Are Luke Lawlor Motors any good?

Nephilim Wolf

Does anybody know if Luke Lawlor's are any good, and has anybody bought any cars from there? I just popped in today to have a look at one of the VW Golf's from 2002, as I'm thinking of upgrading soon from a 96 Polo to a Golf. I asked the chap there how many miles was there on the clock, so he opened the door and switched the engine on (which sounded fine), I also took a look inside but I was a bit dismayed because the inside smelled a bit grubby and looked a bit grubby too.:( I also thought it was a bit expensive for the price: about €4,495. Otherwise it had very nice alloys and looked quite sound.

After checking out the Golf I asked do they valet and service the cars, and he said they do. I'm not sure if they do a proper job like they do at Crystal Clean in the Square, because they wash the seats and anything else you want. The chap also said that they valet and service the cars before they are sold, but I'm not sure if they are telling the truth or not. I just don't want too hand of over money and then find out there are problems with the car. I was half thinking of ringing the AA to come out and check it to see if it's a very good car or not. I know that if your not with the AA they charge about 50 or 60 to do a proper and professional check up. Has anyone got any advise as regards Luke Lawlor's?

Nephilim Wolf

Nephilim Wolf wrote: »

I know that if your not with the AA they charge about 50 or 60 to do a proper and professional check up. Has anyone got any advise as regards Luke Lawlor's?

I doubt the AA would check out a car for 60 quid to be honest. Not wanting to offend but you seem not too knowledgeable with the motors etc so please get someone to check out the car for you. Also don't give him the windscreen price for the car

Nephilim Wolf

RoverJames wrote: »

I doubt the AA would check out a car for 60 quid to be honest. Not wanting to offend but you seem not too knowledgeable with the motors etc so please get someone to check out the car for you. Also don't give him the windscreen price for the car

You are right, I'm not the most knowledgeable with cars, apart from checking the oil etc. VW's are usually generally very good cars, and seem to be fairly problem free for the most part if they are well looked after. I've had my Polo for three years now, and I have not at any problems at all aprt from the lights being dipped to low for the NCT.:rolleyes: Other than that it's a fantastic little car. The main reason I'm going to sell it is because I feel it's time for an upgrade, and something with a bit more power. Preferbly a 1.4 though.

I'm also not sure when VW cars started to downhill in terms of build quality and reliability. When I do come across a good Golf I would also like to get the seats upholstered in leather and an mp3 player, so I can hook my ipod up on long journeys. I'm not sure if you have to be a member of the AA to have them check out a car for you, but I'm sure I heard somewhere that will check out the car for you at a certain price if you are not a member.

Mr Benevolent

Avoid the 1.4 Golf. The engine and gearbox is crap and the build quality isn't stellar. Oh, and the performance is awful. There's more power in a lawnmower.

-Corkie-

Confab wrote: »

Avoid the 1.4 Golf. The engine and gearbox is crap and the build quality isn't stellar. Oh, and the performance is awful. There's more power in a lawnmower.

Exactly and nearly five grand for a 02:eek:

Nephilim Wolf

Confab wrote: »

Avoid the 1.4 Golf. The engine and gearbox is crap and the build quality isn't stellar. Oh, and the performance is awful. There's more power in a lawnmower.

To be honest I'm not a boyracer, 1.4 would be grand for me as it would be much more power than my 1.0 Polo. I don't particulary want a fast car either, just something that is gets from A to B, and looks good too. The insurance would probably be more for me anyway for someone who's only driving for three years now. Are there any other Golf's that you would recommend that have good/very good build quality? My budget is around 3 or 4k, as I would like to get the seats redone etc, and alloys are a must.

mondeo

Thats too expensive for a 02' 1.4 golf....Their having a laugh!

Nephilim Wolf

mondeo wrote: »

Thats too expensive for a 02' 1.4 golf....Their having a laugh!

It is alright. I suppose if I could haggle them to 3 or 4k that mightn't be too bad.

homer simpson

here are a few suggestions for you OP in my experience 1.4 golfs are well (without being too insulting) rubbish, and overpriced rubbish at that here are a few suggestions for you you could get a top nick 1.4 ford puma for 3,500 or so, here is a decent looking one i seen on donedeal, has nice wheels ect on it too
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1260484

you could also get a nice mazda 323 prob my fav of what ive seen so far its a 1.6 thought so i duno what insurance would be.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1274016

Also for that money you could go for a toyota corolla 1.4 as well but a bit harder to find for the 3.500 mark, i found this one but its a standard one, so no alloys ect..


http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1170080

Hope this helps

Nephilim Wolf

homer_simpson wrote: »

here are a few suggestions for you OP in my experience 1.4 golfs are well (without being too insulting) rubbish, and overpriced rubbish at that here are a few suggestions for you you could get a top nick 1.4 ford puma for 3,500 or so, here is a decent looking one i seen on donedeal, has nice wheels ect on it too
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1260484

you could also get a nice mazda 323 prob my fav of what ive seen so far its a 1.6 thought so i duno what insurance would be.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1274016

Also for that money you could go for a toyota corolla 1.4 as well but a bit harder to find for the 3.500 mark, i found this one but its a standard one, so no alloys ect..


http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1170080

Hope this helps

Thanks for that, but it's such a pity because I really love VW's, especially since I bought my 96 Polo three years ago. So are Golf's not great in comparison to Polo's, or is it the other way around or do you think that both cars are not great. Also do you think that Golf's are inferior to Polo's, as I'm just trying to get as much information as I can. I'm also very fond of the reverse gear layout in VW's as opposed to other cars.;)

If the Golf's are much the same build as Polo's then I would be happy to buy one, because as I've stated before is that I'm not looking for something with great speed, but just a pretty good VW that will last five years or so without much problems. It's also a hatchback that I want as my dad has to park behind me with his much larger 00 Merc.;) That Puma doesn't look too bad, but I'm not that mad about the shape of it.

