Best place for a used car?
Discussion
Considering a Mazda 3 ( Gen 3, sport trim ) or a Focus ST Line, under 40,000 miles and reg between 2016 and 2019.
Must be 5 door, petrol and manual. Android auto would be nice, or at least the option to get it fitted by the manufacturer.
Home delivery or collection from a local dealership would be ideal.
If anybody has either of these cars then please let me know how they drive and reliability issues etc..
Are sites like cinch/arnold clarke any good or is it best to go used approved ? Most likely be paying up front and not finance/lease. One thing I have noticed is that the cars on Cinch seem to have a fair few owners, I would assume they are ex-lease ?
Warranty is important for about 1 year. Obviously when you go used approved from the dealer, this isn't a problem.
I see Cinch have " Cinch Care " where for £35 per month upto 12,000 miles you get a decent warranty which covers everything except wear and tear. Meaning it works out cheaper from Cinch as opposed to used approved as the price of the car is cheaper, even with the £35 per month warranty.
Arnold Clark have a similar service whereby you pay up front for 1 or 2 years warranty. Out of the two, Arnold Clark look best.
If work does need to be done under warranty with Cinch etc, how does it work and do you guys have any experience with these newish companies. As they seem the easiest and most convenient way to buy a used car..
For the Mazda 3, used approved look best as they seem to have much more available and for a good price too. There are also plenty on Cinch.
For the Focus ST Line, Cinch/Arnold Clark look best as there are barely any available on used approved.
Thanks
Must be 5 door, petrol and manual. Android auto would be nice, or at least the option to get it fitted by the manufacturer.
Home delivery or collection from a local dealership would be ideal.
If anybody has either of these cars then please let me know how they drive and reliability issues etc..
Are sites like cinch/arnold clarke any good or is it best to go used approved ? Most likely be paying up front and not finance/lease. One thing I have noticed is that the cars on Cinch seem to have a fair few owners, I would assume they are ex-lease ?
Warranty is important for about 1 year. Obviously when you go used approved from the dealer, this isn't a problem.
I see Cinch have " Cinch Care " where for £35 per month upto 12,000 miles you get a decent warranty which covers everything except wear and tear. Meaning it works out cheaper from Cinch as opposed to used approved as the price of the car is cheaper, even with the £35 per month warranty.
Arnold Clark have a similar service whereby you pay up front for 1 or 2 years warranty. Out of the two, Arnold Clark look best.
If work does need to be done under warranty with Cinch etc, how does it work and do you guys have any experience with these newish companies. As they seem the easiest and most convenient way to buy a used car..
For the Mazda 3, used approved look best as they seem to have much more available and for a good price too. There are also plenty on Cinch.
For the Focus ST Line, Cinch/Arnold Clark look best as there are barely any available on used approved.
Thanks
Edited by MakaveliX on Sunday 18th September 16:18
Sebring440 said:
Should you not be posting in the "car buying" section of the forum?
Do apologise. Seems to have been moved now Any idea why the Mazda 3 has such a big engine ( 2L ) compared to the Focus ST Line ( 1L ) when the performance and fuel consumption is fairly similar ?
Any draw-backs of having a larger engine ?
Mazda is 2L at 120bhp and faster 0-60
Focus is 1L at 140bhp but slower 0-60
Edited by MakaveliX on Sunday 18th September 17:03
MakaveliX said:
Any idea why the Mazda 3 has such a big engine ( 2L ) compared to the Focus ST Line ( 1L ) when the performance and fuel consumption is fairly similar ?
Any draw-backs of having a larger engine ?
Mazda is 2L at 120bhp and faster 0-60
Focus is 1L at 140bhp but slower 0-60
Mazda don't tend to use turbos in their petrol engines. It's possibly more reliable by not having the turbo and won't be stressed. Downsides- less power and torque, especially at low revs, and probably increased weight. They do a 180bhp 2.0 petrol, which I'd imagine is a lot better- 120bhp isn't a lot, especially with the way a non-turbo engine delivers the power.Any draw-backs of having a larger engine ?
Mazda is 2L at 120bhp and faster 0-60
Focus is 1L at 140bhp but slower 0-60
Fusion777 said:
Mazda don't tend to use turbos in their petrol engines. It's possibly more reliable by not having the turbo and won't be stressed. Downsides- less power and torque, especially at low revs, and probably increased weight. They do a 180bhp 2.0 petrol, which I'd imagine is a lot better- 120bhp isn't a lot, especially with the way a non-turbo engine delivers the power.
