Choosing the right car - a pain in the arse!

Nissan Note:


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Nissan/Note/1.6-SE,/31113560151757270/

colm_mcm wrote: »

Japanese import?

Looks like a UK import to me as it has a dual speedo, think the Jap imports were 1.5 litre as opposed to 1.6 litre.

colm_mcm wrote: »

Have you looked at a Prius?

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-prius/7353945

Or a honda Civic hybrid

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/honda-civic-ima-hybrid/7188538

The Prius is the one to go for, almost the perfect choice for the majority of people who don't have any real interest in cars, I have one as family transport and can't fault it.

The One Doctor wrote: »

Does anyone know of a good online buyers guide for the Prius 2nd gen? There aren't many out there and the ones that do exist seem a bit skimpy. It is because very little goes wrong with the cars or something?

Head on over to http://priuschat.com and have a poke around, don't know if there's a specific buyers guide but you'll find LOTS of info, probably way too much. But you're correct in asking is it because very little goes, as very little goes wrong with them. In fact, the Priuschat forums can give the wrong impression that they have lots of problems, they don't. The http://www.reliabilityindex.com website rates them as way above average for reliability and I think it was AutoExpress that listed them as the 6th most economical car to run - out of all cars not just its class size.

My advice, if you want peace of mind and are planning to keep it a few years, is to buy one from a Toyota main dealer with a full Toyota service history. You'll usually get a full years warranty and a well maintained car. Or failing that from a reputable garage or privately, but again with a full, verifiable, Toyota service history - and actually ring the garage thats listed as doing the services and check. Don't be tempted by ones that appear to be a bargain as there's ALWAYS a reason for that, usually one that will cost you money later.

I've had an 05 one for almost 2 years and its had zero problems - and hopefully stays that way

The One Doctor wrote: »

Thanks, I was tempted by an indie dealer 2007 Prius that was about €1500 cheaper than the nearest private seller, but I'll steer clear. Good advice about everything else too, I'll read up and take my time.

Of course this applies to all cars really, not just a Prius. If its cheaper than everything else then check VERY carefully indeed, it may be that elusive bargain we'd all like to find but generally its cheap to make someone rush a decision and not be as careful as they might normally be.

The One Doctor wrote: »

Well it's just over two weeks later, and after €100 or so spent on an oil and filter change, a transmission fluid change and a few more bits and pieces the Prius is delivering an average of 55.1mpg over 440 miles. It's smooth, quiet enough as long as you don't accelerate too hard and has plenty of space. Well worth the money. Still have to fix a few niggles, the front driver seat rocks slightly and the exhaust is blowing fairly loudly, but overall I'm happy with it. One final niggle is that the engine coolant is dropping very slowly (maybe 20-30ml per day), still haven't pinned that one down but there's no engine codes, no gunk under the oil cap and no overheat so I'm reasonably confident that it isn't a HG issue. the water pumps are know for going on these cars but even with a WP change the car is still a bargain.

Edit: The coolant loss is definitely from the water pump. They're not known for failing suddenly, thank feck.

There was a recall for water pump issues, in 2012 I think. Might be worth checking with Toyota to see if your car was done or is still eligible. Best of luck with your purchase