Cars - know nothing at all - need help!
- Thread starter gaijingirl
- Start date
gaijingirl
Well-Known Member
That would be fun - why don't loads of people have them then?
not-bono-ever
meh
I was looking to do a rally to west africa in one a couple of years ago and did a bit of research - they can get very rattly, but everything is fixable - the wings / body bits are bolt on , so they can be replaced without welding, many of the bits are farily generic so you can get spares pretty readily - the engines go on forever if they have been maintanied ( and they usually have ) - the Taxi MOT is very very strict and when they get to a certain age, the owners just get a new one rather than justifying the cost of fix- this doesnt mean they are bad however and will sail through a normal private MOT pretty easily
lots of specialist garages that cater just for the cabbie business and they are usually pretty decent at what they do/ quick turnaround
they are not motorway cruisers by any means, but if you are pootling around the Vendee or soemwhere and not caning it down the Auroroutes, then there shouldnt be a problem
lots of specialist garages that cater just for the cabbie business and they are usually pretty decent at what they do/ quick turnaround
they are not motorway cruisers by any means, but if you are pootling around the Vendee or soemwhere and not caning it down the Auroroutes, then there shouldnt be a problem
not-bono-ever
meh
someone on the mostly reactionary east dulwich forum is flogging a Focus estate
http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?9,318900
http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?9,318900
gaijingirl
Well-Known Member
god - getting a bit scared now at all the money we're spending. Thanks for help all - the Ford Focus looks like a good bet - I'm wondering if that woman on the East Dulwich forum is going to post up the mileage, 'cos I guess that's pretty important.
Slug-like acceleration
Appalling ride quality
Noisy
mr steev
magic thought wizard
I helped make a film once in which I had to drive my car around with a fake taxi sign on the roof.... You'd soon get bored of people trying to flag you down all the time, and then shouting abuse at you cos you didn't stop
gaijingirl
Well-Known Member
I helped make a film once in which I had to drive my car around with a fake taxi sign on the roof.... You'd soon get bored of people trying to flag you down all the time, and then shouting abuse at you cos you didn't stop
oh yeah - didn't think of that...
Things like that appeal to me - old VW campers (which was actually one nightmare after another, but I loved it), old ambulances, Citroen 2CVs etc. I think this is because, in general, I don't like cars, but they are vehicles that seem to have personality. However, gaijinboy is a pragmatist and tends to curb my impractical ways... If I had my way we'd be getting a camper van!We might be going to look at that Ford Focus in East Dulwich it seems... I don't know what colour it is yet and that could be a problem...
Also it's an estate car - but gb seems to think this is a good thing.gaijingirl
Well-Known Member
We're going to look at that car in East Dulwich - but we don't really know what to look for. I'm nervous that she has a deadline of tomorrow to sell it - it makes me wonder if there's a reason.
I'm wondering if we should pay (approx £200) to get the AA to come check it out if we like the look of it...
this all scares the shit out of me tbh...
I'm wondering if we should pay (approx £200) to get the AA to come check it out if we like the look of it...
this all scares the shit out of me tbh...
Cid
Proper break this time
Yeah, for god's sake don't buy any of the things you listed if you don't know anything about/can't be bothered with tinkering... Hondas are the best for reliability (really, really good), but can be a bit more expensive as a result. Diesels are a good idea imo, running costs are lower (especially with prices as close as they are now), mileage on the clock doesn't matter nearly as much and it's possible to run many on a diesel/veg oil mix without a conversion (check first though). Focus is probably fine mind you, learned to drive in one (not an estate) and have had a couple of friends with the estate and they seem ok.
I'd get someone who knows about cars to go with you to any viewings btw, could save you a lot of cash... It's probably worth doing the inspection if you can't do that. Go and look at a few first and read up on a bit though (there's a buyer's guide on the AA site although I have no idea how good it is).
I'd get someone who knows about cars to go with you to any viewings btw, could save you a lot of cash... It's probably worth doing the inspection if you can't do that. Go and look at a few first and read up on a bit though (there's a buyer's guide on the AA site although I have no idea how good it is).
teuchter
je suis teuchter
Predictably, I just want to encourage you not to get one if possible...
