Rush of blood to head:I'm thinking of changing my car - am I mad

PaddyFagan

Hi Folks,

I think old age must be getting to me, I'm toying with the idea of changing my car - but given my history on this one I think I might be about to do something well dumb!

The Car:
So reading the thread about Pat White Cars here on Tuesday, I had a look at their web site and their list of used stock. Near the end of this list I spot SEAT Leon 2.0 TFSI FR €22,750, and think my God that's a lot of car for the money and it's only got 25km on the clock for an 08! Long story short, I'm showing it to a few people in the office and talk myself into going down to take a look! (I only work up the road from the garage)

As it happens the car isn't there (it's up with Seat Ireland), but the salesman takes my details (and those of my existing car) and with "get back to me" - I still haven't heard from him, but in the meantime I've been thinking about it - checking into insurance (only €50 more than my 1.6 Golf Plus) and stuff.....

The Background:
However, this is all minor compared to my history with Golf GTI derived vechicles - I previous owned an Ocativa vRS (Mark I) and had two breakins to get the keys, one successful (boards.ie -thread from the theft) which caused me to get rid of it after less than a year of ownership and buy a Golf Plus!

The Question:
I've moved house since then and stuff - but at the back of my mind, no matter how good the price looks, etc - Am I inviting a world of pain back into my life that I went to a lot of expense to remove?

Right now, I still haven't test driven the car, I might hate it, perhaps not And I don't have a cost to change figure from the garage, or anything, but all the same those concerns are somewhat overshadowed by my experience of owning the vRS.

Paddy

PS Up until this came up I'd been planning to hold onto the Golf Plus for another 18 months or so and pick-up a 1-2 year old 3 series touring (most likely a 320d) - talk about a change of heart.

Heroditas

I'm thinking of changing mine - from a 1.8 A4 to a petrol 5 series.
I'm having awful difficulties with that conscience of mine. I'll be able to afford the loan handily enough and I've had the car checked out both with the diagnostic kit and also rang the distributor who had serviced her three times. Everything appears to check out yet I'm still faffing around.
Maybe we should start a mutual support group and convince ourselves to go ahead and take the plunge! :P

PaddyFagan

Heroditas wrote: »

Maybe we should start a mutual support group and convince ourselves to go ahead and take the plunge! :P

I feel the "I Want to Change my Car, but feel Guilty" wristbands coming on:p

Paddy

R.O.R

PaddyFagan wrote: »

The Car:
So reading the thread about Pat White Cars here on Tuesday, I had a look at their web site and their list of used stock. Near the end of this list I spot SEAT Leon 2.0 TFSI FR €22,750, and think my God that's a lot of car for the money and it's only got 25km on the clock for an 08! Long story short, I'm showing it to a few people in the office and talk myself into going down to take a look! (I only work up the road from the garage)

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mazda/Mazda3/MPS,-2.3/200926194444273/advert?channel=CARS
Even more car for even less money, and not as bling as a Leon FR. Debadge it and it looks just like any other Mazda 3

Heroditas

We have to brace ourselves for the two sides of the argument: some people will tell us we're insane due to motor tax increases, running costs, repair costs etc etc while the other petrol heads wil egg us on and say: "go for it! You know it's the right thing to do!"

daveyboy_1ie

PaddyFagan wrote: »

As it happens the car isn't there (it's up with Seat .

This would be my question, why is it in Seat Ireland? As an ex employee of this fine establishment (7 years) I would know that the only reason a car is brought into the distributors is because there is a problem with it that the dealership cannot diagnose and are unwilling to spend much more time on it than they have already. So why would you even think of looking into a test drive with a particular car that clearly has something potentially major wrong with it.

Steer clear of this one. As to your question in general, the fact you recently moved homes should emphasise what your priorities are, and adding another €20K+ onto your debts for something as ultimately unimportant as another car when you already have a car does not make sense, especially nowadays. Sit tight and wait for the world to kop on and then hopefully you will be in a better position. Thats my humble opinion anyway, but I have never been a risk taker am afraid

PaddyFagan

daveyboy_1ie wrote: »

This would be my question, why is it in Seat Ireland?

The answer I got was that it was Seat Irelands car, which did seem a bit odd - perhaps the delay in getting back to me would suggest that there's something preventing it from being test driven right now..... :eek:

WRT The money - I've very lucky in that I can probably pay cash (plus the Golf Plus), but you're right this might not be a good time to be emptying out the rainy day fund!

The was mention of the Mazda 3 MPS - not sure about those, but again the garage is near-by and I probably should take a spin up there and take a look (is that the garage on the left as you approach the Red Cow coming from Newlands Cross?)

Paddy

daveyboy_1ie

Well Paddy, things have changed as I left Seat Ireland 6 years ago, and they have since become a retailer as well as a distributor in baldonnell there, near browns barn pub on the Naas road.

