Cars with faults that put you off buying them...
Discussion
I fancy changing my 986 for a 3.4 987 or 3.8 997 buy the bore scoring, d-chunk & IMS issues scare me from spending 20k ish n needing another 7k as a backup fund. I'll have to wait until the Gen2 987 falls into my price range or I may go for the e92 m3 or Maserati Gransport as I've not heard horror stories about them
I also like the RS4 but the engine coking sounds a common problem and I read most cars are only putting out 350ish bhp and also the suspension issues
I also like the RS4 but the engine coking sounds a common problem and I read most cars are only putting out 350ish bhp and also the suspension issues
Dodsy said:
petrolsniffer said:
Air con needs 're-gas'
No it doesn't or you'd of paid the £40 or so to have it done
Not always the case - at the bottom end of the market £40 can be a significant proportion of the car value and you wont get it back when you sell. I bought my son a daewoo lanos recently for £600 with non functioning aircon, that 'probably needed a regas' but I didnt care that it wasnt working I just needed a cheap car. No it doesn't or you'd of paid the £40 or so to have it done
As it happens a quick fiddle with some relays and a £30 regas and its blowing the coldest air of any aircon I've had in any car
Dodsy said:
Not always the case - at the bottom end of the market £40 can be a significant proportion of the car value and you wont get it back when you sell. I bought my son a daewoo lanos recently for £600 with non functioning aircon, that 'probably needed a regas' but I didnt care that it wasnt working I just needed a cheap car.
As it happens a quick fiddle with some relays and a £30 regas and its blowing the coldest air of any aircon I've had in any car
Usefull with this heatwave we are having lolAs it happens a quick fiddle with some relays and a £30 regas and its blowing the coldest air of any aircon I've had in any car
varsas said:
Roadrunner23 said:
Powerrr said:
Cars that are French.
I always had this view until I bought one. Been the most reliable car I have ever owned. - yes i am aware this is a huge stereotype, still cant get fully over it.
I'd never buy a rotary engined car, simply too much hassle for me, and the benefits are not amazing. Take the RX8 for example, it's 240bhp is impressive for an NA, but it's still not exactly monstrously powerful, yet uses loads of fuel. I remember seeing it described as "A 1.3L that is taxed like a 2.6L and drinks like a 6.2L", which is not that far wide of the mark. They also use a lot of oil - quite hoe much is a source of strong debate between yayers and nayers, but they do use considerably more oil than a piston engined car, as the oil is injected into the combustion chamber to lubricate the rotor tips.
Finally, the shorter lifespan of the engine is the big, big killer for me. Even rotaries that have been looked after will eventually lose compression as the rotor teeth tips wear, necessitating an engine swap or rebuild, which ain't cheap.
The benefits of a smaller, compact and light engine that can be placed easily in a chassis for optimum weight distribution are interesting, and they can sound good with their smooth tone and high redlines but all this is not worth the withering costs that can come with ownership imo. A real shame because I love the RX-7 FD, it's a stunning car, but despite the cheap-ish buy in price these days I think you need some big balls or a big pot of cash to pay some big bills!
Finally, the shorter lifespan of the engine is the big, big killer for me. Even rotaries that have been looked after will eventually lose compression as the rotor teeth tips wear, necessitating an engine swap or rebuild, which ain't cheap.
The benefits of a smaller, compact and light engine that can be placed easily in a chassis for optimum weight distribution are interesting, and they can sound good with their smooth tone and high redlines but all this is not worth the withering costs that can come with ownership imo. A real shame because I love the RX-7 FD, it's a stunning car, but despite the cheap-ish buy in price these days I think you need some big balls or a big pot of cash to pay some big bills!
Watchman said:
Most well-known problems have well-known fixes. Sometimes these fixes are OEM upgrades, sometimes they're aftermarket. Most often the fixes are "permanent" so if the fix has been applied it wouldn't put me off the car. In fact, if the fix is reasonably-priced you might consider buying a car without the fix already having been applied, and drive the purchase price of the car down disproportionately.
Wise wordsB5 S4, loved the avant i drove. Super smooth engine, a quality cabin and uk winter proof.
Having to pull the engine to change the turbo's £3k for that job, no thanks! Alot of em have covered 100k on the originals, i'm not saying it's common, but half the purchase price just to change these would have me thinking "should i sell? should i sell?" every 5 mins.
Everytime i see that handsome beast of a p38 in Essex boys i get a twinge of excitement, hmmm maybe lifes too short not to. Or lifes too short to?
Also i love Renault and what they have given us, but having to dismantle the front end of a Megane Renaultsport to change the freakin bulbs
BULBS!
Having to pull the engine to change the turbo's
£3k for that job, no thanks! Alot of em have covered 100k on the originals, i'm not saying it's common, but half the purchase price just to change these would have me thinking "should i sell? should i sell?" every 5 mins.Everytime i see that handsome beast of a p38 in Essex boys i get a twinge of excitement, hmmm maybe lifes too short not to. Or lifes too short to?
Also i love Renault and what they have given us, but having to dismantle the front end of a Megane Renaultsport to change the freakin bulbs
BULBS! Buying any second hand car is a game of roulette.
I've just paid nearly 8k for a so called prestige motor with full dealer history which now needs another £900 spending on it,but the motor it replaced I paid £1200 for over 2 years ago and never had a moments grief with it.
Both have well documented faults.Just my luck really.
I've just paid nearly 8k for a so called prestige motor with full dealer history which now needs another £900 spending on it,but the motor it replaced I paid £1200 for over 2 years ago and never had a moments grief with it.
Both have well documented faults.Just my luck really.
Roadrunner23 said:
Powerrr said:
Cars that are French.
I always had this view until I bought one. Been the most reliable car I have ever owned. - yes i am aware this is a huge stereotype, still cant get fully over it.
Won't touch a french car with a barge pole.
So modern diesels and french cars...
Actually better add Italian to that as well.
I'm also wary of german cars, simply due to the cost of parts.
So really i'm stuck with Japanese, American, Korean, Swedish and the odd, eccentric little Englander that is my old landy.
Powerrr said:
Cars that are French.
Agreed. I phoned up about a 205 GTi 1.9 once. Thats the closest I've ever come to owning a french turd.- yes i am aware this is a huge stereotype, still cant get fully over it.
My mrs had an 02 plate Laguna Diesel - utter crap - no sooner had we fixed one problem and another would appear.
I love it when you see on an ad "Engine management light on but drives fine". Yeah ok then.
NelsonR32 said:
E46 M3 and boot floors cracking. Put me off my dream car forever 
Rear subframe mounts? You could still get a car new enough to be within the 10 year BMW repair window (running out of time on that, I suppose), or just put aside some money for a repair if necessary.trackerjack said:
A PIOUS oh sorry I meant Prius that 1 in 5 has a £4000 battery failure.
They are warranted for 100K miles or 8 years. Where did you get the 1 in 5 figure? Which generation?Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff