Trying to buy a car - how do people have the nerve!

[mx5cl]

SMGB said:

Look at some Fiat Puntos. Same scenario, our regular pet sitter here. Juniors first car, a really nice 1.2 on a 52 plate for £800

+1 at 6ft 3 I had a early mk2 Punto as my first car, plenty of room (both head and importantly leg), cheap to insure (group 4 I think), cheap to run, was given a hammering and it never missed a beat, obviously lacks the perceived quality of a vw but you could do a lot worse.

If I recall the old 1.2 8v "fire" engine is still going strong in the current fiat line up and it is one of those whereby if the cambelt fails it doesnt lunch the rest of the engine.

[sjj84]

blueg33 said:

couldnt test drive it as it was in the sellers compound and he would have to move 30 cars to get it out (I had telephoned to make an appointment), seller couldn't believe i didn't want to do the paperwork right away!

That really irritates me when that happens. I called a garage about a M3 a couple of years ago, travelled for over an hour to go and see it, after making several phone calls to ask various questions and to tell them I was coming to see it. Got there and it was at the back of the forecourt and if I wanted to test drive it I'd have to make an appointment for another day. Needless to say I didn't buy from there.

Kolbenkopp said:

But what does VW UK say about the cambelt on the 1.4 petrol? In .de, it is "visual inspection" from IIRC 60k miles but no mandatory age/mileage for when to replace it. Driving around for a few more years with one that has been changed 4 years ago would not bother me on a relatively cheap car.

They told me it was 4 years or 40k miles. If they need to be done after 4 years or not is another matter, another poster mentioned that the 1.4 engine has a habit of throwing them. However the golf that I recently aquired was still running on it's original cambelt at 13 years old, had only done 29k miles though, I had it changed as soon as I got it.

blueg33 said:

Actually, the 1.4 is not as painfully slow as I was expecting although my A6 felt scary fast after driving the golf

I found the same, was expecting it to be far worse, it sits at motorway speeds quite comfortably, just takes a while to get there and you have to plan your overtakes a little more carefully. You certainly learn to keep momentum, bit wollowy on country roads though. I use mine as a work/tip/carrying st banger, makes the Z4 feel a lot faster than it is when I use that instead.

[blueg33]

nagsheadwarrior said:

O.P If you want a 1.4 Golf circa 10 years old I've just been having my morning browse on the website of one of the traders we deal with and he's just taken in a 2001 X example with only 34k on the clock.

Link below-

http://finance.autoexposure.co.uk/classicdd.cfm?Ac...

His name's Carl and he's a good bloke, based in the frozen north.

Sold

[blueg33]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

He better not do either of those things! (Next door neighbour's son did both)

Mind you,the bend just before you get to the Village from the A46 has claimed a few casualties in its time. I bet you have had some near miss head on incidents there!

A couple of weeks ago I met the bloody huge articulated tracked tractor taking up the entire road at that point. I could see a stranger to the road having a brown underpants moment.

[Kolbenkopp]

blueg33 said:

1.6 costs 10% more of an already substantial premium to insure whilst he is learning, and 20% more of an even bigger premium once he has passed

Actually, the 1.4 is not as painfully slow as I was expecting although my A6 felt scary fast after driving the golf

Ah shoot, forgot how insurance works in the UK, sorry. Lots of things car wise much better compared to .de, but insurance is not :-/.

[carmadgaz]

PhillipM said:

Buy him a complete shed at 200 quid, a box of spanners, and a haynes manual.

He'll thank you, one day, eventually.

This! I ended up with an £80 21yo Volvo as my first car and I was just greatful that my dad had got me transport.