What Car Do I Buy???!

[Dupre]

ok, im looking for a new motor, and the cars ive seen so far that fit within my budget/fun factor are:

MR2, Mark 1... 1988 reg, around a Grand, but mid engined, rear wheel drive, FAST and fun.

Fiesta si, mark 3 i think (M reg), nice cars nippy, but its a ford so prone to going wrong a bit more than other cars. £2000 and would be on finance posibly or just a nice chunk of cash if i can get price down low enough. The one ive seen has a really sloppy gearbox and stiff clutch/brake pedals, that normal???!?! also has damp "damage" on the ceiling, but im pretty sure thats the sunroof leaking, 3 months warranty in this weather would probably fix that.

Mazda 323f (shape, im not 100% sure its a 1.5glxi i think, all the trimmings) £3000 for this P reg, drives nice and purrrrrs, but the price tag is a bit... top of my price range, but for the amount of car you get its nice.

The MR2 would be private sale and its gonna be a pain to find another one (one i found was sold) The other 2 are from Switch Car in liverpool. Performance wise, the MR2 is hands down, but its old and gonna be a pain to keep maintained. The Mazda, expensive parts BUT less likely to go tits up that the other 2. But its alot of car for the money even if it is a push for the finance to get to £13 a week for me ;-)
The Fiesta is middle of the road, newish car, decent engine, some work needs doing. sloppy gearbox and stiff clutch/brake make it less appealing.

Anyone got any other suggestions around those prices, nothing aweful like a Suzuki spritz, you get the idea something sporty if not new, then old and FUN!

[SMHarman]

Is insurance a problem?

[iadom]

This is an excellent site for petrolheads. Look under "Car by Car Breakdown"

lots of useful info on known problems.

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/home/index.htm

[Ramrod]

How about an older Honda Civic VTi?

[Dupre]

Originally Posted by Ramrod

How about an older Honda Civic VTi?

can only seem to find saloons on autotrader, and im lookin for something with just that little bit more, the 323f seems to have everything, and for 2grand ive seen one now, M reg. Thats the car im leaning towards, but im easily open to suggestions.

[Dupre]

My New Car:

Peugeot 306 S16 2.0 16v
4/1998cc
155BHP
133MPH top speed
8.4s 0-60
32.3 MPG

all assuming the AA inspection goes well on tuesday that baby is MINE! and the £1100 insurance that goes with it... lol

[iadom]

£1100 insurance...OMG

Here is honest john's info.






What's Good

Excellent ride and handling combination and a joy to drive. Best in class until Focus came along. 90bhp 1.6 TU is a decent petrol engine for a family car - very nicely balanced. 167 bhp 2.0 litre GTi-6 is track-car quick with roadholding and handling to match, plus a six-speed gearbox. All capable of 150,000-plus miles if properly looked after. Non-turbo XUD can do 50 mpg. D-Turbo surprisingly quick. Three-Star 'above average' performance in NCAP crash tests. 3-year warranty from January 2000. Sedan saloon (from 1994) has a rear screen wiper. 306 cabriolets (from 1994) and estate cars (from 1996) continued after the launch of the 307. Peugeots generally had below average warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 86.25 v/s lowest 31.93). Link:- www.reliabilityindex.co.uk 2001-2003 306 petrol and diesels avarage for breakdowns, problems and faults in 2003 Which survey.



What's Bad

High used values due to prettiness of body. 1.8 8-valve XU petrol is the worst engine and many were fitted with the wrong ECU chip leading to failed emissions tests. Autobox not recommended. Cambelts and camshaft end seals must be changed every 3 years and 36,000 miles. Coolant of diesels must be changed every two years to avoid cylinder head gasket problems. Like Citroen ZX, can have cat converter test problems. Build quality a bit 'light'. Easy to fluff 2nd to 3rd gearchange on GTi-6. Clutch cable of RHD cars is routed close to the exhaust, which dries out the lubrication and prevents the self-adjuster working properly which leads to premature clutch failure. (Thanks to Mike Brewer of Channel 4's 'Driven' for this snippet.) Contacts fail in remote keys leading to rapid discharge of batteries. Reports of failure of rear disc brake callipers. Reports of engine compartment fuse box short out on diesel almost leading to engine compartment fires (see Recalls). Spate of conrod failures on 1997 -1998 R and S reg 1.9 XUTD diesels; one case of a late reg T: too many to attribute merely to running with low oil levels. Seems only to affect cars built from April 1997 with DHY (not DHX) serial number engines. 1995-1997 petrol and diesel average for breakdowns, but poor for problems and faults; 1998-2000 petrol and diesel average for breakdowns and problems but poor for faults in 2003 Which survey.

