a bigger steering wheel for the Favorit? Then you can turn real easy, like.

 

Or, rob one off one of the buses, I'm sure they won't notice.

[garbaldy]

I think he has listened to all the mouth pieces who recon if you have an accident that's not your fault you should be put back in the position you where in before,

 

In my experience with insurance company's that just never happens, even more so when your wanting to go up in the world with a better newer car.

[Essex V6]

I think most of us on here have been skint at some point. In that awkward situation where you need to put food on the table, have a job that doesn't pay a fortune yet requires you to work odd hours and knackers the option of using public transport.

When I've been in that situation any functioning vehicle has been good enough to do the job. It's not as though you have to keep the bloody thing forever, buying a £400 snotter is not a lifetime commitment, it's something to use to get to work in so you can drag yourself out of the blatantly shit situation you've ended up in. It's not a prestige statement, it's a tool to get to work without using public transport, walking, horse wrangling or riding a bike. If it has a dented door that's incentive to get a better job.

I've used all sorts of "unsuitable" stuff to get to work in. 25 years ago I was doing an 80 mile / day mainly motorway commute to Rochdale in all kinds of awful tat. Rusty and grievously unreliable MGB GT, Lancia Delta HF Turbo with a knackered carb, BMW 323i with a slipping clutch, Chevrolet Malibu with issues, Fiesta 957 base, Capri 3.0S tried them all.

I can afford better cars nowadays but still use a 189k mile, 16 year old, diesel Mercedes estate as my daily wheels. I'll regularly do 200 mile trips in it, and once a year I'll cram a 2000 mile in a week round trip in across Europe. As it's diesel it'll average 35+ mpg even when doing 90 mph across Germany.

You're being far too picky. If it has wheels, an MOT, is insurable and it's likely to be reliable enough to get you to and from work then it is good enough. Your budget is good enough to buy any one of thousands of possible options but you're making it fucking difficult.

It's not as though most 15 year old motors are bad things. They've made it this far. Most of the French stuff is long dead, and whatever is left is buttons to buy.

Man up, bite the bullet and stop being a tart.

Fuxake, I've been known to buy cars out of the paper when I've been stuck in distant cities and couldn't bring myself to pay the extortionate train fares home. Train from somewhere @ £120, or buy a £400 E32 735i from the Loot, shove £40 fuel in and flog it for £450 if it makes it home in one piece.

Sensible post until you mentioned you now can afford something better than a Capri 3.0S

[Essex V6]

I really fancy one of those microcars just to see how bad they really are. Axiam top of the list though as they sound like roadside generators, which is quite endearing.

OMG 2 CAR DECADENCE NOW HAVE 2 EAT HATZ 2 SURVIVE

There are squads of those Axiams in Holland - they are tiny!

[stephen01]

Everything you want and just 66k! Never failed an MOT either - £575!! Local enough?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toyota-Avensis-1-8-VVT-i-GLS-MOT-NOVEMBER-2016-GOOD-HISTORY-ONLY-66K-/201531004695

That's that nice, kind of wish I was looking for a car!

[Ratdat]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1992-MAZDA-323-LXI-BLUE-full-service-history-1-Full-years-MOT-very-clean-car-/301890721906

 

This is quite interesting and has low miles, a full test and full service history.

 

 

Well you can forget about this one as I went and bought it today 

[hauserplenty]

ZOOM-ZOOM

[michael1703]

Cityrover 2004, 46,00 miles,new cam belt,£450 in mendlesham

[mouseflakes]

Well you can forget about this one as I went and bought it today 

 

I now have a terrible vision.

 

OP swallows his pride, girds his loins and decides "Right, I'll show the chaps on AS that I can make compromises and I'll end up with a car they're all proper jealous of'.

 

Turns up cash in hand to buy that Mazda, only to find the owner just sold it to 'some geezer off the Auto-Shine website or summink'.