Mr Benevolent

VWs of that era are dreadful and I can't think of a worse car/engine/gearbox combo to buy and drive. The other problem is that VWs are overpriced in Ireland because people think th same as you, i.e, that VWs are great. They're not, you'd be much better off with a Focus 1.6.

If you do buy an overpriced underbuilt junkheap Golf, take one thing from this thread - AVOID THE 1.4!!!

Nephilim Wolf

Confab wrote: »

VWs of that era are dreadful and I can't think of a worse car/engine/gearbox combo to buy and drive. The other problem is that VWs are overpriced in Ireland because people think th same as you, i.e, that VWs are great. They're not, you'd be much better off with a Focus 1.6.

If you do buy an overpriced underbuilt junkheap Golf, take one thing from this thread - AVOID THE 1.4!!!

So what other types of Golf would you recommend apart from the 1.4?

Mr Benevolent

Nephilim Wolf wrote: »

So what other types of Golf would you recommend apart from the 1.4?

The 1.6 petrol or 1.9TDI.

dirtydiesel

Why not have a look at a corolla before you choose. If a garage has a car for sale then it should be ready to go, not requiring a service,valet and anything else.
Shop around and look at a few options before you buy anything, sell your polo private to get the best price for it.

Fiii

Just replying in terms of the garage, not the car...

My family have bought a total of 5 cars from Luke Lawlors now, and I have nothing but good things to say about them.
They do service and valet the car before they sell as standard.
I know when I went to see my first car, they had literally just gotten the car the day before, so hadn't gotten a chance to yet, but did so before I picked the car up and it was gleaming!
Good honest guys. Will probs buy my next car from them too

Good luck in your search whatever you choose.

F

Nephilim Wolf

Fiii wrote: »

Just replying in terms of the garage, not the car...

My family have bought a total of 5 cars from Luke Lawlors now, and I have nothing but good things to say about them.
They do service and valet the car before they sell as standard.
I know when I went to see my first car, they had literally just gotten the car the day before, so hadn't gotten a chance to yet, but did so before I picked the car up and it was gleaming!
Good honest guys. Will probs buy my next car from them too

Good luck in your search whatever you choose.

F

Thanks a million for this info. I still don't know if I'll get that Golf though because of the price, and I don't know how good a job they do on the inside whether they wash the seats like Crystal Clean do, so when you buy the car you'll have it smelling very nice on the inside which does count. Do you know if they valet the car properly on the inside or not or just use some kind of powerful industrial hover on the seats? To be honest I'm more concerned with how clean the inside is because the if they did not do a proper job I would have to bring over to the square and pay 60 for the inside to be cleaned.

Juwwi

Nephilim Wolf wrote: »

Thanks a million for this info. I still don't know if I'll get that Golf though because of the price, and I don't know how good a job they do on the inside whether they wash the seats like Crystal Clean do, so when you buy the car you'll have it smelling very nice on the inside which does count. Do you know if they valet the car properly on the inside or not or just use some kind of powerful industrial hover on the seats? To be honest I'm more concerned with how clean the inside is because the if they did not do a proper job I would have to bring over to the square and pay 60 for the inside to be cleaned.

you are thinking of spending 4500 for a car and ur more worried about whether they valet the seats properly

homer simpson

No disrespect to ya OP but you have your prioritys all wrong i would stay well clear of that shape golf pretty much full stop! Overpriced and overrated, your cash would be better invested elsewhere! My opinions only though

Nephilim Wolf

robbie1977 wrote: »

[/B]

You are thinking of spending 4500 for a car and ur more worried about whether they valet the seats properly

I think I'll give that car a miss. I do like to see clean interiors when or if I'm about to buy a car. As they say, presentation is everything.

-Corkie-

robbie1977 wrote: »

[/B]


you are thinking of spending 4500 for a car and ur more worried about whether they valet the seats properly

I know and about 3k too much as well. My neighbour has an old golf for sale.. Maybe if i buy it of her for 1k and then spend 2 days cleaning and polishing it.... I could sell it to you for 4k and we would all be happy:):)

Nephilim Wolf

I still haven't fully made up my mind on what car to get now. I also spotted this 1.6 golf on carzone:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Golf/GOLF-1.6/201016197721390/advert?channel=CARS

It looks very nice, very nice alloys, colour etc. Are these Golfs much more reliable than the 1.4s, and do they have any problems with the gear box and engine. I was also talking to my next door neighbour is a very good mechanic and he basically said stay well away from the 1.4s as the engine will give nothing but trouble. The thing is I love the shape of the golfs and the reverse gear change, sturdiness and so on.

He's also bringing up an 2005 Ford Focus that'll cost €5,500. I don't know very much about it at the moment, as regards colour, alloys, how many owners, but I do know it has about 75k miles on the clock. So any help or suggestions on these cars would be great.:)