What do you drive?

[StanBalaban]

31 minutes ago, Xela said:

Hmmmm 

They're a mile away from the lovely E30 shape - loved my 325i. The blue E46 328i in the background was owned by me for 8 years as well (was parked on the neighbours drive - yes, the same neighbour that clattered my Merc years later!)

Both cars now scrapped/written off

 

 

Love the E30 and you're right, values are mega strong for a good 325i.

A contact of mine has an E34 540i Touring for sale. Im seriously tempted even though I have absolutely no need for it whatsoever.

[Dodgyknees]

The sales person who helped me throughout the process was incredible, and he said “put your new car on all your socials” and at the time I thought I would because actually they’ve been brilliant. But I changed my mind (and maybe I’m overthinking) - but there are so many people struggling right now, and I don’t want to seem like I’m showing off or acting like I’m doing well. I’m doing ok, but I’ve also got issues going on (inc long COVID!) and money is still tight. But I don’t like seeming like I’m boasting and equally I think it could make people feel bad. Am I overthinking this?

Might just do a “shout out” thank you  (although I’m on private!) or just send an email to head office. 

[Genie]

2 hours ago, Dodgyknees said:

The sales person who helped me throughout the process was incredible, and he said “put your new car on all your socials” and at the time I thought I would because actually they’ve been brilliant. But I changed my mind (and maybe I’m overthinking) - but there are so many people struggling right now, and I don’t want to seem like I’m showing off or acting like I’m doing well. I’m doing ok, but I’ve also got issues going on (inc long COVID!) and money is still tight. But I don’t like seeming like I’m boasting and equally I think it could make people feel bad. Am I overthinking this?

Might just do a “shout out” thank you  (although I’m on private!) or just send an email to head office. 

Yeah, I wouldn’t do it either. It’s also advertising to the crooks where a nice, shiny new car lives. Just give them a couple of nice reviews on google or autotrader.

[Dodgyknees]

25 minutes ago, Genie said:

Yeah, I wouldn’t do it either. It’s also advertising to the crooks where a nice, shiny new car lives. Just give them a couple of nice reviews on google or autotrader.

Done that this morning

[Chindie]

Latest thing on the Lupo, the passenger door locking mechanism has gone and the strap mechanism that carries the weight of the door to support the hinge has also bust.

I'm attempting to fix these myself as the parts are very cheap and by all accounts it's not a difficult repair, but FFS I wish stuff would stop going wrong with the thing.

Oh and the last problem, with the misfire? Somehow one of the ignition leads literally fell out of the engine. It was dangling loosely from the block. Put back in, all fine again.

[Xela]

Liked for the simple fix on the ignition, not the sagging door.

I've been browsing autotrader again, but put off by the price of used cars. Still seem to be way out of kilter 

[Genie]

7 minutes ago, Xela said:

Liked for the simple fix on the ignition, not the sagging door.

I've been browsing autotrader again, but put off by the price of used cars. Still seem to be way out of kilter 

If you’re trading something in then it offsets a lot of it. If you’re a first time buyer or have nothing to sell it’s really hard.

[Chindie]

Fixing the lock mechanism on the Lupo? Really simple.

4 minute job.

Nope. 3 hours of swearing, ripping my fingers to shreds, losing my temper, tearing my thumbnail to shreds, blood as lube...

That bit where you 'just' keep constant downward pressure on a spring while squeezing it round to catch on a small notch, while putting a cap and then a holding clip on top all while the spring tries to uncoil in 2 directions... **** shite design.

Still, the door works now.

[Genie]

I noticed Tesla have cut their prices.

You can now get a brand new Tesla 3 delivered in just 2-4 weeks for only £42,990.

Edited January 18, 2023 by Genie

[chrisp65]

It would appear that at the ‘value’ end of the market the wriggle room for haggling has all but gone.

My lease is up in April so I’ve started looking around, amazing how many cars I’m being told if I want one in April I should have ordered it last June and the price is the price.

Car is just completely functional for me, so I’m not stuck with needing it to have any particular badge on the front. But I do need it to be able to do some motorway miles, to have a decent amount of boot space, and to be automatic. Once you’re looking for something in that Golf / Focus / Leon sort of size, in auto, all the prices appear to be £100 a month more than they were a year ago. Which is annoying.

I’ve got a Scala at the moment, bought unseen and without a test drive at the start of covid. It’s been brilliant and I’d have the same again but the thought of paying soooo much more for the same car I’ve already got kind of grates a bit. 

I’ve done the dealerships direct, I’ve sat at sales desks, done What Car and CarWow and its all very consistent. Essentially, nobody has a car they just want to shift to make way for fresh stock. Other than a token few quid, the price appears to be the price.

[Davkaus]

There's been so many supply issues for so long it seems to be like it at all levels of the market.

My sensible daily car is an mx5 I bought used 4 years ago, I got a decent but not amazing price. I've put 20k miles on it, and from a look on autotrader, the going rate is now 25% more than I paid for it

[Genie]

9 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

It would appear that at the ‘value’ end of the market the wriggle room for haggling has all but gone.

My lease is up in April so I’ve started looking around, amazing how many cars I’m being told if I want one in April I should have ordered it last June and the price is the price.

Car is just completely functional for me, so I’m not stuck with needing it to have any particular badge on the front. But I do need it to be able to do some motorway miles, to have a decent amount of boot space, and to be automatic. Once you’re looking for something in that Golf / Focus / Leon sort of size, in auto, all the prices appear to be £100 a month more than they were a year ago. Which is annoying.

