[KasanDude]

(Original post by Herr)
I owned an Alfa Romeo 147 some years back, it never broke down or had anything on it go despite it getting a thrashing every single time it was started up........you know it's hard to control yourself when you have a 3.2l car

Obviously some parts are going to cost money on such a car, it isn't any normal car on the road.

You think a German car would be any different? You always buy a car on it's condition and maintenance history not the nationality of it's manufacturer.

Wow you must have had the only problem-free alfa in the world

That's the thing though, I bought the car with full service history and after an extensive road test. Nothing appeared out of order apart from a few chips on the front bumper, and the service history said that the EGR valve was already replaced, and that was listed as a fairly routine thing with the 1.9 jtdm on alfa-owners. The problem is that the engine started playing up the second I got it home. Turns out when they replaced the EGR valve the first time, they put in a used one, a common practice in my country

Statistically, german cars are far more reliable than italian cars. This isnt a stereotype, I'd rather go on holiday in italy, but according to the data ADAC have gathered, alfa romeos dont do too well against vw golfs in the reliability area I'll stipulate that I wasn't exactly babying the car since I bought it (handbrake turns on snowed up parking lots spring to mind), but I've thrashed a few cars here and there before, yet the alfa seems to be suffering from normal maintenance issues more than the other cars...

[Herr]

(Original post by KasanDude)
Wow you must have had the only problem-free alfa in the world

That's the thing though, I bought the car with full service history and after an extensive road test. Nothing appeared out of order apart from a few chips on the front bumper, and the service history said that the EGR valve was already replaced, and that was listed as a fairly routine thing with the 1.9 jtdm on alfa-owners. The problem is that the engine started playing up the second I got it home. Turns out when they replaced the EGR valve the first time, they put in a used one, a common practice in my country

Statistically, german cars are far more reliable than italian cars. This isnt a stereotype, I'd rather go on holiday in italy, but according to the data ADAC have gathered, alfa romeos dont do too well against vw golfs in the reliability area I'll stipulate that I wasn't exactly babying the car since I bought it (handbrake turns on snowed up parking lots spring to mind), but I've thrashed a few cars here and there before, yet the alfa seems to be suffering from normal maintenance issues more than the other cars...

Believe it or not, the vast majority of Alfa Romeos are actually reliable and aren't near the sickly cars they once were. Sure things do go wrong with them and some parts on them are really crap for such an expensive car.

My former 147 I kept it for 2 years and did 53k on it, vast majority of it stuck in traffic jams in Hong Kong... times it broke down? 0, sure I spent huge amounts replacing parts that worn out as part of wear and tear, the actuators did wear out sooner than I had expected and that was an expensive fix too Everyone I know who has had a 147 all agree that if you maintain it religiously it is rare that it would break down or become an unreliable car.

The VW Tiguan I had just before I replaced it with a X5 broke down 4 times in the 3 weeks I owned it. 2 times it was related to the DSG gearbox, once each had an electrical fault and issue with the turbo.

Car reliability surveys rarely tell the full story, believe it or not in UK many people believe Jaguars and Land Rovers are the most reliable cars there is in the world, but rest of the world it almost always lead at the bottom of the heap in terms of reliability.

Anyway next time on consumable parts that is electric or electronic it is best to just get a new one and with an Alfa Romeo especially if you are oing to thrash it about it is best to bring it to an Alfa Romeo specialist who use genuine parts

Sorry time to watch Germany kick Greece out of the Euro now

[sim12345]

hi guys, just wanted to know about the reverse park I know it sounds mad and silly to ask but I struggle to perform it in front of my instructor; I do understand what to do however when it actually comes to doing it I mess up when I reverse around the kerb. My instructor has taught me to look in the left window at the back and wait till the kerb drops, at the same time stir the wheel, once the kerb has dropped, look in the back window wait till the kerb appears then slowly go back and finished. I feel like am not going too well on this one lesson I'll do good then the other I mess up, what is it am doing wrong and how can I improve on this?
Thanks, the help will be appreciated.

[Aky786UK]

A quick question, anyone know if someone can be a named driver on two seperate car insurance policies? In the process of completing a transaction for a car, on my own it'll be round abouts £800 so my brother's with Churchill so wondering whether he can be on my policy aswell?

[Veni Vidi Fugi]

I would recommend the corsa 1.0. It's insurance group 1, decent to drive, and has good passenger and boot room. While it is slow, it never feels properly sluggish, and if you're going to be going round town most of the time, it's all you need.