I can see why its tempting if you're going to have a baby and stuff, but I know several people who've recently found themselves in that situation, and they seem to manage OK without car.
Have you considered streetcar or something like that as a compromise?
You can check how close they are kept to you here:
http://www.streetcar.co.uk/locationsearch.aspx
I think you need to be really realistic about how much owning one is going to cost you (capital cost, insurance, depreciation, fuel, maintanance, etc etc)... and maybe consider how many taxi journeys that might pay for, to fill in the gaps where public transport or walking really isn't feasible.
I don't want to hijack the thread; I shall try and say no more.
Oswaldtwistle
Banned
There could be. Don't let yourself be manouevred into a position where you feel as if you ought to buy it, or you're letting an exceptional deal slip by if you don't. You don't, and you probably aren't. The world's full of secondhand Ford Focuses and other cars of the kind you're looking for. If there's anything you're not completely happy with, walk away.
Taking someone with you who knows a little about cars is a very sensible idea too.
Sunray
Its sunny somewhere.
You could do a lot worse than get one of these:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1153572.htm Top of your budget, but you could easily haggle a couple of hundred off.
Low insurance group according to the ad, and it's very well built.
I was going to suggest a 5 door Polo as you can get OK ones for 1200-1500 but you need to know what you are doing. VW build quality means its gonna last you if its been reasonably well kept.
I didn't realise that you could get the TDi Golf for so cheap. Great fuel economy on those engines and last 250,000 miles minimum. Prolly more suitable as its a bigger car.
As for the old VW camper van, day dream about owning one of those if you only have 2k
gaijingirl
Well-Known Member
Teuchter - tbh - we don't really want one and have always said we wouldn't even if we had a baby. We both sold our cars years ago to buy bikes (now we have 8
) and haven't looked back - so we're very well aware of how much owning one will cost. I'm very aware of streetcar and where the closest one is and I'm probably on exactly the same page as you with regards car ownership. We also use the taxi logic regularly - so you don't really need to convince us of the reasons why we shouldn't.gaijingirl
Well-Known Member
gaijingirl
Well-Known Member
We went - they seemed very nice, very keen to sell. A bit too keen I think and in a really big rush. I don't feel happy about it, so I think we're going to walk.
rubbershoes
not the only raver in the village
gaijingirl
Well-Known Member
One went past me in Mayfair when I was having a wander there a few weekends ago. Supercars aren't really my thing but the Veyron really is an outstanding piece of engineering and beautiful to look at, and the sound it was making... 
*e2a* I'm liking this Bugatti configurator thing. So far I'm thinking light blue and silver for mine, or maybe 'black blue' and polar, or ... well, I can dream.
*e2a* I'm liking this Bugatti configurator thing. So far I'm thinking light blue and silver for mine, or maybe 'black blue' and polar, or ... well, I can dream.
teuchter
je suis teuchter
Teuchter - tbh - we don't really want one and have always said we wouldn't even if we had a baby. We both sold our cars years ago to buy bikes (now we have 8
Yeah I'm sure you're well aware of all that I said already; I hope it didn't seem patronising. I just had to mention it as a matter of course really.
The thing is I find it a bit
when people who've always said they wouldn't ever get a car, go and do it.gaijingirl
Well-Known Member
Yeah I'm sure you're well aware of all that I said already; I hope it didn't seem patronising. I just had to mention it as a matter of course really.
The thing is I find it a bit
I think it would be a short term thing... we're needing to rent one for 3 weeks in the next few days and it's gonna be about £500 - so it seems like we may as well buy one and resell when we can get the baby on a bike. I've already posted this elsewhere - but perhaps one of these would solve the problem!...
http://sheldonbrown.com/carrababy.html
I don't know - I'm trying to find some kind of alternative to the rental at the moment, so we'll see - or we may just suck it up, spend the £500 on the rental and be done with it. Such a headache!
Pretty sure the whole of London is in the highest "band" for insurance. Doesn't matter by borough or area.
Giles..
Sunray
Its sunny somewhere.