As above it's more about how Mazda want to go about getting similar power, the 2.0 mazda unit is unstressed so could potentially be less problematic vs a 1.0T engine producing 140bhp.There's an alternative & that's to go for the more pokey 1.5T unit that Ford put in the Focus.
Thanks for the useful information everyone.
Looks like it will be a Mazda 3 sport as there's loads to choose from on Mazda used approved compared to Ford for the ST line.
Any views on the Mazda 3 would be appreciated, also regarding getting them to deliver the car to a local garage is that at the discretion of the dealerships ?
Looks like it will be a Mazda 3 sport as there's loads to choose from on Mazda used approved compared to Ford for the ST line.
Any views on the Mazda 3 would be appreciated, also regarding getting them to deliver the car to a local garage is that at the discretion of the dealerships ?
MakaveliX said:
...also regarding getting them to deliver the car to a local garage is that at the discretion of the dealerships ?
If it's the same dealership group they will normally do it for a £200 refundable fee. If it's another Mazda franchise but from another dealership group, little or no chance.
loskie said:
if you want aftercare, honesty and other good stuff avoid the large Scottish Dealer.
We have now bought four cars from Arnold Clark and had utterly painless experience every time and any work needed post sale done with no quibbles. My Mini was genuinely one of the cheapest in the country when I bought it, my insurance company valued it at over a grand more than I'd payed. All of the cars were prepared perfectly, all from different Clark branches. So, they can't all be bad! biggbn said:
We have now bought four cars from Arnold Clark and had utterly painless experience every time and any work needed post sale done with no quibbles. My Mini was genuinely one of the cheapest in the country when I bought it, my insurance company valued it at over a grand more than I'd payed. All of the cars were prepared perfectly, all from different Clark branches. So, they can't all be bad!
With Arnold Clark - if you need work doing, who carries it out ? Do you take it to a large chain like Halfords ?Prices are excellent on Arnold Clark and they can deliver to local places. However with the Mazda 3, their used approved service has decent competitive prices. Also it comes with the warranty included.
Anyone with experiences from Mazda used approved would be great to hear, likewise Arnold Clark
Cinch is out the question as you buy the car before you've even seen it in person.
With A. Clark I think you need to go to the branch selling the car to view it before buying. One cannot get it dropped off locally then go and view it ( before buying )
Would much rather pay the money in person and not over the internet.
Edited by MakaveliX on Wednesday 21st September 14:22
MakaveliX said:
biggbn said:
We have now bought four cars from Arnold Clark and had utterly painless experience every time and any work needed post sale done with no quibbles. My Mini was genuinely one of the cheapest in the country when I bought it, my insurance company valued it at over a grand more than I'd payed. All of the cars were prepared perfectly, all from different Clark branches. So, they can't all be bad!
With Arnold Clark - if you need work doing, who carries it out ? Do you take it to a large chain like Halfords ?Prices are excellent on Arnold Clark and they can deliver to local places. However with the Mazda 3, their used approved service has decent competitive prices. Also it comes with the warranty included.
Anyone with experiences from Mazda used approved would be great to hear, likewise Arnold Clark
Cinch is out the question as you buy the car before you've even seen it in person.
With A. Clark I think you need to go to the branch selling the car to view it before buying. One cannot get it dropped off locally then go and view it ( before buying )
Would much rather pay the money in person and not over the internet.
Edited by MakaveliX on Wednesday 21st September 14:22
If you have any warranty work required, it will be AC you take to, unless it is still under manufacturer's warranty, in which case you can take it to any Mazda franchise.
cuprabob said:
Arnold Clark will move a car to another AC dealership close to you, although like I said previously they will charge a fee to do so to demonstrate your intent.
If you have any warranty work required, it will be AC you take to, unless it is still under manufacturer's warranty, in which case you can take it to any Mazda franchise.
Right, thank you.If you have any warranty work required, it will be AC you take to, unless it is still under manufacturer's warranty, in which case you can take it to any Mazda franchise.
Sounds like used approved from Mazda is the best option for me
Decided on the Mazda 3 Sport 2L
Spent quite a while looking for the Mazda 3 sport and what I've found is, the MOT histories on the cars on Cinch are much better than Mazda Used Approved which I'm surprised at.
Most on used approved have a few months MOT left, one of them has an expired MOT and another one from 2018 has had worn brake discs since 2021 and wasn't sorted at the last MOT. To knacker the brake discs on a car like that within a couple of years is concerning.
Budget is around £14K and looking to part EX my Yaris.