I’ve got a Scala at the moment, bought unseen and without a test drive at the start of covid. It’s been brilliant and I’d have the same again but the thought of paying soooo much more for the same car I’ve already got kind of grates a bit. 

I’ve done the dealerships direct, I’ve sat at sales desks, done What Car and CarWow and its all very consistent. Essentially, nobody has a car they just want to shift to make way for fresh stock. Other than a token few quid, the price appears to be the price.

Cars are a bit like houses, if you’ve got one to sell whilst you’re buying one then the rise in prices is less of an issue.

If you’re first time buying, or have little equity then it’s a painful process.

I cruise hot uk deals quite a bit and there used to be regular deals on car leases but I haven’t seen anything for ages.

The chip shortage continues to constrain production, which holds the price the high.

Is it worth picking up a cheapo with cash for 6 months or so to see if the market improves a bit? 

 

[Genie]

2 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

There's been so many supply issues for so long it seems to be like it at all levels of the market.

My sensible daily car is an mx5 I bought used 4 years ago, I got a decent but not amazing price. I've put 20k miles on it, and from a look on autotrader, the going rate is now 25% more than I paid for it

My wife bought a Fiesta 3.5 years ago and got all her money back (all but a couple of hundred quid) on it when part exchanging it for something 4 years newer. 

[chrisp65]

23 minutes ago, Genie said:

Cars are a bit like houses, if you’ve got one to sell whilst you’re buying one then the rise in prices is less of an issue.

If you’re first time buying, or have little equity then it’s a painful process.

I cruise hot uk deals quite a bit and there used to be regular deals on car leases but I haven’t seen anything for ages.

The chip shortage continues to constrain production, which holds the price the high.

Is it worth picking up a cheapo with cash for 6 months or so to see if the market improves a bit? 

 

I am considering the short term cheapo, either a car that isn’t really big enough, or a ‘nearly new’ used car. The risk for me is if that doesn’t work, if it doesn’t get me to Kendal or Norwich at short notice AND physically able to do a day’s work once I get there, then I’m in trouble.

I suspect inflation and the fact manufacturers have been able to control prices, means that it won’t return to ‘normal’ for a very long time. They might have worked out that they want to up supply gradually so they can continue having greater control over prices. rather than rushing to ramp up production only then to be discounting to shift stock.

Anyway, 2022 towns visited:

 

I can’t be doing that in a manual Kia Picanto!

[Seat68]

3 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

I am considering the short term cheapo, either a car that isn’t really big enough, or a ‘nearly new’ used car. The risk for me is if that doesn’t work, if it doesn’t get me to Kendal or Norwich at short notice AND physically able to do a day’s work once I get there, then I’m in trouble.

I suspect inflation and the fact manufacturers have been able to control prices, means that it won’t return to ‘normal’ for a very long time. They might have worked out that they want to up supply gradually so they can continue having greater control over prices. rather than rushing to ramp up production only then to be discounting to shift stock.

Anyway, 2022 towns visited:

 

I can’t be doing that in a manual Kia Picanto!

I changed my car from a manual to automatic as I was doing a 4 motorway 150 mile round trip every day. That was delivered in February 2021, I havent really had a regular office to commute to since, appreciate your "office" changes all the time, but the car I thought I needed, it does the school run now.

[Genie]

4 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

I am considering the short term cheapo, either a car that isn’t really big enough, or a ‘nearly new’ used car. The risk for me is if that doesn’t work, if it doesn’t get me to Kendal or Norwich at short notice AND physically able to do a day’s work once I get there, then I’m in trouble.

I suspect inflation and the fact manufacturers have been able to control prices, means that it won’t return to ‘normal’ for a very long time. They might have worked out that they want to up supply gradually so they can continue having greater control over prices. rather than rushing to ramp up production only then to be discounting to shift stock.

Anyway, 2022 towns visited:

 

I can’t be doing that in a manual Kia Picanto!

I can only talk about my personal experience but it’s that car manufacturers are absolutely desperate to ramp up production.

Thousands of track workers being paid to do nothing and people getting fed up of waiting and cancelling orders are costing many millions.

They are throwing the kitchen sink at anything which will get a few more cars built.

[foreveryoung]

This is the cheapest company on the web, if your looking for a personal lease. 

leasecar.uk

Get a price from there, go to the dealer and most will match it, if not come a lot closer than they are offering you.

 

[Genie]

JLR had a solid quarter as chip shortages are easing.

£265m profit in 3 months, 80,000 cars delivered and 95,000 new orders. Total orders in the bank now 215,000. 

Hopefully across the whole industry things will start to return to something more normal. 

[Chindie]

Open Lupo passenger door to drop the girlfriend home. Get in. Door won't shut. At 8.30pm. Cue an hour of swearing as I squeeze socket sets into the most awkward spaces conjured by man, jamming my arm into the door to get the **** check strap out, and then finally getting the door shut so I can lock it and get the bastard thing fixed over the weekend.

Its got its MOT at the end of the month. I'm wondering what else it's going mug me for.

[Genie]

I put 4 new tyres on today (to go with new rear brakes last week)

Tonight taking the boy to football training I drove over something that made a right clatter. No sign of a puncture yet but driving home i got a warning about deflation. It all looks ok so I’m hoping it’s just related to the fact 4 new tyres have gone on and maybe pressures are settling down. Fingers crossed for the morning still having 4 tyres inflated. I’ll go to the garage and check the pressures to be sure (as i’ve lost my inflator/pressure gauge)