More Car Woes

[athersgeo]

No, nothing too serious (the N Reg Fiesta is still going): Brunel Ford can't find the Fiesta I was supposed to be looking at tonight. So. I'm not looking at it tonight, it's going to be Friday instead.

If, after this, they still can't find it, I'm off to Peogeot...

Comments

[freespirit127.livejournal.com]

*hugs and crosses fingers for you*

[germankitty]

If you do, try the Twingo; I considered buying one once, and from the test drive, it was a neat little car. :-) (Even if I ended up buying a Mitsubishi Colt instead ...)

[athersgeo.livejournal.com]

The Twingo isn't available in the UK (it's also a Renault, rather than a Peugeot!), and even if it was, it's a bit too small for what I'm looking for (it's roughly Ford Ka size and I take way too many passengers to have a car that size). If I was going with Renault, it'd be the Cleo.

[germankitty]

Oops, yeah ...

Just one more thing to consider, I've been happily buying Japanese/Korean cars since 1987. My Mitsubishi Colt lasted 7 years without major repairs, my Hyundai Accent 8 and if it hadn't been for the @!%$§! accident I've had with my new Mazda 2, I could say the same now. Wasn't my fault, but ... *sigh*

[athersgeo.livejournal.com]

I *wanted* a Mazda MX5, but they're out of my price league at the moment - my boss has had Mazdas and swears by them, so I know they're good. I just can't afford them at the moment :( (I'm barely affording what I'm getting as it is!)

[germankitty]

So you're buying used? Try the older models, like the Mazda 323 (about VW Golf-sized). Both Rainer and I had good experiences with Mitsubishi (he used to drive a Galant), and he was very content with his Toyota Carina for around 6 years. In general, with Japanese cars you get good value for money, and the resale prices are generally quite reasonable, too.

(Btw, a neighbor swears on Peugeot; he's been buying them for years. But always the bigger, family-sized models ... and my uncle habitually buys Vauxhall.)

[athersgeo.livejournal.com]

They're still too expensive! The only Mazda the dealers have that's in my budget is only two years newer than mine... The other problem, though, is insurance. Mazdas in general are more powerful than what I'm buying which will jack up my insurance costs - I've only had my full license for about three years and though I'm over the magic age of 25 (UK magic age, at any rate!), I'm still paying quite a bit for insurance (read, on my 1.1l N Reg Ford Fiesta, my premium is £372, compared to my mum who's just got a much newer 1.1 Fiesta and is barely paying £200!). Same would apply to Mitsubishi, I suspect. (I'm not sure if there's actually a Mitsubishi dealer in Bristol, come to think...)

Will have a look at Toyota though.

[germankitty]

Ouch. Here, insurance is no longer dependent on motor power, but rather on general size (ccm) of the engine, whether one is the only driver, garage car and so on. My premium went DOWN for the first time when I bought the Mazda, even though the engine is MUCH stronger than my old Hyundai's. Right now, the yearly premium is at around €380 for a 85HP engine (I think), but then I've been driving accident-free since around 1978 ...

My son's in the process of getting his license, and if he were to buy a car like mine, the premium would be pretty steep, too.

Anyway, good luck, and have fun shopping!