Spent quite a while looking for the Mazda 3 sport and what I've found is, the MOT histories on the cars on Cinch are much better than Mazda Used Approved which I'm surprised at.
Most on used approved have a few months MOT left, one of them has an expired MOT and another one from 2018 has had worn brake discs since 2021 and wasn't sorted at the last MOT. To knacker the brake discs on a car like that within a couple of years is concerning.
Budget is around £14K and looking to part EX my Yaris.
MakaveliX said:
Decided on the Mazda 3 Sport 2L
Spent quite a while looking for the Mazda 3 sport and what I've found is, the MOT histories on the cars on Cinch are much better than Mazda Used Approved which I'm surprised at.
Most on used approved have a few months MOT left, one of them has an expired MOT and another one from 2018 has had worn brake discs since 2021 and wasn't sorted at the last MOT. To knacker the brake discs on a car like that within a couple of years is concerning.
Budget is around £14K and looking to part EX my Yaris.
The Approved Used with short MOTs / expired MOTs will be sold with a full 12 months MOT. No point in the garage doing it until it is sold.Spent quite a while looking for the Mazda 3 sport and what I've found is, the MOT histories on the cars on Cinch are much better than Mazda Used Approved which I'm surprised at.
Most on used approved have a few months MOT left, one of them has an expired MOT and another one from 2018 has had worn brake discs since 2021 and wasn't sorted at the last MOT. To knacker the brake discs on a car like that within a couple of years is concerning.
Budget is around £14K and looking to part EX my Yaris.
ZX10R NIN said:
As above it's more about how Mazda want to go about getting similar power, the 2.0 mazda unit is unstressed so could potentially be less problematic vs a 1.0T engine producing 140bhp.
There's an alternative & that's to go for the more pokey 1.5T unit that Ford put in the Focus.
Watch some salvage videos on YouTube and you’ll often hear the 1.0T engine in the Fiesta referred to as ‘EcoBOOM’, which kind of tells you the potential for disaster with that engine.There's an alternative & that's to go for the more pokey 1.5T unit that Ford put in the Focus.
MakaveliX said:
the MOT histories on the cars on Cinch are much better than Mazda Used Approved which I'm surprised at.
Most on used approved have a few months MOT left, one of them has an expired MOT and another one from 2018 has had worn brake discs since 2021 and wasn't sorted at the last MOT. To knacker the brake discs on a car like that within a couple of years is concerning.
.
An MOT test is 1 mans opinion of a car on 1 day, its not gospel. Its also not unheard of for dealers & fast fit places to put advisories on MOT's to try and upsell the work from them.Most on used approved have a few months MOT left, one of them has an expired MOT and another one from 2018 has had worn brake discs since 2021 and wasn't sorted at the last MOT. To knacker the brake discs on a car like that within a couple of years is concerning.
.
cuprabob said:
The Approved Used with short MOTs / expired MOTs will be sold with a full 12 months MOT. No point in the garage doing it until it is sold.
Yeah I have had a few conversations with Mazda recently and this seems to be the case.While I can understand they don't want to MOT it then nobody buy it for a few months, on the other hand, me as a buyer would feel more comfortable if there was at least 9 months MOT left.
There are a couple on there with long MOT's so guess it just a matter of finding the right one
MakaveliX said:
Yeah I have had a few conversations with Mazda recently and this seems to be the case.
While I can understand they don't want to MOT it then nobody buy it for a few months, on the other hand, me as a buyer would feel more comfortable if there was at least 9 months MOT left.
There are a couple on there with long MOT's so guess it just a matter of finding the right one
I'm a bit confused here, you'd rather buy one with 9 months MOT than buy one with a fresh 12 months on it?While I can understand they don't want to MOT it then nobody buy it for a few months, on the other hand, me as a buyer would feel more comfortable if there was at least 9 months MOT left.
There are a couple on there with long MOT's so guess it just a matter of finding the right one
MakaveliX said:
cuprabob said:
The Approved Used with short MOTs / expired MOTs will be sold with a full 12 months MOT. No point in the garage doing it until it is sold.
Yeah I have had a few conversations with Mazda recently and this seems to be the case.While I can understand they don't want to MOT it then nobody buy it for a few months, on the other hand, me as a buyer would feel more comfortable if there was at least 9 months MOT left.
There are a couple on there with long MOT's so guess it just a matter of finding the right one
Not sure how it makes you feel more comfortable with it having say 9 months mot on a car as opposed to 4 months if you wanted to buy it and know its getting 12 months anyway
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