[Aky786UK]

Is £1,100 a fair price for a Toyota Yaris, 1litre, 53 plate, done 26k on clock (was a write off, cat c)?

Check a few posts on the last page about the car I'm looking at before background info but the price I'm not entirely comfortable with but am buying from family so I trust them. And they are more car-knowledgeable then I am.

[Herr]

(Original post by Aky786UK)
Is £1,100 a fair price for a Toyota Yaris, 1litre, 53 plate, done 26k on clock (was a write off, cat c)?

Check a few posts on the last page about the car I'm looking at before background info but the price I'm not entirely comfortable with but am buying from family so I trust them. And they are more car-knowledgeable then I am.

Depends on the reason it was a Cat C...... but generally it is best to stay away from such cars.

As for the price, it does sound rather steep.

[Aky786UK]

I had a drive of it yesterday, fairly smooth for a one litre, can hardly tell the engine is on! But a few minor issues - steering my brother said wasn't straight, needs tracking? and the tyres may not be the correct size although not sure if that's what he said as I was focusing on the road. But the price is a tad steep, but the current owner bought it for £1,300 so he's knocking off £200 due to me being family.

[Jiraya Sama]

Passed yesterday and now looking to buy a car. Can anyone recommend me a cheap reliable car for long journeys and motorways and cheap on insurance. Don't mind if it looks like crap/ anything (Nissan Micra). Should I wait a little before getting a car just of yet? Advice needed please.

Thanks

[Kage]

My first car was and still is a Nissan Micra K11 (facelift) 1.0 60bhp beast, I call Micra Schumacher.
It doesn't feel sluggish at all really, though its not the best at getting to speed fast, especially for motorway use, but when you want to get off lights fast, and you are on the only one in the car, it can really rev to road speeds pretty quick.

On motorways my Micra does make some noise, even in 5th gear, and if you want to overtake fast, you can't really to be honest. Put the foot down and it does get to higher speeds. It just takes longer to do it.

For that reason, if you are going to be doing motorway driving A LOT, I would stay away from a 1.0 litre engine. They work on motorways fine, but they aren't the best for them.

I don't think I'm going to get rid of my Micra fast though. Even though you could call it a girls car, I really have become attached to the thing.

Maybe a 1.2/1.3 litre engined car? Hatchback?
Heck you could probably pick up a 1.3 Nissan Micra for pretty cheap.
They certainly aren't the safest cars to have crashes in though, but they are damn reliable cars to drive otherwise.

A renault Clio would probably be a nice bet I guess

[Jiraya Sama]

(Original post by Kage)
My first car was and still is a Nissan Micra K11 (facelift) 1.0 60bhp beast, I call Micra Schumacher.
It doesn't feel sluggish at all really, though its not the best at getting to speed fast, especially for motorway use, but when you want to get off lights fast, and you are on the only one in the car, it can really rev to road speeds pretty quick.

On motorways my Micra does make some noise, even in 5th gear, and if you want to overtake fast, you can't really to be honest. Put the foot down and it does get to higher speeds. It just takes longer to do it.

For that reason, if you are going to be doing motorway driving A LOT, I would stay away from a 1.0 litre engine. They work on motorways fine, but they aren't the best for them.

I don't think I'm going to get rid of my Micra fast though. Even though you could call it a girls car, I really have become attached to the thing.

Maybe a 1.2/1.3 litre engined car? Hatchback?
Heck you could probably pick up a 1.3 Nissan Micra for pretty cheap.
They certainly aren't the safest cars to have crashes in though, but they are damn reliable cars to drive otherwise.

A renault Clio would probably be a nice bet I guess

Sorry when I meant motorway missions was referring to being a reliable car that I can get from Birmingham to Manchester or London without the car failing on me (just passed yesterday, I would be terrified). Meh, as long as it goes 30/40 then that shall be fine. How much is a 1 litre micra anyway and how much for the insurance for a newly passed driver.

Thanks

[Herr]

(Original post by Jiraya Sama)
Passed yesterday and now looking to buy a car. Can anyone recommend me a cheap reliable car for long journeys and motorways and cheap on insurance. Don't mind if it looks like crap/ anything (Nissan Micra). Should I wait a little before getting a car just of yet? Advice needed please.

Thanks

How far exactly are these journeys?

Budget for a car?