[Richard]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/391401850572

[Supernaut]

Cityrover 2004, 46,00 miles,new cam belt,£450 in mendlesham

Hey, I know Felly hasn't exactly been endearing himself to us in this thread, but come on.

[anonymous user]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MR-BLOBBY-KIDDIE-RIDE-WORKING-COIN-OP-/381367630481

 

I'm sorry for quoting this, but who the hell thought that was a suitable place for a child to put the money in?

 

I can offer no sensible advice on what Felly should do, I sympathise that time is running out and whilst I understand the desire to be no worse off than before, it might make sense to just get the cheapest thing with the longest ticket that comes up, to tide things over for a few weeks/months to let things settle down while a bit can be saved up towards something else.

 

I don't want to come across as an arrogant twat (even though I am), I've been there, where my only car packed in an expensive way (Rear diff gave up on a car that didn't share the axle with anything else and that you won't find in a scrapyard) I was lucky and got loaned an Allegro, it used more oil than petrol as the valve stem seals had gone, but it was transport. I had to leave earlier for work to allow for time to stop and clean/swap the plugs on the way into work. What I'm trying to say is don't try too hard to get perfection straight away

[Ratdat]

Good work! I'd legitimately like to see a thread or post or whatever. Vicsmut was having a right old look at that and was concerned about its fate (he's got an earlier carb one). Looks like everything's worked out. Those BG 323s drive incredibly well and that one's the injection, even better.

 

Certainly sir. We're going to go fetch it on Saturday so I'll bung some pics up. Bernie has been wanting one of these for ages and it's top compensation after the 323F loss last year. Glad to hear we're not the only folks who like this shape 323. It's bizarre that they are so rare now  compared to BF models.

[Ratdat]

I now have a terrible visions.

 

OP swallows his pride and girds his loins and decides "Right, I'll show the chaps on AS that I can make compromises and I'll end up with a car they're all proper jealous of'.

 

Turns up cash in hand to buy that Mazda, only to find the owner just sold it to 'some geezer off the Auto-Shine website or summink'.

 

Maybe! Cheers for bringing it to my attention, albeit without you realising! Bernie is made up at finally getting one and a 3 door in a good colour too!

[BorniteIdentity]

Are the Avensis still fitted with the 1.8 lean burn engine for OMGMPG madness??

If not then a carina e would be a better choice. But then I suppose that's going to be too old and smell of old lady wee

Not the facelifted ones. They have the VVTi unit which is even better on fuel but has an oil thirst.

 

You can easily easily see 50mpg on a run from the VVTi. But you can easily see 300k miles from the lean burn. The two are mutually exclusive, so you have to pick your preference.

[Cheggers]

In some ways I feel sorry for Felly as he clearly feels life is pretty shit right now, and I can also be a right twat when stressed (what do you mean I'm a right twat when relaxed too...).

 

However, waving your circumstances around like some kind of badge of honour and giving it the "I'm entitled because I had a Ford Focus" just isn't going to work 'round these parts.

 

Find a nice cheap car, get yourself back on your feet and have a word with yourself.

 

 

Edit to add: Thank fuck I'm stinking rich...what's a bus?

[mouseflakes]

Maybe! Cheers for bringing it to my attention, albeit without you realising! Bernie is made up at finally getting one and a 3 door in a good colour too!

 

I'm made up too. As I said earlier, it was a real eye opener just setting a few filters (location, price) on an otherwise open search and seeing what turned up. Didn't realise I'd unearthed a real rarity though. I just liked the look of it - don't recall ever seeing many like it.

[John F]

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Joules-Hobby-Horse-/121920944245?hash=item1c630df875:g:RSQAAOSwAuNW4rg7

[purplebargeken]

^^ wrong colour.

[trigger]

I've read that Fellys been to look at the blue 02 plate Focus I posted early on in the thread for £795, the sellers willing to fix some faults, fit new tyres and put a new mot on it but Felly is unhappy as it has a scab and the wipers don't self centre, honestly.