However this does not make sense to me, why would they advertise somebody elses car? in this day and age dealers are hell bent on getting rid of their own stock as their money is tied up here and they have bills to pay like anyone. so why would they advertise other peoples stock? Strange if they are.

I think if your motor is runnnig at the moment and economically it does not make sense to commit your 'rainy day' money to something then why do it? Besides the price you quoted is only €2k cheaper than what it would be worth in normal circumstances, so they have not come down enough either

PaddyFagan

daveyboy_1ie wrote: »

Well Paddy, things have changed as I left Seat Ireland 6 years ago, and they have since become a retailer as well as a distributor in baldonnell there, near browns barn pub on the Naas road.

That's very interesting - the salesman explicitly said, they where selling it because Seat Ireland don't sell retail!

Very strange indeed.

Many Thanks - daveyboy.

Paddy

Heroditas

daveyboy_1ie wrote: »

I think if your motor is runnnig at the moment and economically it does not make sense to commit your 'rainy day' money to something then why do it? Besides the price you quoted is only €2k cheaper than what it would be worth in normal circumstances, so they have not come down enough either

You sound like my conscience! :mad:

PaddyFagan

daveyboy_1ie wrote: »

Well Paddy, things have changed as I left Seat Ireland 6 years ago, and they have since become a retailer as well as a distributor in baldonnell there, near browns barn pub on the Naas road.

Nothing to do with my orignal question, but this just seems weird. The web site for Baldonnell Motor Group says:

Please be advised that our business has moved to Faichney Ringwood Ltd., main dealers for Saab, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Daihatsu.

And they're no longer listed in the dealer list on http://www.seat.ie

Paddy

EPM

Maybe the car is being sold on belahf of Seat? Since that particular garage is newly opened after a closure it could be the case that they are loaning him stock to get up and running? Sounds plausible enough if they want to keep a relationship going...

daveyboy_1ie

The OHM group are the companies name (http://www.ohm.ie/index.php) and although I have no doubts that a Salesman would tell you anything you want to hear on the other hand I have kind of falling out of touch with many of the people I knew there so never stay in touch with their news.

All I heard was when I worked for another distributor (i have since left the Motor industry entirely, thank god) was that the Baldonnell site was now a retail site and this made perfect sense as you get a great view of it from the Naas road. you could go straight to the horses mouth and ring the Seat division (Telephone 01-4698700) and ask if they have a policy of using dealers to sell their vehicles? there is nothing unusual in doing that, you are perfectly entitled to research any product you wish to purchase, and in fact we got calls from customers all the time (I was in customer service you see).

hope this helps you, sounds like you still want to take a punt on it?

stealthyspeeder

PaddyFagan wrote: »

The was mention of the Mazda 3 MPS - not sure about those, but again the garage is near-by and I probably should take a spin up there and take a look (is that the garage on the left as you approach the Red Cow coming from Newlands Cross?)

Paddy

The 3 MPS being mentioned twice in two seperate days on motors by people other that me!!! (im flapping around like fish, I dont know what to do with myself!)

Well anyway, I have an MPS, its awsome! do it, take the plunge, its sooo worth it (even get the FR- althougth your paying more for less, and its a good bit blingier than the best factory sleeper hatchback!)

if you want any info about the MPS, PM me!

PaddyFagan

daveyboy_1ie wrote: »

hope this helps you, sounds like you still want to take a punt on it?

Maybe :cool: I'm still interested to go and have a test drive if the dealer gets back to me and see what sort of figures he quotes at me. But I would be asking some point questions and get someone more familar with the messy bits of an engine than me to have a good look at it, if it becomes a serious option.

If nothing else this thread has encouraged me to go and have a look at a Mazda 3 MPS as well - but perhaps that's just another daft idea.

Thanks again,

Paddy

stealthyspeeder

PaddyFagan wrote: »

If nothing else this thread has encouraged me to go and have a look at a Mazda 3 MPS as well - but perhaps that's just another daft idea.

do it, do it, do it!!

Let us know how you get on! If you do have a look at let me know, I can give you a list of technical things to look out for on getting a second hand MPS!

daRobot

That Mps appears to be a serious bargain.

It'd still have at least a year & 1/2 of mazda warranty left on it aswell.

Matt Simis

If you want "a lot of car" for low 20s, look at the sigs of this post and the one above man!

Kartale

Im sure the car is a Demo model, that SEAT Irl want to have on the roads as it is a flagship model. Dealers would hardly put on as demo themselves due to market etc..
i would see no problem with this at all.
If its for you why not?

Loopsie

to set all of you doubting thomas' right.............Baldonnell Motor group was NOT directly linked to Seat IRL it was another tradin name of Faichney Ringwood. We retailed Saab and Seat out of the OHM importers building. So yes Seat irl cannot sell cars retail hence we have car dealers. Baldonnell motor group has subsequently been closed due to current economic climate but i can assure you all faichney Ringwood is still going strong in stillorgan industrial estate.