[Kage]

(Original post by Jiraya Sama)
Sorry when I meant motorway missions was referring to being a reliable car that I can get from Birmingham to Manchester or London without the car failing on me (just passed yesterday, I would be terrified). Meh, as long as it goes 30/40 then that shall be fine. How much is a 1 litre micra anyway and how much for the insurance for a newly passed driver.

Thanks

Well Micra's are reliable and they will get you from A to B, since the Japanese engines on the earlier Micra's are amazing really.

That said, I wouldn't have gotten a 1.0 litre if I could buy the car again but it's still a great little car that performs fine for what I need it for.

Insurance?

How old are you?

I was 23 when I insured the car, and it costs me around £124 a monthor around £1600 a year with the extra you have to pay at the start.

The car itself cost me £1200 but you can find cheaper ones than that. It only cost me that much because the engine had only done 10,000 miles in 9 years.
It's only done 13,500 now with me as the driver, and its due for an MOT in July.

I'm hoping it'll drop considerably after 1 year no claims, and being 25.

I think you should look for something that'll suit you though, and if its a one litre, so be it, but for motorway driving, you still in my opinion need a car with more pulling power if you are going to be driving those distances a lot. Sometimes you need to get out of harms way fast, and you can't really do that with my car very easily.

[Jiraya Sama]

(Original post by Kage)
Well Micra's are reliable and they will get you from A to B, since the Japanese engines on the earlier Micra's are amazing really.

That said, I wouldn't have gotten a 1.0 litre if I could buy the car again but it's still a great little car that performs fine for what I need it for.

Insurance?

How old are you?

I was 23 when I insured the car, and it costs me around £124 a monthor around £1600 a year with the extra you have to pay at the start.

The car itself cost me £1200 but you can find cheaper ones than that. It only cost me that much because the engine had only done 10,000 miles in 9 years.
It's only done 13,500 now with me as the driver, and its due for an MOT in July.

I'm hoping it'll drop considerably after 1 year no claims, and being 25.

I think you should look for something that'll suit you though, and if its a one litre, so be it, but for motorway driving, you still in my opinion need a car with more pulling power if you are going to be driving those distances a lot. Sometimes you need to get out of harms way fast, and you can't really do that with my car very easily.

I'm 23 years old. Living in the Birmingham area. Maybe my insurance will be cheaper than say a 18 year old who just passed?

[hypercaine.]

Looking at getting myself an 06 Clio Campus sport, any thoughts? Seems insurance is quite expensive but the price of the car itself makes up for it. Anything I should know about them? My family have owned Renaults before and I know they become very unreliable after a while, any Clio-specific problems though?

[insignificant]

Does anyone have anything to criticise about this car?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...81lj?logcode=p

[thefunktopus69]

(Original post by insignificant)
Does anyone have anything to criticise about this car?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...81lj?logcode=p

Nope -apart from the alloy wheels because they may be classed as a modification and increase the cost of your insurance policy (unless they came with the car).

But you can only tell so much from an ad -go and look at it with someone who knows a thing or two about cars.

[1992LP]

(Original post by insignificant)
Does anyone have anything to criticise about this car?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...81lj?logcode=p

No mention of tax or service history, and it is a 5 door so may be harder to sell on.

Besides that, it seems ok. My Mum has a 2004 1.2 Life (the basic one with no kit at all) and it has led a hard life but not let us down yet! Only problems were a split coolant hose, a track rod end, and the starter motor sticks a bit.

Don't worry about the alloys being a modification - that is an SXI (the one to have IMO) and they are standard equipment.

I would be a little wary of the mileage, 59k in 8 years screams town use to me, but then they are town cars and if it all checks out and drives fine then I don't see why not. Watch the oil consumption as valve stem oil seals and piston rings occasionally go on these engines (happened to my Astra, 1.6 16v Ecotec) and that is expensive / time consuming to put right.

ETA - just ran the plate online, and the tax has expired as of 01/07/2012. Get them to tax it for you, for a year, and that could be quite a good deal.

Check insurance before you buy - believe it or not I still can't get insured on my Mum's one for less than my car! Probably because I am male, so therefore higher risk, but worth checking.

[Emmanuel321]

What do you guys think about this car?

http://www.usedcarsni.com/93859931?g...5ddaddaf15f1dd

[Pony Jack]

(Original post by Emmanuel321)
What do you guys think about this car?

http://www.usedcarsni.com/93859931?g...5ddaddaf15f1dd

It's alright if you judge a car by what the interior and offside panels look like. I would say go and have a look and a test drive, but I've got the feeling you might be drawn in by anything shiny.