Used Car Suggestions!

Salmon

Hi all,

Looking for a little help and a few suggestions/recommendations. Im looking to change the car and was interested in the following models:

02-03 Audi A4 1.9 tdi 130bhp
02-03 BMW 320d Se
03-04 Honda Accord 2.2l diesel

I have been looking on autotrader.co.uk and carzone.ie for deal and there seems to be a lot of value out there! I am looking to spend 10K to 12K all in (Inc. VRT but not travel, ferry etc) and dont mind travelling to UK or NI to get a good deal.
I do a lot of Motorway miles so a diesel is a must afaic!

Does anyone have any suggestions which model is the best choice?

Am I better off stay in ireland or look at uk?
Is it possible to bargain much of a % off the advertised prices?
Am I better off waiting for JAn/Feb before buying?
How many miles should I expect to be put up per year on the clock in order for it to be cosher (ie not clocked)?

Thanks in advance for any advice, suggestions!

bikki

All nice cars, but if you dont want to be a sheep go for the Honda

joeperry

Oh im surprised no one has mentioned the Alfa Romeo 159 yet!!!!!

Salmon

Yeah I know what ya mean! The only thing thats stopping me from going for it is the fact that its a 2.2 and will be hard on tax! As well as this i reckon the next car i buy will have to do me for around 4 years and there will be a lot of 4 year old diesels on the market with the new tax rates by that time! I will then look to buy a 2-3 year old diesel and know it will be hard to sell on my honda at that stage seeing as it will have the higher tax!!!!

martydunf

if your think you'll be importing from U.K then you should wait til January to do so because the VRT is calculated on the OMSP (open market selling price) of the car and each year the omsp will drop meaning a lesser vrt to pay.

Its always worth haggling to try and get a few yo-yos of the price. Say if there looking for €11500 offer them 10 and so on....

I think id pick the a4 outa the 3 cars you have above but thats just my choice!:)

Biro

Salmon wrote: »

Yeah I know what ya mean! The only thing thats stopping me from going for it is the fact that its a 2.2 and will be hard on tax! As well as this i reckon the next car i buy will have to do me for around 4 years and there will be a lot of 4 year old diesels on the market with the new tax rates by that time! I will then look to buy a 2-3 year old diesel and know it will be hard to sell on my honda at that stage seeing as it will have the higher tax!!!!

I'd go for the Honda. The 320d in '02/'03 timeframe wasn't at it's best to be honest. The A4's are typically either massive mileage or clocked. Nothing spectacular about them really either. Excellent engine in the Honda, and a nice cabin.

bazz26

Salmon wrote: »

Yeah I know what ya mean! The only thing thats stopping me from going for it is the fact that its a 2.2 and will be hard on tax! As well as this i reckon the next car i buy will have to do me for around 4 years and there will be a lot of 4 year old diesels on the market with the new tax rates by that time! I will then look to buy a 2-3 year old diesel and know it will be hard to sell on my honda at that stage seeing as it will have the higher tax!!!!

To be honest in 4 years time the car will be around 8 to 9 years old with high mileage on it so imo it will probably be worth very little anyway whether it is 2.0 or 2.2 litre. So buy what you want from the car rather than the next owner.

veetwin

joeperry wrote: »

Oh im surprised no one has mentioned the Alfa Romeo 159 yet!!!!!

Or the Skoda Octavia!

Of the three I'd go for a well equipped BMW from the UK if you can find one with reasonable genuine mileage. As stated VRT should be cheaper in January. I had a 02 one and loved it. Great driver's car and still a fine looking machine IMHO. I aslo had a A4 1.9tdi and also a good car and even more reliable and cheaper to run. Not so much a driver's car though.

Salmon

cheers folks! Would be interested to hear from others who have driven or owned these models!

Biro

Salmon wrote: »

cheers folks! Would be interested to hear from others who have driven or owned these models!

Driven all three, and know owners of all three. BMW is nicest to drive, but probably the worst to be in unless you can get one with lots of options. They're very unequipped in base form. That engine isn't BMW's best work, but it's not too bad. The A4 is well insulated, good quality dash, nothing spectacular though. The Accord has the nicest and quietest engine, well spec'd, most spacious and will probably be the most reliable. The A4 owner I know wants an Accord next after driving my other mates Accord. Kind of says it all really.

demag

I just pm'ed you about my 320d salmon