New Car..

bennyx_o

Ok, my dads decided it's time to change his '01 Hyundai Accent. He seems to want a Citroen C3 or another Hyundai Accent. We were at the Hyundai garage in Fairview today and to cut a long story short, they were going to give him a 7,500 trade in (which has some scraches on the left door and on the front bumper) and it was going to cost 215 euro a month for an 03 Hyundai Accent.

We went to Citroen after and they gave him a C3 for the afternoon and he seemed to like it. They were giving him 4,500 off the car and it was something like 280 a month for a brand new car. To me, i think the Citroen is a nicer car, and in the long run, a better deal.

Anyone have any opinions on which is the better car/Better deal?

Thanks.

Seth Brundle

Hyundai
Citroën - should also have a good resale value

mike65

Agree with kbannon, the Citroen C3 will be nicer to drive/live in, proberly last as long and will be more sellable when the time comes to move on.

Mike.

Interceptor

Can I play Devils Avocado and ask why it has to be either of these cars? There are lots of better cars for your money (but I'm a notorious car snob and there are an infinite number of threads which discuss lower/mid-range cars).

The C3 is likely to be the better choice and despite the depreciation being less, the lower trade-in has killed off any savings in this area. Stick an ad in the Buy and Sell, punt the car privately - clean it well, and bargain like hell with a bundle of cash as your advantage.

Or keep the '01, clean it, stick in some new mats, a new air freshener and put €250 a month into a savings fund to go on a really good holiday next summer.... Or buy a left hand drive Alfa GTV and drive it across France and down the Stelvio Pass into Italy - oh sorry, thats my fantasy.... Or save your money and do the Staples to Naples? http://www.staples2naples.com/cgi-bin/esp?PAGE=s2n/index.esp

I'm off before I get in trouble for thread spoiling - bennyx o, tell your dad to wait and buy a new Focus....

'ceptr

bennyx_o

Well, my dad went to Skoda today and bought a Fabia 1.2 Comfort. He didn't get the C3 because his freind, whos a mechanic, said they're hard to service, parts are expensive, and the fanbelt tends to break. I don't know why he didnt go for the Hyundai, but, imo, the new accent is ugly anyway.

Seth Brundle

Citroën are pretty much the same as Peugeots. My wife has been driving Pugs over the last number of years and has had virtuallly nothing go wrong with them.
Hyundai on the other hand are cheap Korean ****e!

Lawdie

Its hindsite, but the Accent comes still with two years warranty and two years AA cover. Its by far the most realible and economical car of the three listed in this thread. Not to mention that its the biggest vehicle i.e. boot space etc.

Hope he has good fortune whatever hes driving!

Seth Brundle

two years AA cover! excellent!
[I know that here, it is not the case but] Someone spends a small fortune on a new car and one of the sweetners in buying it is membership of a breakdown service!

Fabritzo

I'm sure the Fabia will serve your dad well, they seem to get nothing but good reviews. I've heard that it's chassis is based on the next Polo's. What colour did he get?
On another note, when's the last time any of yee car heads have seen a fan belt on a new car?!

BrianD3

On another note, when's the last time any of yee car heads have seen a fan belt on a new car?!

I'd imagine that most new cars with north/south mounted engines and RWD would have fan belts. The fan would be driven using a belt from the engine with a viscous clutch device to turn it on and off.

FWD cars usually have an electric fan so no actual fanbelt, however lots of people refer to the alternator belt as the "fanbelt" for some reason.

My own car (laguna) has just the one belt which drives everything - it's a timing belt, alternator belt, power steering pump belt all in one. I don't know if this is the norm nowadays, all my previous cars have had separate belts for these things.

BrianD3

mike65

BrianD3 wrote:

I'd imagine that most new cars with north/south mounted engines and RWD would have fan belts. The fan would be driven using a belt from the engine with a viscous clutch device to turn it on and off.

FWD cars usually have an electric fan so no actual fanbelt, however lots of people refer to the alternator belt as the "fanbelt" for some reason.

My own car (laguna) has just the one belt which drives everything - it's a timing belt, alternator belt, power steering pump belt all in one. I don't know if this is the norm nowadays, all my previous cars have had separate belts for these things.

BrianD3

My car is lumbered with the "one-belt-makes-it-all-work-until-it-breaks" design :eek: P-S/Alternator/Waterpump/Air-con (if I had it)/Radiator Fan all driven by a 2.5 cm wide 3 metre loing belt! (slight exaggeration)

It always struck me as a design waiting to be found out.

Mike.

unkel

Your dad is a fast mover, bennyx_o

He won't be disappointed as the Fabia is a good car. When it came out, it was the best in its class and it might still be. It is reliable and good value for money. Hope he didn't get the cheapest 6v 1.2, or did he?

Interceptor

Well bennyx_o, your dad is indeed a fast car buyer. Tell him to be careful not to tear up the tarmac outside the house - the Labia is a powerful car.......And its fanbelt is made of knicker elastic so should last a very long time.

'c

bennyx_o

It's a red HTP 1.2 65BHP, or so my dad tells me. And i was wrong, the mechanic said the timing belt goes, not the fan belt. :rolleyes:

Tommy Vercetti

Your dad sucks.

He should have got a Lotus Elise, an 18 year old blonde bird, and some medallions for that hairy chest of his.

Seth Brundle

bennyx_o wrote:

It's a red HTP 1.2 65BHP, or so my dad tells me. And i was wrong, the mechanic said the timing belt goes, not the fan belt. :rolleyes:

they both can go. it is just that one costs the price of a belt, the other the price of an engine rebuild!

Kaskade

I would so have gone for the hyundai. They give 5 year warranties in the UK. Heard that they are going to be the next japs (for reliability). On a better note thank god he didn't get the c3. I have good friend in the tow truck industry and he is constantly being called out to citreons (all brand new) with electrical faults - mainly the immoboliser. Things like that shouldn't go in new cars.

impr0v

interceptor wrote:

C.. Or save your money and do the Staples to Naples? http://www.staples2naples.com/cgi-bin/esp?PAGE=s2n/index.esp

That looks like a laugh.

unkel

interceptor wrote:

the Labia

:eek:

Interceptor

Oh unkel, take that cranky look off your mug - I'd say you threw your eyes up to heaven so hard that you sprained your neck!!!

I could have said much worse, but I've driven several Skoodies recently and they were better than Hyundais - I drove the 1.6 Hyundai Co-op and it was woeful.

Today I am driving a Nissan Primastar van and despite its CD player and six gears it sucks so bad that it blows.... Oh save me from diesel engines Lord...

'c