What to Watch Out For

See above. Front suspension bush wear (205s and 306s tend to 'lean' on the front suspension and are vulnerable to kerb damage. They also suffer badly from road hump damage). Oil burning petrol engines needing new valve stem seals (allow £120). Not all diesels have PAS and all need it. Check spare wheel is in its underboot cradle and not nicked. If fitted with low profile tyres, check for tyre and rim damage. If fitted with aircon, make sure it works properly. Some reports of fuel line failure on petrol cars, cured by reinforced pipes. If car has rear discs, check calipers for fluid leaks. Check for stiff clutch, as cable may need replacing. 13th from Bottom of 100 models for reliability in Auto Express 2002 survey. Note that humming noise from behind the dash of 306 HDIs cab be cured by fitting a fuel line damper, which must be fitted the right way up.

Recalls

1995: Check accelerator cable. 1996 (July 1993-February 1996 bulld-150,000 cars): underbonnet wiring may chafe leading to short circuit and fire. 1997: possible starter motor fault on 1996 model cars. Free replacement. 1997 (Feb-May '97 build: 2,060 cars): incorrect brake compensator fitted. 1998: (Sep '97-Oct '97 BUILD): steering wheel hub may crack; (Nov '97-Apr '98 build): front suspension may collapse. May 1999: R reg 1.8 and 2.0 litre petrol engined models recalled for reinforced fuel lines to be fitted. 2000: 1.9TD October '98 build: front brake pipes may chafe. All March '98-build 306 models: steering rack bolts could crack if overtightened during assembly. March '99-April '99 build 306s with ABS only: possibility of air in brake fluid. 1/2/2000: possibility that brake servo valve may not operate correctly resulting in loss of servo assistance. 18,405 cars recalled for inspection and possible replacement of brake servo valve. Technical Information Circular No 1555 issued in 2000 re airbag warning light flashing then remaining on. Remove both front seats, carry ou repairs to herness connectors, replace seats and clear flaut from ECU. 3/10/2000: 4,898 306s and Partner vans recalled because of chance of incorrect machining of front stub axles which could lead to excessive wear and possibility of lower ball joint collapsing. Vehicles to be checked and front stub axles to be replaced if necessary. 2/1/2001: 96 cars were fitted with incorrect LH driveshafts which could separate from gearbox on a sharp bend or during excessive spsoension deflection. Correct spec driveshafts to be fitted. 2/1/2001: on 7,853 diesel 306s brake vacuum pump pin may fail due to excessive wear losing power assistance to brakes. Replacement pins to be fitted. 2/1/2001: on 2,409 306s possibility that an open circuit could occur in front seatbelt pretensioner harness connector leading to flashing of airbag warning light. Pretensioner harnesses top be replaced. 29/10/2001: 7,593 1.8 16v 306s and 406s recalled for timing belts to be replaced as could fail before 72,000 mile 'life'. 12/11/2001: Limited recall of 61 306s to check seatbelt mounting bolts. Late 2001: TSB issued to check all common-rail to injector unions on HDIs for leaks. 5/4/2002 (affects 40,254 diesels only): In wet weather, water cound enter ECU solenoid valve operating circuit causing engine running problems and reduction in power assistance to the brakes. 28/2/2002: Check that lower front seta belt attachments have not worked loose.

[TigaSefi]

You'd want to get a car that moved.

[Ramrod]

Originally Posted by Dupre

My New Car:

Peugeot 306 S16 2.0 16v
4/1998cc
155BHP
133MPH top speed
8.4s 0-60
32.3 MPG

all assuming the AA inspection goes well on tuesday that baby is MINE! and the £1100 insurance that goes with it... lol

How much! My Integra type-R only cost me £900 fully comp!

[Ramrod]

Hey Iadom, I like cooking with wine too!

[iadom]

Originally Posted by Ramrod

How much! My Integra type-R only cost me £900 fully comp!

My 02 reg Volvo V70SE costs me £376 fully comp with protected NCB. ( but I am an old git) and a very safe driver.

Re, the wine, I also have been known to use, brandy, whisky, Grand Marnier and Newcastle Brown for cooking.

[Chimaera]

Well we found that if you put a parent on the insurance (assuming you are a young driver) it can cut the cost considerably. My daughter saved over £200 on her £1100 premium by putting me on her policy - it pays to be an old fart sometimes!!

[keitht]

Personally I'd say go for the MR2. Lots of fun, yummy RWD.

I don't know much about the 323 but my MX5 has passed it's MOT 3 years in a row.

Keith

[Dupre]

my insurance is THAT high because im 22 and only 1 years unprotected no claims, although i may see about having my dad on insurance.

Originally Posted by Chimaera

Well we found that if you put a parent on the insurance (assuming you are a young driver) it can cut the cost considerably. My daughter saved over £200 on her £1100 premium by putting me on her policy - it pays to be an old fart sometimes!!

thanks Chimaera - my son is 20 and lost his no claims because you can't take roundabouts at 70 mph - I'll check that out. - and I am MUCH older than you:p