Owning a car is a costly affair and if you want to sell it in the future, say a year, you would have to MOT and TAX it. That Golf above is 190 quid tax and its 50 quid for the MOT and then any faults they find.
Then the risk of break down and faults occurring. That car is 9 years old so quite possibly something will go wrong with it, buying VW helps. This is the area the benefit of someone knowing about buying cars comes in totally invaluable. Can weed out the duds and get you one that will run fine for a year and you can sell it for about what you paid.
AA relay is 77 quid, gets you where your heading. The 27 quid super basic one is OK but doesn't really help you if you get stuck. Do you have permit parking? Mine is 80 quid a year for out side where I live.
The benefit is total convenience for the next year, The rental is just for those three weeks.
Then the risk of break down and faults occurring. That car is 9 years old so quite possibly something will go wrong with it, buying VW helps. This is the area the benefit of someone knowing about buying cars comes in totally invaluable. Can weed out the duds and get you one that will run fine for a year and you can sell it for about what you paid.
AA relay is 77 quid, gets you where your heading. The 27 quid super basic one is OK but doesn't really help you if you get stuck. Do you have permit parking? Mine is 80 quid a year for out side where I live.
The benefit is total convenience for the next year, The rental is just for those three weeks.
How about Citroen Xsara:
either the standard hatchback:
or the Berlingo
They will never win prizes for style and for being flash but are good dependable cars and relativeky cheap to insure. They also have some of the largest boots in this type of car - we have a hatchback and when going on holiday we easily got two 23" frame bikes and camping stuff in (we folded down the seats obviously). The Berlingo is even better for transporting loads of stuff and is a bit more quirky than the hatch.
They are also relatively cheap because Citroen brought out an updated model a few years ago.
Or taking a bit different tack how about a camper van? They are more expensive but they are usually very well looked after, dont do many miles and hold their value well - you could buy it, use it for a month or two or bit longer maybe year or two and then sell it probably for a similar amount that you bought it for
I guess ultimately it boils down to personal preference - you want to testdrive a few cars to see which ones best fit your needs and which features you like/hate. A good place to find cars is autotrader - http://www.autotrader.co.uk - you can search by distance for particular models or for a type of car and a price range so you can see whats out there
either the standard hatchback:
or the Berlingo
They will never win prizes for style and for being flash but are good dependable cars and relativeky cheap to insure. They also have some of the largest boots in this type of car - we have a hatchback and when going on holiday we easily got two 23" frame bikes and camping stuff in (we folded down the seats obviously). The Berlingo is even better for transporting loads of stuff and is a bit more quirky than the hatch.
They are also relatively cheap because Citroen brought out an updated model a few years ago.
Or taking a bit different tack how about a camper van? They are more expensive but they are usually very well looked after, dont do many miles and hold their value well - you could buy it, use it for a month or two or bit longer maybe year or two and then sell it probably for a similar amount that you bought it for
I guess ultimately it boils down to personal preference - you want to testdrive a few cars to see which ones best fit your needs and which features you like/hate. A good place to find cars is autotrader - http://www.autotrader.co.uk - you can search by distance for particular models or for a type of car and a price range so you can see whats out there
moose
like some cat from Japan
I'd argue that buying a VW under 6 years old doesn't help at all, as their build quality has deteriorated recently, but an older one should still be OK. At least standard Golfs are still made in Germany. The Polos coming out of South Africa are terrible.
roryer
道可道非常道，名可名非常名
You don't need a car just because you have a baby!
What you need is a Baby Bjorn and a oyster card, or you could also use a pram instead, but I prefer to carry the baby, my wife prefers the pram.
I agree cycling with a baby can be difficult for the first year, a trailer can work, but even I am not sure about it, but if I could afford it I'd get one of these..
If you're thinking of wasting money on a car, (insurance, mot, servicing, parking etc will set you back quite a few grand every year, my understanding of the stats are it costs an average of £6K pa for keeping a car on the road), then you might as well spend some dosh on a shiny new Christiana Work bike which is great for taking mother and kid in the front.
stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
"Children for sale, who will buy these fresh children!"
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